It’s earth day! A day for us to think about the impact we have on the planet on which we live. The past year or so, I have strived to make efforts to become more ‘green.’ I admit that my efforts are often not consistent. With five boys, two of them teenagers, it isn’t easy being green. Five boys equals lots of smells, and sorry, but they need to shower. I am also not of the whole “if it’s yellow, let it mellow…” persuasion. We tried that… Yuck! That’s all I have to say. On the other hand, we have adopted some green habits that really work for us.
We have a HUGE green van… I call her Godzilla. But our second car is a Prius. We drive the Prius 90% of the time, and “R” and I have a running game to see who gets the best gas mileage in it. I use cloth diapers for the baby. I have to say I am a HUGE fan of these. Initially they were an investment. We have 10, and at $17 a piece, they weren’t cheap. But our youngest is almost 16 months old, and I think we have spent less than $300 on diapers. If you have children, you know how much disposable diapers cost! Bum Genius is great! They call them pocket diapers, as you just slip the soft terry liner in the pocket. The liner that sits up against baby’s skin is so soft, and they are easy to clean. Just spray with a bit of baby friendly stain treatment and throw it in the wash. Fuzzi Bunz is another brand that we have a few of. They are the same type of diaper as Bum Genius, though my husband likes BG better. We also use gDiapers. Biodegradeable, and you can flush it right down the potty! Check out their website for more information. Honestly, these three brands are amazing. I can’t recommend them enough.
We have gotten better about using electricity. The kids are getting better at turning off the lights when they leave the room. We turned down the thermostat in the winter. And it was up a bit higher in the summer. I wash our clothes in cold water, have stopped rinsing our dishes before I load them in the dishwasher, and we are using natural cleaning products. This last one is great, as I truly think we are all breathing better and coughing less than when I used traditional cleaners with their harsh chemicals. Some all-natural cleaners are misses, but a few brands have some truly great products. Mrs. Meyers has great stuff! And the smell… Yum! Their lavender counter spray has become a staple in my house. Seventh Generation is awesome. Their laundry detergent is wonderful, as is there dish soap. A bit pricier than traditional stuff, but for 50 cents to a dollar more, I will gladly pay the difference.
Our biggest expense is food. I LOVE Whole Foods, but it IS pricey. And with five growing boys, money is an issue. If I did all my grocery shopping at Whole Foods I would probably spend anywhere from 30-50% more than I would shopping at Walmart, Target, and/or Costco. So, I stick to those three for the most part, and just try to be careful with what we buy. Luckily, all three of my favorite stores are becoming more eco-friendly. Costco is starting to sell more organic and grass-fed beef. I think that if you pay attention you can really tell the difference when you eat the grass-fed beef. It’s much more tender and has an almost sweeter taste. Costco has some great prices, and for the most part, it is only about 20 cents more expensive than traditionally processed beef. However, you buy it in bulk, so the initial cost is certainly higher. Costco also has some wonderful organic products for baby and toiletries, organic sugar, and my little one’s favorite Auntie Anne’s bunny snacks. Target has Method’s full line of cleaning products. Not only do these products work great, but they come in some truly nice scents. Target also has a lot of Seventh Generation’s products as well. Walmart is the same… lots of green cleaning products, and it seems like they are getting more products in every day. Walmart and Target are even selling their own reusable shopping bags! I have a few of those, but sadly, I often forget to bring them… I have to get better at this!
My next goal is to start composting. I really want to start a small vegetable garden with the boys, and composting will give us some wonderfully rich soil to do so.
More to come!
