Happy Earth Day

Happy 40th Earth Day.
Here are easy things Mike and I do to be more Green, that you can do too:

• Bring your own shopping bags to all store not just grocery store.
• Change your light bumps to the longer lasting ones.
• Have a clothes line, even though we can not have on outside, we have on at the back of our garage.
• Only run the dish washer when it is full
• Give away, swap or donate items you no longer need or want vs. tossing them.
• Use a reusable water bottle vs. one time use plastic bottles.
• Buy in bulk, it uses much less packaging.
• Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) This not only forces you to eat healthier there is not all the waste of plastic bags like at a grocery store produce area.
• Bring a Plate, Bowl, and set of silver ware to leave in our office at work, instead of using disposable plates and plastic ware.
• Use Cloth Napkins for eating and towels/rags for cleaning vs. paper products.
• Think about what is in your food before you eat it, homemade is always better for you and taste wise than boxed, packaged or eating out.
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Keep the heat at a minimum, we have ours set at 60-65 all winter
• I no longer use Tampons/Pads instead I use a Diva Cup www.divacup.com (Sorry to the Guys who are reading)

I have been thinking a lot about being greener lately here are a list of things I would like to say we are doing next year:

• Making our own cleaning supplies with vinegar, baking soda etc. vs cleaning our home with chemicals.
• start a planter garden with herbs and a few other things
• make most if not all our bread at home
• Bike to work
• buy more "new" things at 2nd hand stores (I am really bad about clothes especially, addicted to Kohl's)
• Eat more veggies and fruit and less Meat and dairy
• Eliminate most Plastic in the kitchen
• Eliminate our use of Paper Towels.
• Buy 100% organic

(now I just have to get Mike to sign off on the list...)