(NaturalPath) Most people want to “go green” and help the environment. It is also prettier to look at. But the question then becomes, how do you do that on a tight budget? Here are some do it yourself ways to make your house, both inside and out a greener, more eco-friendly and more inviting place.
1. | Make cloth napkins
When you make your own cloth napkins you can use fabric that has been recycled or even from a leftover project. It also helps you make it exactly the way you want it instead of only being able to choose from the variety they have in the store. It’s also cheaper. Nobody is going to measure your napkins to see if they are exactly the same size so don’t worry about it.
The supplies include: posterboard for the templete, a pen and yardstick, scissors, fabric (cotton and linen are good choices), and iron and ironing board, straight pins, thread and a sewing machine. The instructions are after you decide how big you want the napkins. Create a template that is two inches bigger than how big you want your napkins, then after washing, drying and ironing the fabric, use the template on the fabric and cut out your napkins. Then you create the edges by trim down the templete by an inch on every side and fold the napkin over the edge to create a crease to help you hem the sides. There you go!
2. | Make your own all-purpose cleaner
As one of our experts, Dr. Sarah Cimperman, notes you can make your own all-purpose cleaner just adding half a cup of water, one cup of white vinegar, five drops of tea tree essential oil, and five drops of aromatic essential oil (optional) like lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint or grapefruit. Don’t forget to shake it and you have yourself a great all-purpose cleaner with many different applications.
3. | Build a plant display
Here are some great plants you can put inside your home to clean the air. They include chrysanthemums, aloe vera, bamboo palm, English ivy and snake plant. If you are worried about how to make them pretty and still grow there are some great ways to display the plants. These include low plant stands in front of picture windows as well as bungalow plant stands, multi-level plant stands, frame plant stands, mid-century modern plant stands, and a pot rack and much more.
4. | Ditch the lawn and build a garden
Instead of just having a lawn that sits there that you need to maintain but looks the same all the time and you can’t eat anything from it, ditch the lawn and build a garden! You can do it for under $300 and all you need is the soil, lumber, some screws, rebar, mesh hardware cloth, some netting to protect your garden and if you want a drip-watering system.
With a little know-how you then have a raised box garden to grow whatever you want.
5. | Raise Chickens
Consider raising chickens. That way you can eliminate any annoying pests, you get free garden fertilizer, and you have the benefit of having ethically raised and nutritional eggs (do make sure to check with your homeowners association before bringing farm animals into your yard). For more information on sustainable farming practices, click here.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.