4 Books to Help You Refashion and Upcycle Your Wardrobe
May 24, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
Bored with your wardrobe and don’t want to spend a lot of money on new clothes? It may be time to work on your sewing skills and transform your old clothes into something new.
I’m looking at this because my oldest daughter wants to learn to sew anyhow, and old clothes seem like a good place to start. I have a gorgeous old Bernina sewing machine and some basic sewing skills, so we’re ready to start.
Keep in mind that you won’t like every project suggested in these books. They may not be your style, but you can still pick up ideas and techniques.
Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters
Got old sweaters? Find out how to make them into something new that you’ll be happy to wear. The book includes 15 free patterns to get you started. Some readers find the projects a bit challenging, so you may prefer to go with projects geared more toward beginners.
Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials
This one isn’t entirely about refashioning – many projects suggest buying new fabrics to go with the what you already have. But it has some great ideas for projects you can do with old clothes too.
What’s really great is that the book discusses how to handle the fabrics and has information about eco-innovators. It’s not just a craft book, it’s something to read when you have a little time on your hands.
Little Green Dresses: 50 Original Patterns for Repurposed Dresses, Tops, Skirts, and More
This book is a great help if you want to learn how to make patters to fit you. It gives you an introduction into how to measure, cut and assemble pattern pieces. She also gives a lot of ideas so you can customize each outfit to your own style.
The one weak point is that some patterns in the book require a lot of fabric, so you may not be able to create them by refashioning older clothes. If you would prefer to do work that is more refashioning than cutting used clothes into flat pieces to start nearly fresh with them, it may not be the book for you.
ReSew: Turn Thrift-Store Finds into Fabulous Designs
Want to learn how to take those thrift store finds that weren’t quite right for you and make them work? This could be the book for you. It proves nicely detailed instructions, including what you need to find for each project.
Tags: clothes, refashioning, upcycling
11 Ways to Save Water and Energy While Doing the Laundry
May 23, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
When you have a family, you do a lot of laundry. Laundry uses a fair bit of water and energy, so I decided to share some tips to help you make it a more efficient process.
1. Don’t wash clothes more often than necessary.
Clothes aren’t dirty the instant you put them on. Something you’ve worn for only a short time during the day may not be dirty enough by the time you take it off to go into the laundry pile.
It can be especially hard to convince children that clothes don’t automatically go into the laundry. They may try a shirt on, immediately take it off and throw it into the laundry basket. If you have kids, work with them on that habit. Help them to see that it takes more time than that to get an outfit dirty.
Clothes are of course dirty if they look it or smell dirty. You can also go by the old “if it’s doubtful, it’s dirty” rule for those times you just aren’t sure.
2. Wash full loads whenever possible.
Most washing machines make the best use of water and energy when they’re running a full load. Do your best to wait for enough clothes or other items to make up a full load rather than wash a partial one.
If you need to wash a smaller load, make sure you adjust the water settings on your machine accordingly. There’s no reason to wash a small load of clothes with enough water for a full load.
3. Wash in cold water when possible.
Many times cold water will get your clothes clean enough. This saves on the energy required to heat the water. It’s also more gentle on your clothes. You should be aware that not all laundry detergents work well or dissolve properly in cold water. You can dissolve a powdered detergent in warm water and add it to the machine if necessary. If you’re getting a residue left on your clothes, you may need to continue washing in warm water or try a different detergent. I get good results with Country Save
If cold water isn’t good enough, warm probably is. You should very rarely need to do a hot water wash.
Most modern washing machines always rinse using cold water because there is no reason to rinse the clothes out using hot or warm water.
4. Use an extended spin cycle in your washing machine.
Many washing machines offer an extended spin cycle, which removes more water from your clothes, so they will dry more quickly in the dryer. This takes less energy than running your dryer to get to a similar level of dryness, but you will still need to run them through the dryer to finish the job.
5. Sort clothes by drying time.
Some fabrics dry much faster than others. If you sort by drying time as well as by other factors, you can keep the load in the dryer for the right time for all the clothes, rather than overdrying the clothes that dry quickly.
6. Take advantage of the moisture sensor in your dryer if available.
Many dryers have a moisture sensor, and will dry your clothes only as long as it takes for the load to get dry. Use this option to avoid overdrying your clothes.
7. Remove clothes from the dryer immediately.
Taking the laundry out of the dryer immediately and hanging or folding them promptly helps to limit wrinkling, which means much less time and energy spent on ironing your laundry.
8. Keep the dryer lint trap clean.
Cleaning the lint trap on your dryer after every load doesn’t just make your dryer work more efficiently. It’s also a safety issue, as lint burns relatively easily. You should also regularly check your dryer vent for lint.
9. Line dry when possible.
Line drying your laundry saves a lot of energy and it’s pretty kind to your clothes. It takes a bit of time, but I always chalk that up under “exercise” rather than “inconvenience.”
If you’re worried about crunchy jeans and such, take them in a little before they’re completely dry, and let your dryer finish the job. The fabric will soften up nicely.
10. Move each new load into the dryer as soon as possible.
If you move your freshly washed clothes into the dryer while it’s still warm from the last load, it will use less energy reaching the right drying temperature. It’s a small difference, but you may as well take advantage of it.
11. Buy an Energy Star washer when it’s time to replace your current washer.
No clothes dryers are rated as Energy Star at this time because they all use similar amounts of energy. Washers, on the other hand, can be Energy Star rated
Front loading washing machines are very efficient with their water use, which is a large part of why they have become so popular.
Tags: laundry, line drying, saving energy, saving water
How Eco Friendly Are Your Reading Habits?
May 16, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
I’m something of a voracious reader. One of the first features most people notice in my home is the wall of books in the living room. I do mean wall, as the entire length is covered with tall, full bookshelves. I’ve not made the switch to electronic readers such as the Kindle
One thing I like about my reading habits is that they’re pretty eco friendly so far as I can tell. I don’t buy a lot of new books, and when I do, they’re mostly used. That said, here are my tips for keeping your reading habits as eco friendly as possible.
Buy Used
I just said this, but it bears repeating. I may not get to read the newest titles as they come out, but if the book interests me, I get to it eventually.
It’s not always easy to find the right titles when you buy used. There’s a $1 bookstore in my area, but for the science fiction I mostly prefer, the pickings are quite slim. For children’s books, it’s quite a bit better, although there are still some authors whose books I never see there. It’s sure fun to go into a bookstore and be able to tell the kids to go pick 5 books, and still pay less than I would for one book new in many cases.
A better selection can usually be found at more traditional used book stores. Prices are a bit higher, but they’re pickier about what they buy and so you get better titles.
Library sales can be a fun source of books. Not only can you get some really interesting books, you’re helping to support your public library, always a good plan. Prices are usually very good.
Visit the Library
You don’t always have to buy books to enjoy them. You can head out to your local library and borrow them.
This is a great way to check out titles you aren’t sure you’ll like well enough to own or that you aren’t finding at used bookstores. Most public libraries can bring in titles from their other locations for you, so you don’t have to worry about driving long distances if another branch has the title you want.
My local library is about a mile away, so it’s pretty walkable even for the kids in most weather. This helps to avoid the use of my car and it’s pretty good exercise, especially with the hills in my area.
Rent Books
You’ve probably heard of Netflix and similar programs for renting movies. It’s hugely convenient and means you hardly have a need to buy movies to keep in your home. There are similar companies, such as Booksfree.com, where you can rent books for a time, no due dates. This is great if you like to take your time reading a new book, and you can choose to buy books when you like them that well.
This isn’t perfect, but few options are. There’s an environmental cost to having the books shipped around. It’s still an interesting option to get access to more titles than you keep in your home. And you don’t even have to make your way to the library.
Loan Books to Trusted Friends
Your books only do so much good sitting on the shelf. While it’s not always easy to loan out the books you love, sometimes you will find a friend you can trust to return the ones you loan to them.
Donate Books You No Longer Need
There comes a time where you no longer want to keep certain books in your collection. That’s the time to donate them to a good cause, whether it’s your local library or some other good cause.
If you prefer, you can also resell your old books. You can take them to a used bookstore or sell them online yourself through sites such as Amazon.
What Concerns Do I Have About Electronic Book Readers?
Devices such as the Kindle sound like a good way to get to read all the books you want without the use of paper, which isn’t always created in eco friendly ways. That’s what many people love about them. Is mining the materials for electronic readers really better? People talk about Kindles having lower carbon emissions over their lifetime than a book collection, but carbon isn’t all we should be looking at.
The problem I have is in part how people tend to use their electronic devices. Too many people dump their old electronics the instant the new model comes out, even when the old one is working just fine. That’s pretty wasteful. Possibly less wasteful than reading a book once and then getting rid of it, as some do, possibly more wasteful, I haven’t done the calculations.
If you’re considering a Kindle or other ebook reader, think about getting a used or refurbished model. This decreases the price and the environmental impact. Just be sure to dispose of it properly when it reaches the end of its usable lifespan, long before any of my books will.
There are some good arguments that Kindle and similar products are in fact more environmentally friendly than books, and it’s worth considering the information available. Just make sure you make the most of whatever source you have for your reading materials of whatever sort.
Tags: book rental, books, ebook readers, ebooks, kindle, library, reading habits
Are You Wasting Reusable Bags?
Apr 19, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
eusable shopping bags are a great idea in theory. You buy a bag, and bring it back every time you go shopping, no more need for paper or plastic bags.
The only problem is that many people don’t do it like that. They keep getting new reusable bags because they forget the old. The rate of reuse is so low that some grocery stores no longer offer a small discount for bringing your own bags because too few people do it.
I’ll admit the discounts are a nice thing when you can get them, but they shouldn’t be your only reason for bringing your own bags.
It’s easy to forget to bring your reusable bags to the store, if they aren’t right there when you head out. Most of us need it to be really convenient to remember the bags or it’s just not going to happen. Some people keep them by the door, others in the car, still others buy reusable bags that can be folded up small enough to fit into a purse.
Reusable bag quality matters too. You can get cheap ones many places, but some of those only last a few uses. They really aren’t as beneficial as better quality reusable bags that last far longer. My canvas bag, for example, puts up with quite a bit of abuse. I also have some old jeans that need to be made into shopping bags – far better than buying more reusable bags. Now I just need to make the time to get the job done.
If you’re developing a stack of reusable bags because you keep buying new ones when you forget, you need to build a new habit. Too many reusable bags are not good for the environment. Excess bags are a waste, especially if they’re just some sort of thicker plastic rather than fabric.
If you find yourself with a lot of extra reusable bags, a good start is to find people to give them to. Family members and friends who might use them are a pretty good place to start. They can make a nice sort of gift wrap, depending on style. Not quite as nice if they have store logos on them, but if you know people who won’t mind, not a bad gift either.
The main thing to remember is that any activity you do with the intent of being environmentally friendly only has a chance of actually being so if you do it correctly. Do it wrong and it becomes a feel good gesture that doesn’t actually accomplish anything and may even have more of negative effect than what you were trying to avoid.
Tags: excess reusable bags, make your own reusable bag, reusable bag waste, reusable bags, shopping
You Know You’re a Green Stay at Home Mom When
Dec 8, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
Life as an eco friendly mom takes some extra effort. Doing so as a stay at home mom has some advantages, but that still doesn’t make it all that easy.
You know you’re a green stay at home mom when…
You can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t use cloth diapers on a baby. With the right ones, it’s really not that different from disposable diapers, and much less waste. Then there’s the chance you can potty train your child younger than average… freedom!
You enjoy making baby food for your little one.
Your children help you in your organic garden. Most likely you’d love to have more room for it.
If there’s any way to have free range chickens in your backyard, you’ve got them.
Making homemade bread is one of your pleasures. The time spent is well worth the effort both for the taste and the savings.
You can think of plenty of uses for empty jars.
You know how much money you’re saving by choosing eco friendly options and how much waste you’re preventing.
You walk to run errands or take the kids to school whenever possible. Possible includes wet and cold weather, so long as it’s safe to walk where you’re going. Other parents may comment on your fortitude or insanity.
You wonder if your family really needs two cars. You may have even gotten rid of the second car because you know you can live without it. There’s public transportation for those times you need to get somewhere you can’t walk to and your husband needs the one car.
You breastfeed your toddler as long as you both enjoy it.
You don’t let caring for your children keep you from caring for the world around you. You do your best to teach your kids why they should care about the environment too.
The clerks know you at the local thrift store, and you know how to find the best clothes for your kids and yourself there. Who needs new?
Most times you take your kids with you to the farmer’s market, so that they can learn about food. But it’s a nice break sometimes to go on your own for a little peace and quiet. Hopefully you won’t start looking frantically for the “missing” child you left home with daddy.
You know what the best eco friendly toys are, and your kids love them. Most of their non eco friendly toys are handed down or were bought used.
Your children know little to nothing about fast food restaurants, and especially little about toys that come with meals.
You make many of your own cleaning supplies, and check the ingredients of any you buy. Everything you clean with is so safe you can let your kids use it.
Tags: green stay at home mom, sahm, stay at home moms, you know you're a green stay at home mom when
