Here's 5 simple things we've done at home lately to go green this summer...
1.) Dry your laundry in the summer sun!
We live in Arizona, in the Sonoran Desert - a perfect place for drying clothes outdoors. By the time I've clothes pinned the last towel on the clothes line, the first one is practically dry already. We're saving on our electric bill this summer and encouraging our pool going guests to do the same. We bought a retractable clothes line at our friendly neighborhood Ace Hardware store and installed it in about five minutes. When we don't want to look at it, we simply unhook one end and it retracts back on it's compact spool.
2.) Feed your watermelon rinds to the worms!
We've just started an organic compost in a plastic storage bin in our garage. According to http://www.epa.gov/compost, the best ingredients for an organic compost are:
- Animal manure
- Cardboard rolls
- Clean paper
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Cotton rags
- Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
- Eggshells
- Fireplace ashes
- Fruits and vegetables
- Grass clippings
- Hair and fur
- Hay and straw
- Houseplants
- Leaves
- Nut shells
- Sawdust
- Shredded newspaper
- Tea bags
- Wood chips
- Wool rags
- Yard trimmings
To keep away pests and odors, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency suggests that you DO NOT compost the following:
- Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
- Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
- Coal or charcoal ash
- Might contain substances harmful to plants
- Dairy products (e.g., butter, egg yolks, milk, sour cream, yogurt)
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
- Diseased or insect-ridden plants
- Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
- Fats, grease, lard, or oils
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
- Meat or fish bones and scraps
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
- Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)
- Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
- Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
- Might kill beneficial composting organisms
3.) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
We're doing our best to buy products that have minimal packaging or at least recyclable packaging and have decided to not use disposable plastic cups and paper plates this summer. We have some fun plastic tumblers that are washable, reusable and safe around the pool in a dozen bright colors so every guest knows which cup is theirs.
4.) Grill Natural
This summer we're using our propane grill in the backyard. We're saving energy by using propane instead of our electric appliances in the kitchen and keeping our food natural and healthy by avoiding the chemicals and toxins released when burning charcoal briquettes and lighter fluid.
5.) Support Our National Parks
Going camping this summer? We recently renewed our Annual Parks Pass for $80. It's good at all of our National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands for a year from purchase. We've already used it for park entrance at Grand Canyon National Park ($25 saved), discounted camp site ($9 savings), entrance to Montezuma's Castle National Monument ($10 savings). Visit http://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html to get yours. It feels great to support our National Parks and we don't have to wait in the long lines with our pass!
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