Getting GREENER

While I may have thought I was doing pretty good when it comes to recycling and living 'green,' I know I can do much better.

This week Earth Day rolled around again for the 39th time, and with it, a focus on the news, in the newspaper, at school, and on Oprah. Oprah's guest reported a floating field of trash (Trash Patch) in the Pacific between California and Japan the size of Texas and 90ft deep in some areas! The images stunned me! Every ocean has a "trash patch" but this is the largest one and where trash happens to gather based on the currents. News like that really gets ME thinking. What can I do differently? What can I buy differently to eliminate the waste. I think I have bought my last pack of Go-Gurts (yogurt tubes) for Evan. Too much waste in the form of non-recyclable plastic... What are we doing?

Working at Evan's future school on a weekly basis puts me in an environment where SUSTAINABILITY is where it's at. I have started to pack my lunch differently. No Zip-lock bags. Sure, it takes thinking, and a tiny bit more time, but with the right preparations, this is becoming my new way, and what I leave behind is almost none. My next step,...to use cloth napkins at home and school.

At home, I have decided to make the extra efforts to recycle MORE than what I have been. I know the recycle bin in the garage doesn't get nearly what it should from my house, because, well, it's just not convenient. Yes, it gets the newspaper, the milk jugs, and the big stuff. But the little stuff goes in the trash. It's easier. WAS easier. As for batteries, I need to start collecting the old ones and properly dispose of them. What goes in the trash, goes in the ground, goes in the water, goes in the food chain, comes right back to me.

Yesterday I washed out Evan's Frosty cup from Wendy's, recycled the cup, and the spoon. Typically it would have all gone in the trashy. One big sticky mess, pitch it. I am thinking greener and it feels good. I noticed two toilet paper rolls in the bathroom trashcan and dug them out. That was the lazy way. I can do better. Mark and I are going to start composting in the backyard. So much food goes down the drain and in the trash, now we can consider a different way.

So yesterday when I was in search of a windbreaker for Evan, I noticed that my first thought was head to the store. Then my new 'Greener' version of myself tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me of consignment shops. Imagine my delight when I arrived at the consignment shop (We Love Kids) to find "10 items for $20" posted on the door! I also got to choose any additional items at half off! So Evan and I spent time time mulling through the treasures in this store. I think he had no idea these things had already been loved. Even Mark thought they were new when Evan did his fashion show last night. I got everything in the picture for what I could have paid for the NIKE jacket at retail. (Of course I wouldn't have bought it, but you get the point!)

So shoes, hat, and all the duds and I feel GREEN about thinking a new way. "It's not easy being green," as the old song goes, but it is worth it. What ways can you live greener and leave less of a footprint on Mother Earth?