Okay, so it's Earth Day and I have been thinking about a fond childhood memory. When in sixth grade I was asked by my teacher to get a group of classmates together to attend a "conference" (if there can be a conference for 6th graders?). It was in celebration of earth day and we had to come up with a name. I congregated the group and came up with what I thought I was super clever name for us--S.A.V.E. for Students Also Value Earth. Don't worry I am patting myself on my back (teasing)!That said, I wish I could claim that I was super at GREEN living, but I am not. In fact, I feel a lot of green guilt. Our city has a great recycling and yard waste program and our garbage can is teeny tiny (it holds maybe two large kitchen bags). For the most part I am great at rinsing out my yogurt containers and properly disposing of my vegetable scraps, but when I have an empty lotion bottle or peanut butter jar--ahhh! I seriously want to cry. I feel like I use more water trying to "prep" the item for recycling than can be beneficial to preserving our dear planet. Sometimes when it comes to the lotion bottles, I must confess, I have been known to throw them out.
One thing I am good at is using my reusable shopping bags. I LOVE these things. They hold so many more groceries than the plastic bags and many of the stores around here offer a 5-cent rebate or they donate 5-cents to earth-friendly programs for each bag you use!! My target bag (kind of like the one pictured) actually folds and zips up so I just keep it in my purse and I always have one ready. Someone actually had this picture posted--so you can get the full effect of the Target bag--hilarious!
Anyways, all this said, I want your quick and easy green tips. I will form a new group--A.V.E. "A" Values Earth!
12 comments:
I love those target bags thanks to you! I have gone and bought more!
I am thinking of the song by Kermit himself..."It's not easy being green..." it could be your theme song! Ha, just one of those Sesame Street songs played over and over and over in our car...hope to see ya this weekend in Yakima...
I am not the best greenie either...I do have the reusable bags from Ikea that are so cute for my groceries, although I never remember them, I have once or twice, it would be better if they zipped up like your Target ones...
A few tips I try to do...unplug items in my house that aren't being used, buy Method cleaning products...turn off lights and I try to do big loads of laundry and not just little ones through out the week.
If it makes you feel better, I have yet to wash out any peanut butter jars or lotion bottles yet...I didn't even know we could do that...:)
I have often wondered if I cancel my efforts out with the endless water I use rinsing recyclables out. I wonder if there has ever been a study on that? Tips...hmmm...sorry, I don't think I have anything new to share, but thanks for the inspiration to try to think of new ways I can go green!
I love those grocery bags, too.I'll have to post a link to a really surprising article I just read in the NYTimes about what we can do . .
Great photos and It's not easy being green.
After I've left my eight Hummers running all day long in the driveway without actually going anywhere, I turn things off around the house and try to use less water. Thanks for the great suggestions!
I too have a reusable grocery bag, but end up leaving it in the car a lot! I'll have to get the target bag. We've switched all the light bulbs we can to compact florescent ones- that's a win-win, because you save money on your electric bill and you almost never have to think about changing a light bulb again. I just wish they came in more sizes.
I'm jealous of that your city has such great programs. We have absolutely no recycling programs whatsoever. I could do better to find places on my own, but I confess I have not. I heard of a great book on being more green at home. It is called "The green parent: a kid friendly guide to earth friendly living" by Jenn Savedge. I haven't read it yet, but it does sound interesting.
I had no idea those Target bags that I've seen there were actually big ones zipped up! That's genius! I always leave my Whole Foods ones at home by accident. You're actually the one that gave me the great paper-bag-for-food-waste trick. I wish I had more to share other than the normal and boring recycling as much as we can, buying earth-friendly products, and turning the water off while brushing our teeth. I think I learned that from Barney!
No great earth-friendly ideas here, but I totally feel your pain of rinsing (or not) the peanut butter jars and lotion bottles. I rinsed and recycled everything else so if I felt lazy I just tossed them and (shame on me) I didn't even feel that bad. I'll repent and do better.
Oh, but I discovered I am much more likely to use to reusable grocery bags if I keep them on the front passenger seat of the car or right next to my kids car seats. Maybe that's a duh, but it took me many a second trip back to my car to get them to figure it out.
What fun ideas! Thanks for starting this out. It's was fun to realize that I know your sister in law. :-)
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