Going Green... light green, mint green, sage... whatever you want to call it

My new book. :) I really like it. It's not overbearing like some organic, environment friendly books that offer/suggest "greener" ways of living. I've felt inspired to become more educated on greener parenting/living. This little book is very informative on a broad range of subjects for greener living and parenting.  It offers plenty of facts, but not too many where it feels like information overload. It offers practical solutions to help make "planet-friendly" decisions in three categories:  light green (that's the category I would fall into :)), mid green, and deep green.

I never thought I'd be one to write a post about, "Go Green." I've lived in Colorado for 3 years now, so maybe the ecological views of Colorado are rubbing off on me. ha, ha. Next thing you'll know, I'll be moving to the mountains to live in a tree. ha ha. :) Personally, Curt and I have always thought some things about Colorado are a little too liberal, hippie and granola for us. Instead of using the term "Tree Huggers", I affectionately refer to people as such as "Granola Bars".  :) 

Lately, I have felt inspired to become more "organic". Inspired really, because I've just never been concerned about ecological issues and global warming. I want to take a moment and point out something that is kinda off subject. I watched a show one time where the makers of the movie The Day After Tomorrow confirmed that Al Gore used their "computer generated" footage of the icebergs, in his Oscar Award winning documentary film about global warming. 

Back on track, these are a few of the comments Curt has made to me recently as I've talked organics.

C:  "Are you becoming a Democrat?"

J:  No. (laughing)

C:  You're not going to make me trade in our car and get one of those Hybrids, are you?"

J:  No. I'm not going to make you trade in our vehicle for something more energy efficient. 

J:  "Another reason I want to go a little greener is because the less I use the more there is to go around. It's more simple and resourceful to use less. I want Cache to grow up being resourceful and not careless and wasteful."

C:  "There's plenty to go around, Jen.  Besides, buying organic isn't more resourceful, because it costs so much more."

Curt really is supportive of me deciding to be a little more resourceful and less wasteful. He's actually always wanted to buy groceries at Whole Foods on a regular basis. :) He supports me and my decision to go a little more organic and light green. I could never see myself go deep green.  Oh my goodness, that is just not me. I could never be that dedicated to a green lifestyle. I think it's not only a way of living, but a way of being. I'm not one to change everything. (moderation in all things :)) There's just a few things I have wanted/want to do to make our life a little greener. I think I've felt inspired to be a little greener for Cache's sake. Since I'm his momma, I care a great deal about his environment. I'm extremely grateful to be on this earth and I'm so appreciative of all the beauty the Lord has created for us. It really is amazing. One of my greatest hopes for Cache is to instill in him an immense desire to always be grateful. I hope that Cache will look in gratitude to the Lord for all his blessings in life and for the beauty that surrounds him. Curt and I truly believe "gratitude" can get one a lot farther in life. I want Cache to grow up appreciating his life and the beauty of the earth. I hope that by teaching Cache to be grateful for everything, it will help him become more of a resourceful person. I just want to teach my children to be consciously aware of all the resources we have been given and we should never take them for granted. I figure the less we use the more there is to go around. Even if there's always plenty. :)

FYI for my blog readers, this post isn't a soapbox. It's just for my own personal gratification. :) So here's my very small green list of things we've been doing and things I would like to do.

• We have always used those "spirally" light bulbs (halogen) that are energy efficient.
  
• We have always washed all our laundry in cold/cold water to save energy and money. :)
  
• Cleaning out the lint filter in the dryer after each use saves energy.
  
• I use "used" dryer sheets to clean up dust off of picture frames, the entertainment center, the dresser, etc. They seriously work way better than a cloth and a can of pledge. 
• We have been using low flow shower heads for 3 years. (as long as we've been married)
• We have ONE car!!!!- ha, ha. :) (good thing considering the gas prices these days!!!)
• I want to buy those King Sooper (Kroger grocery store) canvas grocery bags! Yes, I know I will look like a "granola bar" using them, but I'll be able to take them to SuperTarget too and use less plastic bags!! :)
• I've switched to organic bread. Primarily because it's whole grain and does not contain high fructose corn syrup. Cache eats a ton of bread and organic is healthier for him and us. Costco sells a two pack of organic honey whole wheat bread that we love.
  
• A while ago I stopped feeding Cache "Yoplait" brand yogurt. It contains high fructose corn syrup. I don't want to knowingly spoon that into little Cache's body. (I'm sure there are plenty of other foods it's hidden in that I don't know about!) Plus all those little yoplait plastic containers can't be good for the environment. "Yo Baby" yogurt is great for babies, because it's made with whole milk and is organic, but it's just too costly for so little yogurt. I've switched to a plain vanilla brand that is not labeled organic, but it does NOT contain HFCS in the ingredients. It's inexpensive and yummy! 
• I've started buying organic lettuce/greens. Once again, Thank you Costco. It tastes fresh and not funny to me. The regular green leaf lettuce I've often purchased usually smelled like pesticides and tasted like it too. I'm definitely not going to buy all organic fruits and vegetables. Groceries are so expensive enough these days, all organic produce would be outrageous and unnecessary. 
• I'm thinking about using organic sugar! I was eyeing it at Costco last weekend. I'm not sure how much better it is than regular white sugar concerning it's nutritional value, but with as much as I like to bake it might just be a good idea to switch over to the organic sugar. :)
• I'm starting Cache on a variety of organic snacks. That means graham crackers will be treats. :) He seriously would eat graham crackers all day long and have no problem with them as his only food choice. Even though, some of his organic snacks are "sweet", like organic arrowroot cookies... I feel better that at least they are organic. :)
• Diapers!!!! I'm trying out Seventh Generation diapers. Diapers are gross. Just think about ALL the diapers in landfills. All that human waste. Sick!!! I wish I had a better stomach and I could use cloth diapers. Sorry, no washing and rinsing for me! No thank you. I wish I could just be a little better and plop Cache's poops out of his diaper into the toilet. No, I'm not even at that point yet. Maybe next week, I can get there. You never know. ;)  So, what might be best for Cache and I might just be Seventh Generation diapers. I guess we'll find out. So far, so good. 
• I'm also trying out Seventh Generation diaper wipes. Once again, if I was really deep green I would use recycled toilet paper and a cloth with water on Cache's bum. Umm... nope just not there yet. The Seventh Generation wipes are not bleached with chlorine. They are moistened with natural aloe vera, vitamin E, and water. Also, I learned in my book that buying refill packs means 90 percent less packaging. 
• I've switched to Seventh Generation dish soap. I like it. It's not all thick and slimy like household name brands dish soaps. It smells good too. The scent is lavender floral & mint. Mmmm... The bottle says, "If every household in the US replaced just one bottle of 25 oz petroleum based dishwashing soap with 25 oz vegetable based product, we could save 81, 000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 4,600 US homes for a year!" When I 1st read that I thought, "wow, I can really make a difference by doing something as easy and simple as switching the brand of dish soap I use."
• I've also decided to switch out some of my household cleaning products. I've purchased Seventh Generation all purpose cleaner and a natural glass & surface cleaner. I was watching an episode of Jon & Kate plus 8 and she had this organic lady, Sara Snow over to teach her more about organics. (Curt thinks Sara Snow is a little overboard on organics. She's just too into it for us.) Kate asked Sara about cleaning products and mentioned how when you spray cleaners, you can feel yourself ingest all those toxins in the air. I was like, "That's so true, when I use Lysol!" I have always loved the cleaning effect of Lysol, but I've never enjoyed how it pollutes the air. I would go around the house spraying the light switches, the sinks, the doorknobs, the toilets, Cache's diaper pail and room with Lysol a few times a week. Every time I go around spraying Lysol everywhere I end up gagging on all of it in the air!! I don't want Cache breathing that in! It's not necessary. I have to admit though, I have just recently discovered the Clorox all surface cleaner that is safe to spray on toys and it's a non-toxin, no need to rinse formula. I have liked spraying it on Cache's toys (I really hope all moms try to clean their kids toys every once in a while.) I think it's necessary to do so. Kids are so slobbery and germ magnets. My kid at least, is still at the stage of having to place his saliva on anything and just about everything he comes in contact with. 
• My list is small, simple and short. I'm not really doing that much to change the world. :) I just believe every little bit helps. I'm grateful for the little things I can do to use less. I've noticed it really is possible to "think green".  When I'm doing simple tasks throughout the day, such as cleaning off Cache's highchair tray, I find myself thinking, "what's the best way to clean his tray and create the least amount of waste by doing so." I feel better about myself just knowing I'm more self aware of what I'm contributing and putting into the environment Cache will grow up in and the next generations to follow. 
• Curt doesn't want people to think we've become tree huggers, aka. granola bars, because we live in Colorado. Really he doesn't care what people think, but this is all a little too liberal for him. He still wants to go out and cut a tree down for the sole purpose of smelling the fresh pine sawdust and let Cache pop the birds off the power line with a BB gun. :) That's fine. They can be outside doing those things, while I'm inside cleaning with my vegetable based cleaning products. :) Whatever makes you happy, right?!