Green Travel

I confess, I LOVE to travel.  There is something fun and exciting about seeing new places and experiencing new sights, cultures, and foods.  My husband and I just booked a trip to Florida to celebrate our ten year anniversary, and after booking it through Delta, we were told there is a "green" way to fly!  When I clicked for more information, they printed a cute little diagram showing how much carbon my flight was going to output, and how much of a donation to the Nature Conservatory would offset that.  They also stated that Delta has a fuel efficient fleet that gets 55 MPG - so, for the amount of people they transport that is pretty incredible and I now realize that it makes less of a footprint to fly vs. drive.  Just food for thought!

				1.005 Tons CO2		$ 20.10
2  Passengers		2616 Miles		How much is this?

Myth Busting

As I approach my birthday next week I have been thinking a lot about the wisdom I have gained in the past few years.  I know they say you grow wiser with age, but it isn't until you get older that you really realize the truth in that statement.  Part of it is the development of logic skills, because when you really think things through a lot of times you will "myth bust" things you have always accepted at face value.

For example, growing up my mom would always tell me that I never "took to the pacifier."  Her story of proof was that "the first time I gave you a pacifier, you walked right over to the trash can and threw it out!"  This was always accepted at face value that I simply didn't like pacifiers...then, as I aged and became a mom myself suddenly a new light was shone on this subject.  If I could WALK to the trash to throw it out, I was far beyond the age of introducing.  My guess is I had a little too much attitude one day, my mom saw a nuk nearby, shoved it in to "plug it" (LOL) and I marched over to the trash and threw it away in protest.

The moral of the story is that we always need to think things through - not just accept things as fact without exploring all of the outcomes.  My eyes were also opened to this after reading an article on "not being mean to your toddler" (sorry, I don't remember the source!) and the author made a good point that our little explorers are not trying to irk us (usually), but instead make mistakes or messes because they are trying to be all grown up.  I can't tell you how much those words of wisdom have helped me through the 2's with my son.  So many times I had the instinct to yell or get upset, but instead I looked at the surroundings and give him the benefit of the doubt (sometimes easier said than done).

Lastly, I encourage people to try things that they may have written off in the past as unsuccessful because they may not have gotten the full picture.  For example, I thought I hated running due to my experiences growing up in gym class.  Once or twice a year they would throw you on the track and make you run a mile and gauge your entire fitness on that marker.  I was pretty athletic in general (playing soccer, volleyball, and basketball), but did not have much endurance for running.  Therefore I made it around the track one or two times before getting a splitting pain in my side and gasping for air, heart racing.  My best friend (aka "Gigglez") challenged me recently to shed the baby weight (per my request for suggestions) by running with her in a half marathon.  Never in my life had I ever desired to run for pleasure, much less a half marathon.  However, as a result of a scare of post partum high blood pressure with my daughter I was willing to try anything....  Lo and behold, after starting to train (the right way) I am finding that I'm increasingly enjoying it.  There is a certain healthy "rush" that runners get after running and my blood pressure has never looked better.  I still have six months to go, but things are looking up (I ran 5k the other day and lived to tell about it)!  I will update with progress on the training and any barriers or tips I come up with along the way.  =)

Theodore Roosevelt's Environmental Contributions

I have noticed that shifting to a sustainable mentality really does affect everything in your life.  Aside from the obvious, it seems that someone who tries to live responsibly has an entire shift in their value system regarding protecting our planet.  I am currently in a US History class and needed to write a paper on something in the early 1900s.  I chose to write on Theodore Roosevelt and his impact on environmental sustainability.  I had thought momentarily about posting it here, to share with the world, but knowing there are unethical people that copy and plagerize just to pass a course I decided against it...

To sum it up, Theodore Roosevelt was a real pioneer in American history in the green movement, he was simply in the right place at the right time (with the right values).  He took hold of his presidency around the time that the nation was rapidly developing the west, and he sheltered 243 million acres of land during his presidency (into national parks and reserves).  That really is mind blowing when you think about it!  I especially appreciate this quote that he made in 1910: “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the nature resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.” (The National Park Service. Theodore Roosevelt: The Father of Conservation, 2011).  


I was blessed to get my grade back on this paper and to have been asked by my professor if she could anonymously use my paper as an example to other students of a well written and researched paper.  It is nice to know that when you are passionate about something, that it is reflected in your writing, and that even when I feel overwhelmed with all the responsibilities on my shoulders I still can do a good job.  =)
 

Good Things Come in Small Packages

Sorry I haven't blogged lately, for a time I really fought over the issue on whether I really could make any significant contribution to the "green" movement.  A lot of things I love and would blog about are material in nature (such as the remainder of this post), which seems to run against the grain of the movement.  Less stuff is better for the environment, and reduces waste, etc....but the fact remains that we need "stuff" to live so I think it is worthwhile to mention the things I have come across that ultimately reduce our footprint and can make a contribution to greener living.  =)

So, onto "good things in small packages."  For years I've used those plastic dryer balls in my dryer in lieu of dryer sheets.  For one, they save money and they are less wasteful.  They also claim to cut down on drying time. I had never really tested the theory on the drying time, it did not seem to make much of a difference.  However, my sister in law came across these adorable dryer balls from Clean Spyria: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CleanSypria?ref=seller_info  The seller claimed they were better and more environmentally friendly than the plastic ones so since the dryer balls I had were on their last leg I decided to give it a shot.  I ordered 6 in custom colors and had the "frankincense and myrrh" scent added.  I got a confirmation e-mail the next day that they had shipped and by the end of the week I was able to test them out.  I was absolutely amazed!  They were just as cute in person and had a lovely scent to them.  The remarkable thing, however, was when I used them all of a sudden my washer and dryer cycles stopped at the same time.  Previously, it would take about a half hour to wash and an hour to dry.  All of a sudden, with only the addition of these 6 dryer balls, my dryer needed only half the time!  This is significant in both energy savings as well as time in general.  As a busy mom of two, going to school 3/4 time and running a small business, every minute counts so for my normal 4 batch laundry load I saved 2 hours on my day!  I will also add that the scent from the balls added a very light fragrance to the laundry which was especially welcome on my cloth diaper batches.  Highly recommended!

A Day in the Life...

I set a goal today to try and live as eco friendly as possible.  I live in MN where the weather varies a lot, so it is quite often that you will be running both the A/C and the heater on the same day to maintain a constant temp.  Yesterday I turned off all heating/cooling systems in the house and decided it was spring and fairly nice out so I would see how it went.  In the morning, it was rather cool, about 68 degrees inside.  I dressed the kids in long sleeved pants/shirts and their cloth diapers and made sure they had blankets for nap time.  By midday, the temp in the house was right where we like it 72 degrees, and by nightfall it was 75.  I realized with just this one day experiment how much we take our modern conveniences for granted.  Why must we keep the house at a constant 72 degrees?  It wastes electricity.  It's as simple as throwing on a cardigan in the morning, and taking it off at night.  I realize towards the summer when it's 90-100 out it won't be this simple, but in reality I think it's good to think about sacrificing a little to reduce the amount of electricity we use!

Secondly, for the first time - ever- I did a full week's worth of groceries without using a single plastic OR paper bag!  I used my handy envirosax and they were awesome.  One of them was so fully loaded I know it would have been considered a "double bagger" had I gone the other route.  I also decided to shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's instead of the normal chain grocers that I had been using.  I may have ended up spending a few dollars more, but the produce was all organic, as was the soy milk (for my son), and I got an incredible pizza from Whole Foods as a special treat.  After making it and putting away the leftovers, I realized that the mat the pizza was on was compostable!  It feels nice to support stores that are of like mind, that take the extra time (and money) to try to live sustainably.  Something just feels *right* when you are trying to do your part and live responsibly.  There is a totally different vibe in these sorts of stores over your basic chain (esp. super walmart/targets).

Finally, I've discovered the joys of hanging clothes on a line.  When I was a little girl, my grandma used to do laundry and hang them to dry outside.  Since I cloth diaper, I have always wanted a picture of the cute diapers hanging to dry in the sun, but that was not realized until yesterday, after my mom and I installed a new laundry line.  It took four blunders (and diapers dropping in the dirt) for me to get the knots right, but after it was done I was amazed at how nice everything was.  Today was the first time I dried actual clothing, and was a little hesitant as I typically have a LOT of laundry and knew I didn't have that much line available.  I could do about 3/4 load on the line, but on a hot day like today it took only about an hour to dry!  This was great, and I know it really will help the laundry smell fresher and last longer.  Above is an image of my son and daughters diapers on the line.  =)

Reuse: Children's Clothing

Anyone that has young children knows how quickly little ones grow, especially in the first few years.  I have found two great options for people that don't want to hassle with having a garage sale or listing things on ebay.  The first option is to consign through a company such as JustBetweenFriends (http://www.jbfsale.com/default.cfm).  I decided to give it a shot this past sale as I had a basement full of toys and my kids had grown out of a lot of clothes from the previous season.  I listed about 200 items, of which 75% sold.  I made a 70% commission since I volunteered, and yesterday (a week after the sale) I got a check in the mail for about $625!  This was amazing, as it's typically stuff I would just pass along or donate.  Now that we are on a tighter budget, I figured I could sell the things and use the money to buy things in the next size up.  I also was able to shop the presales since I consigned and volunteered and I scored some great deals on toys for my kids to play with this summer.  The best part is that I plan to resell the things at the fall sale and hopefully come out even!  The second thing I have discovered is a website called ThredUp (http://www.thredup.com/251731).  It's a great children's clothes recycling program.  Basically you can list your items in under five mintues (think stuff that didn't sell at JBF or clothes that are cute, but you never got around to using) and if someone buys it all you have to do is print the shipping label and the postal worker will come to your door and pick it up.  You can then turn around and buy someone else's box for $15.95 (including shipping) that has approximately 15 items in there.    They also have toys, maternity clothes, scrapbooking stuff, and books to trade.  There are no picts on the site, though you can request a seller send you a picture before purchasing.  One cool thing about this is that when you get the box, it's like Christmas!  I can't wait to get the boxes I just ordered in my first trial run, I'll see if I can upload a picture for a future post!  =)

Paper or Plastic?

My very first job was a bagger at Byerly's food store.  For $5.60 per hour (just a little above minimum wage at the time), I took the bus after school and bagged groceries to help pay for driver's ed classes (my mom held the policy that if I wanted to drive, I'd have to pay for every bit of the process).  During orientation we were taught to ask the question "paper or plastic?"  This may not sound weird to those of you who have heard this many times over, but they actually told us there was psychology behind it!  Apparently, when given a choice, people are compelled to pick the second option if indecisive.  So, at 3 cents per plastic bag and 5 cents per paper bag, Byerly's was training us to save them money with this simple trick.  I know there is debate on which option is worse for the environment, but I personally feel more comfortable picking paper if I do not have reusable bags with me.  I use it to hold my recyclable items at home, and therefore recycle the bag in the process. I know plastic bags are also recyclable, but the paper just feels more organic...  Anyway, I recently bought several Envirosax off of a deal website (check out: http://babyhalfoff.com/index.php/Envirosax-Reusable-Shopping-Bags-?___store=default if you wish to purchase some at a great price), and was surprised when they arrived and were the size of my fist.  They have very cute designs and are barely heavier than a standard plastic bag.  At first I was put off by this, thinking it was sort of a rip off, but now I see the beauty of being able to stuff three or four into my purse to use when needed.  I assure you, I'm not reimbursed for promoting any items at all on here, and my main goal is to buy less, but sometimes things are worth buying if they ultimately help you live more sustainably and will save you money in the future!