Getting greener.

After our move to Houston I made a point to implement more environmentally friendly moves to our daily lives. I've always done some things but am now making a stronger effort to do more. Chris is not fully on board but he puts up with it and is warming up to it. Here are a few products we using:

1. A recycling bin purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond. We put cans in one side and plastic in the other. Once the bin fills up we take it to the recycling center (no curbside pick up for us!). It's already sorted and we rinse everything before putting it in the bin so it's ready to go. It's a bit pricy, but the good thing is the minimal packaging that comes with the product and those ever present 20% off coupons BB&B sends out.

2. Sandwich pouches : Prior to using these we would wrap a sandwich in a paper towel and then placed inside a Ziploc. The paper towel doubled as a napkin and while Ziploc's can be reused they didn't always make it back home. They are easily cleaned so I recommend them.


3. Smart strips. These are a bit pricey for an initial investment, but they totally pay for themselves very quickly. If you have a television and DVD player and entertainment system (XBox, Wii, Playstation...) or a desktop computer with printer and accessories attached these will cut down on the phantom power that these electronics drain in your house. In our first month of using 2 of these strips our electric bill dropped $20. So if the environmental impact doesn't do it for you, think of the money you'll save!


4. Planted a small box garden. We are growing our own tomatoes, basil, mint, and oregano. I want to eventually be able to grow most of our vegetables, but I have to learn a bit more about gardening.

More to come!