Earth Day is less than ten days away and I have to say that I have learned so much in the process of teaching Addy about it. I use the word teaching lightly because we are both learning. We have been reading library books and watching dvd's and looking online at different ways to help the Earth and make it a cleaner place. We discussed how Indians believed that we belong to the Earth but we act as if the Earth belongs to us. WOW! That struck a chord in me because it is so true. Earth was here long before little me and long after little me but yet my small existence on this Earth that God created leaves a long lasting scar of garbage and pollution. "How dare I!" I ask myself. So then I ask myself, "What are you going to do about it?"
So Addy and I are looking at what we can change and how we can save energy and reduce waste. I want her to understand this now, not when she is 30 like me! Imagine how much she can do if she starts when she is 8 years old. I hope she will remember this time that we are doing these things together and passes them on to her children. Some of the small changes we made or are making are...
Eliminating cleaning products in our home and using only vinegar, water and baking soda (we have been doing this for over a year and I love it. It saves me money and time as well)
Cloth diapering with Anna (also saving me LOTS of money!)
Using cloth wipes instead of disposable while at home (more money saved....)
Using fresh produce when possible to eliminate the need for preserving (uses energy)
Cooking enough meat for a couple meals at one time (saves time and energy)
Using leftovers in other meals to eliminate waste, or making much smaller meals to avoid having a lot of leftovers (less prep work = less energy used)
Washing all laundry (except diapers) in cold water
Line drying when possible or drying for half the cycle time and using lower heat (saving me money)
Use cloth napkins instead of paper (money saved!) I keep paper ones packed up for when company wants to use them
Turning off TV and lights when we leave a room
Consolidating our errand running to one or two days a week
Re-purposing items when possible, plastic containers, egg cartons, stained and torn clothes into cleaning rags, etc.
We hope to start our vegetable garden this year but if not, we buy locally to support community farmers (they aren't brought here by trucks that pollute)
Things I really want to work on and do better at:
Not using plastic water bottles, I filter it for home but I am having a hard time giving up the convenience of the quick grab and go
My thermostat setting! My husband and I both struggle with this. We adjust it based on comfort instead of turning on a fan or putting on more clothes
Recycling, I feel we could do more than we already do. There is always more in this area to do better in.
So, I hope you will be inspired by the beautiful Spring season around you and make some positive changes in your homes to make this Earth the Earth that God created it to be. PLEASE SHARE YOUR EARTH FRIENDLY TIPS!!! That in itself is helping because you never know who will be inspired by you!
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