[Guest_dixiebelle_*]

OK, here is what I have organised, and others contributed to. Feel free to add more... or PM me and I will add... or remove if there is something incorrect!

Shopping
- Use enviro bags when shopping (put them back into the car after you've unloaded the shopping)
- Minimise purchases of products with excessive packaging, or buy from a bulk foods store, where you take your own containers.
- Buy your food from a local farmer's market, and try buying in bulk, share between baskets for family/ neighbours and sharing the cost
- Buy organic if you can, the less pesticides used the better.
- Look for local, organic, free range, and in season produce
- Look for recycled, unbleached, Australian made and owned, low packaging household products, such as toilet paper (some are softer than others!) and paper towel
- Try to buy Australian when you can - the further it comes from, the further emissions given to get it here!
- When buying appliances, look for their Energy Rating label

Housework/ household
- Recycle our recycleable rubbish, esp. aluminium
- Only do full loads of washing to save water and energy, and use the 'eco' option on your appliances
- Wash sheets/ towels once a week, and use the clothes line (wherever possible) instead of the dryer... if you do use a dryer, keep it lint free, so it works better
- Avoid softners, they can also ruin your washing machine, and easily replaced by natural recipes (see pinned section at top of YE forum)
- Use natural products or make your own (see pinned section)
- Switch to more environmentally friendly cleaning options. Enjo or microfibre cloths. Earth's Choice or other brand cleaners, or bicarb and vinegar for general cleaning, laundry, toilets etc.
- Use a cloth instead of paper towel, and avoid throw away cleaners
- Pay bills online and choose to receive statements online too
- Get a "No Junk Mail" sticker and contact companies who don't abide by your sign... there are laws
- Line your indoor recycle bin with newspaper or junk mail, (that you were going to put in there anyway) to prevent having to wash out your bin, or use garbage bags
- Use re-useable containers, instead of throw away ones or cling wrap

House
- When building or renovating choosing 'greener' building options
- Install water tanks, grey water systems, insulation
- Buy a grey water hose for your washing machine (available from hardwares stores) - use it to water your lawn, garden etc etc. We can do our front lawn and garden and nature strip with 2 loads of washing - Make sure you use phosphate free powder / liquid though
- Recycle retro/ vintage fabrics and furniture for furnishings, or use natural fabrics and source local crafts/ art

Garden
- Grow your own veggies (even if it is just a couple of planter pots on a balcony)
- Ensure your garden is free of noxious weeds (eg Ivy, blackberries) to help stop the spread and deadhead your flowers so the seeds don't scatter for potentially invasive weedy plants (eg agapanthus).
- Mulch your garden to help keep in the water.
- Set up a composting system. If you are in a unit or highrise, petition the landlord to set one up for the building or use a bokashi bin.
- Kill weeds using a combination of vinegar and salt or hot water instead of Glycophosphate products etc.
- Get some chickens... fresh eggs, and fertiliser/ pest eaters
- Use old newspaper as weed mat, and use shredded paper as mulch
- If you have any leftover vegetable soup, lentils etc..just dilute it and fertilise plants with it. My MIL has been doing this for over 10 years and her cammelias and roses are the envy of all her neighbours.
- Plant drought resistant shrubs, like natives and here is a list of drought resistant plants http://www.savewater.com.au/index.php?sectionid=684

Water
- Reduce water usage by shorter showers, less on gardens etc, catch shower water for nappy rinsing/toilet flushing
- Install a water tank
- Follow the motto: If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down for the toilet.
- Use a Twintub washing machine.
- Put a large tub in your kitchen sink to catch the water you use every day. Then use that water on your garden.
- Put a bucket in the shower and catch the water as you wait for it to heat up. This can be used for anything, to start to fill the washing machine, to flush the toilet, to water some vegies etc.

Electricity
- Change over to Green power/ energy with your local electricity provider
- Replace light globes with energy efficient ones.
- Change light globes slowly to energy saving ones. Buy a twin pack each time you do a grocery shop.
- Have your roof cavity insulated to reduce heating-cooling costs.
- Install movement sensors for lights in hallways and other transit areas of the house so you don't have to worry about turning these lights on or off.
- Instead of using the heat lamps when it is cold I just don't put the fan on and let the room just stay warm until after I'm dressed then I put on the fan and just open the window, it's actually pretty fast with absorbing the moisture with the window open as well.
- Avoid heaters/ air con wherever you can, but remember to close doors and get your family into one room, to make it more efficient

Transport
- Catch public transport where possible
- Wash your car at a local carwash that recycles their water
- Change to a smaller car or an eco-car if you can afford it
- Car pool, or walk/ ride to work and wherever you can
- Keep your car maintained and tuned up, so it runs more efficiently and with less pollution

Personal/ hygiene
- Change to 'natural products' particularly Australian made and owned, organic, local, toiletries and cosmetics, such as Sukin
http://sukinorganics.com.au/
https://www.onlyoz.com.au/sukin-organic-ski...02e471914e05434
- Make your own products (see pinned list in main YE forum)
- Use a hanky instead of tissues
- Try the 'no shampoo' challenge, (or try shaving your hair off altogether)
- Try a bucket bath, or put a timer in your shower
- Get used to having your showers at a slightly cooler temperature. Over a year, this saves a huge amount of energy in heating bills, and is much much better for your skin.
- Try a menstrual cup (or use cloth pads, or flushable pads, or organic tampons)
- Make your own clothes, recycle fabric and wool
- Look for organic cotton and hemp clothing, designed and made locally

Baby/ kids
- Flush baby poo down the toilet (not into the rubbish)
- Start using cloth nappies, dry pailing and using organic fabrics if making your own
- Start by using just one cloth nappy per day. Put it on your baby after they have just had a dirty nappy. You can throw it in the wash with your usual load.
- Use washable wipes and make your own solution, such as cooled chamomile tea, or just water
- Use washable breast pads, and if you can, try breastfeeding
- If you formula feed, recycle the scoops for kids toys, or use in your home made cleaning products
- Take babies for a walk in the pram for entertainment, try buying toys from op shops or on eBay or join a toy library (they often only have the baby toys for a short time)
- Get kids outdoors for a 'nature treasure hunt', or into gardening or the local library or sport, rather than TV/ video or computer games
- Encourage children to recycle - after all, all this is going to become their problem very quickly.

Pets
- make your own dog food

http://members.essentialbaby.com.au/index....howtopic=373463

- keep your pets away from wildlife and natural habitat
- de-sex your animal
- have them washed/ groomed by a professional who are efficient and use less water, and use enviro friendly products
- do the scoop with the poop and use biodegrabeable baggies
- avoid clumping clay cat litter

Eating/ drinking
- Cut down on meat based meals
- Look for organic wine
- Eat more whole, unprocessed foods, and raw foods, such as salads
- Indulge, but try organic chocolate, beer and cheeses

Entertainment
- Watch An Inconvenient Truth (with your friends)
- Subscribe to G magazine http://www.gmagazine.com.au/
- Join a library, go to a book exchange or share books around
- Read some of the many books about being 'green'
- Start a book club or a knitting circle

Computer/ technology
- Turn your computer/ appliances off when you can, not just to stand by
- Print on both sides of the paper, look for recycled computer paper, and turn scrap paper into notepads or use for kids art/ craft
- If you get junk mail etc. thats printed on A4 pieces of paper, keep it next to the printer. Great if you want to print something out for proofreading etc, where the copy doesnt have to be perfect.
- Buy discs in bulk, to avoid single disc packaging and use re-writeables where possible
- Have your appliances repaired, rather than just thrown away when broken

Travel
- Travel locally, avoiding alot of flights
- Support eco-tourism http://www.thegreendirectory.com.au/ecotou...ecotourism.html
- Try a cycling holiday

Job/ career/ business
- Support businesses who support the earth, and boycott those who don't http://members.essentialbaby.com.au/index....howtopic=380638
- Use shredded paper for mulch
- Keep post satchels to reuse - turn inside out and use that way, they're quite tough too!
- Get your workplace on board with green practices
- Visit http://www.thegreendirectory.com.au/employ...employment.html

Finances
- Invest in green companies
http://www.thegreendirectory.com.au/invest...investment.html

Education
- Study Environmental sciences or another green course
- Visit http://www.thegreendirectory.com.au/education/education.html

Charities/ Volunteering
- Just google for a list or see the Planet Ark website (below)

Spreading the word
- Show people how easy (and nice) being green is by example
- Don't overwhelm people or get them on the defensive by confronting them
- Don't act like a religious zealot in the green religion

Links
http://www.thegreendirectory.com.au/index.html
http://www.treehugger.com/
http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm
http://www.planetark.com.au/index.cfm
http://www.savewater.com.au/index.php?sectionid=1
http://www.cleanup.com.au/au/LivingGreener/
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/
http://www.aussieslivingsimply.com.au/news.php

http://www.safersolutions.org.au/index.php

This post has been edited by dixiebelle: 02/11/2008, 12:24 PM

[emmando]

Cool this should be a sticky.

What about paperless bills - paying all bills online and canvassing ompanies who dont provide this service to get their act in gear!

oh and putting a "no junk mail" sticker on your letterbox.

[brodyb]

You can also shred all paper and use it as garden mulch.

Get some chickens.

[Restraint]

Alumninium uses a lot of energy to produce in the first place, and can be recycled repeatedly.

This post has been edited by Devi: 14/11/2008, 08:10 PM

[essentiallyme]

We do a fair bit of what is on the list. There are a few things we can't do because we are renting, but there are also things we can improve on.

[Guest_dixiebelle_*]

I updated a bit moe this morning, as my head was full of ideas all night! And thanks PP's for your input.

[Guest_dixiebelle_*]

Oh, I was just looking for that list Merz had with the links on it... and I found Patscat's list way back when YE first started!!! I will now incorporate their list into this one.. sorry, guys, must have missed it!

I still can't find that list of Links???

And I have updated the above list with more things I have thouught of, or have read in the YE section... have also asked Susan, our mod, about having it pinned...

This post has been edited by dixiebelle: 29/05/2007, 09:40 AM

[~Susan~]

I think ,merz had her account deleted and then changed names to spice? If so this is why the list can't be found as it owuld have been dleted along with the membership name?

[Guest_dixiebelle_*]

That's all I could think of too... shame.

Anyway, Susan, I PM'd you about pinning this list... any chance?

[Guest_dixiebelle_*]

Yeah, I like to peruse the Target and Big W catalogues, but the rest is useless to me... however, the Target one comes with our Wed. paper, so that's OK. Evem when I put up the 'No Junk' sticker, I'll still get it!

I do use the brochures/ junk mail to line our kitchen scrap bin but again, there is enough in the newspaper to still do that, even if no actual junk mail gets left... or I can use the newspaper itself, but am now using it line the recycle kitchen bin. I think when I use up our current garbage bags for the rubbish kitchen bin, I'll start lining it with newspaper too!

I want a "No Junk Mail, or I'll sue!" sticker... it may be more effective that the usual ones!!!!