New Year's Resolution

It's that time of year again;  resolution time.    Resolutions are an interesting phenomenon.  Their intent is positive but, I find, there are many who avoid the whole idea because they don't want to risk failure.  Or endure change.

We find this same fear of change and failure is what often prevents people from even attempting to 'go green.' "Won't I have to spend a lot of money to go green?"  "Will I have to lose all my creature comforts?"    "Will I have to make my own clothing from my recycled six-pack-holders?"  The answer to each is a resounding NO.  Going green is easy.    It's doable.  And even your smallest efforts make a difference.   

So at GreenHomes we're keeping it simple this year.  

2009 New Year's Resolution:

GO GREEN

There, that wasn't so hard, was it?  And that's the key:  it's NOT so hard.  In fact, it's easy.  And we're going to help you, step by step, with simple, practical steps you can take to lighten your carbon load and ease your guilty conscience.  

Step One.  January's GO GREEN Challenge:  Wash your clothes in cold water.  

Did you know:

• The washing machine accounts for about 25% of a household’s hot water usage. 
  
• Eighty percent of the electricity used by your washing machine goes towards heating the water. 
  
• Washing your clothes in cold water can cut your washing machine’s energy usage by 50%.  
  
• Unless your clothes are heavily soiled, cold water will do just fine.  
  

In the old days, our detergents required warm water to work effectively.  Detergents now are soluble in cold water so heating it is just not necessary.  Try it!  

Here are some other tips from Green Homes to green your laundry 

• Only run the washing machine with a full load.
  
•  Line dry clothes whenever possible.
  
• When using the dryer, don’t over dry – use your dryer’s moisture sensor setting. 
  
• Use the medium or lower temperature setting for your dryer. A lower setting will be     easier on your clothes and your energy bill.
  
• Always dry a full load and clean the lint trap before each load. It  improves the air circulation, drying your clothes faster.
  
• Choose a green detergent - like Shaklee's Get Clean laundry detergent
  

           http://www.shaklee.net/greenhomes

So there you have it - Green Homes' resolution and first challenge of 2009.  GO GREEN!