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Chronicles of GG

kfrancis1
Adventurer C

Going green.    Is it just me, or has the presence of being green really escalated?    I love that the awareness is everywhere I turn, even here at Southwest with "Green Tuesday."    I recently bought a house for the very first time, and I am very excited to have the big blue thingie, along side of my big green thingie for the trash.   Almost seems like the green thingie should be for recycling, but I remind myself it's the blue one.   Anywho, I thought this is a great time to get serious and be more conscious of my decisions with Mother Earth.   Along with that, I have a perfect little five-year-old daughter, Gigi,  whom I am trying to teach these green (pun intended) skills to so she can have a long healthy life. 

Several months ago, I started to turn the water off as I was brushing my teeth, and now I have Gigi doing the same thing.  It saves water.   Another great way to save on water is to purchase the $5,400 toilet.  Yes, toilet.   It's evidently what a very well-known, cute, young, actor has in his green house.  It may even make him "king of the world."  (wink wink)  I'll spare you all the details and functions, but it was impressive.

Another effort was to replace all the light bulbs with eco-friendly bulbs.    Note to the people who do this:  you can't use a dimmer with these bulbs unless you buy a special eco bulb for dimming, and they are a bit hard to find.  There are so many small things you can start to do that really make an impact.   I have been watching Discovery's Planet Green channel, and I think my next task will be to eliminate the paper towels in my household.   Sigh!   Anybody have any tips on this one?  

I'll keep you posted on my Chronicles on GG and I'd love to hear your ideas.

10 Comments
Anonymous228
Explorer C
" Is it just me, or has the presence of being green really escalated?" Yes. Green sells, so more companies (like yours) are jumping on the bandwagon. Your investors thank you!
Glenn4
Explorer C
One large kitchen sponge is worth a thousand paper towels. Use it, wring it dry. Every time you run your automatic dishwasher put it on the top rack. If you're still worried about germs, wet it and put it in the microwave for one minute.
kfrancis1
Adventurer C
Glenn, thank you for the tip. I am really struggling with the paper towels. I had to reach for them just this morning to remedy my cats hairball problem. Blech! I used some Drano this weekend and felt bad, because I know that can't be good for mother earth. I was unable to find a "green" version to unclog my sink. Thanks again!
sally65
Explorer C
Kristen, Some things we are doing to be more green include: using reusable canvas tote bags to carry our groceries so we don't use paper or plastic grocery bags; using cloth towels rather than paper towels; hang our laundry out to dry rather than using clothes dryer; put in a window air conditioner in bedroom and crank up the central air to 90 at night so we only cool one room at night (program central to come back on at 6 a.m.); put all electrical objects on electric strips and turn strips off at night so minimize passive use of electricity (including television, microwave, etc.); wash and re-use plastic zip-lock bags; do not purchase styrofoam products (can't be recycled); researched on internet natural cleaning products that are cheap and easy to make (save a lot of money and save the environment); use non-toxic interior paint for re-painting rooms; purchase Ball glass jars on internet to store goods so reduce plastic storage containers; do not purchase water in plastic bottles - take filtered water from home to work in hard plastic -reusable container. These are just a few ideas!
Mary23
Explorer B
I understand using the reusable bags over plastic bags. I do not understand replacing paper towels with cotton towels. Both towels are made from a renewable resource which are planted so they can be harvested. Trees just take longer to get to their harvest date. So is it the fact of the processing to change the tree to paper or is it the fact that we are cutting down a tree?
Casey_Lutz
Explorer C
Mary, one of the problems is not only what our goods are processed from (renewable and nonrenewable resources), but also the cost of manufacturing and transportation to our homes. This includes the cost for gas nowadays, which is astronomical as we all know. Since we have to buy paper towels more frequently than you would a dish towel, you would inadvertatently be paying the mileage each time for the paper towels, which could be coming from across country. Green living isn't just about using items that are environment friendly, but also encouraging consumers to buy locally and support our friends and neighbors who make their living in the cotton industry.
kfrancis1
Adventurer C
Wow, I love all the tips. I have heard about that "phantom" energy theory that although you may not be using your toaster (or whatever) all day, if it's plugged in, it still uses energy. I am on the fence about the canvas bags; I would need about 5 or 6 for each visit. Where can I buy those for a decent price? I do recycle my plastic and paper bags. I thought if the Styrofoam had the recycle symbol on the bottom like our coffee cups on the planes, then its okay. I love those window units; it reminds me of my grandma's house. However, I was told they use a ton of energy. Maybe I need to investigate that further, because I love to freeze out in the bedroom under the big blankies. Thanks again for all the shared knowledge of GG. I am slowly making strides and will keep you posted. Today is Green Tuesday at SWA and I wanted to share our internal green tip for the day. Reuse Paper Clips Continuing our efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle, don’t let paper clips slip by! Did you know that enough paper clips are produced every year to hand every person in the world at least three? For every 100,000 paper clips produced, only 20,000 are used to hold together paper. The rest aren’t being used. So, please reuse your paper clips! It will help our environment and help us reduce costs.
mohavewolfpup
Explorer C
I second the cotton towels, more reliable and reusable then paper towels. for puke and stuff, try what we call where I work "pixie dust" (that should give you a hint :p) it's basically a compound that sucks up all the puke then you just sweep it into a pan and toss it, disinfect regularly. for lesser used areas like family kitchens, Ecolab makes a product that has enzymes in it that work as you walk over it. I think it's crap to use for cleaning our high use kitchens at work, but in a small home it's a better idea. It's called Wash and Walk, but is more a commerical cleaner so you won't find it down at your local walmart
carroll3
Adventurer C
I am certain that our Customers would think green if we recommended certain green travel ideas. The expensive, huge and never to decompose carseat bag should be saved and reused for return travel. Better yet we should sell the large waterproof canvas carseat bag and be rid of the plastic bag.
kfrancis1
Adventurer C
mohavewolfpup, First, I wanted to say I love that you put puke and crap in your post, and delicately threw Pixie dust in the middle of them. ha ha ha Where would I find that Wash and Walk? Carroll, Good call on those huge plastic bags. It would be nice to replace those with canvas. Kristen Francis