More Green News

Philadelphia's Greensgrow gardens were just written up in the New York Times.

Our little "Green Thumbs" community garden's land has been bought, so we are searching for a new home. There are a couple of options afloat, but right now I'm thinking this might be the year to focus on gardening in the back (shady) yard. And maybe put in a "rain garden" in front. We'll see how ambitious I am.

In the meantime I'll work on completing this meme I found at Gardenpunks (originally found on Scream to be Green).

Bold - Our family is doing
Italics - My comments

1. Get an Energy Audit (Josiah “knows a guy”)

2. Donate Used Computers

3. Use Cloth Napkins

4. Switch to energy-savings bulbs (Though Josiah frequently does not appreciate the quality of light emitted from them.)

5. Hang dry your clothes

6. Make your next outfit vintage

7. Ride the Bus (Train) (I walk to work)

8. Pay your bills online

9. Say no to Plastic Bags

10. Plant some Bamboo (just might do it)

11. Unplug appliances when off (where possible)

12. Taste test a local wine (we live in PA – blech)

13. Say Bye to your leaf blower (never had one)

14. Rediscover your library

15. Switch off your computer

16. Plant a Garden

17. Buy rechargeable batteries

18. Start a compost heap (I’ll have to tell you all the story sometime about how Angie brought her frozen green scraps down to my compost pile from her apartment in Brooklyn!)

19. Put back unused napkins

20. Bring you own coffee cup (I don’t drink coffee anymore, and rarely drink tea out, but this is a good and do-able idea)

21. Learn to love weeds (I could love them so much I could EAT them, like dandelions!)

22. Read about green weddings

23. Carpool (when possible)

24. Keep car tires inflated (is there an EASY way to tell when there’s not enough air?)

25. Support Local Farmers

26. Use both sides of paper

27. Turn Heating down 1 degree (I’ll see your one and raise you 5 – or would that be LOWER???!)

28. Return old Cell phones (to where?)

29. Drive smart-Plan your trip

30. Wrap water heater in blanket

31. Install low-flow showerheads

32. Wash clothes in Cold or Warm

33. Lights off when you exit a room (I’m a child of the 70’s. President Carter asked us to do this back then, and now it’s a habit. Remember those bright orange stickers on every light switch in the classroom??)

34. Use a lunch box, no paper lunch sacks (I use my daughters’ old ones. Princesses and all.)

35. Give cloth diapers a chance (too much all at one time. But I passed them along)

36. Pick up litter and recycle it

37. Take shorter showers

38. Choose Green-E products

39. Buy the largest size practical

40. Tune up your cars engine

41. Donate used books

42. Seal drafts around windows

43. Leave your car at home for a day

44. Don't idle car more then 10 seconds

45. Think before you print

46. Look for EnergyStar Appliances

47. Unload your car of excess weight

48. Don't buy veggies in trays

49. Choose an energy-efficent vehicle

50. Fix leaking faucets

51. Wipe spills w/ reusable towels

52. Install low-flow toilets

53. Make your own Cleaning Solutions

54. Hold your own "buy nothing" day

55. Reuse Jars & Containers

56. Clean windows w/ old newspapers

57. Build w/ Salvaged wood

58. Share magazines

59. Wrap presents in old calendar pages (or the funny pages from the newspaper)

60. Make Rags from old t-shirts (or old boxer shorts)

61. Send e-cards (yeah, ok. But I’m still old-school with hand-written note thing.)

62. Buy spices in bulk

63. Capture rain water for gardens (working on it!)

64. Return unused sugar packets

65. Drive the speed limit

66. Make note pads from used paper

67. Don't accept plastic utensils

68. Take a break from TV (I don’t watch much anyways)

69. Give a donation instead of a present

70. Buy a bike-Use it.

71. Buy organic cotton

72. When buying clothes, say no to tissue wrap

73. Start a green team @ work

74. Don't boil more then a teacups worth (Well, I make a whole pot of tea at once and then take cups from it throughout the morning. I leave the teabags in so by the end of the pot it’s like Dragon’s Blood. My mam-gu would be proud!)

75. Read about carbon credits

76. Appoint an "office lights" monitor (I’m the un-official lights monitor)

77. Use your legs, not the elevator

78. Stop chasing "the latest"

79. Invigorate your green passion, spend time w/ nature

80. Start a toy-swap w/ friends

81. Ease up on meat products

82. Buy items for durability

83. Buy seasonal produce

84. Take bubble wrap back to packaging stores (I re-use it when sending out packages)

85. Upgrade your furnace (ummmm.)

86. Snip six-pack rings (don't buy 6-packs?)

87. Use low-phosphate detergent

88. Avoid chemical flea collars

89. Choose sustainable flooring

90. Offer art schools your "trash"

91. use a bucket not a hose

92. Learn to mend your socks (This is a good idea. That way I can keep all my pretty argyles in circulation)

93. Eliminate impulse buying (tougher than it sounds)

94. Take extra hangers to dry cleaners (I don't really use the dry cleaner's much)

95. Teach kids thriftiness (I’m trying)

96. Don't sign up for mailing lists

97. Slow down- consume less

98. Fertilize w/ Grass clippings

99. Consider using a solar cooker (how did this tip get in there?)

100. Eat simply, choose whole grains