I don't know about where you live, but the weather around here has kept us at home more than usual the past few weeks. I've found though, that there are definitely benefits, both for our wallets, our schedules and the planet, to staying at home and I'm over on Green...Your Way talking about them. From the post: Old man winter has finally visited us here in Northern Indiana this past week, with the high temperatures below freezing every day. Because it’s so cold out we have scaled back our … [Read more...]
Green in 365: Winter Craft – DIY Natural Birdfeeder
This is Day 19 of the Green in 365 series! Making a homemade natural bird feeder is a great way to give the birds in your area an easy source of food during the cold winter months. It's also a fun activity to do with your kids, you can teach them about bird migration, and they will enjoy watching the birds that come to enjoy the feeder. There are lots of different homemade bird feeder ideas out there, you can find many on Pinterest. We wanted to make a natural bird feeder … [Read more...]
Green in 365: Winter – Vinegar on Your Windshield
This is Day 15 of the Green in 365 series! One of the things that I dislike most about winter is having to clean my car off from snow and ice in the mornings. It's bad enough to have to stand in the freezing cold so early in the morning to scrape off my car, but it also always seems to happen when I'm already running late. One tip that I found on Pinterest last year is to use vinegar and water to help keep your car free of ice and frost overnight, or to help melt the ice off easily in the … [Read more...]
Green in 365: Winter – Green Skincare
This is Day 17 of the Green in 365 series! A typical complaint during the winter months is dry skin. Between being indoors most of the day with the heat running, and the lack of humidity in the air, our skin needs extra pampering during the winter months. But, that doesn't have to mean slathering on lotions and creams that are full of toxic chemical ingredients. There are many ways to safely and naturally moisturize your skin during the winter months. • Use Castile Soap in … [Read more...]
Green in 365: Eating Seasonally and Locally in Winter
This is Day 17 of the Green in 365 series! One of the best ways your family can go green this year is by making more eco-friendly food choices. And one of the best ways to make eco-friendly food choices is to try to source your food locally and in season as much as possible. If you live in a climate like we do, where most of the ground is covered with snow right now and the temperatures hover around freezing, this can be a hard thing to figure out. How do you eat seasonally … [Read more...]
Green in 365: Winter – Turn Down Your Thermostat
This is Day 15 of the Green in 365 series! One of the best ways to save energy and save money during the winter months is to turn down your thermostat at least 2 degrees during the day and 5 or more degrees at night. And, if you want to take it a step further, you can install a programmable thermostat, if you don't have one already, which will make this even easier, because you can program your thermostat to turn down automatically when you are away from home and while you … [Read more...]
Green in 365: Winter – Weatherproof Your Windows
This is Day 14 of the Green in 365 series! This week we're going to be focusing on easy ways you can go green during the winter. We've had a fairly mild winter so far this year here in Northern Indiana, and did last year as well. (Not sure if that's a blessing, or evidence of climate change?) But we still have at least a few months of colder temperatures ahead of us here, so we've been using these ideas around our home. Green Winter: Weatherproof Your Windows One easy way that you … [Read more...]
Green in 365: The Entryway – Weatherproof Your Door
This is Day 8 of the Green in 365 series! Now that we're inside our homes, with our shoes wiped off and left at the door, stop and pause for a second. Do you still feel the cold air from outside leaking in through the door? A lot of energy can be lost and wasted through a drafty front door. We have an old front door, but have made some changes over the past few years that have helped it not to be so drafty. There are some easy ways that you can make sure that your entryway … [Read more...]
At Green Your Way: 10 Ways to Stay Warm This Winter
I'm over at Green Your Way this week sharing 10 Ways to Stay Warm this Winter. From the post: The temperatures are dropping as winter moves in, and although it's been a fairly mild winter here in Indiana so far, that usually means that some colder temperatures and major snow falls are right around the corner. Our family tries to keep our thermostat as low as we can during the winter, to save both energy and on our heating bill. But living with a lowered thermostat doesn't have to mean that … [Read more...]
