Keeping the Pet Of The Day world a green place?

[kitten645]

I do most of these things however living in an apartment is an additional challenge as there is no composting/gardening options. I'm also in a confined space to have more than one garbage can so I make lots of smaller trips to the recycling bin down by the dumpster.
I'm continually appalled at what is left at the dumpster. Perfectly good furniture, books, bikes etc. I try not to be a packrat so I virtually never take home anything I won't use. I LOVE Freecycle! There's NOTHING that SOMEBODY can't use! I went thru all my cleansers and switched to natural ones (white vinegar, lemon juice for spiders etc) I freecycled the things I won't be using anymore. I know it technically means someone else will do the polluting but I figure they'd buy the stuff anyway and my changing my ways helps. I've freecycled a bunch of broken appliances that "fix it' type's could use. It's great! Try it out!

[Russian Blue]

Environmental initiatives have been drilled into me from a young age. My grandparents used to recycle, reuse and reduce everything! They showed me I didn't need a Swiffer to properly clean the floor, or Fabreeze my make my home 'smell' fresh. I'm really shocked at the number of new products on the market that are popular yet so environmentally irresponsible. So many are one use, and they're in the trash.

My educational background is in Environmental Management. About 15 years ago, I helped plan recycling initiatives for the City of Toronto. The committee I worked with examined initial plans/costs to bring organic recycling to Toronto. Fast forward 15 years and Toronto now has weekly pick-up of organic recycling (called the Green Bin Program read more here), weekly blue box pick-up and remaining garbage gets picked up once every two weeks. The success rate of diverting organic waste from landfill is amazing with the Green Bin program!

We had an Energy Audit completed on our house and are almost finished implementing the energy recommendations. We live in a century old home, so fixing it up to save energy costs and help the environment is a win-win situation. Many of our home renovations were completed using re-used materials from renovation stores and we donated many items back to these stores to continue the cycle.

We will be converting our outside gardens/landscaping using Xeriscaping methods. If you're unfamiliar with this, check out this link: Xeriscaping

At the cottage, we use all natural products, keep the landscape as natural as possible, and will be installing a solar hot water tank.

On a day to day routine in the city, we try to use public transportation whenever possible, we buy things with the least amount of packaging and the least impact on the environment.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I take my own reusable bags with me...not just to the grocery but to the department store, the drug store...any shopping.

I unplug rechargers and the power strip to the computer when not in use.

I air dry many clothing instead of using the drier.

And the light bulbs, the sorting of greens and recyclables.

But I have to giggle...changing light bulbs is work but driving a hybrid isn't!

(yes, I drive a hybrid...and I keep the rpm under 2K as much as possible...but that is probably not as much work as changing a light bulb.)

[pitc9]

I use reuseable grocery bags.
Recycle everything that can be recycled.
Don't use the a/c in the house or car if I don't really need it.
Don't water my lawn.
Don't leave the water running when I brush my teeth and take short showers.

[catlover4ever]

- We recycle all plastic, paper, cardboard, and aluminum foil products.
- Turn off the water faucet when brushing our teeth or when my husband shaves.
- We use only organic products on our lawn and gardens.
- We keep the back field as high grass for the wildlife to use for coolness, food and shelter.
- No watering of our lawn and we leave it on the high side as well, the birds also love all the bugs/insects they can find when it is like this. I have nest boxes up on my property to encourage the birds to nest in our yard, they help to eliminate the bugs and insects, thus saving us from having to use pesticides.
- My flowers do get watered twice a week but I have spanish moss and other moisture retention things in or on top of the soil.
- Energy star appliances.
- Air dry the clothes as much as possible.
- We have a compost pile for leaves, grass clippings, weeds, etc in the back yard. I am working on a compost bin for household things.
- I just recently ordered energy saving blinds for all our rooms, this will help to keep the house cool in the summer and warmer in the winter. With the cost of energy and oil, anything I can do to help reduce our cost is worth the little bit of extra money that the blinds cost.

[cassiesmom]

i'm gradually replacing light bulbs (as they burn out) with CFLs.
My building doesn't recycle so I take newspapers and aluminium cans to my mom and dad's when I visit them.
I am trying to be good and give up plastic grocery bags! I keep a reusable bag in the car.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Let's see,
I also air dry my clothes (I the smell in the summer).
I use cloth bags when I go shopping (as much as possible).
I take public transit as much as possible.
I recycle as much as possible every week (if I miss recycle day it starts to take over the kitchen )
I use a push mower on my lawn (and it is good exercise ) and I never water it.
All my curtains and blinds are either lined or room darkening (which help keep the heat out).
I have bought a new furnance, A/C, and other appliances that are all Energy Star.
During the winter I keep the house about 70F, so it is a little cooler than normal.
I have a large organic vegetable garden and I do not use any herbicides on the lawn.
Even the cats are going green ... I have switched everyone over to the Feline Pine which is biodegradeable.

I would love to have a compost bin, but my HOA does not permit them