Being Earth-conscious is something that is very important to me, & I am forever wearing Bear down with assertions of how we can better live in harmony with the planet. Hilariously, I am very much a homebody who prefers the indoors, dislikes bugs, easily burns, & has a horrible bottled water habit. But I am all about making changes to help the planet where I can.
Here are some changes we have already made in our own home:
* plant-based cleaners, rather than chemical ones
* saving, reusing &/or re-purposing glass containers (soda bottles, condiment jars, etc)
* recycling! This can be traditional blue-bin recycling to crafty re-purposing.
* making plans to grow food, instead of a lawn!
* creating our cloth diaper stash for Squiggle (Bear's brother & sister-in-law cloth diaper our niece L, too!)
* choosing to make holistic remedies rather than purchasing mass-produced chemical options
* opting for more traditional, reusable cleaning instruments, over one-time use products (like Swiffer, which I was a huge fan of for a long time, before realizing how much waste I was creating in the name of dust removal!)
* saving energy by line-drying clothing & blankets when possible
* thrifting new-to-us items, & donating our unwanted items so that they may find a new purpose in another life
* using site such as Freecycle!
(Pictured diapers are pre-loved gDiapers; origami book flowers from our wedding by The Crane Factory)
We can still make further changes to live a greener lifestyle, but we are making small changes every year, working more towards recuperating Mother Earth!
Some other ideas around the internet are:
* these children's companies that are Earth-friendly as well
* botanical jewelry & art with an Earth Day Birthday sale
* a great round-up of garden markers for budding babies
* a whole list of alternatives to plastic wrap (I also really love this idea!)
And Free People are running an Instagram contest to win an amazing, one-of-a-kind Earth quilt! I would LOVE to get my paws on it for Squiggle's room, which is in a World Travel theme! Perhaps I will put my recycling sensibilities to good use & make something of our pile of "dead jeans"...
HAPPY EARTH DAY! What are you doing to celebrate?
xo
Edit: I forgot to mention that another great thing to do for this planet is to sign this petition against Monsanto. Yes, Monsanto is all science-y & I like science, but I also think it's wrong to genetically mutate seeds so that they are unable to reproduce new plants next season, to completely change the genetic structure of food, to force farmers to forfeit the seeds they have used for generations in favor of Monsanto seeds... there is a long list. Essentially ceasing the circle of life in the name of insecticide immune plants? That can't be healthy for Mother Earth...
The swiffer is def something worth keeping, just switch to microfiber towels that can be washed!
ReplyDeleteTook me awhile to jump on the microfiber bandwagon- I can't stand the way the fibers cling to my fingerprints, literally! But dampen that sucker and ring out tightly, is gets dog art off windows way easier than paper towels!
Also, REI, the online, outdoorsie outfitter company, is one of the most enviro-concious companies in existence. They've been one of the first big businesses to "go green", using renewable energy and less waste.
Organic clothing is still the most difficult, for me, to look/shop for. If only the good things weren't so badly priced.
My other half is a hard nugget to crack too, I want to buy one of the old school push mowers, and he hates the idea. I will just have to get it, and start mowing the grass before he gets a chance to run the gas mower.
I'd say my ultimate goal is to be as an enviro-friendly as my lifestyle will allow.