Poll Closed: February From Trash To Treasure Challenge Poll

 The winners are Go Green & Fabric Scraps!

Continue the Warmth Challenge	9 (31%)
Go Green	15 (51%)
paper or plastic?	7 (24%)
Valentine's / Love	6 (20%)
Crayola Challenge	5 (17%)
Soda Tabs & Bottle Caps	7 (24%)
Plastic with yarn/fabric	3 (10%)
The Dining Room	4 (13%)
Inspirational Challenge	4 (13%)
Fabric Scraps	13 (44%)

Votes so far: 29
Poll closed 

Go Green: If you do not already, use only cloth napkins, hankies (not tissues), reusable shopping bags, or another reusable item all month. Do not use disposable items. You can do one or more of items.


Fabric Scraps: Make something with left over fabric scraps.

Some of my thoughts on the go green challenge that are not in the example:

• Compost and recycle everything that you can. Try to see how long you can go without having to take out your garbage. My max so far has been 3 weeks. It feels really good to skip trash pick up day.
• Reduce: Probably the most important of the 3 Rs. Try to buy less. Try to use reusable items (another of the Rs). Try to shop with the idea of how much “trash” you are buying (how much packaging comes with your purchase and how much of it is recyclable).
• Maybe you need a little extra cash or you want your children to learn about ways in which to make some money. Then you can save those recyclable items that can be redeemed for cash in your area. For me, that means saving brand name drink plastic bottles and cans and taking them to the grocery store.
• Another Reduce: Take food containers to take out restaurants and have them put your food in your reusable containers. This also goes for bringing your coffee or tea mugs to places and having them fill them up instead of giving you plastic or styrofoam cups. Some places, like Dunkin Donuts, will sell these mugs and then give you a discount on refills.
• Another reduce: Drive less. Make a list of all the things that you need to buy, and buy them all on a single outing instead of over several days. This will save you gas. Also walk more, if you can, or car pool.
• Do you really need that new book? Check and see if your library has it or can order it. Many libraries will share books with each other so that their customers won’t have to try and find an out of the way library.
• Pick one night a week (or more) to turn off all the electricity in your home. What can you do for an hour with just a candle, fire in the fireplace, or a flashlight to see by?
• Meatless Monday: If you eat meat, you can actually make a nice impact on the environment and on your health by cutting meat out of your diet for one day a week. It is a growing thing. There is even a Meatless Monday website.
• If you are a Vegetarian, then maybe you can go even further on Mondays. Maybe do Vegan Mondays. Or start weaning your lifestyle away from animal products, like leather.
• Buy organic food and humanely treated animal products.
• Shop local: Buy from local farmers and local stores. This does not mean buy from the Target down the road from you. I mean stores that are individually owned and run. Not only will you be supporting your local economy, but you will be using less gas when driving.
• Pick up the litter. Thats right, either by yourself or with a group, go around and pick up litter. Where I live we have a town wide clean up every April (the Saturday after Earth Day). People sign up to clean certain parks, roads, etc.
• Get involved with a local “green” organization.
• Start a vegetable garden.
• Buy products that were made from post consumer recycled items.
• Start getting rid of your plastic dishes and other food items and replacing them with non-plastic items (this does take time).

I could go on, but those are some ways to interpret the go green challenge.