Green Tips and Ideas : Ongoing Thread

[RetroChalet]

What are little things you doing to green up your life? Share thoughts, tips, ideas and green discoveries with other group members here.

I'll start.

Ouside
Whenever a ceramic dish or china coffee mugs breaks around the house, we have a section of sand by our pond we toss it in. We take a hammer and gently tap the pieces down until they break. Our pond area now has accumulated neat pieces of cool ceramics and broken pottery over the past 13 years laying on top of sand, which looks like someone on purpose made a mosaic .

[Former_Member]

i dont use paper towels & I do my best to remember my own bags for shopping.
I recycled everything I can into crafts & gifts.

[ecofriendlyfreckles]

Oooh, I love that idea Cindy! I know many of us get crafty when we recycle and I make and sell upcycled decoupage canisters, tins, and vinyl record wall art in my shop. But for fun, I am CRAZY about recycling plastic because it is absolutely horrible for our environment...I like to take plastic yogurt cups, paint and decorate them and use them to hold party favors for party guests...I also enjoy making my nephew upcycled toys like this one...http://ecofriendlyfreckles.blogspot.com/2012/09/create-hand-crafted-upcycled-toys.html

[ecofriendlyfreckles]

I also try to reuse packaging materials for my customer shop orders...and make upcycled gift baskets like these...http://ecofriendlyfreckles.blogspot.com/2012/08/upcycle-one-gallon-water-bottles-into.html

[RetroChalet]

Great ideas from Jessica. Anyone else?

[Former_Member]

Yeah, as a recycle-artist you just have to ship your orders in reused packaging, don't you?

Some ideas: collect boxes at the grocery store for packets, make you own envelopes from the thick paper sheets you find in banana boxes (my preferred material), wrap delicate items in satin paper from shoe boxes.
Small flat plastic containers our kitchen herbs come in also serve as protection for items like brooches or earrings during shipping.

[Former_Member]

saw a great idea.. solor lights in mason jars

[Former_Member]

I save all sorts of packing supplies... even make my own cardboard envelopes