i'm light green

go green.

ughh.  i hate that phrase.  i went to an agricultural school and when i think of "being green" i think of all the dirty hippies and their nasty dreadlocks on campus trying to convince me to follow in banning di-hydrogen monoxide and the fight to save the northwest tree octopus.

i hate to sound selfish, but what has a northwest tree octopus done for me lately?!?!  hmmm...  

i've done my share of "saving the earth."  i worked for a beneficial insect lab back in the day when i cared about all the wrong things.  i cared that the native new jersey cattails where being taken over by, what i happen to think is much prettier, purple loosestrife.

so, like a sucker i helped in the rearing (keep the giggles to yourself) of thousands of beneficial beetles.  i wish i had some pics of when i was working there.  the idea is cool, but seriously there are kids starving everyday.  i'd rather see the money feed and clothe children.  (i know, much easier said than done, but can you see where my heart is?)

between all of the daily chores and taking care of the kiddos my efforts to go green have to be simple and to the point.  

some of the things that i have done/changed:

- i drive slower.  

not to be confused with slow.  remember i'm in jersey.  you get killed for going the speed limit.

- i use natural cleaners.  

think seventh generation. vinegar. method.  

seventh generation thyme and lemongrass multi-purpose cleaner does a fantastic job.  did i mention it smells awesome?  however, it is a little weird for my bathroom to smell like thyme.  

vinegar is excellent for cleaning the tile in between your grout.  if you can stand the smell, give it a try.

- i buy transformed products. 

for christmas this year i stuffed our stockings with toothbrushes made from plastic #5.  the idea is to send the toothbrush back to the company in the package it came in.  not sure if i'm ready to think of all the mouths my toothbrush has been in.  or toilet bowls it has cleaned.  

yeah, i just went there.  sorry.

apparently many recycling centers don't take #5.  it is a much lighter plastic that many food manufacturing companies prefer to use.  yogurt, margarine, sour cream type containers are what i'm talking about.  if you have a whole foods near you, they may have a bin you can throw your #5 plastics in.   i like this idea more than the toothbrush idea.

- i use bath towels for rags.

the ones i have are seriously old.  one by one, i have been cutting them up into squares perfect for cleaning up spills, dusting, wiping up tiny fingers prints.  don't get me wrong, i still use paper towels, but i have been able to cut back on using them tremendously by having rags handy.

now can you see why i am just light green.  nothing too crazy, but i feel like i'm doing something to contribute to having a healthier planet.

every little bit helps.

what are some ways you try to be green?

thanks for stopping by,

jill