Take a Breath . . .

A shout-out to non-believers of Global Warming:

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. ~John Kenneth Galbraith

Fuel Your Car Not Your Bottle

Fact: It takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil to manufacture a year’s supply of bottled water. That’s enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars.*

Clearly, there are more efficient ways to supply your body with water.



*from Earth911.com

An Open and Shut Case

You spent hours agonizing over what color, length, and type of curtains to buy. You dropped significant dollars to get custom-made blinds that perfectly accented your room decor. You believed them when decorators talked about the simple facelift window treatments can provide a room, but did you know they can also save you on energy costs?

It doesn't get much simpler than this: in colder temperatures, open your curtains or blinds in the morning to let the sunlight in when you're leaving for work, school, or play. Any warmth you get from the natural rays is warmth you don't have to turn up the thermostat for.

The reverse is true in the summer. I know, the sunlight is beautiful and lights up the room (and opening the blinds or curtains may be habit) but save that for when you'll be home to enjoy it! During the week, if you're going to work for eight hours anyway, leave the blinds closed until you get home. You can keep the room a degree or two cooler and still open the window treatments when you get home to bask in the evening rays.

No, this is not going to eliminate your need for air conditioning or heat. But it can help you use less of both. Just open and shut.

The Dishwasher Did It!

Remember back in the day when you had to wash your dishes twice before putting them in the dishwasher or they wouldn't come out clean? Well dishwasher's have come a long way, baby. It's time for your habits to upgrade too.

Just scrape your scraps into the trash instead of running all that water rinsing your dishes. Put it in the dishwasher and look--it actually washes it for you. Go figure! It's exactly as the inventor intended.

Take a Breath

Author unknown, commonly mis-attributed to Charles Darwin:
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. 

When Life Gives You Lemons . . .

When life gives you lemons--it's a good thing! This post series will reveal the many ways to turn a lemon (often used to describe a broken, no good car or appliance) into a multi-faceted household product. And did I mention cheap and green? I mean yellow . . .

Lemon as odor remover. Use the invigorating, refreshing smell of lemons to:
Freshen a stinky garbage disposal. Slice the lemon and drop in. Turn on the disposal and wash with just enough water to release the lemon zest. Don't overdo the water, of course!

The Power Triad of Natural Cleaning

Consider vinegar, baking soda, and lemons your power triad of natural cleaning. All three are natural cleaning items that either rival manufactured cleaning solutions, or rival them with a little more elbow grease. In general, they are simple and safe to use, and are generally much cheaper than the products you buy in the store. With the rub against them (pun intended!) being you sometimes have to scrub a little harder, consider it a cleaning workout as well and pat yourself on the back for saving a trip to the gym ;)

Seriously, using these items is often much easier than reputed. I think you'll see that as I share their powers over a series of posts. For today, commit to buying them the next time you go shopping. And, as I share their range of uses, try one or two from the posts.