Saving the planet » Group

We all have hundreds of plastic bags choking up our cupboards and pantries.  I have noticed that the major supermarkets have a recycling bin to put in your plastic shopping bags for recycling. 

This is in Australia anyway, i'm not sure about other countries (maybe others could let us know if they do it in their area) but this is a great idea instead of throwing them into landfill when having a clear out.

Want to save water while cleaning your teeth? Try turning off the tap! Don't let it run the entire time you are cleaning. Or one step further, put a little water in a cup and use that to clean toothbrush and rinse out your mouth!

What a great way to recycle old clothes. Stained or ripped it doesn't matter, rags can be used for many things. Mopping up after the little ones, cutting up for art and craft, washing the car, making a bed for the pet to keep them warm in the cold months... Does anyone have any great ideas on what you can do with rags? My hubby uses rags in the shed to mop up oil when he is working on the car or to wipe his hands on before he comes into the house. Old cloth nappies that have becomes so worn that you can see through them make fantastic rags. I have a bunch from when my daughter was a baby. (She is now 7) I've used them quite a bit over the years and they have become so worn they are now the household rags. After they were nappies they were cut up and used as flannels and wash clothes. Now they are in the shed and the children use them to help wash the car (this way they can't do much damage!). I'd love to hear all your fantastic ideas on how to use rags!

Thinking of getting a pet for your children, but don't want something that takes hours to care for and your children will lose interest in within a couple of months. Try getting a couple of chickens! They not only eat your food scraps but they will lay you little gifts. Eggs! It's so easy now to have a couple of chickens in your backyard. There are quite a few small coops available and you can always let them run free in the garden every now and then. We have bantams, as they are nice and small even when they are all grown up, so the children still find them cute and interesting. Also with bantams there are so many colours and feathery varieties there is one to suit any household. At our house the eldest helps with the feeding and the youngest checks the eggs. Of course as with any pet (especially birds) you should encourage your children to wash their hands after handling a chicken or collecting eggs. Eggs should also be thoroughly washed before put into the fridge or eaten. If you would prefer to have chickens primarily for eggs then it would be better to get a breed of chicken specifically for that purpose. All round a chicken is a very resourceful addition to any household (o yeah! and a great pet!)

Has anyone seen a bin liner made out of recycled plastic? Just interested! They have bottles and shopping bags made out of recycled plastic, why not bin liners?

The use of plastic bags has surged by 1 billion according to this article.  With the introduction of 'green' shopping bags i am horrified and really think people need to STOP and THINK before accepting that plastic bag from the shops.  Myself included, i try hard not to get any more bag as i have too many but often forget to take my green bags whith me.  I think, this has been a real kick in the butt for me and i'm certainly going to try harder to remember to take the green bags shopping!!

I just read this on the BBC News:

"The rate at which some of the world's glaciers are melting has more than doubled, data from the United Nations Environment Programme has shown.

Average glacial shrinkage has risen from 30 centimetres per year between 1980 and 1999, to 1.5 metres in 2006.

Some of the biggest losses have occurred in the Alps and Pyrenees mountain ranges in Europe.

Experts have called for "immediate action" to reverse the trend, which is seen as a key climate change indicator."

 

I found a great idea in a magazine and thought I would try it out before I wrote it down. I no longer use washing detergent to wash my nappies. I rinse them in hot water and then put them on a hot wash cycle in the washing machine and in the final rinse water I add a cup of vinegar. The nappies come out clean, so I am happy with the result. It also suggested to add lavendar flowers to the vinegar and let stand for two weeks and then use that in the rinse water. Apparently it makes it smell nicer. So that will be the next thing to try. Once I can find some lavendar flowers...

my kids are beeing taught all about global warming etc at school, it think its great.. yesterday at the docs jayde told a complete stranger " did you know that you should be saving elec-trick-itie (lol) to stop our planet from dying"... i though it was so cute...

xoxox

Did you know it takes 10 times more energy to produce a textile than to produce glass?  So next time you walk past that op-shop think Vintage not second hand!   Some great bargins are to be found in the op-shops or markets.  Sometimes you can find Designer clothes too, if that is your thing, and you will be doing the Planet a favour.