31 Days of Green Little Things

For the past two years, I've been reading a blog called Nesting Place and every year in October she posts each day about the same topic.  This year, I've decided to join her. 

Yes, I feel a little crazy!  O.K. more than a little.  Let's just call it crazy.

I just wandered into this blogging world and, honestly, posting EVERY day seems extremely daunting. 

The only thing that doesn't sound crazy about this endeavor is sticking to the same topic.  I'm writing about "Green Little Things" because that's what I like to share.. and that's what you expect.  I'm not perfect (far, far from it!) but that's why I share little things like picking up recycling and not putting out my trash every week. 

But posting a new little thing EVERY DAY?!?!  Well, here goes nothing!  I mean something... something little... that's really big to me.  Here are the topics:
October 1: Avoid Automatic Doors
October 2: Turn Off That Light
October 3: Buy Natural Clothes
October 4: Check Out The Library
October 5: My Hot Salsa Recipe (Buy local and make your own)
October 6: Turn Off The TV (consume less)
October 7: Print on the Back
October 8: Read an Eco-Book
October 9: Driftwood Table
October 10: Make Fewer Trips
October 11: Halloween Costumes Can Be Real
October 12: Make Your Own Yogurt
October 13: Give Up Bottled Water
October 14: Make a Bottle Cooler
October 15: Buy the Most Local – Even When It’s Not Very Local
October 16: Small Change Adds Up!
October 17: Beauty Without Plastic
October 18: Buy in Bulk
October 19: Share
October 20: Use It Up or Wear It Out
October 21: Laundry Day (The Cold Water Cycle)
October 22: Say Goodbye to Plastic Food Storage
October 23: Bring Your Own Bag
October 24: Be Straw Free
October 25: Mend It
October 26: Buy Used (resale shopping)
October 27: Bring Your Own To-Go Container
October 28: Laundry Day Part 2 (Drying Rack)
October 29: Cloth Napkins Aren't Just For Special Occasions
October 30: Dump An Incandescent
October 31: Phantom Loads Are No Treat 

I hope you follow me with my Green Little Things this month.  I'm going to need your encouragement.

Peace,
Stacey  
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Be Idle Free

I live in a state where my car’s emissions system has be to be checked every couple years.  I had to have my car tested again this week.  (Yeah, I passed!)  And it re-energized my “no idling” ideal.

I’ve stopped idling.  Well, not completely.  It’s hard!  I turn off my car anytime I know I’ll be sitting for more than 30 seconds.  Waiting for a train: check.  Waiting for someone in a parking lot: check.  Having a “driveway moment”: check.   

But it’s tricky.  What if I’m dropping off someone?  How do I know how long we’ll talk?  Do I look presumptuous if I turn off my car?  What about the fact that I drive a hybrid, which rarely idles?  What if it’s cold?  AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

But it really is simple in theory.  Stop idling.  I stumbled upon this over-acted video today.  It addresses a lot of the common concerns:

If you ever think about what kind of gas mileage your car gets, remember that when you idle, it’s ZERO.  That one gets me every time.  I’m really gaining nothing while I’m emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.  It uses more gasoline to idle for 10 seconds than it does to turn off and restart a car.  I use the 30 second rule because it factors in the wear and tear on the car, too.

That commercial got me thinking about how if I saw the pollution I was creating, it would be easier to curb it.  Since we can't (usually) see it, I just had to make turning off my car a habit over the past few years.

Many states, counties, and cities in the U.S. and around the world have anti-idling laws but few are enforced.  Find out here if you live in one that does.  I was surprised to learn that my area has one!

There were "no idling" signs in Wyoming with a picture of exhaust blowing right into the faces of animals like bison and moose.  (I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of that!)  At first it made me laugh but then it made me think. Do it for the animals.  Do if for the kids.  Do it for yourself.  Just do it.

What about you?  How do you stay motivated to resist idling in your car?

Peace,

Stacey

How to Make a Snack Holder From an Empty Milk or Juice Carton

If you buy drinks in those waxed, paper cartons, I have a fun "little thing" for you.  I repurpose those cartons into snack holders and I'm going to show you how I do it.

If you’re not crafty, don’t sweat.  It’s easy.  If you are crafty, you’ll probably be surprised you’ve never tried this before now.  It’s that easy, so here goes...

First you cut off the top the carton.  If it’s kind of jagged or even crooked, let your Type A personality rest for a moment.  We'll take care of it later.

Then you cut down along the seams.  How far down you cut the sides of the carton will be determined by how tall you want your snack holder to be. Try to make your cuts the same depth. 

Here’s where you get to clean up the top.  Using your scissors, round off the corners.  I tried leaving out this step once but I didn't like being poked by the corners every time I grabbed get some trail mix.

Fold in opposite sides to make a top.  I usually have the cutest side on top.  Seriously, a picture of oranges is much nicer to look at than the Nutrition Facts! 

People often ask me if I have a new orange snack when I use these.  Funny, huh?

Here’s where you can get creative.  I usually close these snack holders with stickers because we seem to receive a lot in the mail even after I’ve tried to stop getting mail.  These “found” stickers usually work well though.  Plus, if you like to change up the look of your box, you get to use different stickers next time.  One time I did this, I had some old Velcro so I used that to secure the top.  I actually used that same little piece of Velcro on two or three of these before the sticky part on the back quit working.  (Talk about reusing!)  You could probably even close it with some pretty string or a rubber band, if you wanted.

These are simple to clean so they can be used a few times before becoming too mangled to use again.  When it's fulfilled it's second life, you can either recycle it, if that’s an option where you live, or at least feel better that the packaging was reused for a while before it had to be trashed.

Since the box is waxed, it works well with sticky foods like dried fruits.

What do you think about this little thing?  I’ve been making these for a couple years and people are always intrigued when I use them.  Let me know how people react to yours. 

Peace, 

Stacey

I'm linking up for the first time so head on over and check out My Repurposed Life and The Shabby Nest and Nature's Nurture.  If you came from there, welcome.  I hope you come back often.

No Paper Towels

We’ve had a lot of people visit lately and one of the questions that everyone asked was, “where are your paper towels?”  Oh, paper towels.  We haven’t used them for a few years now.  I always forget this until someone new visits though.

Our drawer of towels

“But what about when you clean your sink or counter or something really messy?” you ask.  Well, we use a towel.  Then we wash it.

“Doesn’t that just create more laundry?”  Well, kind of.  I’ve never had an entire load of kitchen towels!  It does add to the existing loads but they’re small towels that don’t take up much room.  I haven’t had to increase the frequency of doing laundry either.   They just fit right into my normal loads.

There's usually at least one towel hanging on the stove.

“But doesn’t it cost more to purchase kitchen towels?” According to Trent from The Simple Dollar any job requiring more than one paper towel (like big spills) or when you could use the same towel more than once (like drying your hands) it costs less to use a kitchen towel than a paper towel. 

If you’re looking to save money and reuse something that has already fulfilled its original purpose, use an old t-shirt.  Cut it into any size you’d like.  This is a great repurpose for any shirts with stains or holes!  Plus, it might make you smile when you use that old, faded Bare Naked Ladies t-shirt again.  There are usually vintage dish towels at yard sales and resale shops if you’ve already donated all your concert t-shirts.

Reusing a kitchen towel reduces your waste both financially and at the curb… maybe even enough to skip a week of waste removal. ;) 

It’s really not that hard.  This little thing has become so easy for us that we don't even think about paper towels anymore.  If you use a “real” towel to dry your hands in your bathroom, it’s the same idea.  (Please don’t tell me you use paper towels in your bathroom! Please.) 

Even if you only use a towel some of the time, it's something.  What's your favorite thing about kitchen towels?

Peace,

Stacey