Going Green in Comfort

Our clothesline, circa fall 2011. For the fourteen years that we've been married, my husband has done the laundry, from sorting to folding and putting the clothes away. I don't mind other indoor chores — dishes, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, dusting, etc. — but I've never liked laundry. I'm thankful he has always been willing to do it. That's why I felt a little guilty suggesting we get a clothesline years ago. It's more work, for him . At the time, I wasn't thinking about reducing our carbon footprint. I'm not even sure I was aware of climate change at the time. My goal was simply to reduce our electricity bill, especially during the hot months when the air-conditioner is in constant use. But my husband was up for the challenge. We bought a pop-up clothesline, which can be seen in the background in the photo above, that he can haul out to the yard when needed and put away when the laundry is done. I don't know how long ago...

Going greener when grocery shopping. (Photo by Geoffrey Whiteway / FreeRangeStock.com ) I recently came across an article on OneGreenPlanet.org that outlines seven ways that we can be "greener" when shopping for groceries . Among the recommendations: Reusable shopping bags. This is something I've done for years ... but only when I shop at Aldi, which operates under the assumption that customers will bring their own bags. They have plastic bags (and paper, if you prefer) in stock, but they cost extra. That means my grocery bill goes up if I buy them. It's not much, but it feels like money I didn't need to spend. The story is different at other grocers near my home. They assume I want their bags. They never ask if I've brought my own; they just scan the item and drop it into a sack and move onto the next item on the conveyor belt. It's so convenient. And apparently practically every other shopper in the store feels the same way, because I rarel...

What do you do with plastic Easter eggs once Easter is over? Easter is over, but the 30 or so plastic eggs my daughter collected this year are still littering my kitchen table. Some are empty, others still contain prizes that my daughter didn't want. I don't like the clutter, but I've held on to them because I feel a little guilty when I think about tossing them all in the trash. I did a Google search to see if someone had come up with a practical use for them once Easter has passed, and I didn't have much luck. There were ideas, plenty of them, such as long filling them with necklaces to keep the chains from getting tangled . Or using them in crafts like adorable animals . Or using them to make learning games for your children . All excellent ideas, though none fit my lifestyle. I don't have many necklaces, and while the crafts and games are adorable, I'd rather just get the clutter out of my house. I was kind of hoping I could find an upcycle that w...

( FreeRangeStock.com ) When gas prices topped $1.75 a gallon for the first time ever, I lived about 30 miles from work and had to fill up every couple of days. Buying fuel at that price was painful, and apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought so, as articles outlining ways to save gas were commonplace. I tried several of the tips the articles offered, from making sure my tires were properly inflated to not speeding to letting my car coast whenever I was driving downhill. Of course, I had no idea just how high gas prices would get in a short amount of time. And that was either before I'd heard of climate change or before I was worried about it. I don't know which is true. Nowadays, $1.75 a gallon sounds wonderful, but even if prices were to dip that low again, I would not return to the late 1990s version of myself. That girl often went for long drives when she was feeling stressed, and she was stressed out a lot. She also rarely drove the speed limit, never ...