4.22.2009

Happy Earth Day!


I know I should do more to help the green effort, but I must be honest where I live makes it more difficult to make it a lifestyle. In order to simply recycle we would need to drive quite a ways in order to even make a drop off.

I do try to do a few things though...


1. I use organic cleaners such as Mrs. Meyers and Method.

2. I always try to remember my own bags for the grocery store.

3. I am a homebody so my car can sit in the garage for days at a time.

4. We use cloth napkins.

5. The magazines that I do not want to keep I pass on.

6. Low VOC paint is my paint of choice.

What I want to do...

1. Change out all our light bulbs to something more eco friendly.

2. Only buy what I need. Whether it's clothing or food, I just don't want to waste. FYI, I am continuing my shopping hiatus till the end of the year. I will expand on this later.

3. Bring my own bag to all stores, not just the grocery store.

4. Try to fit more organic and locally grown foods into the budget.

5. Use reusable water bottles for the whole family.

For helpful tips, here are a few blogs that feature green living in a beautiful way.



{a feature by The Haystack Needle}


I would love some more tips if you have them. I know I could do more. Now to go do some gardening.

24 comments:

nelya said...

What a beautiful photo and such an adorable couple.

I am slowly, but surely, focusing more of my efforts on "green" living. Just being more conscious and aware is a step in the right direction, I hope!

I like your tips and will definitely check-out your links. Happy Earth Day!

Tina { Luphia Loves... } said...

such great tips!! i need to do more!

Unknown said...

great points! i love that pic, too - so vibrant and green!

personally - i try to bring my own bags to the grocery store too and only buy what i need. i do my best to combine shopping trips all in one day so i'm not doing eighteen lil trips but one bigger one instead.

also - i'm looking into CSA's (community supported agriculture) in my area. get fresh, local and organic food AND help to further support a local farm!

Blair Friedeman said...

It sounds like you are well on your way! Thank you for the link love Paula.

jen jafarzadeh said...

I loved reading your list! And thanks so much, Paula, for including me!

kadler said...

Haha, I totally agree with the homebody point. Then again, I don't have a car here, so I guess living in HK has its eco-pluses.

L said...

Sounds like you're taking the right steps to being more eco friendly! Happy Earth Day!

Rachel said...

Love Kellen's new shots!

And such great tips! I hope to incorporate some eco-friendly ideas into our daily lives too!

Aartee said...

Thanks for the tips...I have a huge tote bag but I forget to bring it with me!

Julia said...

You're off to such a great start :) I need to convince Andrew that clothe napkins aren't insanitary! :)

Kelee Katillac said...

Happy Earth Day Paula!

Thanks for the creative week of GREEN!

love,kelee

Christina said...

it sounds like you're doing a lot of great things and you're goals are very realistic and would make a great difference. thanks for sharing.

Linda said...

I'm doing some the same things. I forgot about the light bulbs though. Good idea!

megan @ a life's design said...

Great list! It took us a while to get recycling at our condo unit. Even living in this big city, it isn't easy. Communities should make an effort to recycle more and make it easy and fun.

Brooke @ Blueprint Bliss said...

Great post. Lauren at Pure Style Home had a fun post for things to do around the house to "recycle"... And love the photo at the top that your husband took!

inkWELL Press said...

Sounds like you do a lot more than you give yourself credit for! I'm doing my best too but it can be so much easier to just reach for a paper towel or use paper plates... baby steps.

I do use cloth napkins but have a hard time finding ones that don't need to be ironed. Have you had any luck?

PS~Erin said...

We're in a similar spot as you sound to be... Making some changes but fully aware that there's more that could be done. I think being aware and concerned is huge. Having that knowledge close in mind when making decisions goes further than we realize. And what we're doing is rubbing off on our kiddos, and that's a big part too.

My goal is to reduce paper towel use and eliminate paper plates. It's such a convenience though! We've been reluctant/resistant to change.

Laura Trevey said...

great post! happy earth day...
i always take my own bags to the grocery now... great to spread the awareness :)

Aline said...

I have changed to energy efficient bulbs, use eco friendly cleaners, go to an organic dry cleaner, take reusable bags to the market, take my reusable water bottle everywhere with me, and try to buy organic when it makes sense.

I, like you, would like to try to take reusable bags when I go shopping everywhere and want to start composting. I am also going to try to find a more eco friendly car when my lease is up:)

Gracie said...

Those are fantastic tips! I'm also trying to be better. I've always been a psycho recycler since I was in primary school. I have really short showers (by turning the water off while lathering up, shampooing etc). Definitely would like to change all the light bulbs and I try to remember to bring my own bags.
Something I would love to do (after I get married) is put solar panels on our future house.

erin said...

great list! so glad i found your blog!

taylor said...

Does it count if your favorite color is green?

Unknown said...

Wuaww I read your post early on today but didn't realize you mentioned Everything Fabulous...thank you so much!!!! I hope you had a special Earth Day....!!..and again thank you that was very special!!!

katie said...

you've such a great blog. you might try reusablebags.com and look into the compact bags. they fold up into a little pouch that's sewn into the bag and take up very little room. i keep a few in my purse that i use when i'm out running errands. cheers! katie