It's Not Easy Being Green(er)

Like most people my age, I didn't grow up in a "green" household. Who did, really? Back then (LOL waaay back then), being green meant being rich. Thankfully, things have come a long way and now we can all reap the benefits of living a cleaner, greener life.

I am what the urban dictionary would call crunchy. Here are some of the things I do:

Cloth diapering-This one doesn't apply to everyone (especially if you don't have a baby bum to cover) but I wish everyone that *did* have a baby bum to cover would give it a try. Cloth diapering has come a looong way. It's not all prefolds and pins anymore! A simple Google search will yield tons of results. I won't go into detail here but if you're curious about it, just start reading. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I am thrilled that we made the switch when our son was just little.

Line-drying-Here's one just about anyone can do! You don't need a baby bum for this. If you DO venture into the cloth diapering, hang those suckers up when it's nice out. There's nothing like some good, old fashioned sunshine to make your whites whiter.
When I was little, we had an old wringer washer (it wasn't exactly like this and it DID use electricity but this was the best picture I could find) and my mom line-dried clothes in the summer months. Oh, how I despised laundry days! LOL
Now I'm singing a different tune. A recent dryer issue sent me outside to hang clothes. I'm a convert. Sometimes the "alone time" I get while hanging a load of clothes is all I need to revitalize. Not only that, but we're saving a ton of money with the dryer stuck in the off position.

Recycling-If you live in the boonies like I do, check with your local churches or businesses to see if they run a recycling program. Just because the recycling truck doesn't come down your street doesn't mean you can participate.
Recycling has come a long way as well. A lot of programs don't require much sorting anymore, making it really simple to collect all of recyclable materials. All we need to do here, at our house, is collect the plastic and metal items in one bin and the paper (junk mail, magazines, newspapers, etc.) in another. You really can do it with minimal effort and a small space.
Please check with your local facilities as "rules" vary from one place to the next.

Composting-This is something that I am fairly new at but I'm really getting into it. I'm finding myself searching for more things to add to the collection bucket. Here's a good resource I found if you're just starting out.
We simply collect our kitchen scraps (like egg shells, coffee grounds, fresh fruit and vegetable cuttings, banana peels, etc.) in a plastic ice cream bucket with a lid. When it's close to full, we take it out to the pile. We didn't spend a lot of money on a fancy compost bin either. Keep an open mind and you'll be surprised what you can find that will work for a "bin".

Cleaning-I've turned to making a lot of cleaning products. If you're not aware what a little baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice can do, I encourage you to find out.
If you're not into making your own cleaning agents, you're not out of luck. Nearly every company has a line of green cleaning products now. One that I really like is Method.


These are just a few of the things that we do around here. Of course there are things like turning lights off, shutting down the computer, unplugging those cell phone chargers when you're not actually charging your cell phone and using more energy efficient lightbulbs that make a huge difference as well.

I'd love to hear how you're going green too!