On this Earth Day 2009, I wanted to begin my blog with a list of some of the ways we have gone green in our family over the last year and what we hope to implement this summer. Feel free to share what you are doing to 'go green' and your future plans!
Currently:
- Reusable bags for shopping - estimating 10 plastic bags saved per week, adds up to 520 a year.
- Non-gasoline lawn mower - reduced gas & noise pollution.
- Energy efficiency test - how does your bill average with similar homes?
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs - they will save you money in the long run.
- Recycling - has allowed us to average one bag of trash per week for three people!
- Homemade baby wipes - control what ingredients are used on the baby bum :-).
- Seventh Generation products - what hidden petro-chemicals are in your dish & laundry products? We have used and love their products for over six years!
- Laundry washed cold & combined - lower the electric bill & avoid water waste with extra loads.
- Cloth napkins - find them on clerance somewhere and save money and trash!
- Dishcloths - instead of paper towels for cleaning the kids and the kitchen after meals and messes.
- Fill reusable containers with home-filtered water - do you really want to buy bottled?
- Walking to the bank, post office, and doctors office when possible - yes, we live close!
- Farmer's Market shopping - love local organic produce.
- Part-time cloth diapering - we're just getting started.
- Husband takes public transportation to work when possible - less gas, cars on the road & stress!
By Summer:
- Full-time cloth diapering - avoid smelly garbage, filling landfills & save money.
- Plant an organic, high-yield garden for fresh vegetables - control your own food & save money.
- Composting for garden - use your fruit & veggie skins & put them to work.
- Hang dry most laundry outside - save energy and have naturally fresh smelling clothes.
Posts
Hi. I just randomly stumbled upon your blog and I wish you the best of luck in going "green". I've maintained a small organic garden for several years, and it has worked out great. I have some reservations about planting a high-yield garden, as it would require more water to maintain. I also read somewhere that the nutritional value of high-yield produce is significantly diminished due to the process of genetic modification. That's the big trade-off to consider.
ReplyDeleteI've been part time cloth diapering and I think it's saved us some money. I use disposables when we're going out and at bedtime. The seventh generation stuff is great. I've used about 5 of their products including their diapers. And I'm sure you know this already but they are giving 5$ off a 25$ purchase of diapers or wipes right now, and their dish washing products are on sale @ whole foods. I'm glad to see another granola girl around here! haha
ReplyDeleteThanks whentempersflare for the best of luck wishes! I mis-spoke about it being a high-yield garden. We are planning on using the square foot gardening method which actually should use less water and the seeds will not be GMO's. I plan on doing a post about it later if all goes well. Thanks for sharing and following :-)!
ReplyDeleteTara, I hadn't heard about the $5/$25 for Seventh Generation diapers or wipes! Thank you! I will check into that for sure. I usually get my Seventh Gen at Super Target and Harris Teeter (when on sale), they tend to have much better prices then Whole Foods even during a sale. Thanks for the info!
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