Kim Button
Which type of water bottle is best?
Q: Which kind of reusable water bottle is better – stainless steel or plastic? A: It’s great that you want to make the eco-friendly change to a reusable water bottle! Disposable plastic water bottles are clogging up the landfills at an unbelieveable rate. Even if all of the plastic water bottles used were recycled (and they aren’t), it still requires massive amounts of natural resources to produce the bottles and then ship them to stores around the world. Most reusable … Continue reading
Why is Composting Important?
Q: What is composting and why is it so important? A: Composting is a completely natural, Earth-friendly process that blessedly takes care of two serious environmental problems at once – it reduces our landfill waste and it reduces our need for synthetic chemical fertilizers. Composting is nature’s way of recylcing material that was once living and returning it to the Earth. Organic materials start to decompose naturally, given a right amount of heat, moisture and occassional turning, and then the … Continue reading
What should I do with fall leaves?
Q: What’s the best environmentally friendly way to handle all of the fallen leaves that come down from the trees in the fall? A: The leaves that drop to the ground in fall are God’s way of preparing the Earth for the next year’s harvest. Fallen leaves are, quite literally, a gold mine when it comes to fetilizing your soil organically and there are many ways to use this gift from God to nurture your lawn and garden. Small leaves … Continue reading
Making Vinegar a Better-Smelling Cleaner
Q. I hear that I should use white vinegar as a green cleaner, but I don’t like the smell of vinegar. What can I do? A. Vinegar is a highly effective cleaner, working on everything from countertops to toilets. Before you give up on the natural cleaning power of white distilled vinegar, keep these ideas in mind. First, make sure that you’re not using too much vinegar. Straight vinegar is great for heavy duty cleaning tasks, but most mild to … Continue reading
What uses the most energy in my home?
Q: What uses the most energy in my home? A: This is a great question, because the most energy-intensive users are where we can also realize the greatest savings. Space heating and cooling makes up 44% of the average home’s energy consumption. Turn the thermostat up 3 degrees in the summer and down 3 degrees in the winter will save you about 10 percent on your energy bill. If you can’t make the change all at once, do it 1 degree … Continue reading
Can I soften up line-dried clothes?
Q. I recently read Serve God, Save the Planet, and it inspired me to take another step in my environmental stewardship — hanging the laundry out on a line. I have done this now for two weeks and really enjoy the change. I am 36 and don’t remember ever doing this before, so there was a little bit to learn (hang the shirts upside down) but not much. I like the time outside. I have one question though. I live … Continue reading
What is the biggest water-user in the home?
Q: What is the biggest water-user in the home? A: Inside the house, the toilet is the biggest water-user because we flush so many times a day. Modern, high-efficiency toilets use less than 2 gallons of water per flush. If you cannot replace your older toilets, consider placing bricks and/or milk jugs filled with water in the water tank. Also, be sure to fix leaky toilets. They can waste 200 gallons of water every day! We recently replace one of … Continue reading
How do I stop receiving junk mail?
Q: How can I reduce the amount of junk mail that I receive? A: Register at www.dmachoice.org. If you continue to receive catalogues, call their toll-free number and ask to be removed from their mailing list. Whenever possible, ask to receive bills, insurance information, and investment information electronically. Visit www.newdream.org for more ideas. It will take about six weeks to start to see a decrease in the amount of junk mail you receive. I try to register with dma … Continue reading
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