by Sheba Hayward

Created on: October 27, 2008

"Going green", "Eco-friendly", "Earth friendly" and just plain Green Living has become a hot topic in the past 2 years. There are many simple and convenient ways to live green that some of us may have never thought about. Sometimes when I have searched for "green" products in the store I find that products are much more expensive or not as effective as the conventional or more toxic brands. If your city or town does not have a recycling center or offer recycling you may have to make a special trip to recycle paper, plastic and glass. Here are a few tips for cutting down on plastic containers and paper inexpensively and reducing that old carbon footprint without extra expense.

Use cloth napkins rather than paper and bar cloths or chamois cloths for cleaning counters, appliances, windows and bathrooms. If you wash them in a non-toxic detergent even better and you'll cut down on your trash. Use white vinegar to clean your windows and glass. It's much more effective than Windex and although it doesn't smell lovely you won't be breathing in any toxic fumes or ammonia or getting it on your skin.

Go paperless with your bills and account statements whenever possible. Most credit card accounts, utilities and loans will now allow you to do that and if you pay bills on line you will get a notice when the bill is due, pay it on time and no paper will be used for the envelope and account statement or wasted on a late payment notice. You'll save money on postage as well.

When secure and feasible, order gifts and household necessities on line. This will save you time driving to the store, parking the car, getting the kids ready to go out of the house not to mention the gas required and produce fewer emissions. This is not always possible and let's face it shopping can be fun. So make it one trip to several places or a store where you can get several different types of items, again saving time, money and gas.

Use concentrated eco-friendly products. I personally use Melaleuca cleaners for anything I wash brush or scrub with and they are all concentrated, it takes me months to go through most personal care and cleaning products. There are other companies out there as well just check the labels carefully for active ingredients. If they won't tell you, be cautious. Some people use essential oils and totally natural products also that don't come in plastic containers, another option. The vast majority of our landfills are filled with disposable diapers and plastic containers such as those from laundry products and milk. Sure the big three U.S. manufacturers are getting on the bandwagon now, but their products still contain phosphates, formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals that go into our water system. There are effective, less expensive alternatives if you search.

Regarding plastics, check the bottom of all plastic containers that contain food for the Recycling number. If it's a 3, 6 or 7 it has chemicals you don't want leaching into your food and some recycling centers are not accepting them. Use glass containers for storage when possible and always glass or ceramic for heating foods to be safest. if you want disposable plastic, reuse containers that have a 1,2, 4 or 5 on them. You won't have to buy any plastic containers and although you will recycle them shortly, if you buy cottage cheese, yogurt or other products in plastic containers you'll replace them easily.

Going green does not have to mean shelling out more green and every small bit we do makes a difference!

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