Last week we got down and dirty ... we wore our clothes until they really required washing and resisted the urge to toss perfectly clean "duds" into the laundry basket. Since washing machines use a lot of water and electricity, this one act could save significant resources. As a side benefit, our clothes will last longer because frequent washing is tough on material.
Our #CTWW Gang was out in force once again, tweeting about our challenge. If you're on twitter, drop by and say "hello" (hint: they are great folks to follow):
@gardeningguru
@envirobooty
@thenewauthor
@coffeecontessa
@robcayman
@peopletowels
@givetreegifts
@smallbits
@dpixel
@dazediva
@gogreenbeans
@groovygreenlivi
@accessorygal
@whopaysthepiper
@rewinn
Our Honor Society wrote articles and left thoughtful comments. Let's look at the articles first:
Argentum Vulgaris wrote this POST and offers us an Eco-friendly way to eliminate laundry odors, thus allowing one to only wash when there is a full load.
Cinella has no problem with this challenge. In this ARTICLE you'll find why this activity is easy for her, who taught her to wear clothes more than once and you'll learn what she wears during the day on most days.
We have a new Honor Society member, K. C. Woolf ... Welcome, KC! She submitted a wonderful piece (which you can read HERE) about low-maintenance gardening. She provides a list of her favorite links for information on growing an urban garden and includes a video about a woman who feeds a family of 5 with organic items grown in a small area behind her house. KC's post is full of great information ... including pictures of the items she's currently harvesting. I'm jealous!
Weren't those articles wonderful? I have Stumbled, Tweeted and Facebooked them for the world to see.
Next, let's take a look at the comments left by our Honor Society:
Nicole B. stopped in. She had no choice but to accept this challenge ... her washing machine broke down. While doing laundry daily is one of her pleasures ... and not washing is definitely a challenge, she's giving it her best. How did you do, Nicole? Is it a practice you'll hold onto once your machine is repaired?
EcoGrrl likens this challenge to only washing one's hair when dirty (instead of daily). As she points out, washing clothes & hair is often a matter of habit rather than necessity. She also shared a wonderful tip with us ... rather than use a bathroom rug in front of the shower (which tends not to get washed), use a towel. It's much more likely that a dirty towel will get laundered. Of course, she says to only use a towel that has been used, several times, to dry off with ... then use it as a rug until it's truly dirty!
Petunia GreenBeans is filled with contagious enthusiasm about living a green life. Recently she recycled some foil into noisy scarecrows to protect her garden (without harassing any groundhogs), traveled to the East End of Long Island to support local growers and recycled 112 pounds of lithium-ion batteries that might have otherwise ended up in the dump! WhooHoo! Great job Petunia!!
Alicia commented that she and her family only wash dirty clothes and have been doing so for years. And, she says it really does make a difference. Yay, Alicia!
Sonia, a new visitor to Reduce Footprints, stopped by and said she loved all of our posts. Thank you, Sonia ... hope to see you again!
Great job everyone ... I appreciate your comments, articles and efforts.
Okay ... ready for more?
While visiting your blogs this week, I came across a plea for help from Petunia GreenBeans. Basically, she's asking for help with recycling ... she wants to know what works ... what we recycle, how we sort, etc. She plans to compile a list of tips, ideas and links. So ... let's put our collective heads together and come up with a list for her. Here's the challenge:
This week, visit Petunia GreenBeans HERE (http://getyourgreenbeans.com/recycle/calling-all-greenbeans-help-how-do-you-recycle/) and share your knowledge about recycling. If you write a post about recycling, leave her a link to it. If you have some tried and true tips, leave those in a comment for her. And, so that we all can benefit from each other, please leave the same information here, on this post. It's double work but ... it's also double visibility for your ideas.
So what do you think ... are you up for the challenge?
Until next time ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
you got it, sister. here's what i posted over there:
ReplyDeleteback in 1991 when i was a senior in high school, i did my speech class final on 'why we all must recycle' - so as you can guess, i'm all about the R/R/R motto. each year i add a little more, continually pushing myself. i get trash service only once a month and still fill it up only halfway, everything else is either recycled, composted, or not created into waste in the first place. this year i geeked it up and became a certified master recycler in portland, learning more about the entire process, down & up stream, resource conservation, getting out into the community and EDUCATING others! biggest findings? 1) compostable plastic should be banned - it cannot be recycled, it cannot go into backyard compost piles, and even in industrial compost, adds no benefit to the soil (only actual organic materials can do that). 2) recycling plastic only does so much as it is downcycled - basically, recycling a plastic bag or container does NOT turn it into another plastic bag or container - instead, it only has a few options, like composite decking (which can never be recycled and is toxic if burned). 3) sharing our knowledge and resources lifts us all up -we forget that everyone is in a different place and with different knowledge, and getting accurate information out there and sharing ideas? priceless.
Kul... my tip would be BINS! Without them my recyclables would be everywhere! lol Writing my post now and will link up in the morning!
ReplyDeleteCJR @ The Mami Blog
Thanks for the shout-out, the great links and all the effort and love you put into your site! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove this one! I truly think that if you are just starting to go green, this is probably one of the easiest steps to take. If you have curbside recycling. I'll gather my many ideas and post!
ReplyDeleteI try to keep in mind that recycling comes after reusing and reducing and shop carefully to avoid ending up with a lot of packaging. I'm learning to make my own pizza (no boxes!) and cook most of my food from scratch (fewer cans, jars, etc). One thing that I'd like to be better about is bringing my own takeout boxes when I go out to eat. The actual recycling part is pretty simple -- our city just has one big collection bin for recyclables, and then we make occasional special trips to get rid of batteries, spent light bulbs, and e-waste.
ReplyDeleteHi! Well, I finally was able to wash my clothes after more than a week of no washing machine! Ah, clean clothes are so nice - but I did learn that most items, especially jeans and pajamas, don't have to be washed after one wearing. I can save myself at least a load of 2 of laundry a week if I just have my family wear things like that once or twice before washing.
ReplyDeleteI like the tip about the towels on the floor instead of rugs. Thank you for sharing!
While we are on the subject of laundry, if anyone is interested in EcoFriendly laundry wash balls - I have tried some for review lately and LOVE them. They work very well plus are so easy to just keep in the machine from wash to wash. I don't want to advertise for anyone specific here, but wanted to let people know "wash balls" exist and you can clean your clothing without using detergent! Anyone can feel free to Tweet me at @skipbang if they have any questions. Thanks!
Well as you know, recycling is a passion for me. I've shared some ideas with Petunia including questions to ask yourself before making a purchase and my 5-point plan for setting up a recycling system at home. you can check it out here: http://littlegreenblog.com/green-technology/waste-and-recycling/how-do-you-recycle/
ReplyDeleteHere is my post:
ReplyDeletehttp://thegreeningofwestford.blogspot.com/2011/05/5-easy-steps-to-recycling.html
Going to share with Petunia next.
You guys ROCK OUT LOUD!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's an honor to have you all on board for this project- your outstanding tips and ideas- notes, posts and words of encouragement...just awesome!!!
We're building one heck of a guide here, thanks again for all of your help and keep 'em coming!!!
What a great post! I say that but you have great posts every week!! I recycle old tee shirts into shopping bags. They are so sturdy and strong and hold lots of items. It is really nice because when empty they take up very little room and you can easily fit quite a few of them in your purse. I agree with Jennifer that one of the best things to do is to reduce and reuse first so that you don't have as much recycling to do. We also use use shampoo bars so we eliminate shampoo bottles. They are also great for traveling because you can carry them on the plane. Making your own cleaners from vinegar, lemon juice and soda not only saves you money but is eliminating all those plastic bottles. I just did a post on using a water filter and reusable bottles instead of buying all of those bottles of water!
ReplyDeleteExcellent challenge!
ReplyDeleteWe've moved away from the mentality that something is dirty just because we wear it once and it has helped tons. Off to check out some of the links, thanks!
I am going to be a part of this revolution trying to change the pollution levels and make it a healthier environment for you and me.Love the idea of washing our clothes lesser and only when it is absolutely necessary,I also use the solar energy to dry the same.
ReplyDelete