Going Green

In light of the whole "Green" movement and yesterday's celebration of Earth Day, I really want to think of different changes we can make in our lives to help the environment. I know we are doing our bit now, but I didn't realize how much we actually already do until I did some research and watched some "green" shows. It makes me feel good knowing that simple things we do everyday are already helping our planet. We, of course, recycle. It is one of the easiest things I think anybody can do. And growing up with the recycling nazi, aka my mom, it comes as second nature. One of Alex and Jenna's chores is to put the recycling in the bin. Joe made a change a year ago and one that I was resistant to at first, but now, it's just part of our life. We compost. We have a stainless steel pail that sits on our kitchen counter with a bio-degradable bag as a liner and all our eligible kitchen food waste goes in. We can easily fill a bag in less than two days with apple skins and cores, banana peels, egg shells, veggie cuttings, etc. And when the kids and I go on picnic lunches, we bring our compost home. Joe finally received his compost tumbler for his birthday and it is a hit with the kids. They love giving it a roll to mix the compost. This compost is then used in the garden where Joe and the kids grow a good part of our produce for the summer (yet another eco-friendly job on our part). We have replaced about 90% of the light bulbs in our house with compact florescent lighting. We have installed a programmable thermostat and have energy efficient appliances. We do not use water bottles. Our latest adventure is our purchase of BPA-free baby bottles. I found a wonderful site on-line called Green to Grow and have decided to go with these bottles. I'm sure there is more that we already do and there is so much more that we can do. I'm not saying I'm going 100% green. I really don't think I can do cloth diapers and paper towels are really, really handy with little kids. And a mini-van is pretty essential if we want our family of five (all in car seats of some kind) to travel together. I would buy a hybrid in an instant if they made one as the gas guzzling beast we currently own makes me cringe every time I fill it up - not only for the effects on my wallet but to the environment as well. However, where I can make changes I will try. I think my next step will be transitioning to reusable shopping bags. Of course, this means I have to think of another source for kitty litter garbage bags and bathroom garbage can liners!! But these changes give me some peace knowing that I am trying to make this planet better for my kids. And, that I am teaching my kids to waste less and reuse more.