Red Pen Mama

I better get up on this posting thing if I’m going to stay in the game. One of my favorite locals is organizing a Pittsburgh blogging-mommies get-together. I better surf around to get caught up on everyone, too! Maybe leave a few comments…

I’ve been working hard to figure out how to be a little more environmentally friendly in my daily life. I want to do something huge, like buy a hybrid car, but we’re just not there financially yet.

The other huge change we could make would be to move closer to where we work. I haven’t brought this up with DearDR yet, as the thought is entirely too daunting for me to concretely contemplate. But the fact is DearDR and I commute 30 minutes from our house to our workplaces; spend about $100 in gasoline each week; and work about 10-15 minutes from each other. I think relocation should be researched and discussed.

The small things I do:
• We’re switching out all the regular light bulbs in our house to the fluorescent ones. DearDR is the force behind this decision. He is sick of our high electric bill, plus as he’s the one who most often does the changing of bulbs, he’s saving himself some time and effort. As I’m sure you know by now, the fluorescent ones cost more at first, but as they last between 3 and 5 years, so in the long run, you’re doing your wallet a big favor.

• Canvas grocery bags. The stores here are jumping on the bandwagon, and that’s okay with me. I use the bags that my grocery store sells, and I have just picked up a Target bag as well (may invest in another). I use these bags anywhere and everywhere, not just for shopping. They are sturdy; they hold a lot. The big trick with these bags: Remember to take them to the store with you. This sound self-evident. I still forget them about a third of the time (down from half the time, so I’m getting better). My suggestion is to try to keep them in the car, some place visible. Sticking them in the trunk means you may still forget to bring them in the store, and you’ll be kicking yourself at the checkout.

• Bring my own coffee cup and water cup to work. Does anyone actually like drinking out of styrofoam cups? My water cup is a plastic concession cup from a Penguins game. (Go, Pens!) I am contemplating getting a bunch of coffee mugs from a dollar store and just leaving them in the coffee room. Wouldn’t that be nice?

• Biodegradable/environmentally friendly cleaning products: So after finding out that fabric softeners and dryer sheets use beef fat or animal tallow, I’ve switched to method. I am also using Ecos laundry detergent, and looking into even more ways to completely clean green. Vinegar and baking soda solutions, other method and Ecos products, and so on. I can’t think of any reason not to clean with green products. They aren’t even that much more expensive — a little, yes, but not enough to give me pause.

[Aside: I started writing this yesterday, and I've totally lost my train of thought. Better wrap up and get out!]

• I’m looking into compost boxes. Those things are pricey. But I would like nice dirt, and I can make it myself. Plus, I figure the kids’ll love making dirt, too!

• I have begun faithfully throwing old food down my kitchen disposable, because, der, it’s biodegradable. Putting it in the garbage just means it ends up rotting inside a plastic bag at the landfill! You would think I could have figured that out sooner.

The other things I’ve been doing so long I don’t even think about it
• Being vegetarian;
• Recycling;
• Eating more organic, local, and chemical-free foods.

One more big change we could make, but I am still hesitating: Disposable diapers. I know I should just stop and invest in a reusable diaper system. My sister-in-law Earthmom experimented with them for awhile, and likes them — I think she goes back and forth, plus her daughter is potty training. I have (well, Bun has) another year and a half of diapers. The biggest obstacle is Day Care Lady; I have no doubt she will put the kibosh on reusables. She’s got a lot of butts to wipe and diapers to change. But I could still make the switch, at home and at night and on weekends.

Oh, well. My sins in the disposable world I will try to make up in other earth-friendly ways.