aFewSteps.org
  • About Us
  • Our Initiatives
    • Green Energy >
      • how to switch to green energy
    • Shade Trees
    • Waste Free Parties >
      • Dinner & BBQ
      • Block Parties
    • Walking School Buses
  • Green Tips of the Week
  • Recycling
  • Workshops
  • Contact Us

Dishwashing Soap: The Good, The Bad & The Sneaky

4/18/2013

 
Picture
Common dish liquids as well as most “natural” dish liquids include toxic ingredients, while diluted castile soap makes an effective and inexpensive alternative.

For further information, see http://www.gimmethegoodstuff.org/dish-soap/




spoiled milk has uses in your garden

4/5/2013

 
Don’t throw out that leftover or spoiled milk—dilute it with water and  spray in your garden, for potent fertilizing and fungus fighting.


Clotheslines

4/5/2013

 
Picture
Consider the humble Clothesline to lower your carbon footprint.  An old-fashioned clothesline hung between trees is all you need to dry your clothes in the summer sun and cooler, drier autumn.

Here’s a simple, affordable “technology” that’s making a comeback–the clothesline.  It can save you as much as $200 a year (less for those with gas dryers) in energy costs and creates no global warming gases or air pollution.

Automatic clothes dryers were once hailed as a miracle of modern housekeeping, but that convenience came with a price: namely, 6% of total electricity consumed by American homes, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. Taking advantage of the sun and breeze is free for all, and sunlight is an excellent disinfectant. Clothing also lasts longer and smells great when it’s line-dried. Not only that, standing in the fresh air, feeling the wind on your face, and hearing the birds sing is therapeutic.

In conjunction with the humble clothesline, a wall drying rack in the laundry area can handle small items such as underwear and socks.

National Hanging Out Day, April 19th, is a day to hang your clothes out to dry. It was created by Project Laundry List, which joins together with other organizations to educate communities about energy consumption.


screen savers don't reduce energy use

4/4/2013

 
A computer set to “screen saver” mode uses nearly as much energy as when it is being used, so switch off your screen when you leave your desk.  It is a myth that screen savers reduce energy use.

Screen savers were developed to mitigate a problem called “screen burn-in” that can occur in both cathode ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD) computer monitors and TV screens. Burn-in occurs when a given image, such as a logo or a menu bar for a computer program, appears on a monitor for a long period of time. The mechanics are different for CRT and LCD displays, but the result is essentially the same over time, these long-duration images can get “burned” into the screen so that the viewer sees a “ghost” of these images even when they’re not supposed to be there. By using a screen saver, you prevent any specific images from being displayed in the same location when your computer is dormant for a long period of time, thus preventing burn-in. But it takes just as much energy to display a screen saver on your screen as it does to display any other program. To save energy, adjust your computer’s power management settings to automatically shut the monitor down after a specified period of idle time, and simply turn off the monitor if you are not going to be using it for 15 minutes or more.

Plant an Honor Tree

4/2/2013

 
Picture
Plant a tree in honor of the birth of your child or grandchild, and compare their growth over time.


People plant trees in honor of births, deaths, weddings, and housewarmings. Planting a tree in celebration of a birth is perhaps the most poignant of occasions because this is a gift that will grow alongside the child, year by year maturing and flourishing.

Another great idea is to donate to The National Arbor Day Foundation. They will plant a tree in a national forest devastated by fires and other disasters. No matter how you approach it, choosing to plant a tree to welcome a child to the world is a wonderful, unique idea. This is a gift that will benefit not only the baby, but the world as a whole.

    Categories

    All
    Chemicals And Plastics
    Electricity
    Environmental Impacts
    Food
    Gasoline
    Health
    Heating Fuel
    Home Energy
    Lawn And Garden
    Outdoors
    Recycle
    Reduce Waste
    Reuse
    Toxins
    Transportation
    Waste And Recycling
    Water

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

Donate
​About Us
Our Initiatives
Green Tips
Recycling
Workshops
Contact Us
​Mailing Address:
info@aFewSteps.org
P.O.Box 330
Wallingford PA 19086-0330
©2022 aFewSteps.org  |  All Rights Reserved.