Silky Smooth...

I know, I know. It's been awhile.

The first time I picked up the green book I turned to page 104.

"If you choose to buy shaving gel (as opposed to just using soap or body wash), avoid the aerosol variety. Although aerosol chemicals no longer deplete the ozone layer, those chemicals have been replaced by petroleum propellants that are discharged with the foamy product you rub onto your skin. If your household refuses to buy aerosol shaving products, you could reduce your direct consumption of petroleum by nearly one-half pound per year. If 10 percent of household chose alternatives to aerosol shave gels and foams, the petroleum savings from the propellants alone could light 270,000 household for a month."

I have NEVER seen shave gel that wasn't in an aerosol can!!! This one really intregued me. I thought this book was supposed to be easy, everyday things we could do to change our lives for the greener. It just doesn't make sense (time-wise or green-wise) for me to drive all over tar-nation looking for some hippie shaving cream!!! Come to find out, they have this available in MY grocery store. Who knew?!?! It's crazy to me how easily we get into a habit. Instead of looking at all of my options, I just grab my brand and go. Hmmm, maybe not any more.

Anyway, I have been using this stuff for about two weeks. It's growing on me. It did take a little getting used to. It's not a fluffy foam. It's more like shaving with creamy baby oil. I really have to focus on shaving. It's harder to see where I've already shaved. It really does make my legs feel smoother, just like it promises on the package. I think you should try it for yourselves. And let me know if you have any other brands or products you like.

Rub-a-dub-dub...

So the last challenge (The Dishes Are Done, Man...) is going to be an on-going challenge. I'm still going to rinse some of my dishes before I load them in the dishwasher. There. I said it. But, every dish that I don't rinse is that much more water saved. And the whole point of this blog is realizing that even the tiniest changes will make a difference.

Onto the next challenge. From the green book:
"There is no need to buy expensive body washes when mild soap and warm water will work perfectly well for bathing your baby. If you purchase paper-wrapped soap instead of plastic bottles of body wash, you will save on money and packaging. If every baby born this year were bathed with a bar of baby soap instead of a bottle of body wash, the plastic packaging saved would weigh more than two hundred thousand pounds-enough to make a baby bathtub that would cover more than four acres."

As soon as the baby wash I have runs out, I plan on buying a value pack of Ivory soap. How nostalgic is that??? And its something everyone in the family can use, not just the babe! Another easy one-I sense a theme!!!

Thoughts???

The Dishes Are Done, Man...

This one is going to be a bit more challenging for me, I'm sure.

From the green book:
"Run full loads in your dishwasher and save energy, and don't pre-rinse your dishes before putting them in. Do both and you'll save up to 20 gallons of water per dish load, or 7,300 gallons over a year. That's as much water as the average person drinks in a lifetime. (If you must handwash, turn off the tap while you scrub.) "

I know my OCD is really going to kick in here. Not wash the dishes before I stick them in the dishwasher?!?! YIKES!!!

One Degree...

This is another easy one.

From the green book:

"Set your thermostat a degree higher for air conditioning and a degree lower for heating, and you can save $100 per year on your utility bill. Keep adjusting and you'll save even more. If every home in America turned the dial, we could save more than $10 billion per year on energy costs, enough to provide a year's worth of gasoline, electricity, and natural gas to every person in Iowa."

I am getting up from this computer and upping my programmable thermostat (bonus points for me!!!) one degree. I'll let you know how it goes...you do the same :)

Composting...

From the green book:

"Keep your kitchen scraps from fruits, vegetables and coffee grounds in a composting bin or container. Try adding them to your garden or starting a composting site in the yard. You'll grow a better garden, create deeper topsoil, recycle nutrients and save landfill space. If, over the course of a year, everyone in the United States composted their kitchen scraps instead of sending them away in the trash, the organic waste diverted from landfills could make a three-foot-high compost pile to cover the city of San Fransisco."

OK, I'm making the first one an easy one...at least for me! It will be easy for you too, you'll see! My husband and I have been composting since the beginning of the year. We actually purchased a composting bin (AKA, large plastic box to keep in the corner of the yard) right after Christmas. It was about $40 at Sam's Club. I kept a bowl beside the sink and would throw any food scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc. into the bowl. Once it filled up David would take it outside to the bin. This was nice until the warm weather hit. Along with the warmer weather came gnats and fruit flies-YUCK! I searched (and searched) for a canister, cookie jar or anything with a lid that was NOT see-through. I'll be the first to tell you that I wasn't too keen on having (or seeing) rotting food in my immaculate kitchen (ha!). I had no luck. So I figured I would embrace the ugliness of compost and I created the vessel you see above. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it does the job!

Since we have been composting (and recycling), we usually put our trash to the curb with one or two trash bags in it. Plus, I don't feel as bad throwing food out! The final product will also help us save money on potting soil and fertilizers since it will make the soil we already have so much healthier. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Also, let me know if you have any tips for other readers.

For a list of items you can compost, check out this link:
http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm

Like tossing a starfish back into the ocean, you can make a difference by composting.


FYI: Although this is the first "step" in the book, I'm not necessarily going to go in order.

the green book...

Well, I'm doing it. I'm going to try to go green...well, greener. I try my hardest everyday to do what I can to make my womens size 8.5 carbon footprint a little smaller, but I feel I like there's more I can do. More we can all do.

I'll start out telling you a little bit about myself and my amazing life in Nashville. I am a stay-at-home-mom of an awe-inspiring two year old son and a stay-at-home-wife of an amazing husband (that allows me to do whatever my heart desires). I work odd jobs here and there. Those of you that know me know that I have had LOTS of odd jobs here and there. At this point, I am content doing what I do. I book events (from home) for an amazing locally owned restaurant in Nashville. This job allows me to devote all the time I need to my boys. Although I love (with all of my heart) my job(s), I have had this feeling lately that I need to do something else. Something that will make the world my family lives in a little better. Maybe this feeling was brought on by the recent flooding our beautiful city has recently endured. Maybe it's the unfathomable amount of oil spilling into the gulf everyday. Maybe it's because I want my son and his children's children to have a beautiful earth to live and thrive on. Maybe it's all of those reasons and some I haven't even come to realize yet. Whatever it is, I found something that may help me do it.

I was out shopping with my mom the other day and we ran across this book: the green book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen. I purchased a copy, not knowing how the pages inside were going to move me. I'll be honest. I haven't had much time to read the book yet. I've only perused the pages randomly. What I read got me thinking: how could I do what this book is suggesting (saving the planet one simple step at a time) and perhaps make a difference? BLOG. The answer is always blog. It gets the word out.

Here's what I am thinking: I will post a personal challenge from the book here every two weeks or so. I will try with all that I have to implement this into my life. You can challenge yourself, too, if you'd like. I will blog about my experiences and you can comment on yours. I know already that some of the stuff in the book doesn't apply to me and my life right now, so if you have a specific area you would like more info on please contact me and I'll see what advice the book has to offer. In an effort to save trees and reduce in general I'm offering this to you, BUT if you would like to purchase the book (It's printed on 100% recycled paper) I got it at Kohl's for $2.50. It's a NY Times Bestseller so I am assuming it's readily available on line or at bookstores nationwide.

Stay tuned for the first challenge...