Anyone else not 'green'

[TreysMomma]

I'm green :) I hate when people make no effort whatsoever to save the earth that our children have to grow up in. I get people that come into my work that get want a regular plastic bag for a single greeting card!!! Really??/ Ugh.

I can't wait until my state starts charging people to use plastic bags! :)

[momof2inohio]

We are pretty green. We reuse and recyle what we can and I do buy alot of green products. I think its sad that some people put no effort into trying to be at least a little "green".

[mainelycoupons]

I agree "green" is more of a super approach than a doable way of life.

I recycle everything I can. Our town transfer station guys tease me all the time. :shrug7:
I donate tons of stuff to the "freebie barn" at the transfer station or Goodwill or one of the local shelters or another appropriate place.
I use recyclable bags-ALOT.
I wash all my clothes in cold water.
I have tons of houseplants.
I turn off power to tons of stuff overnight.


But just like saving a $1 at first is still more than you saved before, recycling one can or turning off the water while you brush your teeth is more than you did before. If everyone did one small thing it would add up quickly.

[avlmoyer]

I think "being green" is alot like "dieting". It has to be a life style, something you do everyday without thinking. I don't consider myself "green" heavens NO but our Grandmas were recycling before it was even a word. Think about it! Who grew up with Granparents washing and reusing a bread sack or going even further back making dish towels out of flour sacks! We reused and saved everthing out of need not because it was "cool" or expected of you. I still do. Ask yourself, "has it used up it's life"? For example, a napkin or paper towel that's been lightly used, say for lining a basket, use it later to wipe up a spill on the floor!

I live in one of the most "green" communities in the state and resent it at times. The community pushes "green" down our throats and we have county buildings built in the last decade that waste more energy that I want to imagine. We have MegaMillionaires here with heated driveways, heated roadways, heated roofs and heated garage floors! And they want me to switch my light bulbs to more energy effecient bulbs throughout the house! Come on! How about "dogging" the diesel owners to conserve fuel and those "treehuggers" are the ones dropping off and picking up their kids at the schools every morning and every afternoon in big SUVs running on diesel! At least my diesel trucks I use to make a living with! Ever hear of a school bus or the public transit system that my tax doors pay for! Okay, my message here is don't be pointing fingers of who's "green enough" but put your "green" ideas into actions and quit pointing fingers!

[DebK1013]

I recycle and have notice for a family of 3 I am down to one bag of garbage a week. Most of the time. Its amazing how much space cereal and other boxes take in the bag. I recycle all boxes and newspapers. All plastic bags and always return my bottles.

It sounds like you are doing just fine OP.

[phlack]

I'm not terribly green...most of it has to do with cheapness, but whatever works, right? Although I wouldn't mind throwing up some solar panels.

I try to use the cloth bags when shopping. I usually forget, but I try to remember.
I do turn lights off when I'm not in the room. Only exception is if I think I'll go back in, and the light is a CFL (which doesn't like being turned off and on a lot).
I don't crank my heat up in the winter, preferring to wear extra clothes (not much of an issue in Florida, but my florida-born children think they should be able to wear shorts 365 days in the year & still have their ceiling fan on at night).
By the same token, I'll keep the house at 80 in the warmer months and run the dehumidifier occasionally (I'll run it after a hot shower in the bathroom). Ceiling fans work wonders.

I do recycle when I can, and it bothers me when people throw soda cans in the garbage when the recycle bin is RIGHT NEXT TO THE GARBAGE! I'll even sometimes keep the bottle or whatever until I can find a recycle bin.

I detest bottled water (find it a waste of money, as well as plastic bottles), preferring to use my own sports bottle.

I don't use much laundry detergent (after 15 months, I finally had to buy a new 200 load bin of detergent from Sams for $15.), thanks to my front loader. Still have to do an average of 5 loads/week. I probably won't have to buy more detergent until mid 2011.
I also try to hang dry a lot of clothes. My wife doesn't like her stuff (or towers) hung dry. Besides, my clothes tend to shrink (or am I just getting wider?) in the dryer.

Short showers.

In general, I don't like waste, and try to avoid it when possible. Though I'm not great with leftovers.

-Mike

[MamaBird06]

op you definitely could be considered green, lol! That said I guess I lean more toward the crazy green side, lol, but i'm not completely there yet! Yes, I dream of being off the grid and having a hybrid, but we're not made of money and maybe when the time is right, our family will have those things, but i'll admitt i do enjoy some non-green things.

things i do that may be considered 'green'
--use mainly cfl for the house
--have energy star front loader washer/dryer/fridge
--use reusable bags about 70% of the time
--cloth diapered ds about 1/2 the time when he was in diaper stage
--limit meat and diary consumption (livestock has a very big carbon footprint)
--try to avoid seafood due to high mercury content (thanks industry for pooring the sludge in the water to contaminate seafood) and also because of the issues with shark defin-ing...But i have gotten a bit of free tuna, but i don't seek it out on a regular basis.
i recycle, but i could be recycling more i suppose...my town will start curbside recycling for all in january and that will definitely encourage me to recycle more, i'm already filling my huge bin up now...
I have a garden, small and not elaborate, but i'm learning
I donate unwanted goods to the thriftstore or sell it in a yardsale or give it to someone i know.
use stainless steel water bottles(most the time!)
keep the thermostat at 78 in summer and 64 in winter


that's all i can think of atm, but my short term goals are to eat more organic/natural and use more natural products and recycle more...

[Jasmin71]

our little town does not do recycling but ONCE a month, sorry I cant have my garbage laying around this long, so it all goes to the transfer station. I asked them before just leave the dumpster there so people can use it every week, but no ...its too much money!
We recycle all cans & glass bottles ( gets deposits and kids something to do )
I reuse all plastic bags, for garbages in the house. I /we turn off the lights as we leave a room, have my own garden.
TRY to remember to take my gree Bags,, need to really just take some and leave them in the Car and Truck. Might remember them then.

We do little things I guess, but till they leave us a dumpster for weekly drop offs on other recycle things I dont see that changing.

[christinamikayla]

we recycle everything possible. For a family of 5 we get pick up once a week and use one small garbage can and 2 recycle bins that are always over the top with stuff. We are the only ones on the street using 2 bins and at least half the people don't recycle at all but will have 2 or 3 big garbage cans out every week.
Most people that I talk to that don't recycle think it is a hassle. My husband use to not recycle until we got married and now he wonders shy he did not do it earlier. He too thought it would be a hassle but it is the opposite. Less trash bags to change. We go through ONE plastic garbage bag for the kitchen and one for the diaper pail in a week.

[sel999]

I've been "green" since I was a kid for several reasons.

1. I could make $$$ recycling cans (that was the big reason).

2. I saw uses for things after they were used (this one is bigger for me now).

I agree with what a lot of people have posted- it's a way of thinking and living. And yes, our grandparents have been "green" long before it became fashionable and trendy. For them, it was a means of surviving, not a way to go along with the newest fad.

I do think that some people go to the far extreme (as with all things in life) when it comes to being "green" and one of the consequences is condemnation (this is where the extreme activists come into play). Some people try to make you feel guilty for not recycling, etc.

It's a choice. And while I don't understand why some people don't recycle when a recycling bin is right next to the trash can, it's still not my right to try to force them (or make them feel guilty, etc.).

I recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, metal, batteries (when I can find a place) and so much more. Like my grandparents, I try to find a way to re-use things. For example, I used some scrap cardboard to make hangtags for my lentils & rice so that I know when I bought them.

I don't use cold water for washing because I want to make sure I kill germs, so I'm not being "green" in that sense.

I do use CFL bulbs, try to combine car trips to save gas and would LOVE to have a vegetable garden. We need to cut down some trees (not very "green") so that we'd get enough light.