Volume 4

I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe it’s already the end of the school year! Summer is upon us, as is a water shortage. I was already turning my sprinklers off a couple of days a week. Now I’m told I have to do more of it.

We’re so spoiled here. Other places actually let their grass die in the winter! We’re used to beautiful green lawns on every street. I’m afraid those days are coming to an end.

Perhaps this summer, you can take some time to offload the clutter that we tend to accumulate and make a little extra cash? You could sell household goods through the Internet or have a garage sale. You could give gently used items to family, friends or to charities.

I’ve included some ideas and activities for you to try over the summer. They’re fun as well as useful!

Reuse holiday or greeting cards – Simply cut out a section from the old card, then shape and attach it to a piece of construction paper or punch a hole in it and tie it with a ribbon onto the gift.

Newspapers – So many uses! You can scrunch them up and put them in a suitcase for two weeks to remove stale odors. You can clean your windows or any glass surface with them. You can shred them and put them in your garden or compost. Or you can cancel your subscription or donate it to a school or nursing home and read the paper on-line!

Plastic bottles – Fill a plastic bottle with stones or sand and cover it with fabric or paint to make a door stop. Fill a bottle ¾ full, freeze it and put it in a cooler to help keep your drinks and food cool while at the beach or on a picnic. Cut the bottom off of a bottle and insert yarn or string. Pull the end out of the top, tape the bottom back on and no more tangled yarn!

Cans – Try cutting the tops and bottoms off of your cans and put them in your garden. Place baby plants in the center to protect and support them while also keeping slugs and snails away!

Glass jars – Use them for storing nuts, pasta and dried fruits, paperclips, nails, screws, and nuts & bolts.

Ceramics – Use chipped mugs to grow herbs and place them on your windowsill. Make a mosaic on an old table top or get some quick-set cement and make an art piece for your garden!

Fabrics – Old clothes can be used to cover your hot water bottle or make a bunch of pillows out of some cool old jeans or skirts. Use some old neckties to make a plant hanger, a lavender sachet or a cool belt! Keep your old stockings to strain paint or you can put some dirt in a stocking and add some strategically placed grass seed, paint a face on it, water every other day and see what kind of crazy “hair” grows out of it’s head!

These ideas can be fun and entertaining and can keep you and your child busy for hours while spending quality time with them and instilling them with love and respect for our environment.

I hope you have a happy and safe summer and remember, it is easy being green!

Jennifer Jesperson