Time to be Green in Spring!!

So as Pete and I have been getting this house ready to live in, and with the upcoming warm weather we took it upon ourselves to be as green as we possibly could. Here is a list of things that we have done to try and lessen our energy consumption and also our carbon imprint. Many of you have all ready heard of all these things but if you learn one new thing and apply it to your life that would be awesome!

1.We first changed all of our light bulbs over to compact fluorescent bulbs. If you have never used these, they last up to 7 years and save you about 40 dollars over their life span. One regular 60 watt bulb uses about the same amount of energy as four energy saving bulbs. Think about ALL the bulbs in your house--it adds up!

2.We insulated our gigantic water heater with a water heater blanket which just helps insulate the huge thing and in turn uses less electricity keeping your water warm. Our dream is to have a Tank less water heater which cost around 500-1000 dollars to buy, but also instantly heats your water as it comes into your home. You use much less energy over the standard water heater because you do not have to keep 50+ gallons of water always heated. They are amazing machines!

3. We use low flow shower heads in our showers which reduced the water coming in by a half gallon a minute for us. Which doesn't seem like much but when you use 3100 gallons a month it turns out to make a big difference. If you take a ten minute shower everyday, you will save 35 gallons a week per person!

4. We bought a front load washer/dryer set and the washer uses a 1/4 of the water as a traditional top load set. Also, the washer gets the water out of your clothes much more efficiently and, in turn, you don't need to run your drier nearly as long. If you plan on buying any new appliances try to buy energy star appliances, also great.

5.We also try to unplug all cell phone chargers that aren't in use and any small appliances such as toasters, can openers little things like that which are always using energy even when not in use.

6. We also live the 3 r's rules, Reduce, Re use, and RECYCLE. Garland is great about curb side recycling so we have been very fortunate.

7. Use cloth bags when you go grocery shopping or recycle the plastic bags you get back to the store most will take them back and recycle them for you. I use my huge Ikea bags there kind of like a tarp material and you can buy them there when you check out for like .59 cents or something and they hold a ton!!

8. Plant your own garden or buy your produce from local farmers markets.


This was kind of boring I know. It is something Pete and I have become very passionate about. We try to not be wasteful and help the environment and ourselves really in any way possible. If any of you have any other "Green" tips please let me know. We are constantly looking for new better efficient ways for doing everyday things. It is no longer speculation as to whether or not we are destroying the earth with our consuming habits. The steps we have taken are small, but if we all took small steps, we could take major strides in preservation.