Earth Day 2008
Today is Earth Day and here in Northern California, we take it very seriously!
There are "bike to work" banners everywhere, public transportation is free all day today, every grocery store has donation programs and have set up recycle-your-plastic-bag bins, the schools are planting trees, there were festivals all over the bay this weekend, including one in Washington Park, just down the street from my house, and all the residents seem to be a bit more conscience about their recycling habits today!
There are even websites dedicated to the "Green Businesses" in the bay, you can check one out HERE.
San Francisco, CA: Then and Now
Being from Texas, where land is still uninhabited and used for dumping, recycling wasn't something practiced religiously by anyone. Yes, that is really sad, especially now that my family lives out here when you are shunned if you are caught throwing away something that is recyclable. It's been a challenge to change our mindset and begin recycling and not just recycling, living a more green life, reusing everything and being more conscience of waste. We've worked hard this past year to be more green, here are some things we've done:
*No paper towels, napkins or plates and no plastic cups, utensils or water bottles
*Reusable, cloth bags at the grocery store (we shop mostly at Whole Foods)
*I took DH to work, on my way to run errands up in Albany three days last week and he carpooled today!
*We recycle EVERYTHING and bringing a small plastic "recycle bin" into the house really helped us keep the trash separate
*We use power strips on ALL our outlets and flip the strip OFF anytime we aren't using something... anything plugged in that is NOT using a power stip still pulls power and it's wasteful.
*No running water while brushing teeth or washing dishes
*We only run our dishwasher twice a week when it's FULL
*We only wash in cold water (unless we are washing sheets, towels or whites... to kill bacteria)
*We keep the thermostat at 70 degrees so as to not waste heat
*I combine my errands so I don't drive at least two days a week
*We have a compost heap outside and no longer throw food away
*I bought the new Methodbaby products a month ago and am excited to purchase the new diaper rash cream!
*We don't use as many harsh cleaners in our home
It's a good start but we know we could be doing more. We are working hard to help save our planet, not just the city we live in because it's just too valuable not to care! :)
There are "bike to work" banners everywhere, public transportation is free all day today, every grocery store has donation programs and have set up recycle-your-plastic-bag bins, the schools are planting trees, there were festivals all over the bay this weekend, including one in Washington Park, just down the street from my house, and all the residents seem to be a bit more conscience about their recycling habits today!
There are even websites dedicated to the "Green Businesses" in the bay, you can check one out HERE.
San Francisco, CA: Then and Now
Being from Texas, where land is still uninhabited and used for dumping, recycling wasn't something practiced religiously by anyone. Yes, that is really sad, especially now that my family lives out here when you are shunned if you are caught throwing away something that is recyclable. It's been a challenge to change our mindset and begin recycling and not just recycling, living a more green life, reusing everything and being more conscience of waste. We've worked hard this past year to be more green, here are some things we've done:
*No paper towels, napkins or plates and no plastic cups, utensils or water bottles
*Reusable, cloth bags at the grocery store (we shop mostly at Whole Foods)
*I took DH to work, on my way to run errands up in Albany three days last week and he carpooled today!
*We recycle EVERYTHING and bringing a small plastic "recycle bin" into the house really helped us keep the trash separate
*We use power strips on ALL our outlets and flip the strip OFF anytime we aren't using something... anything plugged in that is NOT using a power stip still pulls power and it's wasteful.
*No running water while brushing teeth or washing dishes
*We only run our dishwasher twice a week when it's FULL
*We only wash in cold water (unless we are washing sheets, towels or whites... to kill bacteria)
*We keep the thermostat at 70 degrees so as to not waste heat
*I combine my errands so I don't drive at least two days a week
*We have a compost heap outside and no longer throw food away
*I bought the new Methodbaby products a month ago and am excited to purchase the new diaper rash cream!
*We don't use as many harsh cleaners in our home
It's a good start but we know we could be doing more. We are working hard to help save our planet, not just the city we live in because it's just too valuable not to care! :)
Comments
Post a Comment