Conscious: Eco-Friendly Tips

I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. Today’s letter is C.

These days, everyone is pushing the “green living” idea. In fact, it has only been in the last few years that I have even embraced the idea of living a conscious, eco-friendly life — and I consider myself something of an Earth-friendly person. I used to think that recycling was all I really needed to do to help the Earth. Since becoming a mom and the widening of the Internet circles (Pinterest is handy), I have learned so much about ways we can easily live eco-friendly and green.

1. Recycling -Even though this is sort of “old news,” recycling is still a very eco-friendly way to help the Earth. It’s also pretty darn cheap and takes very few extra steps — especially if your city or town has a recycling program. Aaron even built a holder for our recycling bins (which we purchased at the local hardware store) out of some old 2x4s, plywood, and cabinet doors that we had. So, it looks kind of nice, upcycled some items that were just sitting around, and is completely functional.

2. Upcycling – Similar to recycling, and as I described above, upcycling is one really easy way to be conscious and eco-friendly. For our oldest son, we wanted to have a sandbox. We didn’t want to buy the teeny little boxes, nor did we want a huge sandbox. What we did have was an old baby pool, broken pieces of a trampoline, and a broken water hose. Aaron used the broken water hose to create a border around the edge of the trampoline mat with zip-ties. We used this as a very simple cover for the sandbox (we didn’t want any cats leaving our kids some presents).

3. Composting – We are totally new to the composting world, but we did our research and decided on a specific composting bucket. We like it so far because it’s not an eye-sore in our backyard (honestly, it looks like a well cover), and it’s easy to open. We have been trying to make a point of putting our produce scraps into it. We’re hoping this will help us with our vegetables this season (and in the future).

4. Back Yard Garden – The first time we attempted to grow our own vegetables, we were entirely too excited and planted way too many. It was overwhelming, and we barely were able to get some tomatoes out of the mess. It’s now three years later, and we have decided to scale down a bit. Aaron built these raised beds a few years ago, but we have brought them closer to the house this year with the hopes that they will be easier and more manageable if we can get to them quickly. Currently, they’re empty, but we have the goal to grow peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and squash.

5. Use a Smart Thermostat – If where you live is anything like where I live (especially this year), the outside temperature can change almost instantly. About two weeks ago, we went from ice and snow one day to shorts and flip flops the next. This can wreak havoc on your thermostat AND your bill. If you have a smart thermostat, then you can program when you’re away from home or the thermostat can easily regulate for you. One company that provides options like these is Direct Energy. The Direct Energy Meridian Savings Plan provides a competitively priced fixed energy charge, up to three Honeywell Smart Thermostats, plus a smartphone app that allows you to control your thermostat anytime, anywhere. You can check out Direct Energy on their Facebook page to learn more! Click on this link to learn 10 Tips for a Smart Home!

Tell me some of your favorite ways to be eco-friendly and conscious!

Thank you to Direct Energy for sponsoring today’s post, and encouraging me to share tips for a smarter home!

Tags: #DEsmarthome, AtoZChallenge, conscious, ecofriendly