So we’re finally wrapping up our Eco-Me contest. You remember that, right? It seems like a million years ago we asked for your ideas on how to go green each and every day – and you shared them left and right.
We've showcased how you went green inside your home, outside your home, and while shopping. And this week, we round out our contest coverage by showcasing the ideas of our lucky contest winner.
Gretchen crowded our inbox (which is A.O.K. in our opinion) with her tales and stories of helping the environment. We got so many entries from her (which is probably why her name was drawn to receive the goodies), that we rounded them up and deliver them here for you.
Here's what our contest winner does to save the planet:
I usually get our meals together the day before so that when I get home from work all I have to do is heat them up. My husband, who gets home before me, will take the main dish out of fridge about an hour before I get home. The dish is almost at room temp by the time I get home, so it only takes 10-15 minutes to heat the dish up in the oven or on the stove, which happens while we're getting together the easy things like a salad or toast. By simply taking the food out of the fridge and letting it come to room temp, we save about 25 minutes of oven use.
For every new item of clothing I procure, I remove an older item of clothing from my wardrobe. That way I don't keep accumulating tons and tons of clothes and I keep the giving-receiving cycle flowing.
I do not buy new anything if I can help it. I wait until I have a big list of needed items then go on a thrift store/garage sale/Freecycle spree. Last week I got the kitchen supplies I've been needing, all for under $10, without having to contribute to the production of new items.
We have a plastic weighted container in our toilet tank displacing some of the water used for flushing.
We share a local farm CSA with my sister and brother-in-law. We eat as seasonally and locally as I can manage to cook.
I reuse parchment paper from baking purposes as many times as the paper's integrity will allow. Last night, the paper that had served for cookie baking on Sunday was cut up and rearranged to accommodate loaf pans of fruit cake for Christmas.
I hang the clothes outside to dry.
We use CFL light bulbs.
I buy grains/beans/flours in bulk using my own containers instead of plastic bags.
And that's it for the Eco-Me contest! Look for a new one next week involving reusable bags!