There is a classic episode of The Simpsons, where Homer is found to have a sailor's mouth and Marge makes him put money in the swear jar every time he swears. Well, recently we came up with the great idea, that is to say Layla came up with it, to have a "Green Swear Jar". What is that exactly? Well, put simply it is a jar that you put money into every time you do something that is not green.This is a great idea because not only does it teach you to stop doing things that are not green, but it also helps you save money to buy something that is green. Depending on how green you are in your life, you could have enough money for a solar panel, or even a personal wind turbine generator before you know it.
Layla made our Green Swear Jar from scratch using a yogurt container and some special wool. It looks great and it works great.
So, here is how you can work it for your own home in terms of how much is paid for each offense.
- Leaving Light On: $2
- Leaving Fridge Open: $5
- Leaving TV on when you are not in the room: $10
- Leaving car running or idling when you don't need to: $20
- Using cleaners that are not 'green': $10
- Using the vacuum on the kitchen floor instead of sweeping: $5
- Using the dishwasher when you could be washing by hand: $10
- Taking a shower longer than 5 minutes: $2 per minute
- Leaving the water running anywhere at any time: $5 per minute
Why not try it out in your own house and let us know how it goes! If you make your own Green Swear Jar, send us a photo at crwbaird@gmail.com and we will put it up here.
