環保又省錢：綠色家居十四招
Go Natural in the Kitchen
綠色廚房清潔劑
Toss those chemical cleaners (responsibly—take them to your local hazardous-waste drop-off centre) and make your own general-purpose cleaner. Mix ½ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda and
2 litres water. Pour into a spray bottle and tackle household grime.
拋棄那些化學清潔劑（負責任的做法是帶去當地的危險廢物回收中心），製作你自己的萬用清潔劑吧。你只需要半杯白醋，四分之一杯小蘇打，再兌上兩升水，倒進噴霧瓶，就可以解決家庭污垢了。
Try a Veggie Night
今夜素食爲環保
Animal agriculture accounts for up to 18 per cent of global warming. Adding a single meatless meal to your weekly planner will help you save money—and the planet.
全球變暖有18%是因爲畜牧業。每星期一餐素食不僅能幫助你省錢，還能拯救這個星球。
Grow it Yourself
自己動手種蔬菜
Grow your own sprouts in a Mason jar. Pop a few holes in the lid, rinse ¼ cup organic lentil sprouts and soak them overnight. Drain the water through the holes and rinse twice a day. Leave the jar in a warm, sunny spot, and you’ll have healthy salad fixings in a couple of days.
玻璃瓶裏可以種豆芽。在蓋子上鑽幾個洞，沖洗四分之一杯有機扁豆芽，浸泡一夜，把水從孔裏濾掉，一天沖洗兩次。把玻璃瓶放在溫暖的地方曬太陽，過幾天你就能吃到健康的色拉了。
Unplug
拔下插頭更節電
Did you know your appliances consume electricity even when shut down? Five to 10 per cent of the energy used in your home is siphoned for standby power. Unplug TVs, chargers, computers, coffee makers and stereos, or use power bars with built-in timers to turn off electronics you don’t mind being reset.
你知道嗎，電器即使在關閉狀態也會耗電，你家裏用掉的能源中有5%~10%是電器在待機狀態下消耗掉的。拔下電視機、充電器、電腦、咖啡機和音響的插頭，有些電子產品你不介意重新設置的話可以使用內置定時器的電源。
Vent it Out
清潔地毯學問大
That “new carpet smell” is actually an airborne cocktail of nasty chemicals. Talk to your installer about how to properly vent your home in the first 72 hours after installation and give the carpet a good vacuuming. To be seriously green, consider fire-resistant, biodegradable and non-toxic natural-fibre carpets like wool, sisal, coir and seagrass.
所謂“新地毯的氣味”其實是空氣裏髒的化學物質混合在一起的味道。告訴工人在鋪上新地毯的72小時內如何正確地通風並給地毯吸塵。最環保的是選擇防火的，生物可降解的，無毒的，天然纖維的材質，如羊毛、劍麻、椰子纖維和海草地毯。Try Carpooling
拼車是個好主意
Your daily car commute contributes to climate change, so get the family walking or biking at least once a week. If self-powered travel isn’t possible, use public transit (it can save a Canadian family a monthly average of $586, according to the David Suzuki Foundation) or consider ride sharing. High-occupancy vehicle lanes help speed up your commute; check online to find carpooling sites that offer rides to your local transit station.
你上下班開車也會導致氣候變化，所以和你的家人每週至少步行或騎自行車一次吧。如果不行，也可以使用公共交通（根據大衛鈴木基金會的數據，一個加拿大家庭平均每月能夠節省586美元）或是考慮拼車。車輛的乘載率提高了，你的通勤時間也可以縮短；你可以上網查找拼車網站，有人能搭你到當地的中轉站。
Create a Moss Wall
青苔上牆好清新
Create word art without having to inhale noxious paint fumes. Combine a handful of moss, 2 cups yogourt, 2 cups water and ½ teaspoon sugar in a blender, and mix until smooth. Dip a paintbrush in the mixture and paint words onto any rough surface (a garage’s outdoor wall is ideal). Spray with water regularly, and you’ll soon have inspirational moss graffiti.
無須吸入有毒的油漆味就能創造藝術字。你只需要有一捧苔蘚、兩杯酸奶、兩杯水和半茶匙糖，放進攪拌機攪拌至順滑，用畫筆蘸上混合物就可以在粗糙的表面寫藝術字了（車庫外牆就很理想）。定期噴水，很快你就會有創意滿滿的苔蘚塗鴉。
Switch Up Your Lawn
翻新草地更美妙
Every year your old gas mower produces as many greenhouse gas emissions as a car driven 3,300 kilometres. Unless you’re the proud owner of a family of sheep, there’s no need for all that grass. For a complete revamp, consider lawn alternatives like micro-clover, verbena, sweet woodruff, cotoneaster, thyme and camomile; perennial ground covers take work to install but don’t require much water, and you won’t have to spend weekends cutting the grass.
你的割草機每年燃燒汽油排出的溫室氣體就和一輛跑了三千三百公里的車一樣多。除非你養着一家子羊並引以爲豪，不然你真用不着那麼多草。如果你願意實施一次徹底的改造，你可以考慮用微苜蓿，馬鞭草，甜香車葉草，枸子，百里香，甘菊等植物來替代草地，種多年生地被植物要花些工夫，不過不用很多水，而且你雙休日都不用再割草了。
Use Natural Pesticides
天然農藥家中制
To keep pesky pests at bay, use natural pesticides such as marigold flowers, coffee grounds or an easy-to-make all-purpose spray consisting of 1½ tablespoons liquid soap, 1 litre water and 5 drops lemon essential oil.
要防害蟲其實很簡單，可以用萬壽菊、咖啡渣或是萬用噴霧，製作起來非常方便，只需要一勺半的皁液，一升水，再滴五滴檸檬精油。
Save Water in the Garden
花園裏的節水經
Reduce water usage by installing downspout extensions from your eavestroughs to direct rain to your flower beds.
從檐溝安裝落水管，把雨水接到花壇，這樣就可以節水了。
Make Your Own Makeup
美妝無須商場買
Ditch your mercury-, formaldehyde- and lead-laden cosmetics for homemade mascara and eyeliner. Mix 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon shea butter, 1½ teaspoons beeswax, 4 teaspoons aloe vera gel and 2 capsules activated charcoal (available at health-food stores). Use a brush to apply as eyeliner or a comb for mascara.
別再用含汞、甲醛和鉛的化妝品了，你可以自制睫毛膏和眼線筆。你需要一茶匙椰子油、一茶匙牛油、一茶匙半蜂蠟、4茶匙蘆薈凝膠和2粒活性炭（可在健康食品商店買到），混合後即可塗眼線，刷睫毛。
Make Your Own Toothpaste
自制牙膏真有效
Concerned about harmful substances in your toothpaste? Pop 2 tablespoons dried lemon rind, ¼ cup baking soda and 2 teaspoons sea salt in your blender, and mix until it forms a fine powder. Dip your wet toothbrush in and brush as usual.
擔心牙膏含有有毒物質？在攪拌機內放入兩湯匙的幹檸檬皮、四分之一杯小蘇打和兩湯匙海鹽，攪拌使之形成細膩的粉末。蘸溼你的牙刷，蘸上粉末，你就可以和平時一樣刷牙了。
Donate Unused Clothing
新衣不穿宜捐贈
Textiles and clothing account for four per cent of materials in Canadian landfills. Repair old clothes, organize a clothing swap with friends or donate to a local charity.
加拿大的填埋場裏有4%是紡織品和服裝。舊衣可修補，和朋友換着穿或是捐給當地慈善機構。
Make Your Own Air Freshener
一室花香空氣清
Make a calming lavender air freshener to encourage relaxation and restfulness. Mix 8 drops lavender oil, 4 drops clove oil, ½ cup vodka (a natural deodorizer) and ½ cup water, and place in a spray bottle. The vodka will kill germs, while the soothing lavender sends you to sleep soundly.
製作一個薰衣草空氣清新劑，可以放鬆心情，緩解疲勞。8滴薰衣草油搭配4滴丁香油，半杯伏特加（一種天然除臭劑）和半杯水，倒進噴霧瓶裏。伏特加能殺滅病菌，而薰衣草能助您安睡。
