Friday, November 28, 2008

Your Comments

It's the last Friday of November and that means ... time to take a look at all of the wonderful comments which have been posted this month. As usual, you'll find little gems from the readers of this blog. And here's a suggestion (if I may) ... most of the people who comment also have blogs ... so if you have a few minutes, click over to their sites, say "hello" and check them out ... you'll find a lot of good stuff!

Thank you to everyone who posted a comment!! Here we go:

Kathryn Magendie said...

hi! I linked your blog today on my MSN blog, if that's okay -if not, let me know and I'll remove it.

I like to have a "green tip of the day" most days, and sometimes I put links...

http://kathrynmagendie.spaces.live.com/

Angie Ledbetter said...

Isn't it nice to know and see that you are making a difference? Congrats and write on.

Kathryn Magendie said...

Oh, I have to check these out - especially for my "green living" or "healthy living" tips - and I'll give you or whomever credit, always *smiling*

As to your comment about Clementine - I've been writing the draft novel to blog for months now - a little here and a little there, so this "chapter" isn't the first one, but thank you *smiling*---it all started when I was in my first play since first grade, in our local theater I played "Clementine" in Bat Boy the Musical and every day I'd blog about my experience, well, Clementine began to take form, take shape, and i had a little fun with her--next I know, I'm writing a little novel (or novella?) draft to blog! Complete with warts and mistakes - literally right onto my blog without editing EEK - I saw mistakes today, but I can't correct them-or won't. That all comes when I am "done"

Argentum Vulgaris said...

Cool, SF, How do you do that summary of posts like that. I'm not ready yet, but I ma getting more and more visitors each each day and more comments.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

Small Footprints said...

AV, I don't know of any automatic way to collect comments into one place. However, since I moderate comments, I have the opportunity to copy them and put them in a file. Then, once a month, I copy them into a post. It's a little cumbersome but ... it works. It would be nice if Blogger worked something up to do that for us.

Take Care!

Small Footprints

SeattleCraig said...

You're welcome :)

Thanks for making an effort and playing a roll in making the world a better and safer place for all.

You're appreciated.

SeattleCraig
Midnight Eternal

http://ceruss.blogspot.com/

Terri Tiffany said...

Wow-- I learned from your comments too! thanks!

S.S. said...

I like your blog a lot. I have subscribed to the feed and I expect to find lots of good information for my Urban Subsistence Living blog.

Barry said...

I'm not usually a fan of pumpkin pie, but I'll make an exception for your pumpkin pi. That was just brilliant!

Still laughing.

Douglas said...

I'm not much of a tree-hugger, earth-friendly type but I do what little I can. Nice to see suggestions and tips I can relate to, though. On the toothbrush thing; they have a life long after you stop using them on your teeth. Great little cleaning tools, for instance. Handy for the garage, cleaning the hard to get at places on cars, motorcycles, and bikes. Lots of things can be re-used for other purposes well before they need to be trashed or re-cycled.

Angie Ledbetter said...

My DH buys this special soap for his deer hunting clothes that's supposed to be scentless and without phosphates and other environmental unfriendlies. It's not cheap, but guess it works. Another good post with food for thought. Thank you.

Argentum Vulgaris said...

Hi SF, another good post. I use bar soap, never considered the fact that "germs" could be passed on. Personally, I believe the risk is minimal. I have never considered liquid soaps in the least. To get rid of my wrinkles a panelbeater would do a good job. I do save the last little bits of the previous bar and squish them together so I use the last little bit.
My last post is not a green one, more serious issue, but I think you'll agree.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

Argentum Vulgaris said...

Haha, I never thought about it, I recycle toothbrushes in the same way, the garage and the kitchen. Cool Douglas, thanks for the memory jog.

SF, it may be cumbersome but its a cool idea. Once I get back on my feet again, I will start moderating too, but at the moment I am restricted to blogging from work and the boss does expect a daily quota, boring as anything.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

Cesia said...

I agree that there is more waste and packaging with liquid soaps.

This is my favorite soap:
http://www.clearlynaturalsoaps.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=8768XXXXX&type=store

See, I get sick from perfume-y smelling soaps (99% of those on the supermarket shelves), so in searching for something less smelly I found these. I LOVE the lemon, its like washing with lemonheads. :) In addition, I found that the high glycerine content doesn't dry my skin out like most soaps made to be fragrance free.

- Cesia.
http://ceceatitagain.blogspot.com

Terri Tiffany said...

I use bar soap except by my kitchen sink as it came with one of those pumper things. I will look at it differently now. Also hate the really perfumed soaps and use ivory for everything!

Douglas said...

I can't imagine germs being an issue with someone close enough to be sharing a bar of soap with. There should be more than a few other opportunities to share some germs. But the thinking about soap and the effects on our environment was interesting. So many things we use every day that we don't think twice about, so many little things we can do to lessen our overall impact.
I learn something new each day.

luthien said...

i must confess that i prefer liquid soap simply for it's convenience and you are right about the moisturizer. it does leave you softer than bar soap unless you are willing to buy the really expensive bar soap made from pure ingredients.

regarding the mushy bit of bar soap... my grandma use to just press the last bits of soap (before they turn very mushy) onto the new soap and make them one. i thought that was a really good idea since you'll never waste the old soap plus your soaps will never have a chance to be mushy :) dunno about how our germs would react to being squashed onto a bar of hard new soap though ;)

another thing about liquid soap... after you're done with them ... i can always paint the bottles and make them art :)

Glee Girl said...

Thanks - it's great having someone check out all this stuff for you!

I like bar soap for my body - I just find it easier to wash with - but I use liquid cleanser for my face. I use a fragrance and colour free one (most of my skin care is - even my deodorant). It's a simple way to cut down on the potentially harmful chemicals going down your drain since so many colours and fragrances are synthetic and known to be or suspected of being a bit dodggy (and, like cesia above, a lot of them give me pain in the head).

Joanne said...

Bar soap here. Just the packaging alone with the liquid soaps seems wasteful.

Kathryn Magendie said...

Oh, thank you for this - I'll have to link this to my msn blog! :)

Kathryn Magendie said...

PS - been shopping around for cleansers and such that are more "green" -- and today I had a thought - I wonder how many new products jumped on the bandwagon because more consumers are looking for "green" products, but aren't really all that green!

Like when "low fat" came out and it was found some "low fat" really wasn't all that low fat at all!

Consumers are going to have to be vigilent - but that's hard to do when you don't understand the product ingrediants...erk.

Small Footprints said...

That is a good point, Kathryn. I'll do some research on ingredients so that we can all understand the labels a bit better.

Take Care!
Small Footprints

PlantBuddy said...

Well that's great! I'm so glad to learn that our new energy efficient machines are doing a better job of conserving water than washing by hand. Looks like we're making progress after all. Thanks for the interesting article.

The Logisitician said...

Thanks again for visiting our blog and posting a comment about the manner in which you would improve the electoral process.

You are to be commended for raising the consciousness of people in connection with our environment. Your blog is a non-threatening, non-judgmental, non-confrontational method to achieve your goals. I had often thought that some folks with similar views dissuade others from practicing green because of the mechanisms used to disseminate the message. Kudos to you.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Oh, and the efficient new models which include a food grinder (if you can't compost) in them. Heaven.

Marcy said...

I've heard this, too. Thanks for posting the difference in each method.

Joanne said...

My goodness! 3-5 gallons of water to wash a load of dishes. You can't get much more efficient than that.

Jessica said...

I've never heard this before. I have a dishwasher but I always wash by hand because I thought that it was more efficient, that I was using less water, and the non-stick pans I bought are supposed to be washed by hand to prevent from being ruined by the dishwasher. it's definitely good to know though so I can find the best way to cut down on the water bill. thank you for the very informative read!

Chourou said...

Thank you for sharing a good subject to consider. As you mentioned a bit in your article, I think it good using a pan, bucket or washtub before starting to let water run. If you put the dirty dishes into water with a bucket or whatever, and leave them awhile, looks like certain part of stain or dirt can be off. Then you rub the dishes by your hand sufficiently in the bucket and rinse them. This might be a trivial thing, but worth trying to do, I think.

Douglas said...

Have you compared/researched the advantages of tankless water heating systems? It would seem to me that these would not only reduce energy use but also water use. They are advertised as such and it seems logical (especially in terms of dishwashing and showering, etc).

Small Footprints said...

Hi Douglas, Thanks for asking about the advantages of a tankless water heating system. I have researched them and there are a lot of environmental advantages, including a 10-20% water savings for the average household. There's a good video about all the "green" benefits of using them here:

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Save-Using-Tankless-Water-Heaters-2341484

One of my previous posts deals with other ways to save water. Here's the address:

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2008/07/splish-splash-i-was-taking-bath.html

Thanks for asking!

Small Footprints

Terri Tiffany said...

So does that mean I can rid myself of the guilt whenever I use my dishwasher!! You made my day!

Barry said...

We recently got rid of our dishwasher and turned the space under the cupboards into an area to separate compostables and recyclables.

Only my wife and I are at home now that our daughters are married with families of their own so we don't generate a lot of dirty dishes.

What the statistics are failing to mention in their comparison of hand and machine washing is the the environmental impact of building the dishwasher.

A slight oversight.

Ares said...

i never thought we're actually saving money in bar soaps.. guess it's because we're 6 in the family so the soaps are always almost gone.. haha! anyway, we use bar soap at home and never really thought of using liquid one. somehow because it becomes a shampoo at the same time, but it's also sort of an outgrown custom here - using bars rather than liquid. but in hotels i find these liquid soaps wasteful as just a whole container can be finished off in one bathing! it hardly even bubble.. (frowns)

nice piece of information. :) interesting blog. i'm following, okay?

[btw.. thanks for visiting my blog.. take care, aja!)

MaryC said...

This sounds delicious! I LOVE dumplings AND any kind of soup. I will definitely try this recipe. Thanks!
Mary

Kathryn Magendie said...

oh!I'm going to read and then try this - since I adore chicken and dumplings and am a flexitarian - which means, I am near-about vegetarian and rarely eat meat...

I make the best dagum chicken and dumplings, but haven't in a long time

Kathryn Magendie said...

I wondered about that too - there's only two of us, and I don't keep the water running while washing dishes - used to, but not anymore -nor when I'm brushing my teeth, etc...

Argentum Vulgaris said...

We used to have dumplings with ox-tail, great stuff, but glancing over your vege recipe, looks workable enough to try.

A flexitarian, that's a new one on me...

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

Angie Ledbetter said...

Try using flour tortilla strips for dumplings. Yummers and oh-so-easy!

yolanda said...

LOVE your blog! such interesting facts.

http://thestufflifesmadeof.blogspot.com/

is mine. it's personal philosohpical musings, where i try to address what it is to be human through the lens of my own experience. id love it if you checked it out.
peace,
yola

Joanne said...

"If I close my eyes, I'm 10 again." Anything that can transport like this is perfection.

E. Michelle said ...
Hi Small Footprints,

Thank you very much for reading my blog and leaving a comment. It is so great to hear that you use the emotion technique I described! Thank you for your tip about visualizing it leaving with the breath. I will try that next time myself. I enjoy your blog too and I am going to sign up as a follower. I like to recycle as well and I like using natural cleaning products, etc.

Have a wonderful weekend!

E. Michelle
http://ednavigation.blogspot.com/
November 7, 2008 10:58 PM
Glee Girl said...

Mmmm...dumplings. My mum used to make them too, sometimes savoury ones with a beef stew and sometimes golden syrup dumplings, which I have made myself in recent years. Yummy. Both hearty fare for the cooler months.

It's getting to BBQ and salad season over here though!

IB said...

Thanks for the recipe. We love dumplings at our house so I will be giving this one a try.

On another subject: Thanks for your words of encouragement regarding my blog. It is greatly appreciated. I was beginning to wonder if there was any point in continuing to work on writing; wondering if there was an audience to whom it mattered. Your comments, plus those of a couple of other folks who have read some of my posts, convinced me to stick with it.

IB
http://idiotsstew.blogspot.com

Terri Tiffany said...

Sounds wonderful! I don't eat much meat and so always look for good recipes but I eat gluten free so might skip the bread part.

mlh said...

Yum! I love dumplings! Chicken or vegetables, it doesn't matter to me!

I'm glad you commented on my blog. I wouldn't have found yours or this wonderful recipe.

Vanessa Rogers said...

I've been craving chicken and dumplings lately too! It's weird though because I didn't grow up with it.

odettethinks said...

thats crazy!! who knew... i used to hate using dishwashers because of the water wastage.. what about if u have 2 sinks of water and wash your dishes in one and rinse them in the other (and dont rinse your dishes before hand)? surely that cant use as much water as the dishwasher

Ms. B1tch is tired tired tired...but very hungry said...

Ms. B1tch approves! Though Ms B loves all food as long as it isn't slimy, have suckers attached, lies in its own mud and waste, eats its own waste and likes it...oh, I guess Ms B doens't love ALL food - but most all...and Ms B will surely try these Dumple-ings!

Ms B hopes you do not mind if she follows you - it sounds so much like stalking.

Everyday Housewife said...

I have a car (Honda) that is 28 years old, and I can still drive without having to warm it up beforehand. I just drive it softly first, and by the time I reach the first junction from my house, the car is running smoothly. I just wonder if the price of petrol goes up higher again, would drivers be so willing to burn up unnecessary fuel. But personally, I feel it is not a matter of whether one can afford the money for petrol but a matter of unnecessary wastage and our precious environment.

MaryC said...

I love Fall but we have no leaves. We have mostly palms and the two other trees are evergreens. I wish we had some Fall color. I used to love raking leaves as a child and then doing a running jump into the pile.
Those were the days...

Angie Ledbetter said...

I was lucky enough to visit your area last month, and it's as beautiful as the pictures you see.

Joanne said...

It's a great time of year to get outside and get all that "leave" exercise. It's good for the soil, good for the gardens, good for us!

Argentum Vulgaris said...

That was something I forgot to mention in my post on compost. We had a huge "amendoreira" (no English translation) that shed its leave twice a year, these also went in the compost heap.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

yolanda said...

i love it when autumn leaves fall through the wind like snowflakes :-)

Terri Tiffany said...

Wish I had some of those leaves down here!!

salmagundi said...

Thanks for checking out my Blue Monday post! Yes, we have been fortunate to inherit lots of stuff from our families, but the best part are the memories they invoke! Sally

Barry said...

Great tips.

Everyone with a yard should have a compost pile. Its great exercise, great for the garden and pays you back in free soil!

Free dirt people!

What more could anyone want?

BongFlo said...

thanks for the comment on the random facts tag. tell you what, i'm tagging you also to do the 8 random facts/habits about yourself. kindly buzz me when you've done it. thanks for the visit. ciao!

Argentum Vulgaris said...

barry, you might like to check out composting post on Tomus.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

mlh said...

The autumn leaves were beautiful this year. They all went into the garden for mulch.

Earth Jeweler said...

I don't like to rake the leaves. They look so beautiful in my yard, and then, in winter, it is all gone ! So when I do (otherwise they fly in my neighbor's who does rake his leaves, I make roads with the rake. My children ride their bikes and loooove it...

Brian said...

Autumn leaves are quite beautiful. I do hate raking them though. :)

Great tips.

luthien said...

wow! what an interesting post! thank you for sharing this :)

Joanne said...

Animals belong solely in the art itself, depicted on canvases, not in materials. Great post, thought-provoking.

Argentum Vulgaris said...

Hi SF (wonders if she is still talking to me...) I am really sorry, but it was all posted as part of me being a chef and also concerned with nutrition, because the offal is the most nutritious part.

I knew some of what you wrote about, but there was a lot that surprised me, so much for an artist who knows his materials, huh?
As always, you are full of surprises.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

MaryC said...

As an artist, this issue is very difficult for me. The reason is that many of the products considered animal friendly are not environment friendly. Synthetic brushes, paints and dyes are made with chemicals that could be dangerous to the environment. They could be toxic to the humans exposed to them. Additionally, when you are concerned about archival quality, many of the chemicals will deteriorate your photos and ephemera.
I guess we all have to do our best in all things because I don't think perfection is possible.
Thank you for the information.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Kinda makes me glad I can't draw much beyond stick figures. Hope Sharpies are good! :)

IB said...

Another fantastic post! I learn so much reading this blog. Keep it up and thanks again.

IB

http://idiotsstew.blogspot.com

E. Michelle said...

Wow that was really interesting! I had never thought about that before. How sad that helpless animals would be killed for artwork!

E. Michelle

Deslilas said...

Fine blog, I'll try to remember to come back and learn from you.
Thanks.

Glee Girl said...

I'm astounded to learn how many products people use have animal products in them! Can't say I'm much of an artist, but it's still a useful reminder to think and ask questions before buying anything.

I also really like your non-high-horse 'real world' approach to being green - doing what you can is better than doing nothing at all.

Glee Girl said...

I LOVE autumn leaves. I'm a little obsessive compulsive (if that's possible!) about crunching dead leaves on the footpath. I must look a right goose sometimes!

Enjoy the remains of your autumn. Spring is giving way to summer here. It's been unpleasantly warm this week.

John said...

Hi Small Footprints,

This is officially my first comment on your very interesting and informative blog. I would like to start by thanking you for visiting my blog numerous times in the past 1 month or so :) And really appreciate you leaving comments too :)

I was researching the "issues" brought up by maryc (comment above), in particular on synthetic brushes being dangerous to the environment, I found this blog that I think you would love to add to your "Green and/or Vegan Sites":

Solarkat's Eco blog

Solarkat had a post on synthetic brushes used in cosmetics, although I doubt that it would be any different from the ones used for art.

Solarkat has a B.A. in Environmental Studies (Biology) and is currently pursuing Masters in Environmental Science & Policy. If anyone should know about synthetic brushes being harmful to the environment, Solarkat is the expert, and also an environmentalist at that. But not even a slight mention on the post.

By the way, this post also gave me a side effect... I itching to paint again!!! Hahaha... I used to paint a lot last time... as a hobby...

Thanks for the post, anyways, and keep up the great work!

John

John said...

This reminds me of last time when I used to grow flowers...

I used the leaves that drop from 'em and leaves from elsewhere to put on the soil in the pot. When they turn blackish brown, I'll remove 'em, because I assumed that the nutrients would have already been "emptied" into the soil!

What a nice post that reminded me of that time :)

John said...

Delicious and nutritious :)

Didn't know about flexitarianism too until today!

luthien said...

hey sf,
sorry for being silly :) what does this "tagged" thingy mean? i've seen it mentioned a couple of times... but i dunno what it is ... *embarassed*

Argentum Vulgaris said...

sf, oh dear, I guess that means I am part of the blogger community... LOL, its the first time that anything like that has happened. I'm not sure yet if I should perhaps say thank you.

John said...

WOW! What a huge family you come from!!! 121!!!

Argentum Vulgaris said...

I think I have completed the task as charged...

AV

Embee said...

This is fun! You get to learn more about the people behind the blogs. It's a cool way to see we all have things in common!

Angie Ledbetter said...

*Dang, and I thought I'd ducked in time.* LOL

luthien said...

i think i've done my duty... i hope i've done it right :) btw... i did a naughty thing :) i tagged AV again :)

luthien said...

btw sf... 121 ??? how?

Embee said...

Okay, I finished the tagging task. It's like a chain letter, but more fun!

BongFlo said...

thanks for doing the tag... am thinking of starting one myself and i have a nice topic in mind. if and when i do post it, you'll be the among the first ones to get tagged! watch out! i don't know how i'll call you, feel silly calling you reduce footprints. have a name?

luthien said...

yea... that was fun :) thanks for introducing me to this game sf :) and... LOL... just imagining the comment you left on my tagged post makes me laugh. i'm a comic relief elf :DDDDDDD

John said...

Hi Small Footprints,

I had done my tag :)

Have a great weekend!

John

PlantBuddy said...

Hey, that looks like fun. Next time you play tag, don't forget to include me.

MaryC said...

Awesome. Really, really awesome. That's all I can say.
Thank you.

Angie Ledbetter said...

I'm blessed in that my religion of choice does an excellent primo job at combining teachings with actions in the form of social justice and mission work, and lots of it local so I can participate hands-on fashion. :)

IB said...

Really beautiful and inspiring. Thanks for sharing it.

I continue to be impressed with your blog. I look forward to any and all posts, knowing I'm going to get something meaningful from them.

IB

http://idotsstew.blogspot.com

Douglas said...

I don't think we need to discover the compassion in life, in those around it, but accept its permanence. It has always been there and it will always be there. We generally do not recognize it unless, as some of the testimonials showed, something traumatic occurs and we witness it, or benefit from it, firsthand.

Earth Jeweler said...

I totally agree whis this lady. That definitely reflects my way of thinking, and what religion really means: compassion and bringing humanity together, not the other way around.
Thanks for sharing this small footprints

Glee Girl said...

* claps hands with glee*

Thank you. I love these things.

I will post my list tomorrow.

Ms. B1tch is tired tired tired...but very hungry said...

Even Ms B1tch has nothing smart-aleck or even near it to say here with that. Ms. B would love to play that in certain places to certain people, but she know some would not listen anyway.

Ms B suddenly feels humble.


Ms. B1tch is tired tired tired...but very hungry said...

Can Ms. B1tch recycle some Humans! Oh!!! she would, she surely surely surely would! Or just toss them in the landfill! Oh!Sometimes Ms. B stomps with frustration at the behavior of some humans as she tries to go about her hours at Big Fancy Club.
haha! Ms. B sees the word she is to write in the space below and it says: agony! Ms. B is laughing at that...ahaha!
(her feet are in agony)

John said...

This reminded me of the old newspaper recycling competition that my high school organised, where each class tried to beat the others by bringing the most old newspaper to school...

Though it had been many years, it still makes me wonder where did ALL THAT newspaper come from... Just a simple example of how much we can recycle if we really put all our efforts to it!

Kathryn Magendie said...

Hey! I had fun doing the "tag" thing even if I didn't "tag" anyone! Do NOT worry about that one bit -- ! You don't have to ask me -- I'm not the type to get all snitty about that ...always, if I have time, I do it, and if I don't, I just say so or whatever *smiling*

No worries, mate! :)

Kathryn Magendie said...

Love this - especially since I left Religion behind me for so many reasons - not on purpose, not out of anger - it just slipped away.

Terri Tiffany said...

We take our newspapers every week to a recyling bin at church and We recyle all our bottles etc. Looking forward to more ideas from you.

Everyday Housewife said...

I don' have much space at home for a recycling bin, so I hang 3 bags by the kitchen window where I would toss in the plastic bottles, tin cans and glass bottles. I also place a cardboard box under the stairs for paper. Once a month I packed them all in the car and sell them at the scrap yard. I don't get paid much for them, (sometimes the whole loot wont even buy me a loaf of bread), but at least the stuff wont end up in the landfill.

Barry said...

OK, I'm inspired.

I have been so disgusted recently by the terrorists amongst us, threatening us with disaster unless we vote a certain way, or seeking to terrorize us with threats of eternal damnation unless we believe in a certain way or donate even beyond our means to their Church, that to encounter 3 minutes of clam sanity is almost a miracle.

Thanks for posting. I feel refreshed.

Chourou said...

Hi,SF. Thanks for tagging. I've posted my 8.

E. Michelle said...

Hi there,

I really loved this video. Love is all there is. All we need is love. :)

E. Michelle

PS...I see you are a Monty Python fan too. hehe

luthien said...

hi sf,
nothing to do with this post but i found something that might be an interesting read for you :)

http://energy-recovery.blogspot.com/2008/11/seawater-desalination-water-water.html

i'm gonna pass this to AV as well :)

Argentum Vulgaris said...

Here in Brazil, you can take your glass, plastic and cans to the junk yard and they pay you, so recycling here is big time as many families rely on this for an income.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

Angie Ledbetter said...

I am my father's daughter with the non-stop recycling. :)

Argentum Vulgaris said...

Some interesting ideas SF, some I have already thought of, but using plastic baubles and glass beads and balls has been out for me already for a couple of years, I have been using the same small foldaway Xmas three now for five years, so thats five real trees saved.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

Ms. B1tch is tired tired tired...but very hungry said...

Ms. B likes the last one - using food to decorate, with one exception - Ms. B1tch would eat the decorations.

Terri Tiffany said...

I love this list! I am always trying to think of ways to decorate using what we have. I have a holly tree and thank you for the reminder. I haven't decorated for Christmas in a few years due to travel plans but am this year and that holly would work really well!:))

Joanne said...

Love this festive time of year. Not only are these great ecological suggestions, many of them promote fun & togetherness with the fam as well :)

Wellness KIDS said...

I think natural holiday decorations are so beautiful and feel so much more suited to the season than the loud plastic stuff. Living in Hawaii, it is a fun challenge to find natural plants and other items to convey the spirit of the season.
Thank you for some great ideas!

shellyfish said...

These are some really lovely, family-friendly ideas. We'll be cutting some holly from the forest soon - it's so beautiful!

MaryC said...

The best idea in this post (IMHO) is decorating with food. Oh Yeah! I so love big plates of goodies and bowls of nuts on the tables. However, my cat likes tootsie rolls so I can't leave candy laying around.

plantbuddy said...

Uh, Oh, you got me. I'm working on 8 to tag. Should have it ready by end of week. Have a good one!

Cesia said...

Here's mine!

http://ceceatitagain.blogspot.com/2008/11/someone-loves-me-or-was-desperate-for.html

- Cesia.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Great suggestions! I do a lot of edible decorating too. Smells and looks good.

Earth Jeweler said...

Candies are a no no as a decoration in my home. I don't have a cat, but I have kids !! I prefer their candies out of sight, out of mind (I am a tough mom !)

Don't forget to take a picture of your decos, make them last forever...

John said...

Most of your suggestions sounds yummy and nutritious :)

lu-n-am said...

I added a link to this wonderful post on our Thanksgiving entry :) if that is okay
-Lucie

Chourou said...

Wonderful posting! I pondered profoundly what I should or should not do in daily life. Your articles are always amazing and I think it worth stopping by. Thank you.

Joanne said...

What I like about these is that they are simple, realistic changes that we can incorporate painlessly into our everyday lives. It's nice that you bring them to our attention!

Ms. B1tch is tired tired tired...but very hungry said...

Pardon Ms. B1tch, but:

NO MORE WIRE HANNGAAHHHHHSSS!

Ms. B couldn't help herself.

Ms. B also says; when one is in one's home and has one's very own bathroom, one doesn't have to flush the Pee Pee each and every time, thus saving gallons.

Angie Ledbetter said...

LOL, Ms. B! Great tippage, as always.

Terri Tiffany said...

Ohhh shorten my shower?? I might have trouble with that one but when I read how many gallons I save--I'll try it!

BongFlo said...

great tips and very relevant nowadays. am sending this post to my friends online, with your permission of course... ciao!

Small Footprints said...

Thank you, BongFlo ... I love it when this blog gets sent to others, so ... absolutely ... you have my permission and ... my appreciation!

Small Footprints

BongFlo said...

by the way, here's another tip that you might want to add. put a whole brick inside your water closet. the space occupied by the brick replaces some of the water in the closet. saving you gallons of water.

Everyday Housewife said...

I have yet to replace the old water cistern, so I placed bottles of sand to reduce the amount of water flushed. I also keep a bucket of water beside it, so if we pee pee, we just flush with a dipper of water. Water from washing vegetables are used for watering my plants. Just from this simple habits, it is amazing the amount of water that can be saved. My family of 4 used less than 20 m3 of water per month.

Jane! said...

Good tips! I'm always looking for ways to cause less environmental ruckus.

shellyfish said...

I second that - a brick or a 1 litre bottle filled with sand works, too! Great ideas!

Chourou said...

I got my opened especially with article #2 and #9. I have not taken these kind of things seriously from the viewpoint of how to reduce our footprints on Earth. Your suggesttions are good. I think it would be nice if I translate them into Japanese and post them my another blog or whatever, of course mentioning these were originally written by Small Footprint from U.S in the blog. Hope not you mind it.

Small Footprints said...

Thank you, Chourou ... I would be so happy to have you translate this post into Japanese for your other blog. Actually, please feel free to translate any of the posts you find here. The more people who hear about easy ways to live "green" ... the better off our world will be. So ... no, I don't mind at all!

Small Footprints

mlh said...

These are wonderful tips! I am taking them to heart.

Marcy said...

Great tips. We've already implemented some of these things - especially the coffee idea and paying bills online (we even got a $50 Home Depot gift card for switching to paperless billing at Progressive -- it was a raffle type of thing).

-marcy

http://marcydrivel.blogspot.com
http://cookingrut.blogspot.com

Marcy said...

We've gotten away from most disposable items except for paper towels. Kids are messy. I'm hoping as they get older, we won't need to use them as much.

-marcy

http://marcydrivel.blogspot.com
http://cookingrut.blogspot.com

luthien said...

hey sf,
this is a really profound post! yea... we never ever think of things like these because we are so used to living in "modern convenience" ... sometimes we wonder how ppl can live in the old days... well... they could, because they have never experienced a pampered lifestyle. as for us... advancement has pampered us... so we think we cannot live in a 'lesser' environment. but you are right... just by simply thinking of these questions, it would probably induce a small gesture of tossing the bottle into a recycle bin instead of a rubbish bin. i don't think it's possible for every human to live a perfect green lifestyle, but we could at least do small things to help. i don't think going green means "either you do it to perfection or you don't do it at all" (like some people think) ... i think you can still help when you do little things like this. if you can't live without heating or aircon... it doesn't mean you can't have recycle bins in your home :)

Joanne said...

Good questions here. There's also another option instead of walking/driving to the mailbox or post office. You can put your outgoing letters in your own mailbox and put the flag up! Mailed without leaving home.

Angie Ledbetter said...

It's amazing what just a little bit of effort can net. Thanks for these fine tips.

Robot Nine said...

I waited until night to mow the lawn and the neighbor complained. I don't know if it was the noise or that I "accidently" ran over her cat.

Frisky Librarian (formerly known as GleeGirl) said...

I was recently bemoaning how stiff and hard my towels were when they dried and I ended up buying some fabric softener to use solely on them (it was meant to be for senstitive skin and it had artificial fragrance in it. Go figure). After I bought it I thought, if all I have to moan about is rough towels, I really have it good. What makes me think that life is supposed to be free of these little niggly irritations?

In rich Western Countries these days, you'd think convenience is an inalienable right enshrined in the Constitution. We need to wake up and realise there are bigger things at stake! If we want to be kind to the planet we need to accept some level of inconvenience, although, as you say, there are so many small changes we can make a difference.

(Er...sorry to be a bit strident...I'm just feeling very pessimistic about the human race's prospects of NOT self-destructing and taking the planet down with us.)

Jane! said...

Tell me why, though, replacement razor heads are SO much more expensive than entire disposable razors?? I love green ideas but I am NOT going to stop shaving. :)

Ms. B1tch is tired tired tired...but very hungry said...

Ms B1tch does like to be comfortable, but Ms B likes to be Green, too, so she will stop by here often to gather up tips! Thank you.

And she knows your area is beautiful, because she has been there, but yes, the city is different from the other areas, yes?

Ms B has been many places. Seen many things!

Barbara said...

I will certainly try these suggestions. Thanks a million!

Laura said...

I am an anti-plastic sandwich bag person. Why, why do you need a baggie for your sandwich, and another baggie for your chips, and yet another baggie for your cherry tomatoes? Have you never heard of reusable plastic?! Oops, did I say that out loud at work the other day? Unfortunately I did not, but maybe my thoughts will be channeled.

Terri Tiffany said...

I put on a sweatshirt this week here in FLA when it is freezing instead of cranking up the heat!
Actually, we never think about many of the conveniences we use each day--I am guilty with papertowels! Help!

John said...

Thanks for sharing this, Small Footprints :)

For me, I have always asked the question, "DO I NEED IT?"

A lot of difference a NEED and a WANT. And human beings always have too many non-essential WANTS. When you don't really need something, you can adjust to adapt to environmental changes, not do things to the environment to adjust or adapt to your wants.

Just my two cents.

Have a beautiful weekend!

John

JeaneBee said...

Very nice blog...I also am concerned about our earth and the way it's being used. My daughter uses disposable diapers and although they are convenient, I shudder at the amount of them piled up in landfills.

JeaneBee
http://kuper202.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

i guess asking for more followers worked.

Argentum Vulgaris said...

OffTopic SF, congratulations, 53 followers, great.

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

bernthis said...

Okay:

I do recycle
I bring my hangers back to the drycleaners.
no coffee stirrers as I don't drink coffee
short showers, all the time
water the lawn hardly ever
go to a car wash

Need to drive slower
wish I could afford a hybrid and that I had a boyfriend (sorry, had to put that out there) LOL

Chourou said...

Hello again. I'd like to inform you that I've translated these 13 tips into Japanese, and posted to my another blog "Chourou-mode".Not entirly but summary because I am not so good at translation. Sorry.
(+ +)/
Anyway,thank you for your permission.

http://nyororin.blog.so-net.ne.jp/

Kathryn Magendie said...

I put this link on my MSN blog!

:)http://kathrynmagendie.spaces.live.com/

Angie Ledbetter said...

My kids' school takes their cell phones if they get caught using them, and a parent has to come claim it. After that first and only chance, all the collected phones go to charity. :)

Brian said...

Recycling cell phones is an important issue. The real problem is the lack of locations to recycle them. Granted the toxic chemicals are not above levels for an individual person if large numbers of phones make their way to the landfills it poses a problem. Another way to recycle is to donate them. Often you can donate them to military groups who clean and possibly fix them so soldiers can use them when in the field to call home.

Barry said...

I kept my last cell phone for four years before encountering mechanical problems. The cost of fixing the mechanical problem was about twice what it would have cost in replacing it, if I'd had to pay.

As it is my contract provided me with a new phone for free.

At least my cell phone company kept the old phone with a promise of recycling.

online casino reviews said...

What will be done to the recycled cellphones?Am just curious. Thanks anyway for this post. Recycling is really a must nowadays since throwing wastes are really not environment-friendly at all.

Small Footprints said...

To answer "Online Casino Reviews" question:

As I understand it, when a cell phone is turned in, it will be refurbished and reused, if possible. For example: most people get a new phone when the battery loses it's ability to hold a charge so ... with a new battery (perhaps one from a broken phone), the phone can be used again (usually they are donated to charity). While I personally feel that it would be more Eco-friendly to just buy a new battery and continue to use one's existing phone, the fact is that, for consumers, the cost of a battery is more than a new phone ... quite a bit more.

If the phone cannot be refurbished, it is broken down for any usable parts. Anything which isn't usable is then sent to recycling.

If you click on the GRC's link on the left sidebar, they have a page devoted to what they do with turned in phones.

Thanks for your question!

Small Footprints

Frisky Librarian (formerly known as GleeGirl) said...

Gee, it's a bigger problem than I realised.

I have had my phone for about 2.5 years now and plan to hold onto it until its dying beep. What pleases me is that it was a cheap phone and it's lasting really well.

I will definitely recycle it when the time comes.

Terri Tiffany said...

MY family recycles cell phones-- to me!! I keep using the old ones when they buy the fancier ones! A phone is a phone!

Julieanne Paige said...

Hi :)

Great tips! Will definitely be back for more!

Julieanne

Vivienne said...

sounds very yummy! Going to try them out this weekend! :)

Ms. B1tch is tired tired tired...but very hungry said...

Ms B likes reading your tips. Ms B wants to do better in all things. Thank you!

Now, Ms B will go recycle some rissotto - by recycle she means eat it until it is gone. Ha. ha!

E. Michelle said...

Thank you for this post! I have several old cell phones just hanging around the house waiting until I can find a place to recycle them. Now I know where to send them!

Thanks!
E. Michelle

sober white women said...

Good morning! My friend sent me the link to your blog. I do eco friendly fridays over at my blog and she just knew I would love your blog. I do.
Kelli

PlantBuddy said...

So far, I don't have need of a cell phone, but was thinking of getting an artificial Xmas tree. Well. . .just learned most are made in China. Apparently there's lead in the plastic and they off-gas. Don't want that in my livingroom. Getting a real tree this year from a tree farm.

Angie Ledbetter said...

That was truly lovely!

Argentum Vulgaris said...

We don't do Thanksgiving, but have a happy one... and pravois

AV
http://netherregionoftheearthii.blogspot.com/
http://tomusarcanum.blogspot.com/

Kathryn Magendie said...

Lovely beautiful breathtaking wonderful - oh our Earth! *smiling*

Happy Thanksgiving...

And, here, have you heard of these? Java logs?

http://www.java-log.com/


http://kathrynmagendie.spaces.live.com/

sober white women said...

That was so awesome!
Kelli

Everyday Housewife said...

Happy Thanksgiving.

luthien said...

hi sf :) my turn. you've been awarded 3 awards! pls claim them in my place ;)

mlh said...

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

whimseycreations said...

Thanks so much for sharing that. Just the little umph I needed to get me started and thinking this morning.