The Mess We Made

Ever wonder why department stores have a double set of doors, with a short entryway in between?

The first set of doors, which opens directly to the outside, lets cold air come in to the middle part (the entryway). The second set of doors, between the entryway and the department store, tries to keep the cold air out of the store. When you go shopping on cold or extremely hot days, wait until the first (’outside’) door is closed before opening the second (’inside’) door. This way you can help the store keep their heating or cooling bill under control, and you’ll save the environment by doing so.

Need a new wardrobe? Maybe have a look at secondhand clothes. I know most of us don’t feel comfortable doing so, but there is very little wrong with clothes that you buy or get secondhand.

If all of us would each get one piece of clothing secondhand instead of brand-new, we would cut down on so much waste and resources. And we would all benefit from spending less.

Need to re-pot some plants but don’t have nice pots to put them in? Think again. Many food containers can be perfect for holding your plants and their soil nourishment. A family-size margarine tub or ice cream bucket might do the trick. What if you want it to look nice? Well, what could be nicer than a festive KFC bucket or colorful Ben and Jerry’s tub? You see, decorating your place does not have to cost a lot of money, and all that stuff can serve new uses instead of being tossed out.

Have to go to one of those formal dress-up parties?

Why buy a new suit that you’ll only wear once or twice? Think about renting a suit instead. It is a lot cheaper and it will look just as nice, so don’t shell out money needlessly for an expensive suit. Less production of new suits will translate to less pollution, which helps our little world.

It’s always a mental exercise to think about what you can give so-and-so this holiday season. I came across the perfect gift: a tree in a bag.

“A what?” you think. Yes, you read it right: a tree in a bag. It is a foil bag containing soil and seeds. The lucky person who gets this gift simply has to cut off the top, and they’re ready to grow their own Christmas tree. Okay, they can’t use it this Christmas, but nonetheless the tree will grow and give out fresh oxygen. The more trees you give this Christmas, the cleaner our collective air will be. That’s a hundred times better than killing a tree for your living room this Christmas.

We all know that kids get too many toys these days. What do they do with all those toys?

In most cases, the toys end up in a corner and eventually the garbage or, if you’re lucky, a secondhand shop.

So, people, why not give presents that kids will keep using because they are great?

For instance, if you give a kid a piece of LEGO, they might get sick of it after a couple of weeks. But wait - the next time they get a present, give them a new piece of LEGO, and they will again love you for it. The best part is that they will probably get out the old piece again, and eventually they can build bigger and better things with all the LEGO you gave them.

Of course, you can use this gift strategy with other toys, as long as you get the idea that you won’t need to spend a lot and that the kid will learn so much more.

I’ve posted before about giving old clothes away, but if you have clothes that are so old nobody would want them, then the time has come to cut them up into cleaning cloths.

Your old clothes will do a great job of wiping up dust, dirt, and spills around the house, without costing you a thing.

So cut up your ratty clothes into nice-sized rags and start cleaning your home.

Many fast-food places automatically give you a handful of ketchup packages and maybe even salt and pepper. Stop taking them if you don’t have to or want to. Millions of these small condiment packages end up unused in the garbage everyday, and this while you have a big bottle of each condiment at home. Save the planet by declining these excess condiments and leaving them for the next customer who’ll use them.

When you cook, you can retain a lot of heat by putting a lid on your pot or pan. Not only will you save on gas or electricity, but your food will also be ready faster.

Your stove eats up a fair amount of gas or electricity for heating, so by using a lid you will save a buck or two and waste less of the Earth’s precious resources.

Ziplock bags are strong, way too strong to be used only once. It’s not much work to clean them, especially if their previous contents were something dry, like bread and cereal. Just wash the bag and and put it upside down, and the next day you’ll have a clean and fresh-to-use ziplock bag.

Less plastic in the landfills is a great goal, so re-use your ziplock bags, and you won’t have to buy new ones so often.