North Goes Green

Archive for July, 2011

A great way to save GREEN is to utilize the Somerset Public Library museum passes to check out some great LOCAL finds! In New Bedford is the Ocean Explorium and its a great little place to enjoy some much needed A/C and see some great things!

A newly installed shark/sting-ray touch tank is great for all! A little touch tank that has some great creatures in it greets you as you enter the small yet informative museum. My kids especially enjoyed the spherical “movie” as well as the Discovery room where parents can take a much needed A/C rest and enjoy watching their kids explore with puppets, science stuff, or read! The exhibits are great and parking is curbside for 2 hrs payable with quarters or $1/hr in a local nearby lot. Check it out!

School is out and summer is in full swing. How can we save energy this summer? If you are not opposed to a few warm days try ditching that A/C this summer. We are trying to keep costs down with only one income due to job loss we are going to keep those A/C’s in the basement this summer and just enjoy the “warm.” Ceiling fans and exhaust optional dual window fans provide a nice breeze and really cut costs! I have not felt HOT yet and I am being totally honest. Yes I’ve sweat some but I was not overcome by the heat so that is good! We will see as the week progresses!

Cleaning? I let things slide as I was working this Spring and the house needs to be cleaned a bit. Do you think that smell of “clean” is good for you? Think again- our concept of clean or the smell of clean is just a chemical smell sold to us by chemical companies selling fancy soaps and cleaning products. Pine-sol smell is NOT a clean smell its toxic. So toss those chemical cleaners for lemons and baking soda and vinegar. Use a cut lemon with some baking soda for a fresh and clean shower or counter or stove-top! The baking soda acts as your “scrubbing” agent and the lemon well that is a real clean scent that is non-toxic!

Save on water this summer ! Fill that kiddie pool up and use water guns and ditch the ever-running sprinkler or set a timer for sprinkler fun to early AM or late PM (less evaporates so it will water your lawn too) and let the kids run around for 30 min and shut the water off. Save water and your water bill!

Wash the car? Nah- let the rain hit and run out with a sponge and you’ll get it washed off naturally and you’ll get a cool down too! Don’t do this of course if its stormy out just if its a natural rain storm!

Drive? Nah- ride your bike or walk to your local store for the gallon of milk or eggs you may need, or better yet visit your local farm stand! Fisher Farm is on Riverside and De-Silvia’s (I think?) is the red barn looking one on County Street. If you live in the area WALK don’t drive!

Need some A/C time- go to the library or your local coffee shop and save on your power bill. Get cooled off and then go home and enjoy a good book or a cup of coffee!

Have fun this summer and save on energy when you can! Utilize all that natural light- open those curtains in the morning and don’t turn a light on. We only turn on lights after the day gets darker to save on our power bills! It’s easy to get used to showering by natural light if you are fortunate enough to have a window in your bathroom.

Happy Summer to all of the families here at North Elementary and don’t forget to shut off the water when you brush your teeth and shut off the lights when it’s sunny out or you leave a room!