Earth Day and Green Living

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Earth day seems especially important this year. It's on everyone's mind.  Seeing as how the Earth is trying to shake us off like a wet dog lately, I can see why taking better care of our planet is more of a top priority this year than ever before.

There are many things you can do to live a greener life.  Most of them are really pretty simple and can even save you money.  That sounds like a no-brainer to me, especially in this economy!

I'm going to tell you about these few simple steps to green up your life, and hopefully you can learn a bit from my post.  I hope to continue posts like these, and share a few tips at a time, so as not to overwhelm anyone just starting to think about this life style.  Baby steps, my friends. Baby steps.

The first (and simplest) thing you can do to live a greener life is to use re-usable grocery totes.  These days you can find them in most grocery stores for a really great price.  Most stores even give you a small discount for each re-usable tote that you use to replace a paper or plastic bag.  We usually get .05 off per bag, and on a big grocery run, that can add up.  It's not a lot, but if you do it every time, you'll even save money on groceries.  Plus, just think of all the plastic bags you'll be saving from the dump!  Those days that we do forget our re-usable totes, we make sure to re-use our plastic bags.  We use them for small trash bags, cleaning out the cat litter box, and for disposable diapers while we are out in public.

Another way to go green is to cut down on driving.  I know this sounds very daunting to many of you, but really, there are many ways you can do this.  Car pooling to work or play dates, walking to the corner coffee house, or riding your bike to the park are all ways to cut back on your driving.  A bonus is the money you will save on gas! See, didn't I tell you many of these would save you money?!

My absolute favorite way to live a more eco-friendly life is to use green cleaning products.  There are many options depending on your level of commitment.  The easiest and most convenient way to do this is to buy products from the store that are green.  Many brands now offer green lines that are more eco-friendly.  While I prefer to make my own cleaners so I know exactly what goes into them (with Addie this is a priority of mine), buying from these brands increases the demand, and boosts the support of these brands, encouraging more green products, and hopefully spreading the word to more and more buyers that green is the way to go!  If you are interested in making your own cleaners, there are several sites dedicated to green cleaning that can give you a recipe for any life style! The bonus to making your own cleaners is that most of them can be made with products already in your house!
My favorite cleaning products are white vinegar, lemon juice, eucalyptus oil, Borax, Baking Soda, and water.  All things I keep in my house anyway.  Keep your eyes peeled for a post dedicated to making your own cleaners if you're interested.

Lastly, Buying local or growing your own produce is great for the environment and your local economy.  Willie and I have been buying produce from the local stand near our apartment for two years now.  It's fresh, it's tasty, and it's even cheaper for us to buy there than the grocery store.  While the produce may not be organic, it's at least not shipped in from other places in the country (or the world) to sit in my grocery store.  I always find a better selection of fresh fruits and veggies at the produce stand than I do in most stores.  We've moved this year and can't visit the same produce stand, but luckily, our landlords are big into gardening, and even started a second community garden right in our front yard!  I can't wait for it to all start growing.  For anything we can't get in our front yard, we'll visit the produce stand down the road or the local farmers market once a week for the freshest selection.

I hope my tips help someone to lead a greener, more environmentally friendly lifestyle.  We all need to do our part to take care of our home, before our home has had enough.