Tinkerblue

Dual Flush

No the toilet doesn't flush twice.  It has two different buttons, one for, er, how do I put this..liquid/solid #1/#2 or blatantly pee/poop.  pee = half flush.  poop = full flush.  It uses 0.8 and 1.6 gallons of water, depending on the flush. This half flush and full flush technology can reduce water usage by up to 67% compared with the traditional toilet that uses 2.9 gallons in a single flush.

Photo courtesy of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia.

Common at home, but I don't think I've seen one, here in North America.  I didn't realise until now, but it's actually an Australian innovation.  You can read more here.  And a dual flush toilet is compulsory in all new built homes at home.  Every little bit helps when it's the driest continent and in the middle of a drought.

Right now, we can't justify spending money on two new toilets, but when the one's we have die, or we win lotto, we will replace them with dual flushing toilets.  But I thought I'd post about them during Kelli's Green Week.  Education is part of helping mother earth.

Hanging them out to dry

Our clothes that is.  Growning up in Australia, our clothes very rarely went in the dryer.  We always hung them on on the clothesline in the back yard.  Everything went on the line - underwear, clothes, sheets, towels, you name it.  It's better for the clothes, they last longer.  And it uses less electricity and energy.  Well, more of my energy, but that's not we're talking about.

Photo from Hills Hoist This is very similar to the one that is in my parents back yard.  It's a permanent fixture.

When I first moved to Canada everything went in the dryer.  But I prefer air dried clothes.  So hubby built me a drying rack. We don't have a backyard, so it had to fit indoors, and fold out of the way when not in use.  Now most stuff is air dried.

Drowning in Water Bottles

I have a fridge that dispenses water out of the door.  So why are we spending so much money on bottled water?  Especially when the bottles then have to be disposed of.  Yes, they get recycled but they still have to be dealt with.  And we own about 1/2 a dozen nalgene bottles of various shapes and sizes so why don't we use those?  We do now. 

We do still have a couple of flats of water.  One in the boot of my car, one in the garage and one at the hanger.  They are for emergencies, flooding, earthquake type emergencies, not "I'm thirsty."

Now I fill my water bottle several times a day.  Either from the fridge at home, or the tap at work. Yes, the tap! 

And today I am the proud new owner of a SIGG water bottle.  Remember this post?  Well I couldn't find either of those bottles, but I did find the next best thing.  Mickey Mouse.

And for those times when I stop into the coffee shop unplanned.  I keep a coffee mug in my car.  It get's cleaned and then goes back in the car. 

There's Method in My Madness

Continuing with Kelli's Green Week.

A while back I switched to using Method products.  They are a little more expensive than normal, but they also seem to be lasting longer than normal.  Or maybe I just haven't done much in the way of housework recently.  Please don't drop in for a surprise visit this week.

Method use formulas that contain only biodegradable ingredients, derived from natural ingredients - soy, coconut etc.  Their packaging is made from recyclable materials, and they don't test on animals.

I've also stopped using sheets and sheets of paper towel when I clean. I bought some cleaning cloths.  And rather than chuck out paper towel, I wash the cloths.  I colour coded them - grey is for stainless steel,  cream for the bathroom and dark red for everything else.  I love the smell of the pink grapefruit.

My empty paper towel holder.

Don't get me wrong, we are far from completely eco friendly.  We still use paper towel, we just don't have any right now, and we don't go through anywhere near as much as used to.

Another company that makes environmently friendly products is Seventh Generation.  There products don't seem to be available any where locally though, and Method is at my local supermarket, so Method it is.

Lush and Wiccy Magic Muscles

Kelli posted about doing your bit to help the environment.  She has declared this week, Green Week.  Share your ideas for treading a little lighter on mother earth. 

Here's one.

Lush.  They use minimal packaging and their product is awesome.

From their website....

A LUSH Life
We believe in making effective products out of fresh organic* fruit and vegetables, the finest essential oils and safe synthetics, without animal ingredients, and in writing the quantitative list on the outside.
We also believe in buying only from companies that test for safety without the involvement of animals and in testing our products on humans.
We believe in making our own fresh* products by hand, printing our own labels and making our own fragrances.
We believe in long candlelit baths, massage, filling the house with perfume and in the right to make mistakes, lose everything and start again.
We believe that our products should be good value, that we make a profit and that the customer is always right.
*We also believe words like "fresh" and "organic" have honest meaning beyond marketing.

I love this massage bar.  The name makes me laugh.  Wiccy Magic Muscles.  Great for showering after a run or the gym.   I bought a small tin, and when I need a new bar, I take the tin to the store and they just put it right in.  No packaging.

I also have a shampoo bar that I use when travelling.  Again I have a small tin, that I reuse again and again and again. No packaging to dispose of. 

Every little bit helps right?

Kelli created a flickr group too.

How are you contributing to a greener life?