Before spending half a fortune on a new wardrobe for school why not buy ‘green’ inexpensive clothes? Did you know that almost half of the money spent on back to school shopping goes to buying clothes? Hand-me-downs are a great place to get started, and thrift stores and events like Swap-o-Rama-Rama can be a fun (and cheap!) way to send yourself back to school. Why not try calling a roommate meeting in your MSU apartment and swap clothes that you do not wear any more? It will save you a ton of money in the long run. Plus, its a great way to negotiate owning that one pair of jeans that your roommate wore only once that you would love to have. 

Style-conscious students can find gently used (but still ultra-hip) clothes at stores like Buffalo Exchange. If these options are exhausted before your list is done, and you have to buy new, go for well-made, high-quality choices made from more sustainable fabrics like organic cotton or bamboo rather than disposable fashion that’ll wear out (and wear down the planet’s resources) before spring graduation.

So next time instead of spending half a day at the mall searching for green clothing take a seat on your couch at your Michigan State University apartment and use the Internet to find green clothes.

Want more green back to school tips? Check out Tree Hugger.

Joanna G

Green your lighting; and no, we don’t mean green light bulbs (although that would be cool though). Energy efficient light bulbs can save you big money on your electricity bills and are a fairly cheap replacement for traditional lighting. There are many different sizes and wattage so you can replace everything in your MSU apartment from you bathroom lighting to your desk lamps.

Green=Clean. Try using cleaning products like Greenworks to spiff up your space! You can also mix up your own cleaning solutions such as water and vinegar solutions. This is a nice cheap way to clean and sanitize while limiting chemicals.

Sun Jars! This is my personal favorite, it is the coolest green product I have seen yet! This jar is solar powered and can recharge a battery in just a few hours. This product received the title of the Best Eco Friendly Gift of the  Year. The website I found them on is in the UK but I’m sure they are available here too. I think they just look cool too! I wish I had a bunch of these to put on display in my Michigan State University apartment.

- Joanna G

How does our clothes really get clean, a little soap, some water, and a machine tossing my clothes around… slmple agitation? If i didn’t have a washing machine, I would wash my clothes the same way, by rubbing them together with soap and water. Now don’t get me wrong, a washing machine does makes your job so much easier, however, how are your pockets faring? When I normally do a load of clothes in my Chandler Crossings apartment, the directions, say…. Pour to the line 1 for a load, I never do, I always pour to line 3 because I believed the more soap I put in, the “cleaner” my clothes will be.

I read that some people actually never use detergent at all, and they clothes come out smelling like fresh clean water. I’ve also read that, if you use store bought laundry detergent, it may cost you up to 20 cents per load. Now if you make your own laundry detergent, it cost you only 2 cents per load. Not bad, not bad. If you are worrying about how to create your own detergent, don’t fret, I have a simple recipe:

• 4 cups of water.
• 1/3 bar of cheap soap, grated.
• 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda).
• 1/2 cup of Borax (20 Mule Team).
• 5-gallon bucket for mixing.
• 3 gallons of water.

First, mix the grated soap in a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and heat on low until the soap is completely dissolved. Add hot water/soap mixture to 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon bucket, stir in the washing soda and Borax, and continue stirring until thickened. Let the mix sit for 24 hours, and you now have homemade laundry detergent. Enough for 52 loads. Now if you make 6 bacthes of this, you would have enough detergent for 312 loads of laundry for about the cost of $7.00. WOW! Or you can buy 4, 150oz bottles of Tide, which would give you the same amount of loads at 312, but you would end up paying around 20 cents per load, about $65 dollars. Looks like money in your pocket. I’m a fan and I think I’m going to give it a try! How about everyone who lives in student housing near MSU give it a try and see what types of results we get?

Can’t wait to hear from you,

-Ernest M

-Alanna

Saving money and going green could not be more essential. Here are some suggestions to help you save money in your MSU Apartment:

• Unplug appliances and electronics that aren’t being used. Even if electronics are turned off they still use power as long as they are plugged in.
• If you are using a dishwasher only run full loads of dishes and set it to the shortest cycle to get your dishes clean.
• If a mini-fridge is not necessary get rid of it, they use up to 75% of the energy of a regular refrigerator.
• Energy efficient light bulbs use 25% of the energy of regular light bulbs and will last much longer.
• Keeping the drip pans on your stove clean will allow them to reflect better and create more heat.

Following these helpful hits will not only help you go green but you will drastically lower your energy bill in your East Lansing student apartment. Have a great tip that is not listed? Please share!

- Liza Shaul

Photo by www.cityofeastlansing.com

Encouragement to “go green” is all around us. Have you done your part yet? It is easier and less expensive than you think. I have come up with the top green products that will transform your MSU apartment and allow you to help your environment (while saving some money too : ) It is never to late to start being green so hopefully this article will give you some motivation to make a difference. So Spartans, let’s go a different kind of green!

Top Must-Have Green Products:

Brita Water Filter- MUCH cheaper than using plastic bottles, in fact it only costs about a nickel per bottle for the same fresh taste. Plastic bottles are detrimental to our environment and are filling up our landfills. Buying a Brita Filter and a few reusable water bottles is an awesome way to save money too. You can get the attachment that goes right onto your faucet for even purer water right out of the tap, or get a filter in the style of a pitcher so you can just pour fresh water right into the bottle. I like the sink attachment best personally, I find that I drink much more water because good tasting water is so accessible. Going green is healthy too!

Recycling Bin- Get a cardboard box, or splurge a little and pick up an extra garbage can to keep your recycling in. Many people don’t recycle because they don’t have anywhere to put it, I advise you to keep the recycling right next to your garbage can so you can think twice before just throwing something away. You can even get a third bin for cans and bottles that you return for the deposits. This a great way to have clean and organized recycling. When you are ready to take the recycling back, just grab the bag out of the bin! Check out my article on Recycling in East Lansing for more details and locations too.

Eco-Friendly Shower head- At Chandler Crossings we recently started replacing shower heads for a more eco-friendly style that reduces water waste by 60%! This is a great way to help the environment, and many people don’t realize that water costs money too. Our residents save a ton on their utility bills because since you use less water, you use less energy heating the water.

- Katelyn Moore

Is anyone looking to possibly purchase some brand new wheels? I know times are rough, but you can not deny these awesome deals car companies are offering especially if you by a hybrid. These hybrids aren’t the boxy, architectural rejects the engineer just threw together. Some of these new vehicles are looking pretty darn good!

Here in East Lansing, we have our wonderful, ever faithful transit system CATA. Don’t you all love it? I know I do when I don’t feel like putting $15 in my truck  just to get back and forth to class that day. And, I also love the fact that Chandler Crossings Apartments includes a free CATA bus pass. That is really convenient. However, when I am not going to and from campus I am driving in my car that is far from the term ‘new’.

Although, I thought I could not afford a new car in this economy, I did find that the new Ford hybrid vehicles that are offering great incentives and rebates that are affordable even for a poor MSU student like me.

Ford Fusion Hybrid/Mercury Milan Hybrid- Up to $4500 off for trading in your old car, in addition to a $1700 cash credit toward your hybrid!

It’s something to think about especially if you are looking to purchase a new car. Just wanted to show you all these great deals out here that can save you money and keep our green earth GREEN!

Take a peek at your local dealerships such as Courtesy Ford, which is right around the corner from your MSU Student Apartment.

-Jay Collie

Hello! I figure it’s as good as time as any to share my tips about green living and how to go green while having a barbeque with friends. These are things that actually can save you money because they are items you already have around your apartment. Who says everything that is better for the environment is more expensive for us?! So, here are just a few helpful environmentally safe tips that can save you money. In the grand scheme of things this helps save our earth.

1. Try using electric grills in stead of gas or charcoal. If you must use charcoal, do not use lighter fluid. Try burning some old newspaper and let the embers catch on to the coals. This make take a little longer for the fire to get going, but it decreases the chemicals released in the atmosphere due the lighter fluid burning off.

2. Don’t use plastic cutlery, serving dishes, or cups that are disposable. Go for the good stuff; use your glasses, silverware, or the not so-good china. These items are reusable, washable, and probably a lot sturdier when trying to pack the ribs on that thin white plate that can’t even support its self under the weight of a salad. Just saying.

3. If you  must use plastic disposable plates and cups. Try setting a separate trash bag aside specifically for those pieces of recyclable plastic if they can be recycled. There are even biodegradable trash bags  now. Go figure right?So now we have all the tools  needed in order to be effective recyclers.

Try keepingsome or maybe all of these things in mind at your next bareque, pool party, fish fry, etc. You always feel a small sense of accomplishment for at least trying to do you part to make a change. Let me know your ideas bloggers. Happy Barbequing!

-Jay Collie

Go MSU! Go GREEN!

Hello again! I know for the last few months we have all heard “Be Green” or “Recycle” on almost a daily basis. Truthfully, I must admit, I can do a lot more than just returning my bottles to the nearest bottle return location here in East Lansing. I propose that we all put in some effort to do a few things around where we live to make the world a little cleaner and our surroundings look way better.

1. Stop throwing your cigarette butts on the ground! People I know many don’t want to keep cigarette butts in your pocket or in your car, but we should at least keep them on us or in our ash trays until we find a proper way of disposing them. You would be surprised how much cleaner you apartment parking lots and landscaping would look. And let’s be honest, we all love a classy looking place.

2.People, People, People…I love Fido as much as the next person, but when Fido is a Great Dane and pushing 150lbs, he no light weight in the trousers if you know what I mean. He’s doing some serious business when he goes out for his daily walk. Let’s try to clean up after our man’s best friends. Trust me, you almost want to throw the shoe away rather than clean it yourself. It will never be the same in my opinion. Try bringing a plastic bag or a scooper to handle the situation.

3. Pretty soon, everyone is going to be moving to new apartments, saying out with the old in with the new. Instead of simply throwing away no longer used apparel, try donating it to a nearby thrift store or salvation army. Many are closer than you may think. In fact there is three donation sites all within 3 miles of your East Lansing Apartment.

Just a few quick tips to keep in mind doing your daily routines. Seems small but I am reminded of back in the 90′s,  to nickelodeon’s “The Big Help”, yes people I went there. I pitched in! I felt pretty darn good  eating my cereal and watching Salute your Shorts or Hey Dude and shortly afterward taking my trash out to the garbage man (personally mind you, at age 7 that was a huge deal). Let’s get back to that and do our part no matter how big or small it makes all the difference.

- Jay Collie

1. Close your blinds!  Closing your blinds during the peak sun hours of the day will keep heat from getting and staying in your apartment.  This alone can keep your East Lansing apartment cooler for when you get home. 

2. This may seem obvious, but get a fan.  Even 1 MPH internal air movement can make you feel 3 to 4 degrees cooler.

Summer Heat

3. Monitor your internal heat sources.  Having heat generating appliances on for extended periods of time can trap heat from the inside out.  Make sure to turn off all unnecessary lights, tv’s, gaming consoles, or kitchen appliances.

4. Having a humid apartment makes a temperature that may be bearable, unbearable.  Avoid mid-day showers, laundry cycles and super steamy cooking sessions.  These activities will make your apartment more humid and in turn, make it feel warmer.

5. Remember this one.  When you use your air conditioner, do not set it at the absolute lowest temperature!  Setting the thermostat at 35 will not make your apartment cooler any faster.  In fact it will eventually lock up your system and force it to be inactive for 48 hours.  The purpose of a thermostat is to set the temperature at a comfortable, desireable temperature and allow the system to cool your MSU apartment down to that temperature.  Once it is at the desired temperature the thermostat will work to keep it there.  Setting it at the lowest setting won’t make you feel better any faster!

6. And last but not least, if you do use your air conditioner for a portion of the day, remember, never set the temperature more than 20 degrees lower than the outside temp.  This little rule of thumb will save you a bundle on your energy bill because the compressor won’t be working overtime.

I know some of these super hot days can be frustrating and uncomfortable.  But if you follow the tips above, you and your wallet can remain comfortable this summer in your East Lansing apartment.

-Alex Shikany