GreenYankee Living: How to

Eco-smart resolutions to make you happy

Why do it if it doesn’t make you happier? It’s never too late to make a change, especially one that creates happy feelings. And you have a better chance of keeping resolutions if you keep them simple and pick just one or two. GreenYankee.com thrives on eco-tips all year long. These are small changes that you can easily incorporate into your lifestyle and usually have fun doing it. Here are some of my favorites for making changes at home and in your community that will make you happier. Pick one or two any time during the year!

AT HOME

Reuse or repurpose it. Before you throw anything away, ask yourself if you can use it in a new or creative way or if someone else could use it. An easy change that will help our landfills.

GreenYankee Regift Totes

Did you know that most Americans throw away nearly 30% of the food they buy and that wasted foods contribute to greenhouse gas emissions? You do want to waste less, right? Here’s how: Stock up on items that last longer and buy only enough produce and dairy to last half a week. Shopping for, say, veggies and milk twice a week can also help you plan more healthful meals and inspire you to try cooking something new. Make sure not to forget ingredients in the crisper or at the back of the fridge. If you do, start a compost bucket instead of tossing them in the trash.

Clean better. Stock up on white vinegar, baking soda, Castile soap, and borax. Different combos of these naturally safe ingredients will clean most anything. Check out The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier.

Switch to: an electric kettle for boiling water (it uses less energy than the stovetop) and all natural cosmetics, such as my sister’s site www.gaiatree.com. Look for plant-based ingredients instead of chemicals wherever you shop.

IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Consider whether your food came from the farm or the factory. Do you really need strawberries from Chile in January? Buy locally from the farmer’s market or join a CSA. How wonderful to meet the people who grow your food! If you volunteer at a food cooperative, you could go home with free produce every week. You might just be inspired to toss a few seeds in the ground or a container and grow some of your own!

GreenYankee Seed Tray

Volunteer for a charity. Not-for-profits, like an animal shelter or arts organization, subsist with volunteer labor. Consider your special interests and skills, then ask the friendly reference librarian for a list of local charities. You might even see an immediate benefit, like a free performance in exchange for ushering.

Shop at consignment, charity and secondhand stores. The recent trend in upscale secondhand stores means designer goods for much, much less. A few years ago, I found a Bauhaus, Bavarian china setting for six (including demi-tasse!) for $30.

Support local artisans, merchants, and skilled labor. Patronize downtown. Most of us yearn for the nostalgic experience of knowing the guy in the hardware store, the local fishmonger or tailor. Look around a bit and you might be surprised what’s in your own backyard.

Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle

Only 100 years ago, this was the norm. Look to your grandparents for tips. My grandmother had a small back room upstairs where she kept her “reusables.” They included an entire wall of stacked paper egg cartons (which often helped organize her button collection), a small bureau with drawers filled with ironed gift wrap categorized by color and occasion, at least a dozen rubber band balls, piles of flattened tin and aluminum foil, old blankets to become quilt batting, and boxes filled with used envelopes to repurpose as notepaper. She was certainly a collector and a savvy home economist before it was taught in school. As an avid gardener, she regularly divided her bulbs and rhizomes to build a magnificent backyard garden for pennies. It just took time and patience.

Today, we recognize the need to reuse, repurpose, and recycle both to save money and to live an eco-smart life. The short list of Products made with recycled content is surely the tip of the iceberg. If you print it out, we know you’ll be using recycled paper and ink or simply save the pdf to your desk for easy reference. Perhaps you have a tip you’d like to share with the GreenYankee community. Please do so in the Comments section below. Also, check out our Regift Tote made from repurposed upholstery fabrics with a card inside so you can reuse and track the “ancestry” of your gift bag. And thank you for taking a step today to help our environment.

spring cleaning

Now that the weather is warming here in New England, we’re opening the windows and doors to let in the fresh air. It’s a good first step to cleaning and organizing. It feels great and is a healthy stimulation for your mind and body.

For a super-cheap, all-purpose cleaner, try this. Fill a clean pint spray bottle (perhaps one you’ve re-purposed) with distilled water, add 1/4 c oil-based soap like Murphy’s, and 10 drops of an essential oil. We like both lavender and tea tree because they are, get this, antibiotic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. Such properties in things natural!

Ants and mice dislike the smell of peppermint. Wipe your kitchen counters and baseboards, using a damp sponge sprinkled with a few drops of  peppermint oil. Then place a few drops where these pests enter your home.

Empty out your closets (or start with just one) and give away or repurpose what you haven’t used in a year. Yes, it’s a challenge to part with that Bon Jovi t-shirt you ‘found’ backstage in the 80s. But your new, airy, clutter-free closet will thank you. (Maybe reuse it when you’re making a scarecrow so it ‘graces’ your garden.) When your closet is empty, vacuum it and wipe it down with your new cleaning formula (above).  Let it air dry. Then hang some herbs or a sachet in a corner. Lavender and cedar repel insects, as does any strong herb. Restock your freshly cleaned closet and breathe easy.

Furoshiki

GreenYankee celebrates going green with what we already know (with a little research) from those who have come before us. Furoshiki is the Japanese art of repurposing fabrics as gift wrapping.  Check out this quick video for easy instructions for wrapping books, bottles, and chocolates. It even demonstrates how to make a simple, quick shoulder bag! So cool.

GreenYankee has also introduced the Regift Tote Bag made from repurposed upholstery fabrics. A unique host or hostess gift when you’re asked to “just bring a bottle.”