I have been wanting to go green more and more. I find myself seething when people ask for something to be double bagged. I pick papers out the trash to recycle. I think about the food selections I am making, weighing the packaging choices more than the calories. I flip off lights, wash clothes on cold and take my own bags to, well, everywhere.
It is still hard though. Being green takes a lot of forethought and planning. I must remember my reusable bags, I must turn off lights, I must recycle. I must make the conscious decision to do without it in the first place. That is really where being green must start with, for me.
I have talked about this a little in early blogs, and I must admit that this has been hard. Before I buy a want, it has to pass my checklist.
1. Is it local or fair trade? If yes, my purchase is approved.
If the answer to that is no, then it must be American made. That way the fuels used to transport the item were less. If it comes from China then that is a big nope!
2. After viewing the video of dying birds, I am no longer buying soda or water in bottles. The one exception will be Jacob's graduation parties. I would have to buy cups or glasses and feel that water bottles have a greater chance of getting recycled at the parties. Otherwise, I am either purchasing canned or soda fountain items. My next step is to stop getting take away drinks all together or find a place that let's me bring in my own glass that I can wash and refill.
Granted my checklist is pretty small, but I feel like #1 should take care of a lot of it. I also feel like #1 will allow me to make the most of my dollars for the good of the earth and those that live in it.
Another part of going green has been an ongoing attempt to green up this big blue house. I know that having a pool is about as ungreen as I an be so I am working hard at countering that. I have two rain barrels and do not water my yard or outside plants with water from the hose. I have also planted plants that absorb the splashed out water as the grass wasn't keeping up. These plants are resistant to the chemicals in the water and help clean it. I wish that I could have a solar heater, but that is out of the budget.
The house has already been fitted with new efficient windows in all but one room. There is an energy blanket in the attic and foam insulation in the walls. There is a metal roof going on soon and that should last our lifetime. Unfortunately, even with these improvements, this house still isn't as efficient as it should be.
The Midamerican audit gave us low flow shower heads and many light bulbs. We run almost all laundry on cold except for when Harlow has to have her laundry done and then high heat is required. The washer is HE and the dryer and dishwasher are energy stars. I have switched to Mrs. Meyers cleaning products. Vinegar is now my fabric softener and will become a lot more as I learn to use it. Hydrogen peroxide is also a common cleaner for me. The soaps in the bathroom are being replaced with soaps that have ingredients that I can pronounce and spell.
In the yard, hostas and flowers will take over more yard. I am looking for plants that lure honey bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. I am wanting less grass as it is more to maintain. I am planting lilies from my sister's house (free is very green) on one side that needs some prettying up and these lilies will reduce the carbon and improve the oxygen. They will attract the bees and will not need any treatments.
Being green is forcing me to look at everything I do. I am choosing to email my receipts, carry my own bags and eliminate my junk mail. I am taking the time to think about what I want, what I need and what I can re purpose.
Recently at work, I really wanted to buy a new lip balm. I had a coupon and it was on sale. Combined with my discount, it was a heck of a deal. I could not find where it was made. Many cosmetics are made in China, many are not. I could not read any of the ingredients. It may have contained palm oil (usually listed under another name). I knew that I had six or seven lip colors at home. I put the coupon in the coupon bin and that was the end of that. It felt good to make that choice. It felt right to know that a want and need were two very different things, that every purchase I make has a trickle down effect and that I have five more dollars in my pocket.
It isn't easy being green, but thanks to all those tree huggers that went before me, I have a lot of resources to call on to learn the tricks. There are many of my facebook friends that are green. Pinterest is a goldmine of green goodness. And common sense is green.
Step by step, I will make the right choices for me and my world. I will do better and be better and leave it better. And I believe that being green, being a steward of the earth is part of being faithful. It is the right way of honoring God's gift to me. And if I didn't believe that, if I didn't have a faith, being green is still the right thing to do.
When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
And I think it's what I want to be
No comments:
Post a Comment