7Gen Blog

Regarding Recycled "Art"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UrR7hj0LRA there is the link to "You Gotta Have Art". If you're interested in "recycling" art, check it out!! If you have kids you should definitely check it out, she gives great ideas and it would be a fun way to spend an afternoon!!

Beach Clean-Up

I live in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, HI. Every year, this island receives millions of visitors. This can be detrimental to the beaches as many tourists leave so much trash behind. Locals and visitors alike all have a responsibility to take their trash with them.

Everytime I go to the beach, I always bring a reusable canvas or plastic bag with me to pick up my trash, as well as, any other trash I see laying around. This simple act keeps beaches clean and trash out of the water. Thanks for reading!

Recycle

I recently contacted my city's recycling program to ask for clarification on what could and could not be recycled by their machines. Turns out, a lot more things are recyclable then what I had originally thought. I assumed that a lot of things couldn't be recycled because they weren't water bottles/soda can or the more traditional items we've been taught to reuse/recycle. I was pleased to hear most recycling facilities have the technology to recycle all plastics items (including salad dressing bottles, etc), all types of paper (except for shredded paper), and many other things. If you aren't sure what your city is able to recycle, I would recommend calling them because they don't always advertise how many standard household items are recyclable.

cold water washing

does it really clean? considering it,please give feedback txs

Every day is earth day

I turn off lights that are not in use, recycle what is allowed in my city, and unplug electronics that are not in use.

Simplicity

We are all just enjoying our little country oasis! Very thankful for; the recycled clothesline from our last house my husband put up, our beautiful flower and vegetable plots, the ability to find products that create jobs and a cleaner healthier environment, the chance to be a caretaker of our Heavenly Father's good-green-earth, so many farmer's markets near by, the many health and wellness aware people in our community, and finally the blessed kindness of friends and neighbors.

Greatful,

Charity

RE: Go Green Registry

Hello DANANDSHANNA,

I congratulate you on your efforts to GO Green with your Registry!! My daughter is having her first child and I have been doing something very similar for her. Last weekend I picked up a baby swing that retails for $130 for $20 at a garage sale. The woman who was selling it said that her baby didn't like it and it was only used 2-3 times. It was BRAND NEW!! My daughter knows that she is having a boy and guess what?? The woman selling the swing's baby is a boy. She had bags upon bags upon bags of baby boy clothes...I don't know how it was possible she has sooooo many clothes. They were all newborn to 6 mos and NEVER worn...most still with tags!! I purchased 2 bags for $6. I don't think my daughter's little one will need to wear the same outfit twice either!

I wanted to mention that in our area there is a freecycle site (there may be one in your area as well). This site is for people who have items (mainly gently used) that they are looking to give away or for others that would like to seek out someone who may have an item that they are looking for. Basically how this works is that you post on the site (anonymously) what you have or what you are seeking and your town....when you see something that you like or that you have, you send a e-mail to that person. They get back in touch with you through e-mail and give you their location. They leave it on their porch and you pick it up....it's that easy! Anyhoo, I have found quite a few items on my local freecycle site...i.e., a grocery cart cover, floor mat with toy-arch, a excersaucer, diaper pail, and a few other items....all FREE!! If you choose to seek out your area to see if there is a freecycle site, I'll give you a hint....my area's is listed under our county (for instance, and I'm just making this one up..... Sepsoncountyfreecycle.com) Get it Sepson/county/freecycle/.com? Good luck with your new "LITTLE ONE" and on your continued venture in your GO GREEN REGISTRY!! Many Blessings!!

Go Green Registry and Less Water

We are expecting our first child this September. I have created a "Go Green Registry" via a free website in which I search Craiglist, resale shops, etc for deals on the stuff we want and would have put on a 'traditional' registry. Then we post the deals on the website with the cost of the item new, what we got it for in 'like new' or 'gently used' condition (90% of the time we get the EXACT same item & 10% of the time it's last year's model, i.e. the same but different color or fabric), and the total savings. Then our friends and family can "purchase" these registry items for us by sending us the money. As most of our family live far away, it also saves on shipping costs! We are loving it. (We also have some items on a traditional registry for the old-fashioned.)This week alone we got a $65 diaper bag for $25 from a consignment shop, $70 swing for $22.50 from a consignment shop, and a Dutailier Glider and ottoman (they retail at Target for $350) for an incredible $80 off Craigslist! All look basically brand new! We are having a blast, and so happy to start our baby off in an earth-conscious manner. (Carseats, cribs, and breastpumps are the only things you are never suppose to buy used.)

I also turn the water off in the shower when I'm shampooing or conditioning my hair, shaving, and lathering up the soap. The water only runs when I'm ready to rinse!

Starting a garden

I am hoping to grow more veggies this summer...and get the whole family to eat them! I'm trying varieties I haven't tried before and amending the soil this year more than ever, we have clay and hard pan :( I hope for sunshine and the perfect amount of rain-not too much, not too little! We'll see...

Grandma's learning new things

I love the fact your reducing the use of plastic. I have # allergies, but using your product helps alot. Also started using surge outlets to my tv,computer,etc and turn them all off when not in use. teaching grandkids how to help also. changing lights bulbs to newer conservative energy ones. Replacing appliances with the useage in mind rather than the price has saved me money as well. My only problem is as retired I use many coupons and you dont seem to put the in the news paper often . Also how about printing teaching books for the next generation using your products and sending them with newspapers on sunday. add a contest in the back of the book for the kids to win earth friendly (Cotton) t-shirts for new ideas to save money and the enviroment. looking forward to your reply..........mary konesky (kae0123@comcast.net)

Little things

We try to do little things all year to help out. I very rarely wash clothes in warm water unless it's necessary. We always use reusable grocery and produce bags. I'm switching over to environmentally friendly and homemade cleaning products (trying to use up what we have and switch as I run out of the old stuff). We used to buy cases of water and just refill the water bottles for awhile and then recycle them, but now we just have reusable water bottles. And our city has an excellent curbside recycling program, which is nice and helps a lot!

plastics

We are trying to limit our use of plastics: bags, ziplock bags, storage containers, water bottles, etc...

Consume Less

EVeryday I try to consume less...less shopping, less energy used. And when I do need to make a purchase, I try to choose the least amount of packaging possible. Another bonus with shopping less is that I'm saving a lot of money! It's a win-win deal.

Unplugging

I try to unplug every appliance that doesn't otherwise need to be plugged in all the time.