Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Goin' Green! It ain't just recycling!




Yep, I’m finally gonna catch up on the bandwagon. I’m going to take this family into the realm of the recycling, power saving, money saving and conserving diva.

How much power can one save by turning off lights, unplugging power strips, cable boxes and recharging cords? A lot, apparently! Although, I’ve not yet gone completely overboard, I’m getting on with it. I’ve been turning off lights behind everyone in the house. I get so tired of doing that! I’m thinking of a quarter a light will make it easier to remember for this crew around here.

Another way I’m going to conserve is to keep the thermostat on 75 (I know they say 78, but “they” aren’t in the middle of menopause!). I have a programmable thermostat and as soon as I can find my booklet, I’m going to set it to higher temps during the evening and night, and lower during the times that we are home.

Then there is the recycling issue. Okay, I am fairly good about recycling things like clothing, shoes and household goods that we no longer use. But, the cans, newspapers, junk mail, plastics and things like that are not so “easy”. Let’s face it, there are very few that will rinse, store, package and transport items to recycle centers. We, and I’m most assuredly including myself in this “we”, are all to busy with our day to day lives. Now, if I were a stay at home mom…….oh who am I kidding, I didn’t do it when I was a stay at home mom!

But…that is changing. I am going to set up a recycle center on my car porch. A container for cans (bean, and such), aluminum, newspaper/junk mail, glass and cardboard. Next, I’m going to find places to take my recycled items. City of Palmetto has newpaper/mail recycle containers; the City of Chattahoochee Hills has some things I’ll have to check out. I’m thinking it’s time for some online searching to find locations to drop off items at as well.

The reasons for this new style of life are many, not the least of which are a desire to help keep this planet in good shape, but also to help the bottom line. Money is getting tight in this household as it is in most today. Being responsible and saving money as well as energy, well it is a win win situation!

So, how about it? Are you going to help with this or sit by and watch as we slowly pollute and destroy this beautiful creation God gave us? It’s time to be good stewards of this world as well as our money.
Join me………won’t you?