• Change your little energy-sucking incandescent light bulbs for more efficient, lower-consuming CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs)

• Recycle everything that your city allows: typically paper, cardboard, glass bottles, aluminum cans, plastic bottles with the chasing arrows around a 1 or 2
• Don’t buy bottled water, buy a re-usable bottle and BYOW from home
• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth
• Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms
• Look for Energy Star stickers when replacing appliances

While all of these tips are great because they are such very do-able “little things”, not much is mentioned about what the next step in conservation should be. You know, once doing everything on the list above becomes a part of your routine. Usually its these baby steps, then on to discussing the giant leap to solar panels. However, with a little thought and patience, there are many additional things we can do to be just a little greener.

Here are five of the little things we’ve started doing at our house:

• 3 minute showers – not as gross or impossible as you’d imagine! Really, it just involves a little advanced planning on the order in which you’ll do things so that you can turn the water off when you don’t really need it; i.e. while shampooing, while soaping up orrubbing that salt scrub in, or while waiting for your conditioner to work its magic. It helps to have a little container of fresh water handy to rinse your hands between activities without having to turn on the full shower power. Of course, for guys this could probably be the 1.5 minute shower.
• Save water you usually pour down the drain to water your plants – instead of dumping the extra once-boiled water that you didn’t need for your tea or the extra water in your re-usable water bottle that you didn’t drink on your day out, keep a watering can handy in the kitchen to save this H20 for your plants. I even go a little further and throw in the ice cubes that mysteriously jump over the glass from the ice dispenser, unconsumed water in glasses after meals, and water from boiling eggs. On top of this, I also “reuse” the water as I water my many orchid plants. Basically, I put my orchid in a bowl, and let the bowl catch the water that is supposed to “run through” and use that water for my other precious orchids. Since I have 8 orchid plants, I save a ton of water this way!
• Freecycle – find someone who may be able to use what-ever it is you were planning to throw away. Our dumps are full enough! You’d be surprised how many people want that TV that doesn’t even work, or those silk plants that don’t go with your house anymore, or that extra office chair that’s always in the way. I’ve seen people post everything from slightly used bottles of lotions and shampoos to pets and even a non-running school bus! Check out the main Freecycle site to read about the mission and to find your local group.

  

• Terra cycle is a relatively new little company that allows you to recycle items that are normally not recyclable. Terra cycle will either reuse your donated items (bottles for their Worm Poop fertilizer) or create new products from your donated items (totes, shopping bags, office supplies). Just imagine – your kids’ giant pile of juice pouches transformed into a pencil box, homework folder, or tote. You’ve got 2 out of the 3 Rs right there! To top it all off, they’ll even kick back donations to your favorite charity in exchange for your donations! How’s that for a win-win-win?? While Terra Cycle’s recycle and reuse program continues to evolve, the current list of items they accept includes: cookie wrappers, drink pouches,energy bar wrappers, yogurt containers, and soda bottles. Go to Terra Cycle’s website to get more info and sign up for their outstanding programs.
• Organic cotton and bamboo – I continue to be pleasantly surprised by all the places that are starting to carry clothes, bedsheets, towels and baby accessories made from organic cotton and/or bamboo. You don’t really need to go out of your way, blow an entire paycheck, or shop solely from Patagonia anymore. I’ve found the softest, most decadent, luxurious bamboo sheets at Bed, Bath & Beyond; my current favorite top is a bamboo shirt from Lole that I found at Activa Sports, a division of Road Runner Sports, Costco carries both adult and baby clothes made from organic cotton, ditto for Target, and there is always the myriad of online stores that specialize in organic cotton and bamboo products (my favorite is Bamboosa).

I’m sure there are tons of other things I could/should be doing… Please feel to share all the ideas you’ve had for making your life greener. I’d love to hear about every big or little change you’ve made.

And, as an advanced Thank You for sharing your ideas, I’m providing a link to my all time favorite green song: Jack Johnson’s 3Rs, live at his Kokua festival. While you’re there, also check out the duet with Dave Matthews for Jimmy Buffett’s “A Pirate Looks at 40″. Its outstanding!