Monday, April 26, 2010

Happy Belated Earth Day




So having a newborn is really throwing me off. I didn't even know it was Earth Day until we were watching our favorite NBC shows and realized that the peacock logo was green. Anywho, for my belated salute to the earth, I'd like to present you with "A Case for Cloth and other reusable things."

First of all, going green and all that stuff is not a lot of extra work or money. The hardest part is the initial investment and getting used to doing things slightly differently.

Idea 1: Reusable shopping bags. I don't know about you but I really hate having 30,000 grocery bags under m
y sink. There's only so many we can reuse as lunch bags, etc. Many grocery stores have recycling bins for them now, so don't forget to bring them. Anyways, using a reusable bag will save lots of bags from the trash. So don't be like me and forget yours at home! (Minimal investment of $1-2 per bag and some stores will give you a 5 cent discount every time you use their brand of reusable bags)

Idea 2: Cloth napkins. We switched over almost exactly a year ago and it just hasn't been a big deal. I just bought some napkins at Walmart to start with, and I've expanded my collection whenever I see something on sale. We haven't bought paper napkins in a whole year and we have noticed that our trash bin gets full a lot slower when we aren't using 5-6 napkins per person a day.

Idea 3: Cloth diapers. The hardest part about this is the initial investment (and not getting addicted to all the cute diapers out there). The absorbent stuff in diapers contains all kinds of chemicals and no one really knows if they ever decompose. Also, poop should go in the toilet, not in the landfill! (Did you know that it is a federal crime to poop in a landfill? Random factoid.) Once you pick a system you like and get used to the washing routine it's really just not a big deal. I'm actually double diapering with cloth with a toddler and newborn and while I've had to wash every 1.5 days instead of 2-3 days, I barely notice it because there's been a general increase in laundry.

Idea 4: Cloth pads. Never thought I'd make the switch, and again, the initial investment was difficult for my husband to swallow (not what he would choose to spend money on), but it has been great not having to buy and throw away more things and they are so comfy. I highly recommend www.lunapads.com. Just look through the site for info and testimonials. (Oh and washing them is not a big deal. Just throw them into some kind of container with cold water to soak, change the water daily, then throw them in the washer and dryer).

Idea 5: Reusable sandwich bags. I'm buying a few of these from www.lunchskins.com to try it out. I love the idea of not having a to buy baggies all the time (especially if we send the girls to school!) and it would help keep our trash can a little less full.

Well I hope these ideas help and maybe inspire y'all to try something green!

2 comments:

Chantal said...

Thanks for the kick in my not-so-green butt. I always need reminders.

I find that it helps to keep my reusable grocery bags stored by the front door, that way I can remember to grab them and put them in my car on my next time out.

Little Monkey said...

Let me know how the baggies work out. I hate throwing away plastic bags so I use a lot of tupperware but those bags would be a lot less bulky.