I am always searching for great ways to be more considerate of our environment and wanted to share some ideas for the fall months.

1. When you go shopping, take your reusable cloth grocery bags with you to bring your groceries home instead of asking for “paper or plastic.”

2. Air dry your clothes or hang them on a line instead of using your dryer. Even in the cooler months, this will save you money on your electric bill. Did you know that 5% of the electricity used in an American home is used to dry clothes?

3. Have you ever thought of catching rain water in a rain barrel?  You can use this water for your outdoor plants and yard.

4. We have a compost bin that we started to dispose of food scraps, leaves and grass clippings. When spring comes, use this rich material for your garden as fertilizer and watch everything grow!

5. Limit the foods that you buy  that are processed and reduce the amount of preservatives you eat, the packing and all the transportation costs that are involved to deliver them to the grocer.

6.Buy your food locally, maybe find a local farmer’s market so you can get the freshest produce and cut out the middle man, saving your money, helping the local farmer and  protecting the environment.

7. If you lower the temperature on your thermostat, one degree, you can save 2% on your heating bill. Why not lower is 4 degrees and save more?