Think eco friendly laundry powders are expensive? I have an environmentally friendly recipe that I make myself sometimes. It involves powdered castille soap (you can powder a bar of castille soap in a box grater), Borax (also called washing soda) and baking soda.

You can also add essential oils. Here are some to try:

• lavender
• tea tree oil
• grapefruit

My favorite is to add ten drops of lavender and ten drops of grapefruit because I like the scent. If you have allergies or are using a scented castille soap, you can omit the essential oils.

The basic recipe is to use equal parts of Borax, baking soda, and castille soap. What I usually do is grate the castille soap in a box grater than measure it. If there is one cup of grated castille, I’ll use one cup each of Borax and baking soda. I measure everything into a paper bag and add the essential oil (optional) and shake.

Use 1/4-1/2 cup of the laundry powder for each load of laundry depending on the size.

As I sat down to write this post, I realized that I left the kitchen light on even though I am sitting in my office. One thing I noticed is that even though there are only two of us in the house, sometimes we’ll have lights in several rooms on. This is a waste of energy. Why light up a room when you’re not going to be in it?

When to Turn Off the Lights

However, if you are going to be in and out of a room because of cleaning, etc it may not be worth it to turn off the light because once you activate the switch, it sends a surge of electricity to the circuit and can cause more waste in the long run.

If you’re going to be out of a room for a lengthier period of time of at least fifteen minutes, shut the light off when you leave.

Turn Off Things You Aren’t Using

This advice pertains to more than just light bulbs. Think about the number of times you’ve left the TV and computer on when you weren’t using them. Doing this can drain electricity. Since you aren’t watching the TV or using the computer this is just a waste of resources.

Instead, be conscious of turning things off. Even better - why not limit TV time in the first place? If you went from watching TV four hours a day to watching it only one, you saved three hours worth of electricity.

This is Also Good for the Wallet

Think this seems like a stretch? Look at the bright side - cutting down your electrical use will also help lower your electric bill and enable you to save money. The environment isn’t the only thing that benefits.

I love challenges so I decided to challenge myself to be more eco conscious over the course of the next thirty days. I’m looking for people to join in on the fun with me!

We live in tough economic times. The environment is a mess thanks to global warming. Species are in danger. We’re too dependent on fossil fuels. In general, most of us are disconnected from the environment and from understanding that the things we do each day have a global impact - for better or for worse.

It can be stressful - but it doesn’t have to be. If we just fine tune certain aspects of our lives, we can make a considerable difference. Over the next thirty days we’ll explore this theme while making simple changes in our lives.

Your Day 1 Task. You can consider this day one. Today, let’s become aware of the world around us. Do you have a yard or a park nearby? Grab a field guide (or get one from the library) and become acquainted with the plants and animals you see. There’s beauty under ever rock - you don’t need to explore exotic locations to appreciate the environment.

If you don’t have a field guide or don’t have the time to wander around your yard, don’t worry. Just keep your eyes open. Observe the sky at different stages of the day. Is there a breeze? How does it feel? What’s the weather? All you really need to do is notice. Understand that your actions affect your environment. That’s the point of today’s task.

I had a rude awakening the other day when I looked at our water bill. We live in CA now, and water is scarce and therefore usage is expensive. I have to admit, at first I wanted to learn how to cut back on water because the bill was such a shock, I wanted to learn how to save money.

As a result, I learned that I have been a little careless. It’s just that we take water for granted without realizing it. So I started to research ways to conserve. Here are some tips:

• Make sure there aren’t any leaks
• Don’t flush the toilet unless you have to - don’t use it as a waste can. Only flush it when you go…
• Be careful of how much water you use when you shower and wash the dishes.

Just doing those three things can help you reduce your water usage considerably and if you are like me and  need to pay for water usage, it can also help lower your monthly bill. For more tips, visit my squidoo lens, How to Conserve Water.

Let’s face it - we all have things that we can change in our lives that will help conserve resources and are friendlier for the environment. And if we try to do everything at once, it can get overwhelming.

Instead, I like to make a list of things I would like to change and then tackle them one at a time. Here’s mu current list:

• Shut off the lights when I don’t need them or aren’t using them

• Instead of turning the heat up during the winter, try putting on another layer

• recycle all plastic that has the recycle symbol on the bottom (it’s more than I think!)

• Change all the bulbs in the house to energy saving bulbs

• Make sure the sinks aren’t dripping

These changes are simple and easy to make. The list is small so it isn’t overwhelming. And, if I’m consistent with this I can not only conserve resources but also save some money!

I bought a cute bag at Whole Foods the other day that says, “I Used to Be a Plastic Bottle”. I love it… it is a nice reminder that the actions we take, such as recycling a plastic bottle, actually do pan out.

And then I started to think… How many plastic bottles in my life time have I neglected to recyle? It’s probably been a lot. There was a time when I didn’t know anything about recycling, let alone how important it is.

It’s enough to make a person feel helpless. But I’ve learned - I can’t let myself fall into that trap. Hoplessness breeds inactivity and recycling one plastic bottle is a lot better than not recycling any.

I’m willing to go as green as I need to. Green hair and beauty products. No animal testing. Recycling what I can. I try my best each day to make choices that are good for the environment. If I somehow make a bad choice, I’ll learn from it.

Smit Mathur is an expert for writing Articles and is currently working for Heritagebuilding. For more information related to recycled wood, recycled flooring, recycled furniture, stained glass supplies please visit: http://www.heritagebuilding.com.au

Gas prices are rising. The earth’s climate is changing. Animals are threatening extinction. Yes, we know all that. But until this somehow gets personal, it’s hard to stay motivated to make a change.

For me, it means thinking about the places I’ve seen and enjoyed. No matter if it’s the Neues Rathaus in Munich (pictured) or Mount Rainier in Washington State. To me, it’s all the same. My love for travel, the enjoyment I take from the outdoors, and a sincere desire to protect those things that I enjoy is what propels me forward.

Before embarking on a journey to make changes that are designed to help the environment, it helps to put things into perspective and make it personal. Knowing that the world is hurting is sometimes not enough.

Image by piperkinsvater via Flickr

I love making my own laundry powder. Sure, you can find natural laundry soaps that don’t have a lot of chemicals. In fact, I buy them all the time. But there is something so rewarding about mixing all the ingredients myself and choosing the essential oils I want to use.

The basic recipe is always the same, but I like to choose the scents on a whim. In spring and summer, I favor lavender. In the winter, I like to use citrus. I stick to single notes, but you can easily mix. Lavender and grapefruit, for example, work really well together. You could also choose to not use any scent at all.

The recipe calls for powdered castile soap. I usually purchase bars of it from my local health food store and and use a cheese grater to powder it. I make this recipe so often, I purchased an inexpensive grater just for soap. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered castile soap

1 cup baking soda

1 cup washing soda (Borax)

15 drops essential oil of choice

Instructions::

Whisk together powdered castile soap, baking soda, and Borax in a medium mixing bowl. Add essential oil and whisk together. Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry location. I like to use an amber glass jar sealed with a cork. Use 1/2 cup of the laundry powder for every large sized load of laundry. Use a little more if the clothes are especially soiled.