Living Green and Frugally with Simple DIY Projects
By: Carlson Sandra
Tags: Living Green, DIY, Projects, Sustainable, Solar Power

Living Green and Frugally with Simple DIY Projects

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

Kermit the frog had a great perspective on being green. Have you fancied living more “green?” Have you found the prices for investing in more sustainable products would put a bad dent into the budget?

An increase in greener products is hitting the market and with declining prices. There are also more ways to make your own products reducing costs even more. Individuals who’ve become fed up with green market rates have paved a path reflecting how we can DIY what we need, proving the benefits of living green.

Fun Fact: The history of the green movement has been credited to Europeans and colonists that migrated to the New World — U.S. The need for natural resources to survive made it clear that these assets could decline the greater the population grew. Thomas Malthus, an English writer, attempted to enlighten us with An Essay on the Principle of Population. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were quoted for saying, “in wildness is the preservation of the world.” They deemed that nature had special spiritual elements and needed to be protected, thus giving birth to the concept of transcendentalists — the understanding of life relationships and connections to nature.

A good place to start with your do-it-yourself adventure is making your own cleaning products. Just like grandma used to talk about, the ingredients are returning to simple, non-toxic sources that remain cheaper at the stores. Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, salt, even refurbished fabrics are not only ingredients that remain marketed in brand name items, but also keep less trash going to landfills. I wonder what the trash bill cost was in our grandparents’ day with their everyday habits of reusing everything — a thought to ponder. Here is one resource to get started with: Busy Mom’s Blog, Ultimate List of Homemade Cleaning Supplies, Ingredients and Equipment.

Next in line are our personal care products. Ever try to read the ingredient’s product labels? If you can’t pronounce a chemical, or even know what it is, should we actually be using it? Anti-wrinkle creams, lotions, shampoos, deodorants, even toilet paper alternatives can be homemade, again lessoning trash build up and finding many substances cheaper than the brand. Don’t Mess with Mama, 100+ DIY Beauty + Skin Care Recipes, is an exceptional collection of homemade choices. And to satisfy that toilet paper issue, read through Ready Lifestyle’s article on Best Toilet Paper Alternatives-11 (Actually Useful) Options. Don’t worry; none of the ideas are gross.

How about a DIY water heater? The City Girl Farming blog offers an easy, quick and cheap source in her article: DIY Chicken Water Heater Less Than $4.00 and 4 Minutes. Projects that are simple and inexpensive help to build our confidence, and fun, in working to be greener.

Wiki How provides us with instructions on making a solar oven: How to Make and Use a Solar Oven. A solar oven helps with cooking during hot weather seasons and reducing the need for use of the air conditioner just to have a cooked meal.

Photo by Dylan Sauerwein on Unsplash

Let’s not forget the importance of using grey water. Grey water is water reused from doing laundry, cooking, even bathing and then divert into our yards. Sounds complicated, but many found simple ways to create their own water recycling systems. Instructables.com offers such an idea in the article: Laundry to Landscape Greywater System.

These projects reduce the costs of running regular appliances, saving money on any environmental output.

Fun Fact: Do you know what green walls are? Land8.com wrote: Going Vertical: The History of Green Walls. What is a green wall? This is landscaping that moves upward on a structure. Starting back in Babylon days, the idea took off into Scandinavia and Japanese civilizations to cover buildings which provided extra locations for growing needed plants. Placing plants on building walls not only acts as insulation, but offers clean air (oxygen) being produced and air filtration … eco-friendly action becoming more popular today.

There are plenty of quick projects that will supplement home habits resulting in less use of bigger cost items. Using flannel sheets in the winter and liter soda bottles filled with hot water will keep your bed toasty in winter and allow you to keep the thermostat turned down. Making your own rainwater barrel is easily done with a trash can. Just Measuring Up explains: This is the Easiest Way to Save Rain Water from Expert DIYers. If you have a garden, you must try making your own fertilizers. Plant Care Today offers, 10 Natural Homemade Organic Fertilizer Recipes. These recipes contain easy to find from-around-the-house ingredients that will again prevent landfill trash and freedom from toxic chemicals.

What if you don’t have time or desire to make your own products? No worries. There are many solar home gadgets whose prices have become more affordable. You can run your computer, charge your cell phone and recharge batteries with solar tools. There are even backpacks with solar rechargers, so anywhere you go you have access to keep an apparatus active. Camping supply stores offer many cooking and survival tools that can be used in place of home appliances plus provide emergency tools in the event of a disaster. Win, win.

Are you getting the picture? There are innumerable resources for finding do-it-yourself green projects out there. This article is barely scratching surfaces. Not only will you find online sources, but there are many print book sources as well, which can be located via online reading links or your local library, which is a green way of obtaining.

Photo by Alfred on Unsplash

Resources

Compost bins: 35 Cheap and Easy DIY Compost Bins That You Can Build This Weekend

BioFriendly Planet.com: Go Green at Home: 7 Eco-Friendly DIY Projects

Blevg.com: Why Go Green: Top 20 Environment Friendly Products

SHTFpreparedness.com: DIY Foil Solar Panels for Windows (VERY Easy)

Living Green Walls 101: Their Benefits and How They’re Made

TreeHugger: The History of the Green Movement

The Art of Simple: 40 Ways to Go Greener at Home (Besides Just Recycling)

American Solar Energy Society: 10 Awesome Solar-Powered Gadgets for Your Home