‘Tis the season to be jolly….and wasteful. A recent report stated Americans will create an extra 25 million tons of waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Think about it. Wrapping paper filling trash cans. Light displays spiking electric bills. Trees jamming up landfills. And the list goes on. But THIS holiday season can be different. The following suggestions will help you change your habits and start a new tradition, celebrating the holidays in amazing earth-friendly fashion.

Turn Down the Amps – Leaving your holiday lights on 24 hours a day can significantly raise your energy bill. Use a timer for your light displays ensuring they are not left on all night. Also, when strands of lights wear out, replace them with LED lights which use about 90% less energy than standard mini-lights.

Candle Glow – The holidays are the perfect time to light up your home with candles. A decorative arrangement of tall and short candles in a room is usually enough to eliminate some, if not all, overhead lighting. Not only will you save electricity, but the candles will be part of your décor. Furthermore, with the heat from the candles and your own body heat, most rooms will warm up nicely over the course of an evening allowing you to lower the thermostat. The result – you’ll save on your energy bill. Remember to use caution around burning candles.

Use Natural Décor – Use locally grown items to decorate your home. Fill a basket with pinecones you collected at the park, and use it as a centerpiece on the dining room table. Snip a few branches from an evergreen bush or tree and create your own wreath for the door. Add pinecones and a bow or tuck citrus fruits into it for a pop of color. Make your own garland for the tree with popcorn, berries and nuts, for example.

Cut your Card List – Over 2.6 billing holiday cards are sold each year and most end up in the trash. Trim you card list by just a few recipients and send them an e-card instead. You’ll save on postage and reduce waste. When sending traditional cards, choose cards made of recycled paper. As for the cards you receive, cut them up, they will make great gift tags for next year.

Trim Creatively – There is no need to buy all new tree trimmings every year so you can have a new holiday look. Instead, create homemade ornaments. Make popcorn and cranberry garland or pinecone ornaments. Better yet, swap decorations with a friend each year. You’ll always have a fresh look.

Consider Alternative Gift Wrap – With so much wrapping paper ending up in the trash each year, use your imagination. Wrap gifts with other items like a colorful blanket, a furry scarf, a T-shirt. Anything that covers your package can work as gift wrap. Or, have your kids decorate used brown paper grocery bags. Put gifts inside the bags and staple them shut. As for the gifts you receive. Open them carefully saving the paper for next year’s wrapping.

Reuse Trimmings – Place a container in the middle of the room. Ask everyone to put bows, boxes, gift bags, and ribbons in the box for use next year.

Recycle – Face it. Gifts come with lots of wrapping and packaging. As you open gifts, recycle what you can, plastic, paper, cardboard, etc. Don’t stop there. Recycle your tree as well. Check with your local government or municipality. Some places recycle trees into mulch, others use them for animal habitats in parks and lakes, get the Skip Bin hire in Perth services and use it to keep your waste in place, this way it will be easier and less messy for you to recycle. However you choose to recycle your tree, do it responsibly. Make sure all ornaments, hooks, tinsel and light strands are removed. Artificial trees can be recycled too visit our website Bestpriceskipbins.com.au we recycle all kind of trash. If you’re tired of your artificial tree, donate it to a church, community center, shelter or another place that decorates for the holidays.

The holidays are exciting, fun, and they are major waste makers. Now is the time to do your part and start changing the holidays for the better. These environmentally-friendly holiday tips will get you started.

This article brought to you by The HousePlanShop, LLC, the home of the best selling house plans from the best designers!

Tags: Christmas, earth friendly, energy efficient, Green Living

When you built your new home, chances are you spent time researching the most energy efficient kitchen appliances before making your final choice, then you will want to visit PittsburghApplianceRepairs.com to make sure you have a backup plan in case any of your appliances get damged.

While selecting the most earth-friendly appliances from https://americasappliancerepair.com/ is a huge step in the right direction when it comes to green living, there is still more you can do in the kitchen. If you’re a utensil maniac like me, you ought to never miss whisks in your arsenal of cooking tools. A whisk isn’t only useful within the baking process; you’ll use it in several cooking situations. Cooking whisks are available different shapes and sizes and every type is meant to functions in several situations. You’ll make dressing , topping and even pan sauce if you employ the right ones. you would possibly even consider buying differing types of best whisk for baking and cooking to make sure a convenient cooking experience. You can also take a look at “green” suggestions and see which ones you can incorporate into your kitchen and cooking routine.If you have a family, you know how tedious it can be scrubbing used dishes with hand. Many people do not opt for dishwashers because they have small kitchens and feel that they do not have the space to install one. However, this is not true. You can easily get compact dishwashers that are small and can fit even on the countertop. Technology has advanced quite a bit. No longer do you have to purchase a 24-inch dishwasher and fix it under the counter. You can go for the 18-inch model, or even a countertop model. If you do not want this, you can go for a portable dishwasher that is available in 24-inch and 18-inch sizes. These compact dishwasher under 500 are excellent for kitchens that are small and have limited space. However, it goes without saying that these dishwashers can be slightly expensive, but spending an amount of $500 is worth the time and effort you save when it comes to washing the dishes.

·         If you have bright, sunny kitchen windows, pull back the curtains and prepare meals by natural light whenever possible. Only flip the switch on when necessary, but make sure to turn it off when you leave the room.

·         Unplug small appliances such as the toaster and coffee maker when not in use.

·         Consider no-waste baking. Buy a reusable, nonstick silicone baking mat to save on use of aluminum foil and parchment paper.

·         Avoid opening the oven while it is in use. Each time the oven door is opened, the temperature can drop as much as 25-50 degrees requiring more energy to warm it back up.

·         Place a lid on the pot when brining water to a boil to prevent heat and energy from escaping. Leaving the lid off extends cooking time and adds heat and moisture to the air making your air conditioner work harder throughout the summer months.

·         Make an effort to match pots and pans to the same size burner or heating element and center it on the flame or element to prevent heat from escaping.

·         Choose the right size pot or pan for the job. It takes more energy to heat a large pot or pan, so choose smaller ones when appropriate to save energy.

·         Whenever possible, use the same pot or pan for multiple foods.

·         Make smart decisions about running the dishwasher. Dishwashers are designed to get the dishes clean no matter how dirty they are or what was baked in them. There is no need to pre-rinse. Save the water instead. Also, only run the dishwasher when it is full, conserving water and energy. Skipping the drying cycle is a plus saving even more energy and keeping the kitchen cool.

·         Take advantage of the freezer. A full freezer uses less energy to cool than an empty one. Stock your freezer buying large quantities of meats and vegetables when they are on sale (saving you cash) and freeze them for future use (saving you a trip to the grocery store later.)

There are many other things you can do to make earth-friendly and energy efficient choices in the kitchen. Beginning with these tips will get you started down the right path.

Tags: cooking, earth friendly, energy efficient, kitchen