Written on
February 2, 2009 by
SusanC
I am sure some of you would have experienced a moment like this–you look at your overflowing recycling bin full of paper, cardboard, tin cans, glass, and plastic bottles, and think to yourself “what a great job I’m doing to save the environment”. But to the contrary, it is actually a sign that something is wrong.
I myself realised this when looking at our recycling bin over Christmas!
The common saying “reduce, reuse, recycle” is actually a hierarchy expressing the order of importance of these ideas.
Firstly, and most importantly, you must reduce what you consume and reduce your generation of waste.
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Written on
January 28, 2009 by
SusanC
A few years ago I lived my life in 20 minute increments. Then I had to rest. Fibromyalgia and Asthma ruled my life. With 3 children, a husband and all the normal mess that life assures, my brain constantly told me that I wasn’t doing enough. But I simply did NOT have the energy to spare; it needed to go to things that HAD to be done, not things that I wanted to do like living a greener lifestyle.
I’ve since been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and eating a gluten-free diet has improved my quality of life massively. But I still remember the dreams I had, the ones that seemed so far away from my reality.
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Written on
December 31, 2008 by
SusanC
When entertaining for the holidays – or any occasion – consider using your regular dishes or reusable dishes bought to last through years of parties. We host large gatherings of friends a few times throughout the year, and always use our everyday plates and silverware. The aunt who hosts our huge family Christmas Eve meal has a special set of snowman-themed dishes that she breaks out each December 24th. Nary a paper plate is wasted, and it’s a very good (and green) feeling.
For cups, we do use plastic Solo party-ware, but our friends write their names on the cups with a Sharpie, and we wash them after each gathering and put them away to use next time.
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For many people, Christmas has become a very commercial holiday. It has shifted from being a season of giving, to being a media circus and it has become a season of excess. This year tailor your shopping to be a bit more responsible and ethical in the items that you buy.
Shopping conscientiously doesn’t stop at being more frugal when making purchase decisions. We also need to think of the global implication. Every purchase we make is essentially a vote for the world we want. We need to look at the people behind the products that we invest our monies with.
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When I first wrote this article, I was gung-ho all fired up about a campaign I started on my blog called Going Scratch. That was nearly a month ago. I write for this blog once a month, sometimes more when I get a bee in my bonnet. Going Scratch was an idea I had to help myself return to basics. My question to myself was: Why am I relying on the store to provide things for my family when I can just as effectively make them myself? It’s a good question I thought. Why not? Things like food items I would normally buy I can make at home.
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Written on
September 17, 2008 by
SusanC
My children have spent literally every summer day this season outdoors. It has been my quick solution to quiet time in the house, a way to get the house cleaned and enjoy it for a few minutes, and also keep my children active enough to tire them out by the end of the day.
For the past few months, California has been on fire with many areas burning uncontrollably. People have been made to evacuate and relocate, eventually able to return to their homes, while others have lost everything. My family recently spent the day in a town on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon, it was on fire.
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One of the best things about the movement toward natural and green living is the abundance of wonderful natural/green toys available nowadays. Most of the toys you see when you shop at big box stores will be plastic and while I believe plastic does have a place in our lives I am sure I am not the only parent to see the problem they present. Plastic toys are usually low quality, they break easy, and they can’t be recycled usually. Kids get bored playing with then because they really aren’t that stimulating and they capitalize on the latest hot trend or “character” that will be soon be forgotten or replaced.
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These great reads made their way into our minds and we couldn’t keep them to ourselves:
Talking about the latest in toy safety at Grist.
Getting a fresh perspective on reducing, reusing and recycling at Recycle Your Day.
Reading about new ideas on greening your family reunion at Green Baby Guide.
Speaking up about greening up your lady business at Crunchy Domestic Goddess.
Learning about more great ideas about canning your food, from our newest contributor–Chez Artz.
Which links rang your bell this week?
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Birthday parties are all too often lavish and excessive, even when they are for small children. Sometimes it seems like it is a competition for parents. Who can throw the biggest most lavish birthday party ever?! The birthday boy or girl usually ends up with too many toys that they don’t need. They probably aren’t the best quality, and they might be hard or even impossible to recycle. The sheer amount of waste generated at these parties might be staggering with disposables for eating and drinking as well as party streamer, deflated balloons, excessive toy packaging, and wrapping paper. Add this mountain of garbage to the stress created by all day sugar highs and the inevitable sugar blues that follow and it is easy to see why many parents are making the switch to greener, lower impact birthday parties.
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Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. – Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
One big concern that parents often have about going green is how they can get their kids involved and help them to develop their own affinity for protecting our one home. In a society where where the cultural norm is to consume as much as you can as fast as you can with little regard for the consequences, it is vital that parents start to cultivate some green values within the next generation.
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