Category Archives: Going Green

How Well Do You Combine Your Errands?

As a mom, I generally have a ton of stuff to get done, both at home and elsewhere. It can be pretty chaotic some days. Tuesdays are the worst for me, as my son has speech therapy in the morning, both older kids have karate in the evening, not to mention trying to get my youngest down for her nap and my oldest home from school.

That nap’s the real challenge. First speech therapy interferes with its usual schedule, but picking my oldest up from school means it has to wait even longer.

On the plus side, it’s a great day for me to combine errands.

Tuesdays are also the days that I do the grocery shopping most weeks. Why not? I have a significant part of an hour to kill while my son’s in speech therapy. Sitting and waiting for the class to end is no good; neither is going home and suddenly having to pack up to go get him with less than an hour at home.

I love combining errands like that. It’s both time and fuel efficient.

Using my minivan as efficiently as possible is important to me. It’s much more environmentally friendly that way. A warmed up vehicle uses fuel more efficiently. It can save miles of driving.

Other errands can be combined too. Where I live, there are grocery stores near enough, but for just about anything else, it’s a minimum 20 minutes driving each way. We try to combine every trip we can. I even try to have my husband stop off and do some types of errands on his way home from work if he’s not too tired. It’s just much more efficient.

Try to think about how you can combine errands before you head out. Make a list if it helps you to remember everything you need to buy or do. You’ll save time, gas and wear and tear on your vehicle. Not a bad deal for being eco friendly to boot.

Wanna Go Camping?

I got an email today from the National Wildlife Federation about the upcoming Great American Backyard Campout on Saturday, June 26, 2010. I think the name just about says it all.

The timing quite amused me. My husband was going to take our older two camping in the backyard this weekend, but changed his mind when he realized the temperatures were going to be in the high 30s to low 40s F all night. The baby and I weren’t going to do it because I have enough trouble getting her to sleep as things stand. Something about camping out with a baby who is teething molars really didn’t appeal to me. Not with a bed at hand.

The goal is to encourage kids to get outside more. So many kids these days spend very little time outside. They’d rather watch TV or play on the computer or with video games. They’re missing out on the amazing things they could be seeing outside.

If you register for the Campout, the site will provide you with recipes, information on nocturnal wildlife, plus songs, games and activities you can do.

You don’t have to stick to your backyard if you’d rather camp elsewhere, of course. Just get out and camp for at least that night!

There’s a lot to be said about getting kids outside. It helps them be more creative, helps them be healthier, and even helps in academic performance. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder is a great pick if you want to learn more about why kids need to get outside more.

I’m pretty sure we’ll be doing this. I can’t imagine my husband declining the chance to camp. Anyone else?

How to be Eco Friendly When You Shop

I’m no fan of consumerism, even the “green” sort. I prefer building a habit of living more simply. But when it comes to shopping, there are a few ways you can keep things more eco friendly.

1. Buy Used.

This one tops the list because when you buy something that’s used, you’re not buying something that has required new resources to make. You’re not directly encouraging the manufacture of more of that item.

Garage sales, thrift stores, resale shops and even eBay can be great sources for used products of all kinds.

You may find that you almost never need new clothes again. Used ones can look great and still be fashionable.

You can buy furniture, clothes, kitchen gear, appliances, cars, toys, books and much more used. Check out the shops in your area to see what you can find.

2. Buy Products Made with Recycled Materials

Shopping for products that are made from recycled materials requires a bit of paying attention. You want post consumer waste as much as possible. Recycled paper products are fairly easy to find, but other things can be made from recycled materials as well.

One of the great things about using products made with recycled materials is that they may be recyclable themselves. Not always – paper can only be recycled so many times before the fibers get too short, and plastic quality degrades with recycling. But you’re extending the use of the resource when you use recycled materials.

3. Consider the Source.

There are many ways to be more eco friendly or at least fairer to the people who made the things you buy. You can buy locally. You can buy organic. You can buy fair trade. You can buy handcrafted products from home businesses.

While each of these can have more or less benefit to the environment, it’s important to realize that you can consider the people as well as the planet when you shop.

4. Is It Renewable?

Many products are made from non renewable resources. If there’s an alternative made from a renewable resource, in an eco friendly sense that’s probably your best choice.

Renewable resources aren’t a perfect answer in all cases, however. Many biofuels come from corn that might better be used as a source of food. Consider the source at all times.

5. Is It Needed?

This is the question you need to ask yourself before you buy, even if the results are otherwise eco friendly. Just because the clothes you’re buying come from a thrift store or garage sale doesn’t mean you need a gigantic wardrobe. You can of course keep sending the things you no longer need back to the thrift store, but then you’re wasting your own money, aren’t you?

6. Does It Replace Waste in Another Area?

Some things you should buy because they keep you from being wasteful in some other way. Reusable shopping bags, stainless steel bottles, reusable lunch bags, anything that keeps you from picking up the convenient but wasteful disposable versions are likely to be a good purchase.

Eco friendly shopping doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun shopping. It just means paying a bit more attention and not going for every quick solution that comes your way. There are amazing products you can buy out there that are beautiful, functional and made in a way that was kind to the environment.

Make Your Meals Meatless Once a Week

As I mentioned in my One Small Change Challenge post, I’m trying to go one meal a week meatless for my family. It’s a bit of a push, but I believe that we can do it. This first week was an easy one, just an old family favorite, Sand and Shells. I’ll be trying new recipes out in future weeks.

But why is this a good thing to do?

Meat has a fairly high environmental price. It takes a lot of resources to feed whichever kinds of animals. Huge amounts of water, crops and land go to it, and the animals aren’t even always treated very well.

Add in antibiotics use in animals and the pesticides they consume from their feed, and meat gets less and less appetizing. Now add in the amount of fossil fuels used for producing meat.

You can buy organically produced, free range meat if you like, but there are still problems with that. Free range means they take more land. The meat itself will likely be better for you, but still consumes quite a bit of land.

Even if you aren’t ready to go vegetarian or vegan yet, you can cut down on how much meat your family eats. Simply start going without meat one day a week.

Eating less meat isn’t just eco friendly. Done right, it’s also good for your health and your wallet.

Vegetarian meals cooked with a focus on being healthy help you to lower cholesterol and reduce your chances of a heart attack, strokes, cancer and more. It doesn’t mean these will never happen to you, but lowering your odds is a good thing.

There’s nothing boring about vegetarian fare. People who say that haven’t done much searching for interesting recipes, of which there are plenty online.

In terms of money, meat is far more expensive than many vegetarian ingredients. Cook beans of one sort or another and serve them with your favorite vegetables and grains. You can have a meal that looks and tastes amazing, and have spent less than on a simpler meal that included meat.

Make your meatless days fun. Have chopped fresh vegetables ready for when you want a snack, as well as for a great addition to any meal. Cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, snap peas and others are wonderful, and you may not even need a dip to make them interesting.

It’s also great for parents who want to expose their children to a greater variety of foods. Meatless meals can be challenging with picky eaters, but you can work with them to make it more fun. Have them help you pick the ingredients. Have them help you prepare the foods. Talk about where food comes from, and why you sometimes go meatless.

All this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. You can. It takes some time to adjust, but if that’s a step you’re ready for, go for it. If not, try working up to it!

Another alternative is to simply cut down on how much meat you include in meals when you use it. Don’t have it be the main dish. Have it be a small part of a side dish. You can satisfy that urge to have meat while eating a meal that is overall better for you.

And of course remember to keep your kitchen eco friendly where possible. Try organic produce, eco friendly cookware and so forth for your health and to be kind to the environment.

One Small Change Month Three & Month Two Review

Month three of the One Small Change challenge already? How did that happen?

Month two’s challenge of washing my hair with baking soda and vinegar went pretty well. It’s a different feeling, and one I’m still experimenting with. Hair still comes out soft, but a different kind of soft that takes some getting used to.

This month’s challenge is going to be a bit more difficult for me. I want to get my family to eat at least one vegetarian dinner a week. Getting others involved is always a little more difficult.

The hard part about this is how my family generally reacts to vegetarian meals. There’s one that everyone enjoys, Sand and Shells, but that’s it.

My husband always says either that it would make a great side dish or suggests adding something to it, such as chicken, bacon, ground beef… you get the idea. He’ll accept the occasional vegetarian meal, but as a weekly thing may push his habits a little.

The two older kids are each challenging for this in their own way. Neither likes beans just now, although my son used to utterly adore them.

My oldest daughter loves barley in soup but not otherwise. She hates all nuts and nut products, except once in a while when she will enjoy cashews, but is just as likely to hate them the next day. She loathes couscous.

My son is just plain variable in what he will eat on any day, even favorite foods. He’s still highly resistant to all unfamiliar foods. On the plus side, he would take peanut butter as a food group if I let him. Except when he wouldn’t. He enjoys couscous sometimes.

I have some hope that a recipe with lentils will do well. They’ve all enjoyed those in homemade chicken soup, to the point that my daughter begs me to make it. Might be possible to get them eating lentils in another recipe.

I’ll probably start the first week with Sand and Shells, just because they go over well and the leftovers go into my daughter’s school lunches. Very easy lunch for her to bring, something I really appreciate in a leftover. This will also give me time to start looking up recipes and getting any ingredients I don’t already have on hand.