I wanted to share a few ideas that I find are environmentally friendly.


#1:  This one is geared more towards business owners.  A lot of companies receive product on skids with a plastic shrink wrap around the skid.  This shrink wrap (provided that it's fairly clean) can be used for packing/stuffing when sending out product to other customers. Instead of using Styrofoam pellets/wrap or scrunched up paper, you can re-use the shrink wrap to fill air pockets in boxes as an insulator /protector for fragile items.  FREE PACAKAGING FILLER!!


#2: Toilet Bowl Cleaner - Lemon Juice  OR Mouth Wash.  Both are easier on the environment - and you get a clean minty fresh scent from the Mouthwash.  If you really want to do a "daily" clean on your toilet, spit out your morning rinse right into your toilet.  This may seem like an odd routine, but you might as well get 2 uses from one product.


#3: Trying to save more on electricity bills?  Consider removing certain lighting altogether.  We can all survive without the light that comes on when we open the clothes dryer door.  And don't forget to change the bulb in your overhood range to a fluorescent (I think everyone thinks "lights"/"lamps" and easily forget about the range hood
and dryer.)  If you are able to change the one in your fridge opt for the lowest wattage possible.


#4: Green Bin alternative:  For anyone who lives in a condo/apartment that has not yet been provided with green bin service, I save all of my "dry" foods, such as old bread, crackers, cereals - anything that would normally go into the garbage and I bring it to the park and feed the pigeons (or to my family's farm and feed the chickens!)  there's a ton
of food that birds can benefit from  - and keep the seagulls in mind too - they are garbage eaters after all and love apple cores, bad fruit/bread etc....  It's a way to get out to the park and enjoy some nature while feeding the birds, and still being able to "compost"!  All of my breads, cereals or crackers that may be expiring are organic and low on sodium which is a good thing to keep in mind - birds are not built for high sodium intake! 


#5: Save all cotton balls from Vitamin and supplement bottles and use them for make up remover pads/cotton balls.  Free!


Hopefully this is a broad range of ideas that will help at least one person somewhere in the city do their part to help our environment and save some money!


Thanks to Alex Franco for this submission in March '08.

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