Friday, November 14, 2008

Going Green

Our household has become more conscious of our impact on the environment in the past few years. We are trying to make the print our lives leave on the world smaller and less damaging. To that end we have begun recycling. Over half of our weekly haul is recyclables. We are more aware of the energy we use and ways we can cut back. We use the drying rack, but not as often as I'd like. As Rob says, we're not really green, we're a pale blue/turquoise.

We still have a lot of areas in which we need to improve. Clothes get popped in the dryer about 60% of the time. The kids like the juice boxes better than juice out of the bottle, and prefer individual yogurts. Less packaging would be nice. I would imagine that the next vehicle we buy will probably be a hybrid, but other than the Toyota Prius, few models are available in our small town. I would like to switch to fluorescent bulbs, but I hate that they are bright, but don't seem to really light up a room.

Another down side to living in a small town is that finding products made within a close distance is difficult. Most of the things we buy are shipped in from some pretty distant locations. I'd like to do more composting this year and love the idea of planting a spring garden. We tried last year and went waaayyyy too big and planted too early. After a late frost killed everything, we didn't replant. This year I'm thinking we should try some tomatoes, a few squash and some peas. Organic products are nearly impossible to find here and I'd love to treat us to natural, unsprayed, unaltered products. So what are you doing to lessen your human footprint on our planet? Does convenience ever hinder your efforts?

On a completely unrelated side note: Abby just painted her lips with nail polish. Yay weekend.

7 comments:

Mary said...

That side note was pretty funny I have to say!

We are with you in the turquoise stakes. Other than being more careful about turning off lights/appliances and not running our heating all the time we have a LONG way to go. Recycling is done as a matter of course in pretty much all of Australia and most of us are on water restrictions but there is so much I should be doing.

It is something I am planning to pursue wholeheartedly when my heart is whole!

M said...

Melinda, just try to change one thing at a time. Pick the easiest, stick with it then add another when you've got it under control. The worst thing is trying to go green all at once.

Pale Turquoise is a lovely colour.

M said...

PS. how on earth do you get nail polish off lips, without hurting?

Aunty Evil said...

Hope it was a nice colour, and not green, as your title suggests!

As you know, I don't like green...

Stomper Girl said...

I've GOT the fluorescent bulbs but man I hate catching myself in the mirror under their light. Adds 10 years to me. As if I need that.

Fairlie - www.feetonforeignlands.com said...

I agree with M...small steps. I start with something simple like taking my own shopping bags to the supermarket and then once it is an ingrained habit, move onto the next thing.

(And how DO you get nailpolish off lips? It's the kind of information I'm likely to need.)

Anonymous said...

Nailpolish lips? Oh my.
We *try*. One step one day at a time. We grow (some) of our own veg, and have a good herb garden. We water tank, we avoid and minimise plastics, waste and packaging. It's an ongoing effort, though.

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