For Jason + I, the topic of going green has been ongoing for a couple of years now. I guess it began when we started working out just after we got married + I focused on developing healthier eating habits. This week we have decided to do our best in going green for the earth + to set an example for our Olivia.
To begin, we already knew that living in the city is definitely a greener lifestyle versus the suburbs. The primary reason being mass transportation. Ok, sure, we own a car; however, it is not an SUV and we only drive it [if at all] on the weekends - meaning we only fill up with gasoline once a month. We also do not have a dishwasher or washer/dryer in our apartment so the unnecessary luxury or energy use is non-existent. We are also going to switch our light bulbs for more energy-efficient bulbs + luckily already have the habit of never leaving unnecessary appliances or lights on.
This week we began to utilize brown paper bags at the grocery. We learned that if you utilize these bags again + again, our store will also take two cents off your total for each reused bag. Once these bags become impossible to handle, we can then recycle those with the recycling we have established (and is conveniently picked up once or twice a week on our stoop). We also utilize shopping bags when going to the mall, Ikea, or the flea market to avoid unncessary baggage use.
I have always tried to purchase organic or locally (well, preferably, both) and now Jason is finally encouraging it. He finally realizes that organic fruits + vegetables taste like they did when we were children - are larger, healthier, + even stay fresher longer (which, to me, makes up for the extra cost difference if purchased from a grocery....farmer's markets tend to be considerably cheaper - even compared to grocery store non-organic foods!). We don't really eat that much meat either so that helps, too.
We are still exploring ways to help Olivia have a greener environment. Unfortunately, with our lifestyle, cloth diapers are not economical but we are actively seeking advice. Ideally, I would prefer for wooden toys for Olivia and nothing with batteries (since they are quite difficult to decompose) - as well, toys that are not heavily packaged with unnecessary plastics or cardboard.
Anyway, this isn't meant to be a preach to anyone. And for those of you who say - oh, so trendy of us....well, what is so bad about saving the earth + being trendy at the same time? I am just excited about a cleaner, healthier lifestyle both inside our home and out - wit that said...does anyone else have any other ideas or suggestions on creating a greener lifestyle?
4 comments:
The wooden/simpler toys are great. I've always loved them just from the perspective that they encourage kids to use their imagination and actively play. That they're more environmentally friendly is a nice side benefit, to me.
Ukrop's gives a five-cent discount for bringing your own bags, too. We're trying to find some sturdy reusable bags for groceries that don't cost a fortune.
You could try Etsy for shopping bags. I know the Container Store also has cute ones that fold up and can essentially fit on your key ring. I guess the issue then would be to determine approximately how many shopping bags one utilizes on an average trip.
Another way we're 'going green'...while I am at it...besides breastfeeding for atleast a year (and using BPA free bottles), is to make our own baby food. It is cheaper, healthier, stays fresher longer, + also cuts out the use of all those glass/plastic containers that baby food comes in.
Two or three bags tops would probably cover us for most grocery visits. We tend to buy small amounts to last us for a few days or a week mainly because we don't have the space to store extra stuff.
We haven't looked into making our own baby food yet. Sounds like it might be worthwhile to consider, though.
We got the "Born Free" brand bottles (BPA-free) and Oliver seems to like them. They're a bit more expensive than the comparable Avent or other polycarbonate bottles that contain BPA. but it's not objectionable considering the potential benefit.
Yea, we picked up a couple of the Dr. Brown's BPA-free bottles. We didn't want to buy too many; however, would have liked to have a variety in case she doesn't take to those.
You should pick up the book SUPER FOODS. It's on sale for like $6.00 at Borders (normally about $26.00). It walks you through recipes for children from newborn on up.
Oh yea...another way we have gone green is through our cleaning supplies. Clorox now has a line called Greenworks that we enjoy and we have been using the Method brand stuff for awhile now.
I think we'll eventually go with the Aveeno and Method baby stuff, too - once we've used up all the Johnson's we received from our showers.
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