For pets, stainless-steel bowls safer than plastic
One of the healthiest and greenest swap-outs you can make for your family pets is to switch the type of bowl they eat and drink from. While a plastic bowl may be cheap and durable, it can get scratched up easily; those scratches can harbor illness-causing bacteria, plus the plastic is difficult to recycle. Instead, invest in stainless-steel bowls. They are durable, easily recyclable and can be sterilized with just warm, soapy water, or even tossed into the dishwasher.
RECYCLABLE PAPER
If you collect recyclable paper like magazines, junk mail and newspaper in a paper shopping bag, be careful which type of bag you use. Shopping bags that are made from glossy or shiny paper or have plastic handles are not good candidates; they are hard to recycle and need to be sorted out at the recycling facility. Instead, consider brown paper grocery bags, or just bundle the papers together with natural string like twine.
GINGER ROOT
Fresh ginger root is becoming a popular kitchen staple in many homes. If you find yourself with leftover root, there’s no need to toss it in the trash or compost; you can actually grow a new plant from it. Just fill a small pot with potting soil mix and place the root inside, then cover with more soil and water. In a few days, a small plant will sprout, and in just a few weeks, you’ll actually have a healthy ginger plant. And yes, you can harvest the root in a few months and have ginger root you grew yourself right at home.
PUMPKIN MULCH
Do you want to help grow a garden and feed the soil at the same time? Decomposing autumnal gourds and pumpkins may be compostable, but they can also grow from and help feed any kind of soil in the yard. Just dig a hole and toss the mushy pumpkin, squash or gourd right in, then cover. It’ll decompose into beneficial mulch for your garden and offer a surprise down the road: a fresh patch of plants that’ll sprout new gourds, right in your own garden.
SURGE PROTECTORS
If your computer is acting slow, it may not be time to get a new laptop or desktop; the culprit may actually be what your PC is plugged into. Keeping a computer plugged into a surge protector is necessary to help protect your pricey investment. But like any electronics, even surge protectors wear down over time and need to be replaced. A worn-out surge protector could be the reason for a slowdown in performance from your computer. To make sure, simply borrow a new surge protector and plug your computer into it. If it acts fine, you’ll know exactly what the reason is.
BIRDS AND BUGS
If you want to attract more birds to your yard, there’s no need to have bird feeders full of seed everywhere. Instead, eliminate all chemical insecticides from your backyard. According to the National Wildlife Federation, our feathered friends love to hunt and eat insects because it’s their primary source of protein. When a yard is treated to eliminate insects, it’s a less attractive environment for birds to visit. Turn your yard into a wildlife habitat and you’ll not only go green, but you’ll save the money you would have spent on costly (and unnecessary) spray treatments.
KILL-A-WATT
Older appliances in the home that are still working well and don’t seem to need to be replaced are still not as efficient as they were the first day you plugged them in. You can see exactly how energy-efficient (or inefficient) your refrigerator or television really is by plugging it into an energy consumption reader. The device — one brand is called a Kill-aWatt — connects to the appliance and displays on a screen its true energy usage. These readers cost about $25 to buy, or you can borrow them for free from your local library. (The Kill-a-Watt isn’t among the Chattanooga Public Library’s loanable tools, but Mary Jane Spehar, director of operations, says she’ll mention this “interesting gadget” at the next leadership meeting.)