We are getting our Green On at the Mangum household. In honor of April 22nd, I've listed 22 Things You can do (and we're trying to do) to save the planet:
- Eat leftovers (and find easy ways to Eat Green...no it's not just about "organic").
- Switch to energy saving light bulbs.
- Remember your canvas bags (at Costco too!)
- Plant a garden - or just some herbs in a pot.
- Cook more (using real food is even better! See #12)
- Visit iTunes. No seriously, if you haven't made the switch already - move from CDs to digital music (this has been a big one for me! I know: I'm so stuck in the 90s sometimes)
- Eat less meat.
- When you do eat meat, opt for the organic variety.
- Turn off the lights.
- Steer clear of microwave popcorn bags - their packages often feature grease-repellent coatings containing harmful PFCs.
- Ditch the harsh chemicals in commercially manufactured cleaning products and use eco-friendly products like vinegar and baking soda to clean.
- Eat real foods in their natural states (skip the packaged & processed whenever possible)
- Change your credit card and bank statements to the online variety.
- Breastfeed (or encourage your wife to do so). And I out of all people, know this one can be harder for some than others... but if you have the resources "Breast is Best."
- EC ... or, if that sounds too crazy, just let your baby go diaper free once in a while. (It's 'suppose' to be warming up...get outside and get that babe in his birthday suit!)
- Fix leaks in plumbing, faucets, etc
- Skip the dry cleaners to avoid the toxic solvent "perc" and make your own starch to iron shirts, etc.
- Change your mode of transportation: carpool, try out public transportation or better yet, bike!
- Become a responsible fish eater.
- Buy local (it's almost Farmer's Market Time!)
- Use cloth napkins. They can be added to laundry you're already doing, and they'll make dinner feel fancier...even if you're just having pizza or a casserole.
- Visit the Library. I love books as I have confessed before. But the library is a much greener option than buying...and while you're there, it wouldn't hurt to check out a few books on living Gorgeously Green!
PS. What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day/Save the Planet?
7 comments:
Reading your posts, that's what!
Happy Earth day!
Some great ideas. It's funny that you mention cloth napkins. I used our old gingham picnic napkins the other day because we ran out of napkins -(always had them and it never occurred to me to use them). My kids were like, "WOW...Fancy!" I thought it was pretty cute.
How will I celebrate? I'm going to do a controlled burn in my back yard to get rid of all those nasty weeds and overgrown bushes that are taking control of my yard.
holy good-ness, I have to toot my own horn here and say that I live by most of that list (albeit some of it is un-intentional :)
living in canada (and reading your blog of course) helps...they are pretty responsible and aware out here of taking care of our big green mamma (or 'mum' as they would say..)
I love you! Those are such great ideas and I actually do quite a few of them. I was proud! Nice to spend earth day with my favorite hippie chick.
Thanks for the great tips and inspiration! Living in NYC has been so great for us as far as becoming more Green... from all the necessary walking and public transportation, to the fines associated with not recycling, to the great farmer's market down the street, to the fear of cockroaches in plastic grocery bags so of course we use canvas, there are a LOT of incentives to be more careful. I admit it may have started out of compulsion, but now I'm all about it and loved the tips you mentioned that I hadn't thought of.
Love it.
Urban chickens! I can save you some of their poop for your compost if you would like.
Fabulous list. You're inspiring me, Ms. Mangum!!
Post a Comment