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Getting back to basics
As a young boy I remember about 25%...
Easy Ways to Preserve our Earth
• Recycle those plastic bags you get from the produce department at your local store. To keep them neat and easy to find, make a dispenser out of an empty half-gallon container from milk or juice. Rise the container, let it air dry, cut a hold in the middle. Fill the container with your plastic bags. Simply pull out your bags as needed.
• “Homemade” window cleaner: 1 gal. warm water, ½ cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, ½ cup ammonia.
• Check the temperature of your refrigerator. You’re wasting energy and money if it’s too cold. The temperature should be around 36-39 degrees Fahrenheit, and the freezer should be 0-6 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the temperature with a good thermometer.
• Nature’s fertilizer is there for the taking. Don’t burn leaves; use them to improve garden soil. Chop the eaves up with a lawn mower; they’ll take up less space and decompose quicker. Make a compost pile and store your leaves there. Spade into the garden as needed.
• Recycling newspaper for one year will prevent cutting down approximately 75-100 trees per year per household receiving 7-day delivery.
• If everyone in the country planted a tree a year for the next consecutive ten years, we could cut ozone pollution by 15%.
• To cut down on air pollution form your car’s exhaust, try using reformulated gasoline and oil products. Studies prove these products help cut air pollution by 17%.
• To promote cleaner air when burning wood in your fireplace or wood-stove, be sure that the wood you use in 100% untreated, been seasoned for at least 9 months and is not painted.
• Try starting seeds in eggshell halves. It’s economical and earth friendly. Store planted shells in egg cartons so they can easily be moved to planting, plant as is. Roots break through and the decomposed shell acts as a fertilizer.
• Looking for a natural insect repellent? Try splashing a little vinegar on exposed skin. If that doesn’t work, try eating garlic-filled foods, or rubbing garlic on your skin. Mosquitoes do not like the smell of garlic.
• Don’t throw away stale bread. Before it gets moldy, cut it into cubes and freeze them. Toss in some poultry seasoning and dried parsley. You have made bread stuffing for only pennies.
• Gift wrap and tissue paper can be shredded and be used as filler in gift bags.
• Vegetables and their cooking liquids, small amounts of chicken, beef, etc., can be put in the freezer and used later in a hearty soup.
• Start good habits at home. Scrape dishes rather than rinsing them before placing them in a dishwasher. Only run the dishwasher when it’s completely full. And use the energy-saving drying feature.
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