We're Trying

Happy Earth Day!

We have been working hard to make changes in our family to be friendlier to the Earth. I have always been a huge recycler since college. I drive my husband crazy going after cans and jars that he is too lazy to wash out and recylcle. I just can't throw something out if I can recycle it. But, recycling wasn't enough for me. I needed to make some bigger changes.

I have hated the plastic bags that you receive at the stores. They make me absolutely crazy. So in the past month, I made the leap to cloth bags for shopping. For those of you in larger cities or out of the Midwest, you might not realize that almost everyone here still uses the plastic/paper bags at the stores. Baggers do not know how to pack a bag with more than five items. They look so confused when you give them the cloth bags. It is worth it just to see their teenage faces try to figure out how to pack the bag. Too funny!

I have also been trying to switch to environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. So far, so good. It is hard to give up favorite brands and scents. But, I think it is a something I can continue to do.

The final switch we have made this month is to have a worm compost bin in my kitchen. I throw my old produce or scraps into a container full of worms. They eat my old food and create castings or material that will help my garden and flowers. I will write about the entire process later in the week. It is a weird process and I am still working out the kinks. The kids love it but it is a little gross to have to take care of worms daily. The verdict is still out on this one. I will try it for the summer.

Change is hard but needed. I will continue to look for ways to be friendlier to the Earth. I love that I am also teaching my children to do the same. They will grow up not knowing any different. They will tell their kids about all of the plastic bags that people used to use. They will remember the worms that mom used to keep to eat their old food. They will learn about how to treat their Earth with love. I am trying. Are you?