Check Out Your Bathroom
Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets. Did you know that each time a toilet is flushed, it uses five to seven gallons of water? If you can’t afford to buy a low-flush toilet, try putting a plastic bottle in your toilet tank. You can save one or two gallons per flush. Use a plastic juice bottle, or laundry soap bottle, and soak off the label. Fill the bottle with water, put on the cap, and place it in the tank. Be careful that the bottle doesn’t interfere with the flushing mechanism.
New Flooring
Floors can be made with bamboo or cork, which is a softer material. There is no question that bamboo is a renewable resource—it is a grass and grows very quickly. Where oak takes 120 years to grow to maturity, bamboo can be harvested in three.
Switch to Recycled Toilet Paper and Paper Towels
Kids are always spilling juice, but did you know that if every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 180-sheet virgin fiber paper towels with 100 percent recycled paper towels, we could save: 1.4 million tees, 3.7 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 526 million gallons of water, and prevent 89,400 pounds of pollution? Several companies make paper towels from 100 percent recycled paper.
Diaper Duty
Consider using cloth diapers. To sign up for a diaper service to do the dirty work, check out the National Association of Diaper Services for more information.
School Lunches Makeover
Reuse containers and reduce waste. Did you know that one kid’s average school lunch generates sixty-seven pounds of garbage over a year? There are lots of ways you can cut back on lunch waste (and save money). When you go to the grocery store, buy food in bulk rather than single serving packages. Don’t use plastic sandwich bags; instead, use reusable containers.
Buy Organic Foods
For lunch or snacks, buy foods that are organic, locally grown, and in season. Food that travels great distances takes a lot more packaging and refrigeration than food bought near where it grows. No time to cook? Kidfresh is a great store that has pre-packaged organic meals and snacks.
