Have a Green Halloween: send your kids out trick-or-treating with reusable bags, pillowcases or totes made from recycled clothing. Make homemade decorations to save $ & reduce waste. Buy locally grown organic pumpkins & compost them afterwards.
For all you pet lovers – buy biodegradable poop bags. Regular plastic bags can take decades to decompose. Look for options labeled ASTM D6400 (a biodegradable standard), they decompose in just a few months.
If you are hosting a Super Bowl party: buy snacks and drinks in bulk with minimal packaging; recycle your bottles & cans; use plates made from recycled materials or better yet – use reusable ones instead; borrow or rent your decorations – it will save you $ and storage space.
Buy new houseplants to celebrate the New Year – they help absorb & combat indoor pollution. Some of the best options are: Peace lily, English ivy, Spider plant, Rubber plant, Golden Pothos, Chrysanthemum, Gerbera daisy, Warneck dracena & Chinese evergreen.
Turning your thermostat down by just 1% can save approximately 3% on your heating bill. Lowering it by 3% can save you up to 10%! If you are traveling for any length of time, be sure to unplug your appliances & electronic devices. Even when they are switched off, they still use “phantom” energy (which can account for up to 10% of your electric bill).
Add a little “green” to your New Year’s Resolutions. Strive to: drive less (bike or walk more), recycle more (buy less products with multiple layers of packaging) & conserve energy (bundle up & see below tip).
Being an avid gardener, born and raised in Indiana, I feel incredible blessed to live in sunny California & be able to grow my own food all year-round! I write a monthly garden column for the San Jose Mercury News & am constantly striving for tips & ideas on how to live a little more gently in regards to ourselves, our planet & each other – basically sustainability we can live with! As a fulltime realtor here in the Bay Area, I help my clients “Go Green” in & around their homes & communities.
January 12th, 2021
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