Make 2018 Your Greenest Year Yet!

As you’ve probably figured out by now, we’re pretty into being environmentally conscious and going green here at Good News Pest Solutions. We’ve even found that by taking your time to research and do it right, going green can often be less expensive than the alternative! We know a lot of you have taken steps to be more eco-friendly too. Or at least you’ve planned to start. So we thought we’d share a few simple tips, and challenge you to make 2018 your greenest year yet – no matter where you’re at now.

Go Green in 2018!

1. Recycling – Yeah, we’re starting on the simplest step. Recycle cans, bottles, paper & plastic. Many communities have already implemented recycle bins that you can sort your recoverable trash into. Everything that you recycle is that much less material to be dumped into a landfill. Many stores have special bins outside to recycle your plastic shopping bags into. Collect your bottles and cans and take a trip to your local recycling unit to make some cash back. Take advantage of our increasingly digital world by taking notes on your computer or phone instead of paper. And if you do have to print something, use both sides of the paper whenever you can.
2. Shopping Bags – Invest in a few reusable, preferably canvas, shopping bags. Canvas bags are sturdier than the flimsy plastic bags you get from the store, and they can hold and balance more weight, so you need fewer of them – and no chance that they’ll rip halfway to or from the car and dump your eggs on the ground. You can – and should – wash these bags periodically to ensure no bacteria growth.
3. Go Back to Basics – Speaking of items to wash and reuse, do you know how much paper you waste wiping up spills? Back before they invented paper towels, our ancestors used bits of tattered cloth that they referred to as… Rags. That t-shirt that’s too old and hole-y to donate? Why not slice it up and keep it on hand to clean with? Even with sturdier paper towels that you can wring out and reuse, cloth rags last longer – and of course, you can rewash them. If you don’t have any clothes to use, you can buy a bucket of rags that will last you longer than even the jumbo size package of paper towels. New parents, you can also consider going old school and getting cloth diapers instead of the disposable ones.
4. Thrift Store – Sure, you donate to Goodwill & the Salvation Army, but why not shop there too? While ‘popping tags’ may not be for everyone, it’s a great way to keep expenses low when you’re a new family. Clothing, accessories, dishes, even furniture can be purchased at lower prices. And that’s not the only benefit – you’re reducing the energy & resources it requires to create a new item by getting it secondhand, and in most cases, you’re helping provide jobs.
5. Go to the Library – Not only do these public institutions (that your taxes help pay for) have plenty of books, nowadays they also carry DVD’s, audio books, have public computers, and provide classes and workshops on a variety of topics. Why buy the new Dean Koontz novel or the latest Marvel movie DVD that will just take up space afterwards, when you can just borrow it – for free – for 3-4 weeks and then return it?
6. Reduce Your Water use – Shut off the faucet while you brush your teeth and the shower while you shampoo your hair. Get a reduced water use toilet. Instead of buying thousands of water bottles every year, invest in a water filter – either for your faucet or a filtered pitcher. Then get some BPA free reusable water bottles and you’re good to go!
7. Replace Your Light Bulbs – You don’t have to run out and do this all at once, but start investing in longer-lasting, eco-friendly compact fluorescent (CFL) lightbulbs. Then as your old bulbs burn out, replace them with the better bulbs. And if you can afford it, just replace them all. You’ll see a significant reduction in your energy bill – CFL’s use less electricity AND run cooler, so your home needs less AC to offset the heat – and in most cases, they’re brighter as well.

While you may not try all of these suggestions at one time, you’d be amazed how easily you can integrate these earth-saving ideas into your everyday lives. We’ve been doing it for close to 20 years, and we even discovered that green pest control is actually more effective than doing it the old fashioned way. While we’re on the subject, another great way to go green is by giving us a call. Our revolutionary Go Green Plus 3 protects your whole house from creepy crawlies with proven 100% organic products that are safe for the planet as well as your family and pets. And it’s easily combined with our Termite protection to fully protect your home against all insect invaders for an affordable price. Your neighbors from Lakewood Ranch to Punta Gorda are already enjoying our first-class coverage. So how about it? Will you accept the challenge to make 2018 your greenest year yet? And, have a very Happy New Year!