going green is about recycling everything you can : paper, metal, plastic, etc. and what about clothing? How about donating that shirt, jeans, coat that you haven’t worn in over a year! It’s about buying only the stuff you really need. Do you really need that new-improv-lash-extra-volume-expendable-super-strenght mascara??? c’mon!

i bring a box of recycled paper home every other week from work because our neighbor hood recycles but my work does not…..paper is heavY!

I recently turned an old bathrobe into a bunch of rags … and two drawstring rag bags from the sleeves, one for clean and one for dirty. Beats paper towels, and I felt pretty clever.

I go green everyday by consciously composting all of my food remains, as well as recycling. I also use all eco friendly light bulbs, as well as ride a Vespa daily, which is less gas emissions. I have a plethora of different plants in my home that flourish in sunlight. I don’t use plastic or paper bags. I reuse as much as I can, and I buy used clothing.

Since my neighborhood only recycles #1 and #2 plastic, I bring all my other stuff to work, where I can recycle #1 - #7. Shhhh. Don’t tell.

I have this habit of driving to a near by farmhouse to buy fresh milk. Feels good to see the cows on the field! The milk tastes great (a lot better than the one from the store) and you can up-cycle it too into yogurt or even cheese… mmm!

I let my dog play with the empty bottles before I recycle them or return them for a deposit. This includes: juice containers and pop cans/bottles. She loves them!

I make all my own cleaning products by hand! Its cheaper and good for the environment! No chemicals in my household!

I like to use containers from products in a multitude of around the house stuff.

We have a radiator in every room; come laundry day every inch of every radiator is covered in socks and unmentionables. No need to waste energy (or loose change) using our apartment’s communal clothes dryers.

This set looks fantastic! I’m trying to be a less of a consumer and this really motivates me! something intelligent…. hmm.. Argentina is the most foggiest country in the world, having more than 200 foggy days per year.

I love bunnies!

I re-use many things in my household!
I use newspaper and magazine clippings for wrapping paper.
I make jewelry out of pop tabs.
I use wine bottles as flower vases.

I go green by being too lazy to shop in the first place.

We go green creatively at home by making our own cloth diapers, by recycling, and by reducing our impact through local and organic shopping. ;)

Things, which we don not need any more are getting “UPCYCLED”, means for example an old picture frame gets painted and will be a beautiful memory board, an old cutlery tray covered with fun gift wrap will store sewing stuff… See things from different angles and you will find an awesome use for it!

We love to make toys + instruments with and for our daughter using recycled materials - corks, milk cartons, metal-bottomed cardboard “cans” - and organic materials. It’s fun for all of us, both in the process of making and playing, and when the “magic is gone”, it’s all compostable and recyclable!

All the standard stuff - I recycle and bicycle and freecycle. Best tip for green and fun is saving water by showering with my husband!

I have found the best way around my house is to repurpose items. We use jars from sauces for storage or as pots for small plants, various bottles are being used as candle holders, and recently turned a small dresser into the storage for all of our home theater stuff instead of buying a new unit.

I recycle laptops for a living- and sure don’t make a profit! I could use presents. ;)

I do re-use yoghurt glass pots to make some super cute mini-vases or i re-use them to contain my marvellous pannacottas :D

We reuse yougurt containers (the big ones) as tupperware, grow our own herbs, and don’t turn on the heat unless we REALLY need to.

We use recycled cardboard to build furniture for our cat.

We compost, never use our dryer, and have single stream recycling.

When showering, all excess water from the spout is collected in buckets and used to water plants.

such a sweet giveaway! i have a huge compost! i also breed plants :)
j.

What a lovely bunny!

we make vases for plants from old jars.fill them with eggshells,compost,dirt.

I live in my apartment with an egg-laying chicken, I sew my own clothes, I bicycle everywhere, and I compost.

My cousin recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! I’ve been looking for a way to introduce sustainable design to their family for a while, and with the addition of Ian, I think it would be a great time to start. Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to continue spreading sustainable joy. I wish for more of my family members to appreciate the beauty of loving the environment! It would be much much appreciated and would make the sun shine happier!

I eat and drink out of jars and keep tie wraps to reuse instead of throwing them in the waste bin. I also keep things unplugged unless they are being used.

My mother is the biggest green person in the house. She takes great care of our backyard and, ever since we moved here when I was but a wee young girl, she has grown many many fruits! In order to grow such amazing fruits such as oranges, persimmons, Asian pears, figs, and more, she uses our scraps of food to create her very own compost in the backyard.

We also make sure to always recycle paper, and being a design student, I constantly have to print out projects and have extra scraps all over the place and I make sure to recycle all of it.

Benjamin (from 11:13), I’m glad I’m not the only one who washes ziplock bags. My friends sometimes mock me for it. Aluminum foil also gets reused frequently before being recycled. I’m trying to train myself to use tupperware more often because it lasts longer.

we just moved from brooklyn to maine so we now have to haul our recyclables ourselves. it’s a little step but well worth it. Also aluminum water bottles! best purchase ever!

Hi,

i have a 3.5 years old son and a 6 month old daughter - so our household is full with organic fertilizer. (Sorry for that)
We learned to live with bio-food and everything you can make out of spelt - and you can make a lot out of spelt, believe me!

Best regards
Jens

I have a ton of plants, some that have been propagated from 7 to 10 year old plants. I use those to purify the air in our rental and only water with rain water.

I also am a hard core recycler, compost-ing re-using nutcase! We have motion sensors in the common areas of the house and only use biodegradable cleaning products.

Currently my girlfriend and i are making terrariums for xmas gifts. we are also selling them at a crafts fair in alameda soon.

As winter approaches, I have to say our best effort at being green is not turning on our furnace until we absolutely have to. We live on the second floor of a low-rise so we get a lot of rising heat. Plastic on the window goes a long way too. We didn’t turn on the heat until mid-January last year. Not bad for Chicago.

my friends all laugh at me because im always finding new uses for things and all their presents are home made from whatever i can find! I use old materials from clothes etc to make stuffed toys for them and old scarves as wrapping as well as old maps and newspaper. I use old books as sketch books and cardboard as canvases!
I get the most laugs from the train tickets i use when i get a blister on my heel and dont have a plaster! I always have a ton in my purse and they work wonders wedged down the back of my shoe!

Couple of things (all passed on from my parents):
> I diligently (take quite a ribbing from friends) reuse (wash, air dry) zip-lock bags
> I save all the newer plastic resealable takeout containers (make great travel dog food containers and plant water reservoirs)
> (Collective family effort) Reuse any packaging that resembles a bag (bread bags to frozen fruit pouches) for doggy bags (ie poop bags)

In the summer: cuddle with ice packs to keep cool, in the winter: cuddle with kitties to keep warm.

I feed all my produce scraps to my worms, which make some nutritious plant food.

I never throw away food. I always eat everything I buy and that sounds a lot easier than it is. All the small pieces I cannot eat I feed to the birds, fishes or pigs.

I make my dog cuddle w/ me so I don’t have to turn up the heat too much.

we recycle/compost/reuse. my gf uses a lot post-consumer materials in her metal work as well.

Happy holidays!
My mom starts reusing plastic bags during her grocery shopping ever since stores started to offer them for free in China. Now we use shopping totes.
I try not to turn on air conditioning at home (in NC) as long as I can deal with the heat/coldness by physical adjustments like wearing more/less, drinking hot/cold water, and etc etc.
Use energy saving light bulbs and energy-star electronic equipments.
I take care of myself so that I won’t waste extra resources in medicines, personal care, …
I am happy so I don’t indulge on eating, drinking, and stuffs…
I grow plants.
:D

Hi! I go green in my apartment by making my own cleaning products, unplugging electronics when not using them, and line drying my clothes. I once talked to a woman at the electric company who didn’t believe I could get the average bill down from the previous owners 60+ monthly bill by unplugging equipment and being conscious. I asked her if she read her own companies pamphlets and told her to try it herself at her home. My lowest Electric bill last year was $17.00 and my highest in the dead of summer in South Florida was 35.00.

We compost and grow our own garden!

I line dry my clothes. And I turn off my heat in the winter and use my cat to warm me up =^..^=

This year I’m going green by hand making all of my holiday gifts from recycled goods!

We installed a pellet stove in the house and no longer use the oil heating system. Pellets are made of recycled wood scraps and burn efficiently and do not add carbon emissions. We also used green recycled paper insulation in the walls of the house.

I’m a vegetarian and recycle as much as possible. I also use left over food for my compose pile in the backyard. It makes the rest of my grass in my yard look wonderful and green.

I save all my old design paper at work (textile patterns) for wrapping paper for me and my friends througout the year!

Like many of the commenters, I recycle, line dry my clothes, use a water filter, don’t use a dishwasher, and reuse- all my glasses are old Pom tea containers, my change jar is an old vase with a pretty dish towel to cushion the plinking, plastic bags go toward storing CSA veggies or as trash liners, and old newspapers serve as a mat to cover the floor during dinner instead of a dining table. I also don’t have a heater or AC in San Francisco- I’m so cold that I could use a bunny to hug! =D

I try to find a way to use every plastic/glass bottle or container I use, since I know the plastic bottles are one of the major issues with recycling, at the moment. I also have in mind the their caps aren’t recycled normally and save them all separately so I can ship them off to the proper entities.

We use the plastic bags for a second time, as well we don’t throw away glass objects we use them for storing syrup or pickles.

We use motion sensor lights in the public dining areas of my living group at college and we save hundreds on our electricity bill each year because of it.

i reuse different sized glass jars to store spices, beans, rices, flour, etc.; to grow herbs for cooking; to store baked goods for home or gifting.

I always used the left over water after laundry washing to wash the toliet floors. I also used the laundry water to flush toilet and to water the plants as well.

The greenest materials are those that are already made - purchase used goods from non profits and give them new life in your home. thanks Notcot!

I go green creatively by drying all our baby clothes out in the sun during the summer and in the garage next to the water heater during the winter.

well.. let’s see..
the green things i do:
- using my laptop at the lowest brightness/contrast level, hope i can save electricity a little..
- i have a full daylighted house, so no AC or lighting needed..
- a perforated paving block so the water still can run through into the ground.

the creative things i think i do:
- i love to drink pocari,coke,etc..now i have a vase, a mobilephone holder, a pen holder, all made from the can and used fabric cloth… :)
- cute animal sculpture made from packaging styrofoam bubbles
- a trivet from used cardboard.
- an orchid hanging garden—the garden structure made from used hollowed iron.
- a futon from the old chair (the legs are broken,but the seat is still very good! just add a comfy pillow… :))

last…happy holiday everyone!!

We use vinegar to clean just about everything.

I sew worn clothing into throw pillow covers if the print is cute. I also keep reusable totes in the car so I’m never caught without when I impulse shop.

Me and my roommates are designing a structural concrete wall and an interior wall partition out of recycled plastic bottles. We also recycle the hell out of everything and use our old papers to heat our house.

I’d solar panel my heater so I can finally turn it on without guilt of wasting electricity for this cold winter…

The trick is knowing when to stop producing red and yellow pigments to take advantage of the season’s more abundant quantity of sunlight. Done right and you’ll never go hungry, trust me!

I reuse packaging!

We’ve put up a beehouse to try and encourage bees to live in our yard, and pollinate our flowers. This is also trying to encourage the growth of endangered bees. We use vinegar and water as cleaning products, and we have energy efficient bulbs in all of our lamps/lights. I take the bus to reduce my carbon footprint :)

we keep plastic bottles, glass jars, plastic bags, wrapping paper, plastic containers in a cupboard. very useful!
if we have too many plastic bags we drop them off at the supermarket where they have a special bin.
we never use the dryer… always leave our clothes outside to dry

As much as I can’t stand giving my ex-fiance credit she taught me to use brown shopping bags as holiday wrapping paper. It takes a bit longer, but is rewarding to do for obvious environmental reasons. Also a pile of brown boxes does look pretty good.

I am lucky to live in a very green-friendly city (Halifax, Nova Scotia). At home I use all natural cleaning products (baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, Castile soap) which is healthier for me and my furry friends. I hang my clothes to dry, recycle and compost and try to eat as sustainably as possible. My sole mode of transportation is 2 feet and a heart beat! Halifax is small enough to walk everywhere I need to be and when I need to get somewhere further away, I hop on a bus. I also try to drink sustainably by supporting our great local breweries and wineries!

In addition to cutting back on electricity (lights off if nobodys in the room!) and heat use (turn if off while we’re out for the day, bundle up until you cant take it!) my house of 7 people gets weekly free donations of food that is about to go bad from the local grocery store and cooks it for both ourselves and to serve to local homeless folks in the area!

I save trash at home and bring it into work for my kids at school to use. Egg cartons for paint palettes, plastic tubs for water buckets, and paper towel tubes for printmaking…Biodegradable packing peanuts into sculptures…Old t-shirts to weave with….Magazines for bead making…Old, broken crayons recycled into encaustic paint…etc. etc.

I save alll cardboard boxes and glass/plastic containers and use them in my art projects, or make them into sculptures themselves! FYI - paper towel rolls make great antlers!

Our family is disconnected from the town water supply, relying on two large tanks in the yard. Thus all water requirements are thought out before use. We monitor the energy in the house, making sure to turn of all electronics at the wall when not in use and we separate all recyclable goods refusing plastic bags grocery shopping (instead using canvas bags from home).

I’ve made my own solar panel light bulb for my room so it’ll soak up all the energy in the morning and release them when I need them at night :)

We are raising a little green baby to carry the green message on down through the generations. He doesn’t like noisy plastic toys but loves to play with cardboard boxes, home made blocks, clean found objects and the slightly odd looking felted animals mummy makes for him. He is the happiest most chilled out baby I know :)

My roommate and I find keep all lights off except for the fish tank during daylight hours. We also use freecycle for many of our furnishings. I also ride my bike almost everywhere I need to go or use public transit when it is raining. There are also old liquor bottles filled with water on my shelves as book ends.

I’ve never really understood the whole going green idea, it has just always been the truth. We do what we can for the environment through the ways we choose to live. Growing our own vegetables, farmers markets over bigbox grocers, reusing or upcycling before recycling and conscious efforts to consume as little as possible while still leading a comfortable life in an urban environment. We build our own bikes and ride them year ‘round. This is just the way we live, nothing special, but nothing wasted.

As a side note, I have been planning for the last year to start a bonsai, but have been looking for reputable kits and starter plants. That is for sure the item that I am most interested in. I’ve been reading bunches of books and I already have the shape planned out. Bonsai trees have such wild personality, and what a feast for the imagination!

I hope to train the roots upwards over the years, similar to this idea:
http://blogs.knowledgeofbonsai.org/rob_kempinski/files/2009/03/001-bsf-2009-chinese-elm-266x300.jpg

Thanks for keeping these giveaways alive.

I follow the sun around the house.

I made a Christmas tree out of old cardboard. I hope it’ll bring some holiday cheer to the house :D

We have worms for composting, and do regular recycling.

I’m an avid recycler, even taking things out of the bin when my roommates forget. A reusable bag doesn’t hurt when shopping. But I’d say my biggest green activity is designing some eco products for my cause. I’m one for brown card.

I’m always on the recycling path, even taking things out of the bin after my roommates forget to recycle it. A reusable bag doesn’t hurt as well when shopping. However I guess my biggest green activity is starting to design eco products during my cause. I’m one for brown card products.

It’s the simplest thing but we switched from plastic-bottled water to a water filtering dispenser.

reuse: most recent example, my cats knocked over my chirtmas cactus, breaking the ceraminc pot. i replanted it in a wooden salad bowl, which they had also previously knocked over, breaking one side. i held on to the bowl, knowing it would become handy once again, after serving as my Halloween candy bowl.

I make my own giftwrap and tags out of recycled paper for the holidays

Well, I do believe in second chances. I do not condone what Chris Brown did but he has paid the sacrifice for his actions. Essentially, no one can ever forget what happened and that is worse than being punished.

We use services like freecyclers to find new homes for things we are getting rid of instead of just throwing them out.

Hmmmm. At home… I’m a letterpress printer, book artist and paper maker so all our old t-shirts and jeans are made into paper that I use in my projects or rags for cleaning my press! I also save odds and ends (plastic mesh, disposable chopsticks, etc.) for use in my hand bound books and children’s projects.

in time for gifting season, i have saved up different boxes from the products we use and paste giftwrap on the surfaces so it’s less likely they will be torn apart by the gift recipient and the box, along with the giftwrap, has a bigger chance of being reused. We sometimes also wrap our gifts with square cloths like hankies and scarves, furoshiki-style.

We go green by upcycling. Lately with been on a big kick, taking all the stuff we’ve over-accumulated and looking for creative inspiration among the junk. It’s fun and incredibly rewarding!

My husband and I recycle everything that is possible from our houselhold trash. He makes furniture from leftover wood from work or other pieces from upcycling/reclaiming wood from small barns, etc. We try not to drive if possible, and I only live 2 miles from my office. We are both designers and try to incorporate recycled or at least sustainable ideas into all of our projects.

We go to the farmer’s market any time we can and we unplug everything from our house before we leave! We use our old paper bags for recycling and the plastic ones for picking up puppy poos ;)

Besides recycling in the traditional ways, we use newspapers as part of our “mulch lasagna” in the yard. Newspapers, coffee grounds, leaves, and other stuff is layered to create a rich environment for garden growth.

I repurpose old/damaged clothes into new clothes or potholders, etc. wrapping paper is usually taken off carefully for future reuse

After I rinse my rice, I use the water to rinse my veggie and fruit then I use the water to water my plant and the rest to flush my toilet.

I have to give the all the green accolades to my wife who has planted a vegetable garden, uses compost to grow that garden, rides her bike when she can to errands and work, has recently installed solar panels on our home and is an avid user of g-diapers for our daughter.

we re-purposed an old airstream trailer using only used wood and interiors to fashion into a guest room for our tiny 750 square foot house! that and the garden, recycling, fruit trees and compost are what we do to try to make a small impact-

We make a conscience effort to reduce our consumption of electricity, products, water, gas, etc. Reduce, Reuse, THEN Recycle!

We use a metal hair trap in our shower; this way we don’t have to use Dran-o or other nasty chemicals every month (baking powder-vinegar doesn’t do it either). It works suprisingly well, just clean it off once a week or so.

I use recycled materials to make rayguns for the impending apocalypse.

Recycle and conserve water as much as possible & don´t waste any food at home.

we re-use sweaters in our house to make felted soap and fabulous scarves :)

Having a double lot is great, but it gets quite expensive when doing landscaping. I have dubbed myself the lord of Craigslist, as I am known to snatch up others unused trees, shrubs, bushes, bricks/pavers, birdbaths, etc. in order to adequately meet my landscaping needs. Best part is, I only get them from the free listings. As well as using a cistern system to water the lawn.

Going LED does miracles to your electricity bill and to the environment!

I pretty much reuse everything, from glass jars to water, and I recycle. I also made a herb garden using old and abandoned material from a construction site!

Whenever going to trade fairs and exhibitions, I collect a bundle of gorgeous-looking cotton shopping bags, and share them with my family. I can’t remember when I last used a plastic bag for my groceries!

I reuse de wash machine water for other things like clean the floor; i separate the garbage and reuse the glass package to store condiments; I use reusable bags and furoshiki to go shopping; and I buy clothes on flea markets.
I love this bunny!

recycle

I have made a shelf out of an old bed. It looks really nice.

Lets see:
-all glass jars from almond butter hold homemade hot chocolate for Christmas gifts
-all broccoli rubber bands become chip keepers
-I use the boxes from my tangerine cuties as gift boxes at Christmas
And more i can’t recall at the moment!

Our house is one step ahead of LA. We’ve had a ban on plastic bags for years.

I go green by reusing the take-off boxes from restaurants as containers and shopping bags as garbage bags. Also left over tea is use to fertilize the plants in the house.

be mine bonsai tree!!!!!!

I do many things to be green. These are just some examples:
- I use a Sigg water bottle so that i can refill and reuse it without buying plastic. I also convinced my family to do this =)
- I use several canvas bags when I go grocery shopping
- My family grows herbs and vegetables in the backyard during the spring and summer seasons
- We maximize light and heat in the house by opening our blinds so natural sunlight can come in!

We grow a tremendous amount of our own food on our small city lot. We eat, can, and share the food. We compost the scraps. We save the seeds. We grow even more the next year by humbly asking for advice and learning from our mistakes.

We have several back yard birds that would love that bird house.

my boyfriend and i shower together to save on water and instead of buying coursepacks i download all the readings off the internet

RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE! I recycle E-VER-Y-THING! Its hard but if you just pay attention you would be surprised how much more you can recycle than throw away.

We are composting to get ready for next summer’s garden. thanks!

I am always thinking of new ways to reinvent old things into new things. giving them a second life and keeping them from a landfill.

I need to replace my bonsai elm that croaked, my backyard birds need a house, and who couldn’t use a trivet and a bunny?

We placed moss on our wall fence, added some orchid, that compliments well our ever growing bushy garden. We also plant our own vegetables.

I unplug any electrical devices I’m not immediately using. I also reuse paper bags and towels as much as possible.

When something breaks, I always attempt to repair it instead of throwing it out and buying something new. I also save various nuts and bolts to use instead of buying them at the hardware store. We recycle everything and use reusable water bottles instead of buying bottled water.

Sustainable design should be incorporated into a lot more of every day life. This package is awesome and whoever wins is very lucky!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Beautiful giveaway! Our family loves to use cardboard egg cartons to start seedlings for our spring and fall gardens.

We compost, recyle, and use natural insect repellants (bay leaves, boric acid, rubbing alcohol) instead of toxic bug spray.

I save water by showering with the boyfriend [right?], save every jar to reuse, recycle religiously, have stopped buying plastic water bottles and invest in water filters / a canteen instead!

I also bike everywhere I go. I don’t own a car. :]

I trade my labor for gleaning rights with an organic farm. When the harvest is officially “in”; I pick through the fields and can the goods!

I never flush the toilet???

I love doing crafts that use recycled materials.

We’ve just started a compost pile to help our veggie garden along next year.

oooh!! as for being green, my partner and I planted a veggie patch a few months ago, and we’re just starting to use fresh corn, capsicum, cucumber and lettuce!! MMMM…

all our organic waste goes to feed the 1000+ mouths in our worm farm and then we harvest the goodness from that in our ege patch

I recycle beer bottles by re-bottling my own beer in them! I’ve used the same 50 bottles over 5 times——that’s over 200 bottles saved!

I live green in ways that a college student can. I buy shampoos and conditioners that are not tested on animals and as full of natural ingredients as possible, I mix up only as much glaze as I need. instead of turning up the heat, I pile on more blankets, and I walk everywhere I possibly can. I only use my car once a week to go get groceries. I eat as many organic items as possible and buy from local food stands. thats how i go green.

we order an organic CSA box of veggies every other week, and use mesh veggie bags at the store along with our reuseable bags.

the bunny is too cute!!!

We created a compost heap in an old planter outside our apartment

Making ALL my own simple, biodegradable cleaning products… laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, countertop cleaner, etc.

Instead of using a humidifier I utilize the radiator heat with a ceramic box filled with water that I had a friend make after being inspired by a notcot post.

I’m a creative recycler. Whenever my mom would cut my hair as a little kid we would do it outside, so the trimmings could blow off of the deck and into the grass: where the birds would grab the locks to use in their nests. When I was 13 and I adopted a Shetland Sheepdog I would groom her outside and let the tufts of fluff float off into the yard. We’d see the orange and white fluffballs up in the trees the next day. It’s too cold now, but in the spring, summer, and fall I still groom my dogs outside.

I sew my own clothing, and I’m only 16!

Wake up early and make use of all the day’s light!

just got some cute glass bottles so we dont drink plastic bottled water anymore!

We recycle a lot. Trade unused clothes, turn off the heather when we are not home.

+++ I try to not fart as much to reduce the carbon emissions off set - I use a bucket to save water while waiting for the shower water to get hot and water my plants so they can battle with the evils from deep within +++

We ride Ponies to work…

Recycle and conserve water as much as possible. We also reuse most containers for miscellaneous things.

I think I’d probably train up the rabbit to locate small birds, it would then tell them about the free accommodation in my garden. Hopefully they would move in to the beautiful bird house and have more little birds. By doing this maybe then I could, with the rabbits help, begin to train the army of birds to collect nuts and berries for us. This would eventually become so efficient that I wouldn’t need to go to the shop, in turn saving energy via lack of packaging and trips to the shop.

In the mean time I would tend the Bonsai tree and hatch the next plan for green living with my new pals.

:)

I reuse old clothing and fabric scraps in the quilts and pillows I sew.

i found an old window by the side of the road and picked it up, carried it home, cleaned it and added some hanging hardware. It’s now up on my walls as a see-through white board where I write my shopping lists and to-do’s for the week. Very handy!

This time of year, I reuse boxes, bags and bubble wrap. I reuse the colorful paper and ribbons that I’ve ben collecting all year as festive gift wrap.

Dumpster diving is one of my favorite past times! Would love some brand new green stuff to compliment my finds!

It’s amazing how a few changes can make a huge difference— moving from paper napkins to cloth, stopping using paper towels, and switching to wash clothes from sponges. Plus, we’ve started using glass for food storage or washing and reusing ziploc baggies. I’m hoping to switch away from those soon— they’re just SO easy.

I recycle everything and have miniature gardens on all my windowsills.

I try in almost all everyday instances to consume less, use less, and re-use more. Power, water, paper, air, use just what you need.

We recently moved and decided to give up our car in favor of walking and utilizing public transportation. We also added a compost bin and large recycling bins, reducing our garbage significantly.

I am a graphic design student and I use recycled paper for all my projects along with recycling my paper after use.

I try to recycle everything that’s possibly can be recycle. From paper to CD to computers by either making creative arts from waste to simply giving them away to those that may find it useful.

I’ve made mulching a hobby.

I have an inspiration wall made of renewable cork! I pin up images that inspire me and things that remind me of what I’ve accomplished. It’s like renewable inspiration!

i make collages and notebooks from ad postcards and packages, grow mint and basil by my window, ride bicycle (it’s not popular here at all), give away or renew old stuff like clothes and furniture, taking self made tote bag and net to the shop))

it’s so good to read here what people do
you’re cool))

I use my dirty fishbowl water to water my plants, saves water and has extra fertilizer ^_-

I recycle every week, and keep of dining set at work so I don’t use the plastic and paper plates. I think may get that bird feeder no matter what.

I sold my car and now LOVE my bicycle!

To keep warm when it gets cold (like today, for example), instead of turning on the heater for a couple of hours we put on a movie, turn out the lights and pull the duvet from the bed to the sofa.

We salvage and repurpose what we can instead of throwing away and buying new.

My wife is an interior deisgner and is always looking for sustainable accesories for our house and for customers. These are perfect!

I try to live by this motto: use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

i didn’t think sustainable design was cool before. i am ashamed of how wrong i was.

I give new life to my recyclables in my art classroom as storage containers and collage materials.

I love BRANCH!

We line dry our laundry - Always! We dont even own a dryer.
We sort our garbage - paper, organic waste, glass, metal, and plastic.
We dont have AC, we just open the windows.
And more, but we have room for improvement!

By not wasting any food !

I take my bike almost everywhere, I grow sprouts and microgreens in my tiny studio. I’ve cut out almost all animal products out of my diet. I try to help other people live a greener life. I always buy organic and try to buy locally, almost never use plastic bags at the produce section. And I try to consume in a responsible way…Love, Jules

When it’s cold, instead of turning up the heater I cuddle with my love and pet my cat and my dog. It keeps our hearts warmed up and gives energy !

(And recycling as much as possible, use of green energy as sources for our electricity, public transports, compost)

i re-use before i recycle.

I use vinegar instead of bleach for laundry + cleaning

using solar lamps and charger, trying to re-use things: with a paper pack i make box for storage things and with paper in genral I try to do things like origami to decorate the house.
And I use a bicycle to generate electricity.

i try to be greener by eating less meat and carpooling

I try to make my own gifts, cards, and packaging out of recycled/reused/upcycled items that I save throughout the year. The best is when I find a nice sturdy container of some sort that I can save and use again instead of tossing it right after I open the package.

I micro generate electricity

I try my best to smash everything before putting it in the garbage can. Uses far fewer trash-bags that way!

I use jam jars to store a variety of things, I also use them as little vases for flowers from the garden. =)

We do not use dryers or dishwashing machines. We save plastic bags to line bins. We recycle old newspapers. We use the water that we wash rice with to water the plants. And we try to read, do our chores in the day to make use of natural daylight.

Use a fan to distribute heat instead of more heaters!

i use leftover plastic shopping bags to make plastic bag “yarn” for art projects. i’m working on making a plastic bag yarn-based rug, as well.

I try to not get overwhelmed by being all green all the time. I add a new enviro friendly habit every few weeks and now I am way kinder to the earth than I ever thought I could be only one year ago. Baby steps

We knit plastic grocery bags in to sturdy, reusable totes. Great Christmas gifts!

Gonna DIY myself a holiday weather — to share some cheer in the apartment hallway

I keep a bucket in my bathtub to catch the cold water each morning before I take a shower. I then take the bucket of water and water the plants on my balcony or will carry it downstairs and water some of the plants around my building.

I shower with others to conserve h20.

we garden and it is lovely

stuff we grow in the yard goes to my aunt the florist

I reuse condoms, and bust out on the tire patch kit when they get holes.

I reused some of my recycling and found objects for a design project for my artistic portfolio that I’m submitting for graduate school.

We line dry all of our clothes.

I try & do the little things like reduce shower times & water use. Use reusable shopping bags & grow my own veggies.

Shower together to save water

I buy things for longevity. Simple as that.

We decorate our house with found objects from nature — branches, leaves, features, bones, you name it. It’s a fun “collector’s cabinet” aesthetic.

reusing the water we use to rinse dishes. clean your car, etc…

ooo… I love Branch… at home, I try to be creative but can’t think of anything in particular.

I just moved into a new studio apartment. The love of my life separated from me. I have redesigned my life. I have e tree outide my window that LIGHTS up with BIRDS. I would love to have a supporting hand to hold them
.

ooooooooxxx

chelsea

My creative green thing? Probably keeping a dish beneath the spigot in my sink so that overspill water goes to the kitchen plants. Either that, or recycling junk mail into toys for my cat and my parrot.

old light bulbs as hanging terrariums, discarded color resin samples moasic our kitchen wall, dumpster found door functions as a dining table. and hopefully more soon!

i recycled plastic bottles to make a window garden. growing herbs.

We keep a our landscaping interplanted with fresh greens and herbs. It keeps us supplied with fresh seasonal offerings year round.

almost every piece of furniture we have was found at the curb or hand-me downs from family members. I can’t bear to see real wood furniture thrown in the garbage to be crushed up. I cringe at the thought.

My wife is a recycling and re-purposing maniac. Our dish rack floats above pod of herbs to catch the water drain-off. We keep the temperature moderate, more of a reason to put on a sweater or get under a blanket for a movie, and showering together helps save a bit of water. :)

I try and use candle light as much as possible for all my ambient lighting at home.

My green venture involves a conveyer belt that I poor all our garbage on and have hundreds of little genetically modified mice who eat garbage take care of our trash.

We repurpose objects to make furniture, a door became a table and old tripods became lamps!

I use my own basket at the grocery store, packing my groceries in while shopping, getting funny looks as if I’m stealing.

When my clothes are no longer fashionable, I use the fabric to make something new (most recently a bag and yoga headbands).

I recycle, but I also just moved, so I put wrapping paper over a bunch of cardboard boxes (to make them cute!) then used them as shelves. I’ve also been saving old wine bottles for the past few months to make a recycled bottle Christmas tree. :)

These are great for helping my kids who are into their recycled art classes.

I try not to consume unless necessary. When you think hard enough about something you “need to buy”, chances are, you can come up with a perfectly good solution with what’s around you. My back alley has been very good to us this past year, and with a baby on the way, I’m hoping to save money by reusing what others consider trash!

A lot of grocery stores around Portland don’t use plastic bags, but paper instead, and when you forget your reusable bags (as I often do) you can collect quite a few. So I’ve taken to using those paper bags for recycling. They’re free, and you never what to wash them out because you just toss them in with the recycling.

Well, for one thing my degree is in Environmental Science. Creatively, I have furnished and decorated our home with 90% used furniture, diningware, and decor from craigslist, thrift shops, and yard sales. More generically, we use energy-saving lightbulbs, compost, recycle, grow some veggies/herbs, use green household and beauty products, line-dry clothing, turn off lights in rooms we’re not occupying, and more.

We love these sustainable and beautiful products. Our belief is to do good for the environment, and for our community. Our last project was designing and leading the installation of a community garden. Now, a formerly vacant lot is filled with plants and laughter.

My brother and I make cardboard furniture. Bookshelves, shoe racks, spice racks, and coffee tables. All out of cardboard we have lying around.

I love to repurpose things.Using something for other then it was made is satisfying in a way.

We take showers together. It’s easy on the fishes and our wallets.

I have plants all over to help keep it fresh in my apt when I can’t always open the windows. I also save my glass jars for gifts later on in the year or for leftover storage. Recycling, green products, donate old clothes. I try in little ways.

i inspect every item before throwing it away. create a new use, discover life where there was none.

Shop crags-list and goodwill, hang dry laundry and live in a small apartment.

turning off the lights, often and always. though my two dream green projects are:
-worm composting
-painting the top of our apartment white (this is one of the easiest ways to save energy! better than driving a hybrid!)

In my city, we compost, recycle and landfill… I like to draw symbols on paper bags for the three different types. :)

a rabbit would be great!

i have bonsai trees as i rent my home, and i make the pots out of old vinyl albums and the foam and plastic containers that steak comes in.

We carpool to work now and recycle as much as we can.

I recycle some of my old clothes by sewing them into new looks.

With the holiday season upon us we reuse our Christmas Decorations over and over again and have for more than 40 years. We have a large family and due to our recycling everything we can we have reduced ourselves to 1 bag of garbage a week for 5 people. We only buy what we can use and make sure it is a necessity. We have very few chemicals in the house for cleaning opting for vinegar and baking soda and peppermint oil. We donate old clothes and items we no longer use. Did you know that Clothes for kids will take old shoes (wore out) and sell them to people who recycle the shoes and will pay by the pound so this charity can purchase homeless children new underwear and socks? We use a swap shop to get paint and other products to decorate the house.

we built our own composting bin in our backyard and don’t use a garbage disposal so we reuse our produce waste :)

using the backs of envelopes as notepaper (the used envelopes sent to us, of course)

and hugs, lots and lots of hugs so we don’t need so much heating

I want one. Please

At home, I always use recycled shopping bags for other uses, always have efficient light bulbs, always reuse any plastic (and avoid buying items in plastic when possible), compost, have a garden and use it whenever possible, eat seasonally and locally. Also I use my treadmill as electricity to stay in shape.

on a creative note: i use some of my recycled items to work into my art … i’ll take cloth and use it as canvas, or cardboard to paint on or stencil with, anything goes really.

old scarves make great wrapping paper that can be reused over and over.

old belts can be salvaged into great cuffs and the buckles make unique necklace charms.

boxes are painted to make reusable gift boxes too. … i could go on:)

peas n carrots
lish

I’m not sure how creative it is but we recycle, try to cut down on waste, etc. However since I am also a teacher “trash” takes on new meanings with us. Many boxes, cardboard, tubes, etc become our class projects!

We separate and recycle everything, run our own composter and, as of last spring, our entire house lights with either LED or CFL lightbulbs.

We re-use glass jars for everything from storage to gift wrap.

I go green around the house by re-using old sweaters to make my dog coats/sweaters for the winter time.

I recycle every thursday morning!

We have a compost heap in our backyard, and buy the Sunchip bags that decompose far faster than regular plastic bags.

I use an old potato salad container for my change.

I try my best to conserve water, always carry a reusable tote, bring my own containers to restaurants for leftovers, limit the use of heat/AC, turn off electronics, shop at thrift stores and donate old clothes…small steps, but I’m working on it!

hulk smash the electric company

I re-use crappy old vinyl albums as birthday cards, forging the signature from the artist to the celebrant. Who’s to say Hall and Oates can’t wish you a happy birthday?

How do I live green? Let me count the ways.
1-All cute jars get turned into mini terrariums, storage receptacles and also gift-able baking mix containers for friends
2-All edible scraps add to my homemade rabbit dropping enriched fertilizer
not my only green living, but most creative and time consuming!

I hack things instead of replacing them, sugru’s great stuff

cool stuff… keep up the good work

We save our baby food jars and I use them to mix and store paint.

I make my own cleaning products. I’ve switched to coconut oil for skin lotion instead of chemical laden beauty products. We compost and recycle. We’ve switched to glass for food storage, and try to avoid plastic bags as much as possible. We have reusable water bottles, and if we buy plastic ones we repurpose them.

I love to use reusable bags to store items and grocery bags for trash cans and lunch bags.

For me, being green is all about being mindful of the flow of stuff in and out of our home. We can never throw anything “away”. So I try to buy only what we really need and love, from local and sustainable sources, and savor everything that comes into my life!

Green through laziness (not showering much)

use and reuse paper, conserve water, keep electricity low.

all of our furnitures are made of old ones taken from the street, and we have reshaped them. for example we build our bookshelf out of an old bed and an armchair out of an old desk:)

Aw, man. I got so excited about the trivet that I didn’t even see that you wanted to know how I go green creatively at home. How about this? I live in a recycled home— it used to be a factory in the garment district, and now I live in it. We’ve furnished it exclusively from swap meets so far for both taste and conservation, and our new kitchen includes energy efficient lighting and green (meaning the eco friendliness, not the color) counter tops. Also: we are a one-car household!

PS- Everything else looks awesome, too. I just got really excited about the trivet. :)

Jean, did you know that I collect trivets? I do! Also: I used one last night when I cooked the first meal ever in my new kitchen. If you give me this trivet, it will go to a trivet-loving home, and I will cook you dinner and use the trivet in the presentation of said dinner.

I use marble samples from home improvement stores as trivets and shallow shelving.

We recycle everything of course. Also, we don’t own a dryer and line dry only. Plants galore which is green at least in color and we walk or PT only. No car for us which I think is probably the best thing anyone can do it it’s at all possible.

I use old pill bottles to sort and store odds and ends. Thanks notcot.

We’ve just braved sub-zero temperatures to dig out and re-design my back garden using reclaimed timber and railway sleepers to construct raised veggie beds and a compost heap. Home grown produce ftw!

I wish we did more to go green in our home, but the most we do is recycle and reuse. Hopefully we’ll start doing more.

we recycle everything, compost, use wind generated energy, and try to reuse everything possible. The birdhouse sure is cute, although not very green- we do love feeding our local birds too.

I try to live green by riding my bike to work, using my coffee/tea waste as fertilizer and remaking old clothes into quilts and trivets.

I’m green at home by repurposing leftovers, reusing glass jars for food storage, and recycling everything.

For the holidays, I’m reusing old jars as decorations with candles inside. I’m also making homemade cards and using magazines and butcher paper for wrapping paper. I also use reusable bags whenever I can when shopping. Since it’s winter, I try not to turn on the heat too much or just set it low and wear warmer clothing.

We have a balcony garden. You can’t get any more local than that.

water conservation is very important to me and i do my best to teach my son that so, in the nicest way to say this, we live by the motto “if it’s yellow it’s mellow if it’s brown flush it down”

We grow most of our food, line dry our laundry almost all year round, and compost quite a bit.

I reuse the water I use to wash veggies to soak dirty dishes and to water plants.

Green ? I share showers to conserve water whenever possible.

We recycle compostables, glass, plastic, metal like crazy. We also never buy premade meals to limit waste, buy secondhand, and make whatever we can instead of buying new.

we take old clothes to make quilts and old zippers to make cute brooches accessories to share family and friends.

I grow herbs in a window box! Delicious and environmentally friendly.

I’ve always wanted a rabbit!
;)

We try not to buy stuff. This is easy cause we don’t have any money anyway

I do a few things to be green!
-I save all my pickle jars and use them to store trail mix, flour, sugar, etc. They make really cute storage containers!
-I save old magazines and newspapers and use them for wrapping paper!
-I save my wine bottles and use them as candle holders and vases (sometimes I paint them and get fun and creative with the bottles).
-I unplug everything when I am not using them (cell phone charges, coffee maker, etc)
-I always bring my own bags to the grocery store.
-During cold seasons (as cold as it gets in LA), instead of turning on the heat I turn on a fire and wear my very comfy robe and slippers!

We rarely use the AC in the summer, but we use ceiling fans and natural ventilation whenever it’s warm. In the winter, the thermostat is set on a timer so we never accidentally leave it on when we’re at work. We also have a monitor in the living room that tells us exactly how many kilowatts we’re using in real time. This helps us know what appliances use a lot of energy, and encourages us to use them sparingly.

We leave glass containers in the car in case we grab take-out or have leftovers.

so soo many ways. well as many ways as possible. I think it is simply about living as simple as possible and do your best to not only reduce waste and reuse anything you can but get out in the community and educate those around us. SPEAK UPP

We compost, recycle and use green cleaning products. We have solar water, buy large packs and decant down to smaller ones. Crucially for this time of year last years cards are transformed into new ones on recycled card and sent back to original senders.

i save pickle/jam/mayo jars to use as emergency glasses, and also to decorate with votives and sand/pebbles/etc.

reuse is still underrated, buying goods secondhand and giving away unwanted items through schemes like freecycle help stop landfill

We line dry our laundry year round.

We use plants to filter air the nursery. It makes a clean and cheery environment for our son.

I try to recycle items and give them a new life. For example, I built a small bookshelf using old boards from a barn (cut to size) and bricks. It looks great! Thanks for the contest, notcot!