1. Refillable water bottles ONLY (we are blessed with good tap water here).
2. Line dry clothes whenever/where ever possible.
3. Wash ALL laundry in cold water.
4. Make my own laundry detergent and cleaning products (less plastic waste and less toxic chemicals).
5. Compost.
6. Reuseable kitchen towels instead of paper towels in most cases. Disposable rags made from old socks, etc for really icky messes. My limit is one roll of paper towels a month.... but the men don't always follow the house rules and then I run out early.
7. Reuseable cloth napkins instead of paper.
8. Reuseable plastic bathroom cups instead of Dixie cups. This is the ONE TIME I was okay buying plastic instead of glass (for safety reasons). I bought a set of 8 inexpensive plastic tumblers at
Walmart many years ago. I put a name label on each one (two for Dad, two for Mom, etc) for our family of four. Once or twice a week (more often during cold/flu season or if someone has been sick) I swap out the cups on the counter for clean cups.
9. Keep the thermostat on 65 degrees or less during the winter (if we are home).... 60 or less at night or when the house is empty for a few hours.
10. House rule that it must be 80 degrees or higher in the bedroom(s) before the window unit A/C is turned on at night (although my old-lady hot flashes may make me buck the rules this summer!
).
11. Do NOT waste food..... I save vegetable peelings and such to make homemade vegetable stock, I make other homemade stocks from meat bones/carcasses. I use up little "bits" of leftovers in stir-fries and such. My goal is 0% food waste, but occasionally a piece of produce gets hidden in the fridge and I don't see it in time.... in that case it become compost.
12. No one-time-use containers here, such as ziptop baggies, disposable cups, etc. If I can't wash it and use it more than once, I don't buy it. And I DO wash ziptop baggies if I end up with them (usually because I received something in it). The only exception is that I won't wash/save anything that contained raw meat or a food that has gone bad.
13, I buy used whenever possible.... saves on packaging in the environment, virgin raw goods, etc.
14. Obviously.... I bring my own bags to stores (not just the grocery store, but everywhere). If I forget or run out, I will ask for no bag or at least request paper. This includes produce bags for the grocery store.
15. I bought a Soda Stream about 5 years ago and never looked back. I love to drink seltzer and was tired of dragging home plastic bottles and cans (even though I faithfully recycled them). I have been using the same 4 1 liter bottles for nearly the whole 5 years now.... and I recently bought a second Soda Stream through a FB yard sale so I have some back-up bottles and a back-up system!
16. Meatless meals.... so much better for my health, my budget, and my environment! I do this at least once a week for family dinner and I usually go meat less myself for at least 2 meals a day.
17. Do a lot of my own cooking/baking, try to put more than one item in the oven to maximize the expense. We rarely eat fast food, rarely eat out, and other than the occasional pizza (maybe once a month or less) we don't get take-out. Much less processed food, much less packaging, and much less expense.
18. Use it up.... I make sure to use EVERY DROP of my face creams, make-up, shampoo, etc before I throw away/recycle the container. I sew my socks if they get a hole (mostly dress socks, not my athletic socks because by the time they have a hole, they are also usually too stretched out). I have shoes and boots re-heeled or re-soled if the uppers are still good and stylish. I replace buttons and sew up seams that have come undone rather than toss the clothing out. If my clothing gets too worn/stained to wear to work, it becomes "around the house" clothing and then eventually rags. If something is in good shape but I no longer want it, I sell it or donate it.
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THat's all I can come up with for now! Excited to read other ideas!.......P
