Recycling Yogurt Containers

We all want to do our part to protect the environment, but have you noticed that "green" products costing much more? The good news is that doing your part does not have to be difficult or costly. Small steps add up to a big difference, you just know where to.

Here are some steps:

Use less water.

Saving water is all about small steps and here are some that you will win big.

- Shut off water while brushing your teeth.

- Take showers which are a minute or two shorter.

- Only the toilet when you need.

- Running at full load of laundry and dishes.

- Buy sustainable producers. They are farmers, ranchers and other producers who use techniques that pollute less and consume less water. You can search online or ask your local organic market to find these products.

Use less energy.

If you do not have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your home to solar power, you can make a big difference with slight modifications.

- Buy energy efficient appliances. They may be more expensive, but to offset the rising cost of energy bills lower.

- Unplug chargers when not in use. Cell phone and other chargers use up power even if there is nothing attached to them. (This surprised me!)

- Put the devices with remote controls, such as televisions, VCRs, stereos, and on a power strip and turn it off when not in use. These devices consume a lot of energy to operate the remote receiver even when the power is off.

- Walk or ride your bike for short trips.

- Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it allows them to consume less energy.

When it comes to saving energy and water is a good idea to involve children. You can even make a party. Ask them to monitor the amount of water and electricity everybody uses. You can compete to see who uses less water. You can often count on your children to help you stay on track when the task.

Reuse.

Most of us know the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we are working on conservation, we usually leave reuse the image. Although you can often find advice on how to reuse common products of others, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought there are many items around your house that can be reused - toilet paper holders can be used to sow the seeds for the vegetable garden. And old yogurt containers can be cut into strips to make plant labels. Old food containers can be filled with homemade food or can make great impromptu vases.

Use environmentally friendly products. When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more "natural" or "green" products each time. There are generally two major problems with these products:

1. Just because they are more natural than regular products, does not mean they are completely natural.

2. They are often expensive.

If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not do yourself. Vinegar is an excellent way to clean and disinfect surfaces in glass and others. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your own vinegar. Do you regularly and naturally clean your sink and shower drains to avoid having to use strong chemicals, or call the plumber? Place a handful of baking soda down the drain, and pour hot water and vinegar (about 1:5) in the drain. Follow with clean water, hot water.

Some quick online search will lead you to hundreds of other natural products safe homemade cleaning.

We all know that green is much better for the environment, but it is also best to you. Keep.