All of the Earth Day articles in the news this week have gotten me thinking about the different ways our family is making changes in order to use our natural resources more responsibly. Many of these changes have been minor, but when added up over time really do end up making a difference. We've also made a few more significant investments (mostly related to our house) that have helped our family to live more efficiently. Here are 10 ways the Hamiltons are going green:
1) Energy Star appliances: Our house is 21 years old and appliances have certainly become more efficient in that time! In the 5 years that we've been homeowners we've swapped out our old kitchen appliances for energy star models instead.
2) Laundry: Last fall we saved our pennies and invested in a front loading washer and dryer. We are now able to do a smaller number of loads per week (since our new washer holds a ton of laundry at once) which saves us plenty of water and energy. I've also switched to washing most of our clothes in cold water.
3) Reusable shopping bags: We've accumulated a good stash of reusable shopping bags that I use for lugging groceries home each week. Goodbye to the huge mound of plastic grocery store bags spilling out of our pantry.
4) Vegetable garden: This spring Evan and Jack built 2 raised beds and planted our first vegetable garden. We are now growing tomatoes, basil, chives, onions, zucchini, green beans, peppers, lettuce, celery, and carrots. The plants are thriving and we look forward to eating right from our garden this summer.
5) Recycling: We've always recycled but with 4 people in the house it seems like we have more things to toss than ever! So we purchased a larger recycling can for the kitchen and have made a concerted effort to recycle as much as possible. Jack is even in on the act, and whenever anyone is throwing something away he almost always asks "is that recycling or garbage?" He holds us accountable!
6) Programmable thermostat: A couple of years ago we installed a programmable thermostat. This has been an easy way to make sure that we're not using our furnace or air conditioner when it's not really needed. We program different temperatures for day and night for maximum efficiency.
7) Reusable water bottles: We recently bought reusable, bpa free water bottles for our family and are trying to use these in place of bottled water. It takes some extra time to make sure the bottles are clean and filled, but does noticeably cut down on the number of plastic bottles we're tossing into the recycling each week.
8) New windows: Last month we replaced our home's 20+ year old aluminum frame windows with new double paned vinyl ones. This has definitely been our biggest investment to date...but oh, what a difference it has made! Not only have we solved the issue of old, cracked window seals but the improved temperature control and noise reduction have been great.
9) Eating organic: By no means are we able to eat entirely organic. But, we are trying to eat organically where it counts. So far, that means switching to organic milk (our kids consume so much milk at their young ages that we felt this was an important place to make a change) and organic produce.
10) Buying less stuff: The old adage "Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do or do without" comes to mind! It's alarming to see how much "stuff" a family can accumulate. We are trying to be more mindful about the purchases we're making. Sometimes just pausing to ask if we really need something is enough to put an item back...
Happy Earth Day!
