My eco-mantras – Part 1 {Green Living}

Sometimes I am just amazed at all that I buy and I seriously wonder what prompted me to buy things that I did not need.  And of course, with two rapidly growing boys, there are more things than you can imagine. I need to de-clutter my home at least once in 3 months. It came to a point where I ended up buying things that thrown away and that was when I moved into organising things on my life.

Whether I spring clean or I don’t, I try and follow some basic rules that help me reduce my carbon footprints. I’ve listed a a few and I will update the list as and when I remember more!

 

Following the 4 R’s : Yes, we’ve heard of the Reduce, Recycle and Reuse words floating around, ever added the word Refuse to it?

Re-Use

I try and re-use all that I can. The glass bottles that have the jams and jellies can turn into some awesome storage containers for my DIY scrubs. I don’t need to buy extra containers. When it comes to old towels, I keep them aside and I convert them to dusting  cloths. One large sized bath towel can be made into at least 8 dusting cloths, a supply that is likely to last at least a year. If you like sewing and stitching, take four equal sizes but different towels to make a nice hand towel that can be kept near sinks and taps. The used clothes always go either to the orphanage we are associated with or to the kids of helps who are a part of the society we stay in. I know that the clothes are being used by someone and are not in trash.

Recycle

 I know of brands that encourage you to return the product containers and they reward you with either a voucher code or sample products in return. I have an empty container in which I dunk all these containers and in my next visit to their store I make it a point to return them even if I don’t want anything in return. Lush, Omved and The Nature’s Co encourage this, if you know of any other brand, please let me know so that I can update the list.

Reduce Purchases

 I find a crayon box tucked away here and there, unused pencils and erasers in dozens. Last year we had  20 odd crayon boxes, some 12 pencil box sets, 3 sets of lunch boxes, water bottles and loads of colouring books that the boys got as return gifts (each!) for birthdays that were celebrated at school. When the quantity became too much to handle, I picked up those medium sized rectangular container to stock all the supplies.  It has been two years since I bought any school supplies for the boys. I also recently discovered these notebooks that came with a brown cover and I bought only half the quantity of what was required to just cover the notebooks. So I save on not buying school supplies.

Refuse plastic bags

 Opt for recyclable shopping bags instead. These are small bags that do not take up much space and are extremely convenient to carry. I have at least one in my purse at any given time. Perfect to use for items in small quantities and the the good part is that you can say no to plastic. You can also stash reusable bags in your car and other vehicles and use them when out for shopping.

That was my list. Not a complete one though.

Pic Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/70157706668346832/

Main image taken from the internet