UPDATE: We turned off all our lights and unplugged appliances for Earth Hour last night. It was a lot of fun sitting around the GAS fireplace with the candles lit enjoying a game of Go Fish with Grandma Betty and FG. The house was so quiet and we imagined what it might be like to live in an Amish home. FG liked it so much she wants to institute Earth Hour once a month. Sounds like a fun tradition to start. Did anyone else give Earth Hour a try?
The earth is going dark for one hour tomorrow ~ at least that’s what the coordinators of Earth Hour would like to happen. On Saturday, from 8pm-9pm, you’re being asked to turn off your lights to save energy. A lot of people will roll their eyes (including my husband) but, if it’s a chance to make the world a little cleaner, I’m more than willing to give it a try. Click here more information about Earth Hour.
FG is thrilled about Earth Hour and has the candles at the ready. She’s been very good about making our house as “green” as possible. She’s even got FM recycling his beer/soda cans (the cash-back is a good incentive for him) and he’s converted to the energy-efficient light bulbs. We already recycle, turn off lights and keep the heat as low as we can tolerate it but there’s so much more we could be doing. Lately, FG has started timing her showers and reminding me to shut off the water when I brush my teeth which I know is a very bad habit. I’m still at the beginning stages of being green but with the help of FG, I’m much more aware. And that’s what Earth Hour is all about ~ awareness.
Has anyone else gone green? I would love to hear your favorite green tips.
Gina:
LOL!
Careful now, your Northwest family and friends might disown you with that kind of talk.
Actually, the big cities save lots of energy but for the rest of us, Earth Hour is more “awareness” then actual savings. FG LOVED it so much we’re committed now.
LikeLike
How many hours a day do you really even have your lights on? Out of 24 hours at least 12 there is day light, then once the sun goes down, maybe 4 or 5 hours of having the lights on, until you go to bed when you invariably turn them all off. Did you also unplug your fridge during that hour, and all your electronics that are plugged in, like an alarm clock? No because the food might go bad and it would be a pain to reset all your clocks. I’m not turning my lights off for 1 of the four hours I have them on. Earth Hour can bite me.
This rant isn’t directed at you Patti, I just am sick of all this save the earth propaganda making us feel BAD for using our electicity which we pay for. Al Gore can also shove it, with his 2 houses and his private jet. That is all.
LikeLike
Beth: DUH ~ I don’t know why I never thought to use the paper bags to put recycled items in. We have recycle bins but they usually get too full for all our stuff. I’ll definitely be using your idea. Thanks!
LikeLike
We’re moderately green people. Some of it’s to save the environment, some it’s because I’m cheap! I’ve always used cloth napkins, even since I was a kid. I’ve heard that the detergent/water/energy required to clean them doesn’t make them that much better than paper, but I don’t believe it. I do a few compulsive things like save paper napkins and condiment packets from drive-thru take-home bags to use later.
We recycle everything we can and I have cloth bags for my small grocery trips, but I reuse the plastic/paper ones when I get them. The paper bags are great for holding paper recycling like newspapers/mail/shredded papers, and also as art paper for the kids when they want to paint.
We do other typical things like walk/ride bikes when possible instead of driving, turn off lights, only do full loads of dishes/clothes, etc. I have friends who go to (what I call) extremes. They only get one glass per day. The one they get in the morning is the one they use all day. That doesn’t seem real sanitary to me (dust settles, bacteria grows), but maybe I’m being OCD again. They also don’t flush if it’s only yellow in the toilet–now I know that’s yucky!
LikeLike
Funny enough, Google reminded me! I went to do a search and the screen was black. 🙂
LikeLike
Patti – just a tablespoon of vinegar does the trick. The clothes are still soft and I’m not polluting the water…
LikeLike
KBG: Thanks for the green tips. I hadn’t heard about the vinegar instead of Downey ~ how much do you put into the rinse cycle?
We’re still working on the paper napkins. FG gets a cloth one in her lunch box but we’re not so good about dinner napkins. Need to work on that one…
LikeLike
It’s very hard to be green in Kiev. We hate that we can’t recycle here – a habit that we started in Germany and then kept up in VA. I did buy reusable grocery bags so that I don’t have to get the plastic ones, and we eliminated paper napkins in our house over a year ago (I heard once that if everyone used one less paper napkin a day it would eliminate hundreds of thousands of pounds of refuse).
I still can’t bring myself to unplug things when they aren’t in use – reprogramming the TV everyday would be more of a hassle than I’m willing to take – but I am the light police in our house, constantly going around and turning off lights. Oh yeah, and I gave up my beloved Downy and now I use vinegar as my fabric softener (it doesn’t smell like vinegar when it’s finished).
Okay, that’s all the tips I think I can offer for our green-ness. We do what we can, but I’m anxious to start recycling again when we get back to the states!
LikeLike
tljess: LOL I didn’t know that about J.
OK, calling the Hazmat Team is a little gullible BUT despite the overwhelming advantages of Compact fluorescent light bulbs compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs, they are not without a trade-off.
On the plus side, switching to compact fluorescent lights is an easy way to save money, reduce energy consumption and limit greenhouse gases. If EVERY home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, in one year, it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars. Hard to argue for not switching.
Unfortunately, the trade-off is that CFL bulbs contain MERCURY, which is a highly toxic heavy metal, and they have to be disposed of carefully, especially if they’re broken. As of Jan. 1, 2008 New Hampshire banned the disposal of any “mercury-added” product, including spent compact fluorescent light bulbs and “button-cell” batteries, in landfills, transfer stations or incinerators. I don’t know about other states but suggest you look up a recycling center that takes the CFL bulbs located in your area.
If a CFL bulb breaks, it needs to be handled very carefully. Do NOT vacuum a broken bulb- that will spread mercury throughout the house as mercury could become airborne and your vaccuum cleaner will be contaminated. You should ventilate the room and leave it for at least 30 minutes. After ventilating, wear some disposable gloves then use cardboard and duct tape to pick up small pieces and powder. Put everything, including the gloves, into a screw-top jar. Store the jar in a safe place until you can dispose of it at a local household hazardous waste collection station.
Thank goodness the CFL bulbs last for years so you’re not having to replace them often. Don’t forget to turn off the lights tonight!
LikeLike
We have the opposite problem – we accuse J that he was born in the depression – because he has been green since before we married. Unfortunatley, I am the one rolling my eyes 🙂
I heard the other day on the radio that if one of the earth friendly light bulbs break, a Hazmat team needs to come in and remove the debris – has anyone else heard this? OR am I just gullible and believe everything I hear 🙂
LikeLike
C always asks me if I’m a vampire because I keep most of the lights off at night when I’m just watching tv…I say, “I’m conserving!” He rolls his eyes too. 🙂
LikeLike