Going Green

This is such a hot topic right now, everyone is trying to do something to alter their carbon footprint. We were taught reduce, reuse, recycle in elementary school but no one was really putting it into practice until the past few years. I've taken some baby steps so far - Food

• Buying as many goods as possible that are locally produced
• I don't buy nearly as much meat, most of my dishes are meatless
• I rarely make meals that require me to heat my oven, if I have to bake I try and use that energy to make big batches so I can freeze and reheat in the microwave later. I also take advantage of the heat and make a dessert at the same time :-)

Cleaning Supplies

• Using washable microfiber clothes
• Biodegradable and Eco Friendly Dish and Laundry Detergent
• Method Cleaning Supplies

Energy Saving Electronics

• My vacuum and small kitchen appliances all have the energy saving seal, unfortunately my large home appliances came standard with the apartment. I try and do all my laundry at one time so the dryer stays hot and I do not use the heating element on my dishwasher.
• I take quick showers and only wash my hair every 3 days. It helps especially that I only have to use my hairdryer maybe 2x a week and my hot tools for a few minutes each day.

Altering Energy Use

• Energy Saving CFL Bulbs
• Obviously turning off all lights and electronics when not in use
• Leaving my air off as much as possible, especially if I'm not home
• I moved closer to work so I only have a 10 minute drive and I live about 5 minutes from the grocery store and church. I hardly ever drive anymore, even the majority of my shopping is done in one trip with errands or online. Even my gym is onsite and located within walking distance.

Recycling and Garbage

• I set a goal for myself to only have to take out 1 bag of trash in a certain time period, so far I've done really well with it.
• Unfortunately I am not recycling at the moment, I did really well with it in my last apartment but the one I'm currently at does not participate and does not have the bins on site.

Things to try: Recycled Paper Cat Litter

Researching cars that get better gas mileage

Eventually I'd like to have all energy saving appliances