Besides the elimination of all the toxic chemicals required of a swimming pool, there is also the lowering of electric bills where the constant running of the filters and auto-vacuums are concerned. I turned the gas-heated spa into a bio-filter and disconnected the gas line.
Not only has this saved time, effort and money, it has created a wonderful backyard habitat! The owls, herons, hawks, multiple small birds, raccoons, frogs, possum and other visitors (even a duck once!) are all so much happier with my pond that the chlorinated toxic dump we used to call a swimming pool.
One benefit I was surprised by was/is the more moderate temperatures in the back yard. On those 90+ degree FL days, my back yard is 5 degrees cool than the street! And when we get our rare freezes (as we will tonight) my yard will most likely remain warmer.
In short, more wildlife, no chemicals, more fun just watching the antics of birds and frogs, less money spent on electrical, gas heating and chemicals and way less back-breaking work! And yes, the water is crystal clear and safe for swimming!
This post was submitted by Heidi Marsh.
I have lived in collective housing situations for the last few years. This has saved me a boat load of money because collective housing is generally much cheaper. But it is also a way of conserving: the amount of energy used to heat a home is good for as many people as can fit!
It is also is really nice to have a lot of cool people around all the time and makes things fun. I learn something from my housemates everyday. And it saves me time when we organize cooking calendars because I’ll only have to cook once a week.
This post was submitted by Ethan.
I always wear aprons to protect my clothes from stains when I’m cooking, gardening,and cleaning. I buy them at our local second hand shop and pay as little as 99 cents each. I like to add my personal touches to them such as quotes, applique designs, etc. Saves wear and tear on my clothes, they don’t need to be washed as often, and it’s a fun way to make an eco-friendly fashion statement.
This post was submitted by Joeann.
I installed solar thermal heat on my workshop a year ago. Three panels, each measuring 4 feet by 10 feet. These plus thermal shutters on 4 of 11 windows on the building cut the heat bill in half compared to a year earlier.
This past fall i completed construction of a five panel array of solar thermal to help heat this house. The system has been running for all of a month but it looks like the reduction in heat bill will be significant.
Both systems heat a glycol-water solution which is passed through a unit heater (basically a car radiator in a box with a fan on it) to draw the heat out of the water and then the water circulates back to be reheated by the sun. No storage on either system at this time, but a storage tank is planned for the house.
The take-home message is that solar thermal IS a DIY project. If you can solder, perform basic wiring tasks and construct anything then you are probably skilled enough to install your own solar thermal.
Pete
This post was submitted by Peter Gruendeman.
I bought mix and match silverware at the thrift store super cheap and keep it in a box in the cabinet. We use it whenever we have parties. No more plastic ware, ever!
This post was submitted by Kim.
For the past two years I have volunteered at a monthly free market. People bring unwanted items which someone else could use (mostly clothes, books and household items), and take away whatever they like.
This is not a 1-1 swap: one can bring plenty and take little or nothing away, and one can bring little or nothing and take many items.
This project keeps many items out of the landfill and recirculates them to new users. It helps people save money. I have found interesting clothes and books there myself, and it is the best and most enjoyable voluntary work I have done in my life.
[NB Organising a free market on a regular basis requires storage space, which should be kept well-organised so that the confusion doesn’t become overwhelming (as ours did at one point). Items past hope should be rigorously weeded out, or the market starts to look a bit dismal.]
This post was submitted by Deborah Sweeney.
OK… I made a list on my blog of 101 things to do to live greener. Since it’s a long list, I’ll just post the link: http://open.salon.com/blog/the_almighty_beckster/2010/01/01/101_easy_ways_to_have_a_greener_2010
And yes… I’ve done all of them!
This post was submitted by Rebecca.
We wait and combine trips, and only go town when we really need to.
We buy in bulk, and keep a lot of food in the deep freeze.
In our case we can run a deep freeze for a long time for what one trip to town cost us.
We have switched our cattle operation to grass fed and are working to minimize the hauling of big bales of hay by moving the cows to the hay, not the hay to the cows (energy intensive).
Each step is a huge one for husband because he was raised with traditional farming methods. We are fencing cattle away from ponds and woods to prevent erosion and destruction of wildlife habitat.
We are building wildlife habitats, and are working with Missouri Ag. Dept. on a program to restore habitat and prevent soil erosion.
This post was submitted by Sharon .
I purchase linen dresses from thrift shops, add interfacing, and make the linen into tote bags and handbags.
This saves the linen from the rag pile and makes great bags!
This post was submitted by Sharon .
Three years ago I purchased a clothing rack for my laundry room. Instead of using the dryer for 45 minutes per load, I just toss the clothes in the dryer for 5 minutes maximum. The warm clothing is hung up totally wet, yet dries wrinkle free from the few minutes in the dryer. Any item where wrinkles don’t matter are hung up to dry.
Pants and shirts actually have fewer wrinkles with this method than with the 45 minute tumble.
Sheets, towels, blankets, etc. are not even put in the dryer. We mounted pull out drying racks for towels, etc., and hangs sheets over the 2nd story banister.
Our kilowatt hours have been cut by 50% in just 3 years, from about 1200 per month to 600 or less. Saves carbon, saves money. Lots of money.
I never understood the logic of drying a towel in the dryer. The whole ideal behind a towel is to get it wet.
Sharon
This post was submitted by Sharon .