Environment Committee
Tip of the Month
Green Tips for Efficiency, Pets and Sleeping in the Winter
A View of Efficiency
Install weather stripping on drafty doors and windows. Experts estimate that as much as 25 per cent of your home’s heat can escape through leaky windows. You also can use stretch-seal, heat-shrink plastic sheeting kits to seal warped or single-pane windows. It’s inexpensive and easy. Or increase efficiency by redecorating with insulated drapes.
If you own a window air conditioner, take time to remove, clean and store it. If that’s not feasible, then wrap the unit with a thick layer of fiberglass insulation and seal it with plastic sheeting and duct tape to keep out moisture.
Keep It Clean
Clean fixtures and lamps at least once a year. Wiping away the dust (once the bulb is cool) enhances the light they emit.
Green Night’s Sleep
Bamboo bed sheets are reported to be softer than cotton while being eco-conscious. Bamboo fabric feels silky, wicks moisture, has natural antimicrobial properties and comes from a rapidly renewable resource that doesn’t require pesticides to grow.
We Have the Scoop
Cat owners should avoid clumping clay litter. Not only is clay strip-mined (bad for the planet), but the clay sediment is also permeated with carcinogenic silica dust that can coat kitty lungs (bad for the cat). Plus, the sodium bentonite that acts as the clumping agent can poison cats through chronic ingestion, given their fastidious need to groom. Because sodium bentonite acts like expanding cement — it’s also used as a grouting, sealing and plugging material — it can swell up to 15–18 times its dry size and clog up.
Great Grass
Here’s one for the canine contingent. You’ve probably seen your dog chomping grass in the backyard to help ease temporary digestive troubles. The problem is your lawn may be fertilized with chemicals, which isn’t good for Spot. Wheatgrass, available at garden stores, is an inexpensive and easy way to grow grass indoors – especially in the winter months. Your pet will have a supply of non-toxic nibbling about a week after planting the seeds.
Source: EarthShare.org
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