Are there any low cost and fun ways to keep my how family green?

Question

I just got a new car so no buy a Totya Pruis and where can i get these things

Answer 1

Instead of buying new things, (but you really need something) try the garage sales and thrift stores...tell your kids you are on a treasure hunt...allow them to dress up like pirates, so they will really be in the mood!

Try growing your own food (seeds and seedlings are cheap)- you do not have to have a major garden, just something small - kids love to help with all that dirt, the watering, seeing it grow - and what a sense of accomplishment when you eat what you grow!

Reuse your grocery bags or get some real cheap at the thrift store. Have the kids decorate them and be in charge of getting them back into the car.

Have your children make their own gifts and cards by using recycled things around the house. Newspapers make great gift wrap - and so does school art work.

Start a worm compost bin under the kitchen sink! Start up does not cost that much, and kids think it is cool to feed scraps to the worms! There are plenty of websites on that to help you out...

When you get enough ideas and start incorporating them in your daily life, have the kids take turns playing the 'green police'...keep an active chart going, showing what you are doing, and have the child of the day (or week) make sure everyone is still doing there job! Give them extra points for finding even more ways to conserve and keep the family green!
Good Luck!

Answer 2

1. Preprogrammed thermostat 2. New A/C unit that's matched up to a new furnace- They have DC motors in them that speed up or slow down incrementally depending on how your heat cycle is running or how cold your A/C is. you can actually squeeze a couple more seer out. And the furnace is well over 90% efficient too. 3. Insulate your attic and the rest of your house well. 4. Draw your insulated curtains shut during the day. And while you are at it, get some windows that have thermosealed glass. 5. Get a attic fan that's powered by solar panels. These will run at about 500 cfm for $160.00 initially. It's easier to cool the house when the attic isn't 150 degrees and the shingles will last longer 6. Make sure your air filters are clean. A restriction in air flow may even cause your system to freeze over. 7. Check to see if your system is charged up to manufacturer's specs. Over time seepage can occur through valve seals and such. 8. Keep the radiating coils outside clean. If there's cottonwood trees you might even get a spongy wrap for it if instead of fins, the coils have a garland type radiation metal around the coils. This makes cleaning easier. 9. Cook outdoors more. That kitchen gets real hot! And grilled food tastes better-but that's another lesson. 10. Install an On-Demand water heater with a recirculating pump wired to an infra red motion detector on the light switch in your bathroom. It will save time and money in getting hot water to you faster and you won't be heating water for standby purposes. And it beats the snot out of electric water heaters. 11. Install switches that have timers with motion detectors on them in areas that are likely to have the lights left on often. 12. Have chargers and other electronics plugged into strips that can be turned off by a switch. Even when a TV is turned off, it's instant on feature keeps it running. A charger is still hooked into the grid even when it's not in use. And if it has a light on (VCR, microwave clock, ect.) it's got juice. 13. Stay away from box fans. Use the smaller, more efficient 12 inch plastic cased turbo style that has a higher pitch to the blades and uses a lot less power. Those box fans get that bill up alot for what they are doing and the smaller ones can work as a recirculating fan for less than a ceiling fan. Smaller motor/higher pitch=less amps. 14. Change as many bulbs as you can from incandescent to flourescent. Outside spot light may take a bit to get bright in the winter. but they all use a fraction of the power for equal light.

Answer 3

Walk everywhere you can together. Volunteer in your community to plant trees. Start a community recycling program.