Category Archives: Environmentally Friendly

The Benefits of Kids Playing Outside More

I just love sending my kids outside to play. Not only is the backyard a better ‘babysitter’ than the television, it’s much better for the kids to play outside. I can send them outside to play and often get 2 hours of quiet, while I’d be lucky to get a half hour using the ‘electronic babysitter’.

playing outside

That’s one of the simple ways to get kids to interact with at least a little nature. It’s not much, but it’s something, especially since we garden with our kids. It helps to keep them aware of nature.

I’m feeling pretty lucky in where I live right now. Even though the weather is cooling off most days (still having some hot ones), it’s beautiful for being outside too. No rain yet, no snow likely ever.

I don’t worry too much about perfect weather, though. I don’t mind my kids jumping in rain puddles if that’s what they feel like doing. If it’s cold outside I just encourage them to dress appropriately.

Even just backyard play encourages a sense of exploration. I see my kids digging for worms, finding bugs and generally having a good time. For some reason they find scrubbing down the outdoor table and chairs my inlaws gave us utterly fascinating. It happens regularly.

There is such a difference in behavior if kids don’t get to play outside enough. Some call it ‘Nature Deficit Disorder‘. My kids are much better behaved if they spend time playing ouside creatively rather than staring at the television. Whether or not it’s a common thing I will leave to individual parents.

The benefits I see from having my kids play outside a lot include the aforementioned better behavior as well as more creativity. If you like, you can think of outside play as one big, open ended toy. Even on playground equipment kids can use their imaginations, but you can often see far more if they’re just playing in the dirt.

The recent fires have put something of a damper on hiking. Some of the places we like best burned, and I think are still closed. It’s a pity, since I do think that getting out in nature beyond the backyard and playground has a benefit too. Unless, of course the backyard is like the one at my grandparents’ place in Oregon, as seen in the photo. The chance to see wildlife is really special and just doesn’t happen in most yards.

Playing outside also gives kids a chance to take chances. I love that. It can be hard to let my kids run about, and I do keep them in site, but being allowed to be independent helps them to develop. I try to watch enough to keep injuries minor, but getting hurt is another part of growing up.

I know in a lot of places winter means it’s harder for kids to play outside for more than a short time, but I think it’s important to allow it when possible. Just think about what you did when you were a kid.

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Costco Will Recycle Electronics

Yesterday I talked about whether or not you should repair or replace broken electronics. I briefly mentioned that you could recycle, but I forgot to mention one more resource for disposing of them.

Costco has partnered with Green Sight to recycle old electronics. They buy back those that still have some value, but if they don’t want to buy it, they will still take it for free. Much nicer than having to pay to recycle them. They’ll even give you an estimated value online.

Once you’ve filled in your information, they ask for your address and send you a prepaid shipping label. You get your payment in a Costco Cash Card. Seems like a pretty nice deal for getting rid of unwanted electronics

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Smarter Not to Repair?

Having successfully fixed my leaking dishwasher recently got me thinking about how easily many people throw broken gadgets and appliances out. Not even trying to recycle them in many cases; just throwing them out.

broken tv

There’s a list in AOL’s Money & Finance section that drives me nuts. It’s a list of 5 things you should never repair.

I know many gadgets are hard to have repaired, but to say you shouldn’t even bother checking it out really makes me mad. Especially since the list includes computers. The quick version of the list is:

  1. Computers
  2. Digital Cameras
  3. MP3 Players
  4. Microwave Ovens
  5. Cell Phones

I was smart when I got my computer and got the extended warranty. That’s not a smart move with a lot of electronics, but I’ve found it to be a must with computers, and every time I’ve bought one on a computer I’ve gotten my money’s worth. My computer I’m using right now has already had its power supply replaced once. Shouldn’t have needed it as it is not that old (coming up on two years, I think), but it did, and that would have been an expense if I hadn’t had the warranty. It’s had more minor work done too.

The other items mentioned I do understand are much harder to decide to repair. After all, they’re cheaper than a good computer, and repairs are expensive. It has long been an annoyance that disposal makes more sense than repair for so many things now.

I do agree that one of the smartest things you can do is to properly protect your electronics. They recommend that you have a sleeve for MP3 players, so that they are not so easily damaged. That’s just good sense.

Then again, the best thing you can do in terms of the environment and your electronics is think about which ones you really need at all, and how often you really need to upgrade. I buy computers when the old one gets beyond repair, my cell phone has survived a thorough soaking courtesy of my son, my digital camera is 5 years old and still going strong. I like it that way.

Once your electronics do reach that point, use resources such as Earth 911’s electronics recycling guide to figure out how to properly dispose of your electronics.

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Feeling Proud of Myself – Fixed My Dishwasher

I’m not that great at repairs, but if it’s something that requires research online to figure out the problem and not too much tool use, I may well be up for it. And that turned out to be the case with my dishwasher.

I noticed this morning when I ran it that it was leaking out of the bottom of the door. Did a search on Google and came up with ApplianceBlog.com’s forum. Found out that a leaky dishwasher door can be caused by the door vent being gunked up, and that they just pop right out.

So I looked inside,saw a vent I could pop out and ewww! Put me in mind of rotten cooked cabbage. The smell was horrible.

Cleaned it out and now there doesn’t seem to be a leak anymore.

Feeling pretty good about this because my landlord’s tendency is to replace rather than check out the chances for repair. I didn’t mind when the washing machine broke and they did that, since I had already figured out it was well beyond my meager abilities in that area, and the machine had a few other problems that I had been working with anyhow.

But replacing the dishwasher turns out to not be necessary, and even though it took my time and won’t save me any money, I’m happy. It’s one dishwasher that’s not going to junk quite yet.

This is Why You Conserve

Very interesting post on Workerette today on just how important water conservation is. She spotted two articles that I think are very important to read.

wasted water

The first is about a town in Tennessee that is out of water. The water is turned on in the town for just 3 hours a day. As you can imagine, those are 3 hectic hours.

The second is about the Georgia Aquarium, which is having to drain tanks because there is so little water available, and everyone is having to do what they can to cut way, way back on their water consumption.

These are issues that many states in the southeastern United States are dealing with. I won’t be surprised to see similar problems in a lot more states, and I am fully aware that southern California is reliant on other areas for water.

The suggestions for conserving water on the Workerette site are good. I do a lot of them already, although some aren’t possible for a renter. No choice about my washing machine, for example. But I do at least wash full loads whenever possible. And while the kids do still prefer baths, they take them together.

But I also like to think about outdoor water use. I don’t keep a perfectly green lawn. I do keep a vegetable garden, but that of course has benefits that I won’t trade for a lower water bill, and something would need to replace the garden anyhow.

We water the lawn just enough to keep it pleasant for the kids. It’s not that perfect green; doesn’t need to be. I scolded my husband for rinsing ash from the fires off our walkway rather than just sweeping them. Thought he’d know better by now….

We compost food waste. This may not seem like a water saver, but if you compare it to the practice of putting it down the garbage disposal in the sink, it can save some significant water. And of course it’s much better than throwing it in the trash, when you’re not thinking in water terms.

I have one kind of funny way to save water in the kitchen that only works on warm days. If I need hot water, I turn on the cold side. The reason for this is that our pipes must run under cement or something, because if the day is even a little warm the initial burst of water in the kitchen sink quickly turns hot. Scalding hot if the day is hot. I’ve seen steam. It’s annoying if I want cool water, but nice when warm is needed.

I don’t know how soon more communities will be facing severe water shortages, but it’s something we all need to consider and prepare for. The better we get at being efficient with our water use the easier it will be to adapt when there is no choice but to use less water.

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