As 2010 shoves on some of us are still hanging onto our new years resolutions and some of us no-so-much.. raise your hand if your resolution was to lose weight and then you went to in-n-out and had a double double?? No one? Wait.. that was me. Sigh..
Anyways, my resolutions this year were to lose weight, blog more, and be greener. I am down 11lbs, I am blogging more, and…. Confession time– we just started recycling this year. I feel so ashamed typing that, with all the “go green” in the media and even in technology — go apple! I just cannot believe it took me so long to get on board.
Living a greener lifestyle isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.. it might even be more stylish.
Last week my husband came home from work with two of the cutest reusable bags by a company called Mika&bu. The thing that I love about these bags are that they are 1. cute 2. super durable and 3. they have a cute little pocket on the inside where you can put cards, coupons, or snotty tissues.. whatever you want… I just thought it was so clever.
Today my be green giveaway is a mika&bu bag! To enter just leave a comment in in the comment box and I will use a random number generator to select a winner tomorrow at 3pm. (I am stuffing a little something extra in the cute little pocket)
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED! This will not be the last giveaway. I am already planning a little something for next month.
TODAY’S WINNER IS SARAH LANE!
10 ways to live greener
1. DITCH GROCERY STORE BAGS!
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. Of those, approximately 100 billion are plastic shopping bags, which cost retailers about $4 billion annually.
Good for you: reusable is cool and now stylish.
2. Change a Light Bulb
Installing a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the quickest, easiest way to save energy — and money.
3. Unplug Things That Glow
Anything that has an LED (light emitting diode) that glows even after you turn it off continues to draw power (that you pay for).
Good for You: Unplug appliances and electronics that glow and you could save $200 a year.
4. Support Local Farmers
Typical grocery store produce travels nearly 1,500 miles before it ends up on your plate. All this traveling burns fossil fuels and results in carbon emissions — a fancy term for pollution. Buying from local farmers means you’re not only getting the freshest food possible, you’re saving energy.
5. Fix That Drip
When you next fill your water glass, think about this: We each use about 100 gallons a day, enough to fill 1,600 glasses. Household water consumption has increased by 200 percent since 1950.
6. Let Your Grass Grow
Spending less time tending to your lawn actually makes it greener — in every sense of the word. Most grass species fare best when they’re kept at least 2 1/2 inches tall. The length creates more surface area to absorb sunlight, which creates thicker turf and deeper roots, which means you won’t need to water as often.
7. Look for the Label
A household with Energy Star products uses about 30 percent less energy than the average household — an annual savings of about $570.
8. Do Full Loads
Whenever you wash just a few clothes or dishes at a time rather than waiting for a full load to accumulate, you’re wasting water, power, and money. The average American family of four washes about 540 loads of laundry a year, which consumes up to 21,000 gallons of water, and more than 150 loads of dishes, which uses about 1,500 gallons. Let’s face it.. who likes laundry anyway?
9. Audit Your Energy
It’s easier to save energy when you know exactly how much and where you’re using it.
Good for you: On average, an energy audit shows how to save up to 30 percent on utility bills.
10. Recycle Your Electronics
Americans tossed out a whopping 5.5 billion pounds of electronics — TVs, stereos, cell phones, and computers.
Good for You: Sell unused cell phones to greenphone.com. You’ll receive about $35, and the phones will be refurbished and resold. If 1 million people recycled one cathode-ray tube TV this year, we’d keep 4 million pounds of lead out of the ground.
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