For many of us, the fact that we live far from landfills is a blessing, but it also often means that it’s easy for us to forget the massive problem that exists with the heaping piles of waste that plague our environment. When you and your family decide to make it a priority to recycle, you are making a commitment that does a great service to our Earth and all life that inhabits it.

There are so many products that we all use on a daily basis that are not environmentally friendly in the slightest. When you see a pop can lying in a ditch, that can is there forever until someone decides to pick it up and recycle it into something reusable. Otherwise it will end up in the humongous piles of waste in landfills and sit there indefinitely because it is not biodegradable.

Recycling is one of the the most important parts of our attempt to clean up the mess we’ve made. It will work if we all work together and participate.

How to start recycling as a family:

The amount of recycling products available to buy is growing and could really make a big impact if we all helped out by recycling all materials that can be.

Your family can start simply by having separate bins for your recyclable items and either putting them out at the right time weekly when your city’s sanitation department is scheduled for pick up in your area and/or bring items to your local recycling service.

Typically, cardboard is to be bundled together and the same with newspaper. Also, bottles and cans are to be separated and put together. Breaking down all the cardboard boxes you use (even product packaging) will also help a great deal. Typically those are the general rules, but consult your local sanitation dept. for literature on specifics for your area.

To make it an easier job on everyone and get the family involved, why not give each members a job to do and you can all meet in the living room on that night once the chores are finished and share a snack together. maybe make it movie night that starts after the recycling is done?

Really, there’s no reason that we all can’t help to recycle and reuse in order to help improve the environment and attempt to clean up the mess we made.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Did you know you could be polluting the inside of your home without even realizing it? Many of the cleaning products that we typically use can actually be quite harmful, and are dangerous especially for young children. It’s a common misconception that we need to have that “bleach in the back of your throat” smell in order to be sure that the surface is clean enough. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You can choose environmentally friendly products that clean your house just as well without the abundance of harmful chemicals.

So, what are eco-friendly cleaning products?

It’s likely that you’ve seen ads on television, on the Internet, or in the grocery store that are promoting organic or often nicknamed “green” products. Simply put, these products are approved by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)and their guidelines that say that they are safe for the environment. If they are safe for the planet’s soil, then you can bet that they are a lot safer in our home compared to the chemicals that the others are made up of.

The biggest  difference is that without those chemicals present, they won’t be getting  into the soil, into our drinking water, and affecting the health of both humans and animals.

Switching to eco-friendly cleaning products

The first thing you’re going to do when making the transition to green cleaning products is to read the labels. The majority of big brands have come out with their own lines of products that are easier on both humans and the planet’s environment.

What you can also do to save even more money is create your own cleaning solutions, like people did before all the chemicals were available in a bottle. The great thing is, you probably have most of the ingredients you need in your home already.

You will need a spray bottle and water as a base solution. So, for instance, you can use vinegar mixed with water to clean floors, tile, and windows.

Did you know that a little vinegar and baking soda can be used in combination to unclog drains? You don’t need to buy that stuff that is dangerous to touch in order to get the job done.

There are several ways of cleaning without buying chemicals. However, if you have small children around, be ure to keep any cleaning products you have safe out of their reach, regardless of how eco-friendly the cleaning products are.

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When you first consider the idea of reducing the amount of items that you throw away on a weekly basis, you might wonder how that could be done without having piles of garbage mounting in your garage or backyard. That doesn’t have to happen, but a change of thinking and being conscious of what we use daily is a necessity.

We have created so many products that make our life easier, but unfortunately, many of those things are not eco-friendly and are destroying the planet at a rapid pace.

Our homes usually have regularly stocked items like  paper towels, disposable water bottles, batteries, Styrofoam cups, etc. However, these disposable products end up in landfills and stay there for years. The pile just getting bigger and bigger because that stuff does not decompose.

The solution to that is not to stop throwing it away, but to actually stop using it and switch to reusable products instead. Buying reusable items at the grocery store saves you money and drastically reduces the amount of trash your home provides on a regular basis.

Here are a few items you may use often that can be switched to reusable items.

• Silverware
  Ok, there’s a slight downside to having to clean up and wash dishes, but did you know that using an automatic dishwasher actually uses less water than doing the dishes by hand in the sink? Plus, it’s plastic forks and spoons are really bad for the environment and are totally unnecessary.
  
• Cut back on paper towel
  Instead of throwing your old cloth towels into the trash when they start to look raggedy, why  not just add them to the cleaning pile instead? Simply wash them to reuse them over and over again while saving money and reducing trash at the same time.
• One water bottle
  Simply buy one reusable/refillable water bottle and drastically cut back on your grocery bill by not drinking out of plastic water bottles anymore.

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With the current economic crisis coupled with rising costs of utilities, there’s never been a better time to cut down on monthly costs. Creating an energy efficient home will not only help to save you money every month, but it will also help the environment a great deal.

When you use less energy, it benefits everyone by cutting back on pollution which is something that everyone can agree is a bad thing.

The common reason that most people don’t tighten up their home energy expenses is that they simply don’t know where to begin.

Did you know that your local power company usually will provide you a free inspection for your home that will advise you on what you can do with your specific house to save energy and cut costs? Give them a call and take them up on it.

Here are a few simple ways that you can get started creating an energy efficient home.

• Make a list
  Take note of things you do around the house that use energy inefficiently. For instance, do you often leave the water running while cleaning up, washing the dishes. How often do you leave the lights or television on when they’re not needed. Believe it or not, cutting back on those simple things daily can save a lot of energy and money annually.
• Seal it up
  First, check all of your windows and doors for drafts. Does your seal need replacing? Also, if you have an older house, you may only have a single pane window. Replacing with double pane or triple pane can make a huge difference in the long run.
• Turn it off
  This seems like such a simple tip, but we’re all guilty of leaving lights, TV, computer, appliances, and other items on for long periods of time when not in use. Get into the habit of always turning the power off on those things and you will be saving a lot of energy. Start by sticking up a note to remind you first.
• Clean vents and filters
  Vent fans, like the one in your bathroom, can get clogged up easily with dust. be sure to clean out vents and change the filters in the AC, furnace, etc. Otherwise they are working overtime and using extra energy for no reason.

Popularity: 85% [?]