The huge amount of food ending up in the garbage either because it is cooked and not consumed or bought in excess and expired, is a significant problem especially in the large communities such as cities.

Here are 8 smart green tools to help you monitor how and what you consume and whether or not you need to buy them.

1. Make a list and stick with it

Before going shopping write down the items you actually miss from the house and list them in the order of your consumption priority. Do not take fragile or easy to spoil food if you are not sure it will be consumed soon. Stick to the list and do not waste money.

2. Cook responsibly

Make sure you make just enough food for the number of people who are going to eat it. Do not keep cooked food in the fridge unless it is eaten within 48hours or you can be sure it will end up in the bin.

3. Beware of the take-out

When you are hungry and order food, the tendency is to order much more than you can eat. Ready made food has a very short life and you can guess where it will end up.

4. Old before new

When you buy new food, put it in the back of the fridge and you put the old one on the front. This way you won’t have to throw away stuff that went bad forgotten on the back of the shelf.

5. Best before dates alarm

Do not buy things that are on sale because they expire in a week. Most likely they will be just another piece of garbage the week they expire since you will not eat them no matter how much you think you will.

6. Make sure you cannot use it anymore

Soft fruit can make a fruit tart or a fruit juice. Wilted vegetables can be hydrated and used in a soup or stew.

7. Consume leftovers the next day

Boiled pasta can be used in a pasta pudding; boiled corn can accompany a vegetable salsa. Do not throw it before you make sure you cannot use it. Google recipes and you will be surprised.

8. The freezer is your friend

What is good to eat and in danger to go bad can go in the freezer. You can unfroze left over dough or fruit and use them in a future cake.

Therefore, try to enjoy it the green way and keep some rules, in case you want to join the cause for cleaner beaches. Rule number one is to pick up after yourself and others. Leaving trash is an issue, so try to pick up anything and don’t leave any trace of your presence.

Bottles of water left behind are a normal view for many, but the ecologists are advising to hydrate yourself with reusable bottles of water.

In case you don’t want to have additional expenses, just bring your water from home and use the same bottle you used at home. Stainless-steel bottles keep the water cold, therefore they are the best decision.

Another advice for those of you, who want to make their beach adventure green, is to cut the smoking at the beach. According to the statistics, nearly 2.2 million pieces of cigarettes debris are found in the coastal shores after the end of the summer.

The bad news is that not all of them are collected, so there is a percentage that remains in the sand. In case you are a heavy smoker, just collect your cigarettes debris and throw them to the proper collecting spots, when you are back at home.

The experts are stating, that this is actually people’s fault and they are advising about methods to preserve water in simple and easy steps. Saving-water techniques don’t need to be difficult and they totally depend on us.

One of these is to turn off the water, while shaving, washing your face or brushing your teeth.

This can sound a bit strange and you probably wonder how this will save water, but the statistic shows that families that are doing this are saving two times more water than people who let the water running during the time they brush their teeth.

The authority in Nashville is recommending the study of the water bills. This way you will find out when is the period you are consuming more water.

Installing a rain barrel is also good idea for saving water and cutting off your electricity and water bills. In fact the rain water is eminent for its healthy effect.  Another simple idea to follow is to insulate your pipes. This will stop the water loss and will reduce the consumption.

Are we responsible enough?

It is awareness of the current problem of mass production, industrialism, and advancement in society that is seen as the first step in accepting green tips and their purpose.

It is human responsibility to take initiative and take charge of his personal and everyday consumption of resources that are available before we are left with depleted resources and an irreversible pollution problem.

Although, the sad truth to it is that a lot do not seem to concern themselves with the current situation, and just go about with their everyday lives.

This is the reason why those who are aware and those who care have practiced green tips passed on from one individual to another in hopes of changing the habits of everybody involved.

Like mentioned earlier, the first step is awareness. Knowledge of the current status of the environment should be taken seriously. There are a lot of green tips that people practice in their own homes, and here are some of them that you may want to follow as well:

1. Recycle newspapers and magazines

The amount of paper made in a month’s time numbers to a quantity more than we can imagine. The growing number of human population pushes forth a demand for more production of paper[paper recycling] which, in turn, demands more trees to be cut down. green tips is one of the most practical green tips to follow, and they can be used for other household purposes to be used later on.

2. Recycle bottles

This green tip show us that it is more cost efficient to reuse old bottles to contain water we use when we are out.

It saves the environment to use them again instead of throwing them away they will be burned in waste compounds and eventually contribute to harmful toxins to the environment.

3. Use energy saving bulbs

This is the most cost efficient, green tip solution possible to conserve energy used at home. It uses up less energy which in turn lowers electricity bills and electricity consumptions.

4. Do not use dryers

Cloth dryers consume too much electricity just to dry clothes. It is an advisable green tip to use natural ways of drying them by simple hanging them outside for the sun to do its job. It saves a lot of money and very light on the bills.

5. Conserve gasoline

If it is possible to use non gas powered vehicles, then do it. There are alternatives such as walking and using a bicycle. It is also a good idea to plan your trips to maximize your time and minimize energy wasted.

Whatever the case, green tips should be an everyday lifestyle that should come natural to us. In essence, it is the responsible choice to follow. Another responsibility we should take into consideration is to set an example for others to follow.

Traditional cleaning agents today contain too much chemicals that can harm ones health in exponential ways possible. The fact that people know this, they are becoming more aware of green cleaning to help preserve their health.

There are cases that show the effects of these chemicals found in traditional cleaning agents and how it can be harmful to humans such as skin irritations, eye irritations, nose irritations, nausea, and other pulmonary complications.

It is also a fact that the manner of which these traditional cleaning agents are made has a binding effect on the environment’s welfare and can actually be avoided.

There are natural alternatives in which green cleaning promotes that can be practiced in each and every household. You may also have ideas of your own but these can be used as guidelines to help promote the idea.

Here are the tips that can be followed:

1. Household air freshener

You may avoid using chemically mixed air fresheners by using natural ones for your home. Natural plants such as lilies, herbs, and other aromatic plants may be used in replacement of these chemical ones. They pose no threat to your health and this green cleaning tip may even be good for you in the long run.

2. Natural all-purpose cleaner

This green cleaning tip can prove to be very useful if you do not settle well with traditional all-purpose cleaners. They contain chemicals that may irritate the most sensitive of skins that may prove to be very uncomfortable especially when your skin starts to dry up or produce rashes.

A natural solution may be the use of baking powder diluted in water. You may add scent by including orange or lemon peels in your baking soda solution as well.

3. Keeping the home clean

A good green cleaning tip is to actually prevent unwanted dirt, waste, or other toxins from entering your house. A good cure is prevention at the onset.

By leaving footwear anywhere but the house is an advisable thing to do. Always sweep your home, get rid of dust, and do regular cleanup.

4. Dispose of waste in the proper areas

It is hard to prevent the fact that there are waste products produced in every home. By segregating waste such as bio-degradable and non-biodegradable products can greatly promote green cleaning, not just in your home, but also on your surroundings. These segregated wastes are usually picked up by community contractors to be processed accordingly.

You are doing the environment a great deal of service by doing green cleaning. Remember that change always starts from yourself and hopefully others would step up and follow your example. Little contributions such as green cleaning can greatly reduce the harmful toxins that are released in our environment.

By following green cleaning tips you are discouraging the use of chemically manufacture products. In addition, it also promotes good health and greatly reduces the risk of sicknesses and other complications.

Most constructors do not choose the most energy effective materials when building a house because the products cost a little more than the standard ones and this cuts of their profit.

For the new owner it is worth it to spend a little more while building and a lot less afterwards in the many years the house will be used as a personal home.

This is how the standard heating is usually the largest consumer in the house. Choosing a more effective form of energy for starters is a very good idea and picking out the suitable energy plan for the specific area the house is build can contribute to saving a considerable amount of money.

Also programmable thermostats are very helpful, so the owner’s agenda will be free of the part reminding to reduce the temperature before going to work.

The water heating energy is a large consumer. The natural gas is the most efficient heating source for water so the right boiler can add to saving energy.

Door and windows can be very helpful in storing heat but for that the greatest attention must go to the moment when they are installed.

When choosing house hold apparatus it is better to look after the energy star label because it is identifying those gadgets with the lowest energy consumption.

Also make sure you turn off the water on the faucet while you are brushing your teeth, washing your face or shaving your face.

2. Many people think it is best to only fill the dishwasher partway and run it.

Many people think the dishes that are in the dishwasher will get cleaner if only fewer dishes are in the dishwasher.

However this is not the case. The best thing to do for the environment is to only run the dishwasher when it is completely full. The dishes will get just as clean if the dishwasher is completely full as if it was only partially full.

3. Only run a load of clothes in the washer when the washer is completely full. The clothes will get just as clean as they would have gotten if the washer was only partially full and you will save so much water.

4. Consider only flushing the toilet when someone makes a bowel movement. Many people have a saying for this ‘if its yellow let it mellow and if it’s brown flush it down.”

Alternatives to Chlorine Bleach:

Hydrogen peroxide based bleach used in laundry instead of chlorine bleach will kill mold and mildew.

And a hydrogen peroxide based bleach used in kitchen and bathroom instead of chlorine bleach will still sanitize counters and cutting boards as well as removing stains from counters.

Chlorine free products used for household cleaning can eliminate risks of dangerous toxins and poisons as well.

Chlorine bleach is the most common household cleanser that kids ingest and accidently swallow.

Additionally, when chlorine is mixed with ammonia it combines to make a very specific danger and releases very poisonous gases. In fact, mixing chlorine with many other types of cleaners such as acidic cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners and other household cleaners all cause this dangerous specific poisonous gas.

Basically, don’t ever mix cleaning products at all. But all of these reasons are enough reasons to encourage everyone to switch to organic household cleaning agents.

A simple tip to getting the best clean with your green alternative to chlorine is use a toothbrush to get difficult to reach places.

Alternatives to ammonia:

An alternative to using ammonia is any product that states ‘green’, ‘non-toxic’, and ‘phosphate free’ on the label.

Not only are we filling up landfills with stuff that could readily be reused, it takes a great deal of natural resources to make new stuff, in terms of water, minerals, metals, timber, petroleum products and more.

Buying new means more transportation and storage costs, and mountains of packaging — important because experts estimate that 44% of U.S. global warming emissions are due to products and packaging.

As much as we have forgotten how to fix things, there is also a resurgence bubbling of those who are strengthening their DIY muscles. Freecycling is a growing marketplace for exchanging used items, some of which need repairs.

Here are some things that aren’t too difficult to fix.

• Shoes
• Clothes
• Luggage
• Cars
• Accessories
• Home Goods
• Electronics and Appliances
• Plants and Trees
• Building Materials
• Furniture
• Leaky Faucets/Toilets

Read the complete article at: thedailygreen.com