I try to be green. Really, I do. We recycle. We have reuseable Trader Joe's bags we lug with us to do our shopping (and that are fabu for toting toys to the park). We turn off the water when brushing our teeth. See, we're helping Mother Earth!
I love reading ideas on how to green my life up even more (using an old plastic bread bag as an icing bag is genius). It's important to show Kiddo how little things we do every day impacts the environment, how what we use and buy and eat affects not just us and our bodies but everybody. I'm trying here, people ... but sometimes the lovely Green-sters hand me tips that are just not gonna work for me. I mean, these hints are too dang tough for me as a mama to do.
As Kermit always says, it's not easy being green.
1. Drive slowly. They say the most energy-efficient way to drive is to keep it between 45 and 55 mph. Really. They want us to drive at 49 mph? That means an extra 15 minutes in the car getting to karate class when you're already 7 minutes late. May save energy but will make me stressed and Kiddo peeved.
2. Line dry your clothes. Dryers use a lot of energy over the course of a year. I understand this, but I have three huge bags of laundry to do ... every four days. Kiddo goes through two outfits a day (and don't get me started when we were potty-training). I don't have an apartment big enough to hang our clothes. We would be dodging pjs and dresses as we go from the kitchen to the sofa. Plus it would take, what, 5, 6, 7 hours to dry? This mama doesn't have the time.
3. Use recycled toilet paper and paper towels. There are a few things in life I need to count on -- one of them is non-scratchy toilet paper at 3 a.m., the other is having a paper towel that doesn't tear when cleaning up Kiddo's messes during stomach flu season. Every recycled toilet paper and paper towel I've tried just doesn't cut it. Sorry.
4. Don't rinse your plates before putting them into the dishwasher. The green gurus say you'll save about 15 gallons of water per load, and, sure, you will save time. But my dishwasher doesn't get off the caked-on syrup from Kiddo's morning Eggo or the dried residual ketchup from dinnertime tater tots. Means I'm washing them again. Sigh.
5. Take super short showers. Okay, I know this helps save buttloads of water, but the shower is the only peace and quiet time I get. Seriously, when I am in the shower, I can breathe for a few, chill out, relax. I'm not taking hour-long showers, but that's my one little break from the 43 times I have heard "MOOOOOOOMMMMMM!?!" by 7:34 a.m., mind you.
What's the one green tip that's too hard for you to do?
Image via meemal/Flickr
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Comments 49
I like to do some line drying in the summer but do to DD's very sensitive skin that rashes from grass I can't anymore. Also have to double rinse all our laundry for her sensitive skin. Back when I did line dry one or 2 loads a day and you put the stuff on hangers to dry then when you bring them in they can go straight in the closet. I miss it, the sun gets stains out.
we don't do paper towels. But for TP I admit I buy the reg kind. It's cheaper and we go through a lot of TP. I choose to spend the money on more organic food instead of recycled TP.
I am trying to do some line drying this summer but I dont know if I will actually do it.The one thing I find hard to do is to unplug everything when it is not in use
I'm sorry but I still use disposable diapers. The thought of cleaning poo out of cloth diapers all day long is enough to send me over the edge. Plus with a house of six people I have enough regular laundry to do thank you very much.
I am not gonna drive like a granny. I have a wonderfully fuel efficient vehicle but I am not going to go 40 mph everywhere I go. :)
I would have to line dry indoors since we're not allowed to outside and that would just get too humid here so thats a no go. But I do try to be green!