Today is the Spring Cleaning Tips edition of Works-for-Me Wednesday, and I'm hardly an expert cleaner . . . but I actually went on a little kitchen-cleaning binge last night and utilized a tip that I want to share! I believe I originally saw this in "Hints from Heloise." When the interior of your microwave … Continue reading Easy, Earth-Friendly Way to Clean a Microwave Oven!
Environment
Two Weeks of Meatless Menus for Late Winter
It's Lent, which means that a lot of omnivores are keeping meatless Fridays, and some have given up meat for the whole six weeks. Daniel and I used to eat a lot more meat than we do now, and giving up meat for Lent in 2002 was one of the biggest steps in our journey. … Continue reading Two Weeks of Meatless Menus for Late Winter
My New Dishwasher vs. The Environment
There are many things we can do to conserve resources that take some extra work. Many of them pay off by giving us better quality "real" stuff to use, health benefits, cost savings, or surprising new versions of convenience. Then there's washing the dishes. It turns out that today's automatic dishwashers use less water and … Continue reading My New Dishwasher vs. The Environment
Zippered Mesh Bags for Laundering
You can, in fact, machine-wash most "hand wash only" clothing in cold water with one of these bags to protect it from the washing machine agitator and your other garments' zippers! Being able to machine-wash nearly all of my laundry saves me a lot of time and aggravation. It also saves water because I can just toss the bag in with a regular load of laundry instead of filling my sink. Also, I've found some other uses for these nifty bags.
My Toyota Prius works for me…but not driving works even better!
Sure, hybrid cars are advertised as saving a lot of gas, but are they really that great in real-world conditions? We've had our Prius for a little over three years, and I've raved about it before, but until now I'd never bothered to add up just how much gasoline we're using to drive how many miles in a whole year.
Recycling Christmas Cheer
Christmas is coming, so now is the time to plan your strategy for setting out less post-Christmas garbage than any other family on your block! (We often achieve that goal, and we're in a mostly Jewish neighborhood.) Reusing things not only saves you money and helps the environment but also creates a treasure trove of … Continue reading Recycling Christmas Cheer
What’s the grossest thing you’ve done to help the environment?
A while back, I got into an online discussion on the topic, "What's the grossest thing you've done to help the environment?" started by someone who thought it was really, really gross that she had swished her smelly dish towels in a mixture of hot water, vinegar, and tea tree oil with her bare hands, … Continue reading What’s the grossest thing you’ve done to help the environment?
Running Things into the Ground
We often buy used stuff. Sometimes we buy new, high-quality stuff. Sometimes we buy new, low-priced stuff. What all our stuff has in common is that we wring every last drop of usefulness out of it! If we feel unable to do all the wringing ourselves, we pass it on to someone who can use … Continue reading Running Things into the Ground
Thrifty, Earth-friendly Hand Soap!
I'm a longtime fan of Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap, the amazingly versatile, yummy-smelling, totally natural stuff in the bottles covered with interesting philosophies in tiny white letters, now made with organic and fair-trade ingredients in a 100% recycled plastic bottle! It's great stuff, but it seems expensive. The thing is, you're supposed to dilute … Continue reading Thrifty, Earth-friendly Hand Soap!
Things Not To Do, Hair Care Edition
Do not wash your hair with coffee grounds. I don't care if you read on the Internet that doing this will give your brunette hair beautiful softness and luster, in addition to making use of something that otherwise would be garbage. This is not a good idea. Here's why: The process of applying coffee grounds … Continue reading Things Not To Do, Hair Care Edition
Electric Kettle
I love hot drinks. In addition to my dependence on coffee or caffeinated tea, I drink hot chocolate or herbal tea regularly in cold weather to warm me up--and I sometimes need that even in the hottest weather when my office building's management chooses absurd air-conditioner settings! I'm also a big fan of quick oats … Continue reading Electric Kettle
The Time-to-Go-Home Clock
It's Works-for-Me Wednesday, and I'm very busy at work today with not much time for writing, but I've been thinking about a simple thing here in my office that really works for me: I have a small digital clock-radio plugged into the same power-strip with my computer and monitor. At the end of the day, … Continue reading The Time-to-Go-Home Clock
Brick-Paved Street
We live on a little side street just one block long, built in 1920 and paved with yellow bricks. Those same bricks have been there for 90 years. There are only a few spots patched with visibly newer bricks or concrete. In the eight years we've lived here, our street has had only one small … Continue reading Brick-Paved Street
Pizza Box Stained Glass
My five-year-old son loves to play games , but there's another reason he looks forward to attending the same game convention every year: the individual pizzas in the convention center food court! I think they're not that great, but I'm willing to let him eat one each year. Like many fast-food pizzas, it's served in … Continue reading Pizza Box Stained Glass
Why We Love Community-Supported Agriculture
UPDATE: It's 2015, and we're beginning our fifteenth summer with the Kretschmann Farm! We got a crate full of spinach, three kinds of lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, parsley, and multi-grain bread on Wednesday, and we're bringing a big salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing to a cookout tonight! I cleaned up and updated this post for Real … Continue reading Why We Love Community-Supported Agriculture
Washing Plastic Bags
It's Works-for-Me Wednesday , so here's a mundane but easy tip that saves a lot of money and helps the environment, too! We wash and reuse plastic food bags, like zip-top freezer bags and sandwich bags. I always used to shake out crumbs or maybe rinse them a little, but if there was any significant … Continue reading Washing Plastic Bags
Local Lent diary
UPDATE: Eight years later, I'm linking this Lenten inspiration to Hearth & Soul . . . and I'm thinking about how I can reduce the plastic coming into and being discarded from our home this Lent! I'm also going to make more of an effort to read the Bible to my three-year-old daughter, who has … Continue reading Local Lent diary
A Reused Bin for Recycling
It's such a thrill when something that seemed old and ruined turns out to be useful! Here's an example that's really working for me: Back in 2005, when I was an assistant Brownie leader, the head leader got fed up with the amount of troop supplies she had to bring to and from every meeting--troop … Continue reading A Reused Bin for Recycling
40-Day Free Trial!
A note to non-Christian readers: Please don't think this article is not for you! The benefits of a free trial period for a lifestyle change can be yours, too, even without the religious significance. You can fast along with us for these 40 days, or choose a different time period. UPDATE: In 2020, Lent is … Continue reading 40-Day Free Trial!
It’s 2010, and I still don’t need a cell phone!
Until last month, I had been carrying a 135-minute phone card in my wallet since October 2000. I didn't take it out because I'd used up the minutes. I took it out because the plastic is so old that it crumbled when I tried to transfer it to the new wallet I got for Christmas! … Continue reading It’s 2010, and I still don’t need a cell phone!
The Earthling's Handbook 