Going green

So it's the new fad, going green. Is it a bad thing? Unlike many fads, no it really isn't. I think we've really slacked off on caring about our environment, and it's just become second nature to use disposable products regularly and not give a second thought about where they came from. We do need to think about our futures though, and our children's futures. We think the little bit we do, makes such a small difference, but that's not true. Look at how much you throw away every day. Where did it come from? Is it paper or plastic? Can it be recycled or will it decompose easily?
I started using cloth diapers 18 months ago, when Abigail was around 6 months old. I didn't put a lot of thought into, it's just something I wanted to do. When I was even a few months pregnant, I started thinking about using cloth. Since I wasn't set it on it for any reason, I let others talk me out of it. I went back to the idea when Abigail was a few months old, but I was a little nervous to get into it. There were actually a lot of options, and I had so many questions about how to do it, what I needed, and how hard it would be. Since then, I've really thought about the environmental and cost benefits of cloth diapering. Our diapers paid for themselves in just about a year, so we've cloth diapered for free since then. After using disposable wipes for a bit, it became a pain, because I needed both a diaper pail and trash can for the wipes. So why not do cloth wipes? For the whole package deal (wipes, wipes warmer which makes it easier to use them) it paid for itself in just 3 months. So I haven't spent a penny on wipes in, oh...9 months!
I never thought that a simple thing like cloth diapers, could lead me to become such a green person. Once I started using cloth diapers, it occured me how many diapers I was saving from going to a landfill. Those suckers don't break down, they just sit there. There's certain chemicals used in disposable diapers that are getting into the land and polluting. It seems silly to some, but really think about it. As for wipes, look at how many wipes you throw away each day as a mom! Yikes! So my whole thought process started changing and my mind turned to everything else I was throwing away and wasting. Once I put some thought into it, I was amazed! How many food packages do you throw away each day? What are they made of, plastic or glass? How many times do you choose plastic over paper (a renewable resource, just to plant that idea in your head)? Probably a lot. Plastic plates are easier to use than paper. Plastic bags are easier than paper bags to carry. So everyday, I bet you choose plastic over paper at least once. Even the trash bags we use are plastic!
What can we do? How can we make a difference? Just start small, start simple. You might be amazed at how your thoughts change by making a few small changes. I'm still in the process of changing over. I have always recycled glass and metals since living here, because I would bring my trash to my parent's house to burn, instead of having a trash service. (My parents have always done this) You can't burn them, so we've always thrown them in a seperate area to recycle. I started giving thought to the amount of paper towels I use regularly, so I went out and bought a cheap set of absorbant towels. Now, when we have big or even smaller spills, I grab one of those. I'm going through so many less paper towels since! I changed from dryer sheets to dryer balls, to save the waste of those. I just bought a handful of reusable shopping bags to use, instead of getting plastic. I'm switching over to green cleaning products, but not things you buy (Greenworks), but things around the house. Baking soda and vinegar fulfill almost all of your cleaning needs. Vinegar disinfects and deodorizes and baking soda can be used for scrubbing. Along with a good sponge or cloth, and you can clean your bathroom, kitchen, windows, anything! (Do a search for homemade cleaning products and you will see). It saves the environment from the toxic chemicals and also saves the packaging. How many people here use Clorox wipes, toilet wands with disposable brush heads, Clorox ready mop, Swiffer, or a similiar product? All disposable products, with the only benefit being that they are easier than the traditional methods. I have saved every box from everything over the past 1 1/2 years, along with plastic bags. I didn't do it to be green, I did it because I knew we would moving again in the next few years, and it's better to have these boxes saved than to buy them when the time comes to move. I figured that plastic bags would be perfect packing material, which I've used before and it does work well. Once again, it saves us from buying those things later on. We found out that someone will be hired to move us, so I felt bummed about wasting all of that. Then I did some research and realized that many recycling places take plastic bags! They are a 2 plastic, along with many other plastics we use. So this became my new goal. I found a recycling place close to our new house and got a list of what they recycle. I plan to buy some small bins to put in the garage and recycle not just glass and metals, but also batteries, all plastics, newspapers, magazines and everything else. It's really simple if you think about it. Pick up a few bins on your next shopping trip. Label them and put them around the house wherever they are out of the way, but handy. Start tossing recyclable items in the bins. Everytime you go by your local recycling place, drop the stuff off. It will take, what...maybe 10 minutes out of every week to do this? Right, and who doesn't have 10 minutes or can't make 10 minutes for something like that?
Keep thinking about what you can do to make the difference and become green yourself! Start small, find one thing and do it. In a week or a month, find something else. Once you have a free 30 minutes, go around your house and make a list of the things you can change and start from the top of the list by making changes. You're saving the environment, even if it's a small difference, but you are also setting an example as a parent that your children will learn from. That may be the most valuable thing of all! So what's your excuse? You don't have the time, the money, or disposable products and disposing of products is just easier? Well, STOP! Take a minute to listen to those excuses you are making. Doesn't it sound a little selfish? You don't have the time, you can't be bothered by doing such a small thing, you don't want to spend your money (and how many times a week do you eat out or buy something useless...?) It's time to stop making excuses and start thinking and caring. I don't really care how small the difference I make is, it's still a difference. That's all that should matter! I also hope to inspire others, not just my children, to follow my lead and do the same. Then my small difference, becomes a much bigger difference. Isn't that worth it?