Calling all moms: Have you considered giving cloth diapering a chance, but aren't quite ready to commit? We'll give you a way to try it.
Heather at KnickerKnappies has offered a cloth diaper/insert pair to three readers.
To enter, leave a post with your name and best green tip by 12:00 a.m. Jan. 15. Winners will be randomly selected and will be announced by Jan. 17.
We can't afford a nice compost bin right now so we got this tip from a neighbor who does this every year: rake up all our leaves and put in a huge trash bag, let it sit out all winter long-by the time planting season comes around, you will have a nice compost pile to start with...we saw hers last year and it looked great as the bags allow the leaves to break down and she even had lots of creepy crawlies in there too... and it made a huge difference in her garden too!
ReplyDeletemicaela6955 at msn dot com
I would love to win these!! My best green tip is getting rid of those chemical house cleaners! Its alot cheaper to make your own. There are so many "recipes" online.
ReplyDeleteoh sorry my email is twinjackienurse at gmail.com
ReplyDeleteWe already cloth diaper, but my diaper stash is 7 year old and was used for both my kids (daughter is still in diapers)...and i could really use a couple new ones. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have rain barrels to catch the water from the gutters. We conserve water, by re-using the collected rain water to water our flowerbeds, garden and house plants.
enchantedtree at hotmail dot com
I use all my old plain cloth diapers as cleaning rags when they are "retired" and we re-use glass food jars for storage of the kids arts and crafts, leftovers etc. Jen bbjenna2002@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI really think hard before I print things (I work full time in an office with lots of paper), and try to double-side or print two sheets per page when I do need to print. That, and I have to second the homemade household cleaners. Vinegar and baking soda are my best friends!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance!
Margie
We never use paper towels. I use old dish cloths for cleaning, and cloth wipes for wiping faces, etc. It saves us big time on money, and really cuts back on trash. Plus, cloth really works better!
ReplyDeleteI've just discovered Skoy cloths which are great paper towel replacements and are compostable! That's my new favorite green tip.
ReplyDeleteYou dont need papertowels and cleaning with vinegar works well.
ReplyDeletehetz-junk(at)hotmail(dot)com
Get rid of paper towels! Just buy a package of bar mops at Sams Club. Also buy a set of 5 or 6 LARGE canvas shopping bags. Just not having all those stupid plastic grocery sacks in my house is a sanity saver
ReplyDeleteI do the canvas bags but don't get them too large. I have an extra large one and always have to ask that they they put light things in it. The bagger always wants to put 4 gallons of milk in the big one and that makes it difficult to lift.
ReplyDeleteI would love to try these diapers!
ReplyDeleteAt my house, we love to re-use everything we can! We also grow all of our own produce, and share with the neighbors!
I recycle as much as I can & found that our local Children's Museum takes all those containers that are the wrong number of plastic as well as leftover scraps of cloth, etc. Isew, so it is great to see all those tiny fabric scraps being used up too!
ReplyDeleteDelia
deliarose1975 at yahoo dot com
Grow your own...we grow organic herbs, vegetables, and fruit in our backyard. We've had hits and misses, but it really connects our daughter to the land and understanding where food really comes from...not to mention getting fresh food right from our backyard. We even accidently grew watermelons after a summer seed-spitting contest resulted in some new fruit in our garden months later.
ReplyDeletedangotmail AT yahoo DOT com
While the shower is warming up, I collect the cold water from the shower in a bucket and use it later to water plants or flush the toilet. Thanks for the chance to win! ccmailnc at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteWe currently use gdiapers and compost most of them, but I'd love to try cloth...just haven't made the switch yet.
ReplyDeleteWe do a garden in the summer and freeze veggies to use year round! I just recently began using cloth diapers, but don't have many yet. These would be much appreciated!
ReplyDeletegitrecca at gmail dot com
My Mom always made her own cleaners when I was growing up. I love to use baking soda to clean things, and I let my children use it to knowing it is safe!
ReplyDeleteCaroline
Im4Christ2@msn.com
I bring my own bags to the grocery store and if I forget and get plastic grocery bags then I re-use them as packing when I am shipping items. Thanks for the giveaway I would love to start using cloth diapers, it would be a great motivation!
ReplyDeleteMake my own baby wipes... so, easy to mix up. Recipes can be found on-line.
ReplyDeleteUse cloth training pants instead of the disposable pull-ups.
When babies are little...check out EC (Elimination Communication), info. can be found online...so, you don't have to use disposable diapers...also, helps to not use as many cloth diapers.
priscillawallace @ sbcglobal (dot) net
We are trying to move to cloth as much as possible instead of disposable products. Hoping to be close to 100% cloth someday!
ReplyDeleteI try to always but my little ones clothes a the consignment shop. It saves packaging, energy costs and it even saves our family money.
ReplyDeleteWe also save the packaging when we get something in the mail and we reuse it when we mail something out.
Definitely making your own cleaner for my family. It is so much safer to have around the house especially with children. Thanks for a great giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteWe would LOVE to try these out! Last year we started using reusable bags, changed all light bulbs and stopped using paper towls. This year I am trying to make my own house cleaners which I found online... so far so good! Thanks.
ReplyDeletechericehodges@gmail.com
Since the holidays are over with, maybe a helpful tip for next year. How about planning a special event or outting instead of all the presents that sometimes go unappreciated and that use up paper with all the wrappings.
ReplyDeletethebovees49091 at yahoo dot com
Thanks for the giveaway. We're not very "green" but try to live a generally eco-conscious lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI want to do cloth diapering with my 5 month old daughter so bad but am a bit intimidated. It would be great to win these so I can start somewhere. Best Green Tip: Baking Soda works great as a bathroom cleaner and also added to your/babies bath to soften skin. Also add apple cider vinegar to your shampoo once a week to clean your hair from product. It's cheaper than buying another shampoo and makes your hair super shiny.
ReplyDeleteI am expecting baby #6 next month and would love to win these. My best green tip is to switch to cloth napkins, especially if you have a big family like me. I bought most of mine from garage sales or thrift stores, but for my little ones I just buy a dozen white wash cloths when they go on sale for $3.00 or so and use them instead. My email is: grace116@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteboy i need these! my best tip- use cloth towels for cleaning instead of paper towels, you don't realize how many you use!!!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that going green is a whole bunch of little things like using cloth bags for shopping, changing out the light bulbs, recycling plastic/ paper/ glass (whatever your community will take), replacing paper products with cloth, and switching out those caustic cleaning products. I love reading sites that provide green "hints" because I always find something new (and easy) that I can do.
ReplyDeleteMy current favorite green tip is taking my own shopping bags into stores.
ReplyDeleteslrdowney at hotmail dot com
Well...Everyone pretty much summed up all my "green" ideas. I would love to be enterd as I just started cloth diapering not to long ago and LOVE it.
ReplyDeleteThanks
The best green tip I can think of right now is to use a clothesline instead of a dryer---it really makes a difference. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteemhagedon at gmail
My best green tip is to start buying green products as you run out of the bad stuff. I just bought a steam mop that doesn't use chemicals when my other mop broke. You can make small changes and before you know it, you will be green.
ReplyDeleteWould love to win this for a friend, due in February. Thanks for a great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteMy best green tip is to start small and build from there... we have rain barrels that catch gutter run off, which are so great and super easy to use/install. We then switched to cloth napkins, has made a huge difference in the paper consumption of our house! Start with changing light-bulbs, very easy. Building a green lifestyle is very rewarding and doing one thing/making one change per month is much easier than you might think! :)
laurachilton {at} hotmail.com
After a movie and a big bowl of popcorn, if there is any popcorn left, instead of throwing it out, I string it up and put it on trees outside for the birds. It helps make me not feel so guilty for not buying birdseed. I also crumble any old, dry bread that I haven't made into croutons, outside under the trees for the birds. Another fun idea is collecting pinecones in the fall with the kids. Save them for art projects in the winter like, smearing them in peanut butter and roliing them in birdseed, you can make birdfeeders. Thanks!
ReplyDeletekarmakaytlyn@yahoo.com
Winning these diapers would be amazing!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are on a really tight budget, so I make my own kitchen cleaner instead of buying green cleaners.
Mix:
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid dish soap
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- A few drops of an essential oil (Some of the best germ killing essential oils are lavender, thyme, juniper, tea tree, rosemary, eucalyptus and clove)
my email is: aniebear@hotmail.com
instead of printing most things, I use the "print to PDF" option
ReplyDeleterachiepalooza at gmail
My green tip: trade books through bookmooch.com. There's no cost but the shipping, and readers can always get a new book, if only they'll pass on the one they just read.
ReplyDeleteMy email address can be accessed through my blogger profile.
My best green tip is to replace paper napkins and paper towels with cloth. It's a really easy and cost effective switch.
ReplyDeletedeberniere at yahoo dot com
For health reasons, it's safer to opt for heat-resistant glass or ceramic containers for use in microwaves. It's also greener: It reduces our reliance on plastics, which create CO2 in their production, and cuts down on trash.
ReplyDeleteHeating increases the likelihood that chemicals will be released from a material. Certain chemicals called plasticizers (such as DEHA), which are used to make plastics soft and pliable, are known to pass into foods under heat. This is especially true of fatty foods like meat and cheese. Avoid using soft plastic containers, including regular plastic wrap, as well as take-out containers, in your microwave. And never reuse cartons from microwaveable meals.
Walk, ride your bike, carpool, or use public transportation. It not only cuts down on emissions but saves money!
ReplyDeletededuce1@hotmail.com
Thank you all for entering and for your tips! The contest is now closed.
ReplyDelete