Being eco-conscious is an everyday way of life for some of us. Environmentally friendly efforts go beyond recycling cardboard and plastics for many in today’s world. Hybrid vehicles and mulching are popular ways to take care of our earth. Read on for some other tips from fellow Berks Countians.
1. Making the Most of Compost
When it comes to composting, I always compost
all vegetable matter, tea bags, coffee grounds
Here’s a tip: The worms cannot have onion or citrus; these are too caustic. If you do not cut things up smaller, it will take too long to process. They can even process crushed egg shells! – Chloe Joyce, Mohnton.
2. Hold the H2O
To conserve water at our home in the kitchen
we wash dishes in a small basin in the sink. We use a lot less water that way, not needing to fill the whole sink. – Jess Harley, Shoemakersville
To conserve water at our home in the laundry room
we bought a washing machine that only fills to the level of the items inside. – Sabrina Fernandez, owner of Eco-friendly Cleaning by Sabrina, Shillington
3. Tips to Use
Three easy green tips we practice on a daily basis are:
No bottled water, use plastic washable containers for lunch instead of plastic baggies, use cloth napkins instead of paper. – Debbie Fick, Cumru Township
4. Stop Eating up Energy
To conserve energy at our home,
we installed new windows and always cook outside in the summer. Also, we do not run air conditioning. I got used to summer again, like when I was a little girl. How come? I prefer the smell of warm, earthy air over “mechanical air.” I enjoy the visual of curtains stirred by a breeze and the feeling of the currents brushing my warm skin. Allowing the outside in reminds me that I am of nature, that I am alive. – Chloe Joyce, Mohnton
we added New windows and siding, and we try to limit air conditioning use. – Nancy Kauffman, Birdsboro
5. O is for Organic
We do our best to shop organic,
and we look to local farmers for our organic meats and to local farm stands for our organic vegetables. – Tom Sheehan, Reading
Check out localharvest.org and organicfarmfood.org. Search Berks County! – Cheryl Taylor Bagenstose, Sinking Spring
6. Did You Know?
Recycling is so important for our environment.
Some don’t realize you can recycle hangers, batteries, plastic bags. – Lisa Brophy Irons, Alsace Township
Don’t forget junk mail, used envelopes and aluminum foil too! – Regena Martis Miller, Cumru Township
7. Greening the Next Generation
An important lesson we try to teach our children about being green is:
Humans are the most intelligent creatures on the planet. We need to take care of it and respect it for all of the other living creatures on it! – Owners of The Perk Up Truck, Topton
Make good use of things that we would otherwise throw away. – Catherine Good, Reading
8. Cutting out Chemicals
There seems to be so many chemicals in our cleaners. Instead of the traditional store brands, we use
baking soda, vinegar and Young Living oils to clean nearly everything. Vinegar makes baking soda fizz, so the kids even like it! I use olive oil and lemon to clean wood and ice cubes and citrus peels to clean the garbage disposal. – Penny Hummel, Hamburg
9. Let it all Hang Out
In the summertime, I hang my laundry to dry. Not only does it save electricity, but it
smells so fresh and clean, prevents shrinking and, yes, whites seem brighter! – Suzanne Daigle Karow, Stony Creek
It reminds me of my childhood, and hanging laundry outside with my grandmother. – Stephanie Stricker, West Lawn
10. Re-Using is Recycling!
Re-using is also important. We use
cottage cheese and yogurt containers instead of Tupperware. – Sarah Reigel, Shillington
11. Go Green Here, There & Everywhere!
Going green isn’t just something I do at home. At work I go green by
using a regular coffee mug instead of a disposable one, and using cast-off print jobs as scrap paper before they get to the recycling bin. – Heather Adams, Reading
12. My Take on Going Green
For me, going green means
Making choices that benefit the environment as well as my family. Going green makes sense and cents. Choosing reusable, non-toxic, organic and sustainable products and reducing consumption of raw materials is another way we “go green.” I’m looking at a hybrid for my next car. – Sabrina Fernandez, Shillington
For me, going green means
doing the right thing. Such as not making things worse for future generations to come. Such as writing my politicians and blocking things like the XL pipeline. It is fighting the FDA and getting more info out there about GMOs and what it does to our planet and our food supply. It is also about doing more research on my own and not trusting the media. It also means growing some of my own veggies and supporting local farmers at the summer farmers markets. – Shannon Owens, Reading
13. Save Some Green
Saving the environment can also save you money.
By baking my own organic bread and goods, I really give my savings account a boost. – Hannah Cerynik, Bern Township
I no longer purchase Ziploc snack and sandwich bags. Instead, I purchased cute, reusable bags that are lined and have a zipper closure from Etsy.com. – Amy Rosenbaum Bornhofen, Birdsboro
14. Green Thumbs
Gardening is my way of being green. I enjoy growing
tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, string beans, peas, onions, green peppers, several types of hot peppers and beets! – Debbie Fick, Cumru Township
I enjoy growing tomatoes! – Jan Nordblom Hannum, Robeson Township
15. Don't Just Pitch Paper
Using less paper is a great way of going green. I cut down on my paper use by
online billing, double-sided printing, e-receipts, recycling paper, opting out of getting catalogs and junk mail, and using old rags instead of paper towels. – Kelley Kindlick, Reading
I learned how to organize my iPad. I still have a paper notebook, but design summaries and quotes for work are all saved as drafts and emailed as final copies to clients. – Rebecca Jean Stanton, Reading
16. Bag It!
True or false: I always bring reusable bags to the grocery store.
TRUE: I always bring reusable bags to the grocery store and I remember to use them 98 percent of the time. – Kim Berger, Leesport
I keep mine in my car so I don’t forget to bring them. – Jennifer Seisler, Mohnton
compiled by Robyn L. Jones & Nikki M. Murry
