How to Go Green with Your Pets
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Going green has even transected to being green with your pets. As guardians of your animals, you are also the guardians of the environment they live in. They, too, can make changes to help the environment with a few simple steps. For instance, if you go to the doggie park with your dog, walk there instead of driving. When using pooper scooper bags use, biodegradable bags for the feces. Cat owners can go for eco friendly cat litters. Many biodegradable options are litters made from wood chips or recycled wood chips. Be sure to avoid brands with mined minerals.
When it comes to grooming, air dry or towel dry your pet instead of using a blow dryer. Many environment friendly shampoos and conditioners are available for pet grooming as well. If your pet has an accident on the floor reach for the vinegar. The vinegar must be properly diluted with water, but it works great and will kill odor and bacteria. Vinegar is less expensive and is an environmentally friendly option.
When “treating” your pet consider making your own treats. There are many treat cookbooks or search on the internet for recipes shared by others. The possibilities are endless. If you do opt for store bought treats try to buy them in cardboard packaging and be sure to recycle. Using a stainless steel or ceramic food bowls will last longer and are more biodegradable.
Be sure to buy toys that are made with organic cotton or natural dyes. Some toys actually have pesticides in them and can actually cause pet allergies. Instead of using plastic water bottles when you travel with your pet use your own water from home in an eco friendly bottle. Most bottled water is tap water and your own water is what your pet is used to.
If you have pet s such as fish or hermit crabs put their lights on a timer. This will save electricity. You can also find biodegradable foods and tank materials are reasonably priced.
Your pet can “go green” too by you making a few small changes in their environment.
Green living are Not as complicated as you might think
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Most everyone in America has heard about or knows someone who is actively living the green lifestyle. This is a trend that is becoming more popular as the years go by. Why do they bother doing this? The answer is simple, conservation. People are making a whole hearted conscience effort to save water, electricity and taking that extra step further to recycle and reuse items.
It is doing simple things like filling up a ½ gallon container with water and placing it in the toilet tank to save water. Call your electric company and have them inspect your home to see how efficient your windows are and teach you how to save using electronic devices that control electric. If you take a moment, separate and recycle plastic, glass, and paper. They can be made into other things that the consumer can eventually use. Nothing is wasted and the result is less trash in the landfills.
Even the large manufactures have jumped on the band wagon to help the green effort. They make and sell products that are used specifically for conservation purposes. They make things like sprinkler heads that use less water, sprinkler system timers, and the like. For the people that like to tinker in the garden, outdoor solar lighting is a wonderful green choice and works as good as regular electrical outdoor lighting. Another interesting product would be the rain barrels that catch water so that gardeners can use the water to water their plants. Using the barrel means that you are not using drinking water. After all, rain is free.
One of the top reasons for living a greener life is for our grand children and their children. We want them to have the same resources that we are enjoying today. In order for that to become a reality, we all must do our part to conserve. Make a list of all the things you are willing to do to help the environment, and then put those words into action. Once you begin, you will find it rewarding and you will be influencing others along the way.
Why Conserving Water is Important
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water conservation is important in numerous ways. Listed below are some tips on how you can conserve water in and around your home.
1. Wash your dishes in a dishwasher rather than hand wash. Hand washing dishes uses three times more water than the dishwasher. Also, only run the dishwasher when it is completely full. Same goes with your washing machine. Make sure you are running it with full loads of laundry. If your loads are half full, be sure to use the appropriate settings.
2. Collect rain water with buckets to water your plants and flowers. You can also place the buckets at the bottom of your gutters to collect rain water. If you water your grass with a hose, water at night. Most of the water evaporates before it hits the ground if watering is done during the day.
3. Fill a couple of water bottles 2-3 inches with sand or cat litter and place them in the water tank of your toilet. This will displace some of the water when the toilet is flushed and the tank fills back up with water, saving some water each time a person flushes the toilet. Also, if you place food coloring in your toilet tank, wait a few minutes and if you see the colored water appear in the toilet bowl, you have a leak.
4. Go around your house and look for leaky faucets in the bathroom and kitchen. You would be surprised how much water is wasted with a little drip. Up to 24 gallons, in one day!
5. You will use less water taking a shower than taking a bath. Also, turning the water off while you lather up will reduce the amount of water used while you take a shower. If you are a die-hard bather, you can use your bath water to water flowers or plants outside.
There are many ways you can conserve water, but if you can follow just a few, you will be amazed at how much water you can save. That will not only benefit your wallet, but also benefit the environment you live in.