Finnish style tips for greener living!

Hi there readers,
For quite some time I've been trying to live a more greener life, not a hardcore one but a considering one, and trying to keep it "simple". It does make one feel good to accomplish something for a common good and often enough, it saves money - sometimes one can even make money with a greener living. So here are a few tips, which I'd imagine work almost everywhere, but work fairly easily in Finland, and some of them might even shed a light on how a finnish mind works :)
so here we go:

Saving Electricity (and money):

Always use a fully loaded dishwasher/laundry.

If possible and reasonable use public washing machines, ie. one in you apartment building's basement, instead of buying a new washer. Same applies for dryers.

Dry your laundy outside if possible.

Use the lowest temperature possible for laundry items.

Try to use as energy efficient light bulbs, washing machines, fridges and so forth, check labels and research energy ratings and such.

Consider replacing old energy hogging appliances with new energy saving ones.

When cooking, consider using the microwave or water boiler for reasonable tasks.

When cooking on the stove, use a correct size pan and heater. Turn heat off immediately when no longer needed/use residual heat for finishing.

You really don't need a tropical climate in your home, try turning heat down and instead of walking around naked, wear some clothes ;)

Keep you heating elements/equipment in good shape. This applies for other hardware too.

Dont keep your windows open all day, efficient ventilating can be done by opening doors and such (especially during the winter).

Dont keep appliances/gadgets plugged in when not in use, ie. cell phone chargers and such, your hometheater amplifier etc.

If possible, turn OFF your computer and other similar stuff instead of keeping them on standby when not in use. Or simply unplug them, or buy one of those extensions with a switch.

Turn off lights when you dont need them. Utilize natural light as much as possible.

Old stuff and recycling:

Rules of thumb,
1. Check if the item is fixable or still usable, instead of running off to buy a new one.

2. If not, try to find some sort of new use for it, check DIY and craft sites. Ie. turning old furniture into something new & usable with a bit on handywork.

3. Sell, Give Away or donate stuff to charity which cant be reinvented or have no use for you.

4. Take to a proper recycling station, some even pay you for stuff like scrap metal.

Instead of rushing off to buy a new computer, check upgrading possibilities.

Consider installing a lightweight linux distribution on an older computer, you might be surprised how usable that old "junk" is.

Old sheets, t-shirts, other shirts, trousers and such have a zillion uses, instead of just getting rid of them, make a tote bag out of old shirts, trousers...or use old shirts as rags instead of paper towels...use old fabrics as gift wrappers...or as packing material....or cover an unsightly (flower etc..) pot with it...or make a quilt out of 'em...make pillows out of them...and lots more :)

A plastic bag can be used as a shopping bag for quite some while, so grab one or two with you instead of buying a new one each time.

Rycycle aluminium cans. (= money)

Recycle plastic bottles. (= money)

Recycle glass bottles. (= money)

Recycle old batteries.

Recycle milk cartons and such.

Recycle spam mail. (most finnish apartment buildings have 3 trash bins, one for paper, one for landfill waste and one for biotrash)

Compost or chuck used (flower) soil, food waste, tea bags etc. in the bio trash bin. (do use a biodegrable vessel for them, ie fold a news paper into a bag).

Most bought spice grinders can be used again with a little tweaking.

Use plastic bottles and such for storage, ie. I use an old plastic yogurt bottle for spare black peppers which dont fit into the grinder, I use a small plastic bottle(s) to store nuts and bolts and nails and such...feel free to cover them with what you like, ie. and old shirt, comic strips from old newspapers and so forth.

Think, be creative!


Other tips for a greener living:

Grow your own herbs and such on your window sill (it's easy!).

Better yet, plant things in your garden if you have one!

Use rechargable batteries.

Instead of buying a brand new [insert item here], check flea markets, second hand stores, ask friends...etc..I bough two perfectly good leather chairs really cheap from a 2nd hand store, I got two used (but nice) sofas from a friend for free..

Dont waste water, turn it off while brushing your teeth, dont linger in the shower, dont keep the sauna warm if not in use...

While washing dishes by hand, use washing detergents and such sparingly, put a little in a tea mug with some water and dab your brush in it instead of pouring detergents on individual dishes.

Sell or give away old books/magazines etc..

Before buying a new cell phone or such, ask yourself do you really need one.

Have a frugal day once a week or frugal week once a month. You might be surprised what one can make out of stuff stored in cupboards and kitchens.


Avoid buying heavily packed stuff.

Avoid buying stuff made from rare/threatened species of wood. Do research.

If possible, buy stuff grown/made locally/nearby.

Avoid using heavy chemicals for cleaning purposes, vinegar and baking soda or basic soap often does the trick. Lemon and such work too. Google for tips!

A car is often not a must, walk, bicycle, car pool or use public transportation whenever possible. I mean it, give it a go, sell your car if it isnt an absolute must have.

Use toilet paper and kitchen paper made out of recycled paper.

Dont print, copy or so stuff which isnt necessary, and use the back side of old prints for scribbles and memos. Recycle.

Buy stuff with green labels and emblems.

Keep your knives and such in good condition, a good knife or (castiron) pan might work a lifetime when kept in proper condition. (hint: a knife magnet rocks)

Always check or ask your garbage service provider what to do with stuff you dont know how to dispose of, ie. paints and such.

The freezer is your friend, freeze left over food for lunch and such, freeze left over wine in icecube trays or such for later use for cooking or punches.

DIY. Consider making something yourself instead of buying it.

Avoid plastic and one-use-only cups, take your own mug to the office.

Last but not least, THINK.

That's it for now :) Quite a long rant huh? Feel free to leave comments and ideas of your own, this by no means is a comprehensive list, but a few things I TRY to do, with varying success :)
Oh, and Ill be working on a ship next month (probably the whole month), so probably cant post, but Ill give it a try. And if you must know, it's ro-ro/passenger ship from Helsinki to Travemunde, Germany.

Cheers!
-your tree hugging friend, JT.
P.S Did my best to check for typos, but some of those sneaky bas****s might have survived. :)