Why spend money or fill up the garbage when there are better options?

Jul 21, 2013

Thinking green throughout all areas of your life–from your office to your wardrobe to your home electronics–will put you ahead of the game come next year.

Start by donating unwanted or unneeded items around your home. This can put items to good use by getting them into the hands of someone who wants or needs them. If you’re not ready to part ways with a particular item, find a way to repurpose it. This can help save you money while preserving our natural resources. There are lots of ways to repurpose items around your home. If you are interested in learning more about repurposing, here is a good article: Ideas to help you repurpose household items.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Solid Waste, Americans generate 5 to 7 pounds of waste per day and throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year.

While sustainability might not be the founding mission of organizations like Goodwill Industries and Habitat for Humanity, their services have a big impact on the planet. They make big business out of accepting “hand-me-downs” to help those less fortunate.

It takes, for example, 700 gallons of water to grow the cotton to produce just one T-shirt, so according to USAgain.com, if everyone donated (or recycled) just one more T-shirt, the nation would recover more than 210 billion gallons of water.

For other crafty repurposing ideas, check out this Pinterest board, and be sure to follow us on Pinterest. There are all kinds of ways to “THINK GREEN.” Our logo color is green for a reason.