Happy Earth Day! ... Water Preservation Cans

Happy Earth Day!  

Today I would like to ask:  

What do you do to help Mother Earth? 

These are some of the things we do at our home...

-dry clothes outside on the clothes line

-use cloth napkins {we've been using the same ones for about 6 years now; imagine the number or paper napkins we would have used in that amount of time!}

-plant our own garden, canning and using the vegetables for our family and animals

-raise our own chickens for eggs and as pets

-compost all fruit/vegetable scraps, paper, egg shells, etc. {also great for the garden!  Here's a way to make a compost bin.}

-only drive to town when necessary {I try to go to town once a month for groceries and other items we need for the home}

-find a new purpose for recyclable items {like paint cans for bird houses, oatmeal cans for hair accessories storage, jars for decor, plastic containers, etc.}

-re-purpose household items instead of buying new {like painting headboard, paint ceiling fans, make rainbow crayons with small crayon pieces}

-use natural or homemade cleaning products

-shut lights off during the day and when not in rooms
-use reusable water bottles
-buy local, support the people in the community!

We also:

-collect water and other liquids that could be beneficial for watering plants...

I started doing this about a year ago; I haven't had to run fresh water for watering my house plants or my fresh herbs under my grow-light in the basement all winter!

I used paint markers to "decorate" and label these diesel fuel cans as water cans.  

When I was happy with the design, I sprayed them with a clear paint for plastics.

Instead of dumping partially used water cups down the drain I dump them into these cans.

Other liquids you can use for watering: coffee, pasta or vegetable cooking water, water from canning, natural juices {without added sugar}, water used for cleaning fruit and vegetables.