It's been a long while since I've been blogging. I've been busy working and having fun, honestly. And just feeling unmotivated because of my lack of blogging ideas and I haven't been taking pictures much this year.

so.... I'm going to try to do this again. No, no, no - i'm going to DO this again. But maybe just a few days a week instead of every day. And to start things off easy, I'm going to share some things that I found online that matter to me. That way I don't have to be too original just yet ;). But we'll get personal soon.

If you actually are reading this - YOU ARE AMAZING - for sticking with me. You truly are. THANK YOU!

Paperless in 2010 Recap

Well, 2010 was full of so much beauty, and you have been along for the ride the whole time, so no need to recap the year in full.

I have had a few people ask me exactly what I did while we were trying to use less paper and plastic. So I thought that I would do a recap just in case any of you want to add a campaign like this to your new year resolutions.

Here is a list of paper/plastic items and their substitutions:

• Paper Towels - Cloth towels/sponges
• Napkins - cloth napkins
• Tissues  - flannel handkerchiefs
• Zip Lock Bags - handmade Velcro baggies
• Produce bags - tulle reusable bags
• Grocery bags - cloth bags
• Swiffer Duster - flannel duster refill
• Panty Liners/tampons - washable flannel liners
• Bottled Water - water filter + water bottles
• Coffee Filters - reusable metal filter

I think that might actually be everything. We didn't forgo all paper and plastic at once, I just sort of thought of replacements or was inspired by someone as the year progressed and i had my paperless radar on. These were very easy gradual changes. Not only have we hopefully saved some of our environmental resources and lowered our negative impact through consumption, but also we have saved money! Imagine, all of these products we  will no longer need to buy and dispose of ever again.  That's awesome.

Of course, there are several other things that we can do for the environment when it comes to our consumption and impact, but this just covers our paperless campaign. The husband has been so very sweet to humor me and follow these guidelines this last year. Some of them he's gung-ho about, and some of them he'd rather abandon. Sometimes it may seem silly to make changes, as with other lifestyle decisions (like what kind of transportation you choose, where you buy your food from, etc...) because the impact we are making is so minuscule as a single family, as simply two people in the world. But if everyone were to make these tiny tiny changes now, imagine the impact that we could all make with all of the years of our lives together living with an awareness of our stewardship. Especially if our own decisions could inspire others.

I love to discuss crafts and cooking and stewardship and environment, so don't hesitate to ask questions or share your ideas as well.

Live intentionally in 2011.

Green Gifts this Christmas

I try to keep track of the The Nature Conservancy is doing. They're great. This year they are claiming Cyber Monday as "Green Gift Monday" to raise awareness of responsible and meaningful gift giving.

For some of you, this sounds ridiculous. Mr. McBrayer and I strive to keep in mind spiritual, economic, and environmental stewardship in everything that we do. Although our (well, usually they are my ideas that the husband is so sweet to humor) methods are probably seen as strange to many people. I didn't really think this until I saw the look on my husband's face when I showed him my sister's Christmas gift this year. Not only is the gift handmade but the wrapping is a paper Chipotle bag turned inside out with a cut-out snow flake on top wrapped in twine. Welp, is that just cheap or is it eco-conscious? Maybe a little of both?

I seriously did consider making sandwich bags, produce bags, and grocery bags from cloth and putting them together in bundles for family and friends so that everyone can go paperless next year - but I realize that those of you who actually want to go paperless have already done so. Don't worry, there will be none of that under the Christmas tree this year, but don't think I didn't contemplate it.

The best ways to "give green" this year, I think would be to buy hand made or to re-purposed (vintage/thrift), and try to buy locally. Also, it is a great idea to give to charities - that would go to a great cause, and no packaging or shipping or production necessary. And always keep in mind how you are wrapping your gifts.

Get creative!

If you're buying vintage and the thrift store feels just a little too cheap (or stinky-dirty?), try Etsy

CopperPennyVintage

AFarmersWife

For the coffee lover: Support a Colorado local grassroots business owned by two Christian guys who are trustworthy in life and in business. They even buy only fair-trade beans and roast them fresh just for you:

Switchback Coffee Roasters

Just a few ideas for you to browse over. Feel free to comment with any ideas that you might have.

Fall Craft / Paperless project

My first sewing craft after receiving my sewing machine was making cloth napkins. I made two under heavy supervision. And it took a long time. And they weren't perfect squares. But I learned how to thread my machine and measure and pin and sew. And that was about a year ago. 

When Mom was in town, we picked out some cute fall fabric for some fall table napkins. Although I didn't get around to making them until this last weekend.

I like each of them to be individual because at my house each person gets a designated napkin until they're too gross to continue use and then they are washed. So these four should get the husband and I through a week of meals, hopefully. 

Unless I decide to make something awesome for dinner. 

...don't push your luck.

We have plenty of cloth napkins that we use year 'round. Since Autumn is my favorite and most celebrated season, I actually have a box of leafy kitchen linens and when I got out my Autumn decor, I traded out the towels and napkins in the kitchen for Autumn linens and put the rest on sabbatical. It's just another way to enjoy the season even more! 

When I was visiting the family a few weeks ago, my Grandmother gave me some beautiful fall table napkins. They are so pretty and fancy! We've been really enjoying them. Now that my sewing machine has spit out these casual napkins, I think that hers will be reserved for special occasions and for company (or for when these are in the laundry). 

All tissue is NOT created equal

Okay, it's been awhile since I've harped on paper.

(photo by Blisstree)

I had a talk with my girlfriend last week about foregoing toilet paper. This was something that Mr. McBrayer and I discussed. With a wrinkled nose, Doons adamantly explained to me that he was drawing a line here with our Paperless in 2010 family campaign. I get it. It's very gross (maybe he'll be more interested when we enter a cloth diaper/baby wipe phase of our life?)

So we buy toilet paper. And if we're going to use the paper stuff, I just use my favorite roll: Charmin Ultra soft - is there any other toilet paper in the world that is so wonderful? I don't think so. It's like silk.

Today I happened upon this VERY HELPFUL recycled tissue and toilet paper guide from Greenpeace called "All Tissue is Not Created Equal" (click on the link to see the online PDF version). Greenpeace states:

Did you know? Americans could save more than 400,000 trees if each family bought a roll of recycled toilet paper - just once.

Amazing.

The pamphlet lets you know which paper products you should choose in four categories : Facial Tissue, Toilet Paper, Napkins, and Paper Towels.

When it comes to paper products, Hubs and I only use toilet paper, but I have discovered that my favorite brand of toilet paper uses ZERO post-consumer paper, and a chlorine bleaching process that is toxic and harmful to the environment. bummer. However, the Greenpeace pamphlet (that is small enough to fit in your wallet) recommends TEN alternatives that are greener. You will be surprised to hear that all 10 of those are 100% overall recycled papers and are Processed Chlorine -Free. Amazing.

Genuine H2O

I have a soap box that is just for bottled water and I've been debating what to do with it today. I think that this video might do an adequate enough job.

I recently bought a PUR water filter pitcher at my thrift store for $2 because Salt Lake City water tastes gross - I even spit it out of my mouth in the shower - blech. Getting a water filter and reusable bottles is pretty cheap.

If you must buy plastic containers think buying in bulk. Like buying large 3 gallon container of water to refill your water bottle instead of purchasing a rack of 30 individual bottles. Buy the larger tub of yogurt instead of the little single-serving packets - that kind of thing. When Landon's parents came to visit last fall i bought a couple huge jugs of water for my mother-in-law. She drinks only water and has a pretty specific palate for it. We are still using those jugs. It is smart to have a huge jug of water in your car in case you ever get stranded somewhere (especially in the winter). And we take them with us on road trips and camping trips.

Finding another use for a container is ALWAYS better than recycling. Reuse, reuse, reuse!

More of Paperless in 2010

Replacing the Zip-Lock

(i made those peanut butter cookies last night. very yummy. recipe here)

Since we are determined to waste less, I've been wrapping our sandwiches in cloth napkins for our road trips, backpacking and climbing adventures. I liked it. I like having a napkin with me to catch the crumbs and wipe my hands and face after food - you know, i'm kinda sloppy. But my Mountain Man (who has been SOOOOo sweet to humor me....as usual) hasn't been a big fan, because it does make the bread dryer/staler here in the dry mtn. climate. 

This week, I was at "the DI" (Deseret Industries Thrift Store - owned by the Mormon Church) and I found an old outdoor table cloth. I bought it for $1.00 and the wheels were turning in my head. You will see me buying fabric at the fabric store rarely. I really think that as often as I can, my materials should be as re-purposed as possible. So.... the table cloth is my water-proof layer, and the outside is fabric from a pair of old J.Crew khakis that have ripped so badly up the butt-seam that they are not repairable. 

I came home and immediately fashioned my own sandwich bag. Now, this is not at all my original idea. I have seen tons of these on etsy. I ran through a few drafts to find the best technique for me.

Mine is the only one I have seen with a folded velcro closure, which I thought would make food stay more fresh than the others I've seen. Although, a zipper may be best, but I'm just not ready to put that kind of money and time into these little friends.

This one is a bit sloppy because I was in a hurry to get it done so Landon could pack it for his climbing trip that evening. Being completely honest, I haven't measured a thing yet when it comes to sewing. But my seams, though a little haphazard, are usually a bit tidier than this one!

The inside can be brought out for easy cleaning. The re-purposed table cloth brings back memories of tye-dying on the pic-nic table during my early 90's childhood, and Fourth of July celebrations with my grandmother and lots of watermelon and homemade ice cream!

Weekend Craft

Friends, remember this tutorial by Sew Much Ado that I included in a post about the Thrifty Home last month?

Welp, I put it together at my house this weekend. I just happened to have some cute flannel fabric laying around and after muckey-ing up my last swifter duster on Saturday morning, I thought I would at least try and see if this would be a good [sustainable = cheap and eco-conscience] alternative. I had my doubts.

The craft itself was a piece of cake! It was probably the easiest thing I've made. No measuring, only a tiny bit of sewing in a straight line, and mostly just cutting. It was so simple and easy and very quick.

After a good wash and dry it came out all scraggly and ready to collect dust. So, even though I dusted all the surfaces on Saturday morning, I couldn't help but dust everything else Saturday night!

And the duster worked great! I think it collected dust even better than the swiffer product. And it was more efficient because this duster is double sided, swiffer's duster is not. AND I'll just toss it in the laundry with all of my cleaning cloths. It's easy. I'm so glad that I don't have to buy any more of those swiffer duster refills and waste the mullah, packaging, not to mention the product itself. 

I'm excited!

Introducing The Thrifty Home

Jen is just a regular lady with some great ideas and innovative friends. Click on the icon above to see her blog.

Every wednesday she hosts "Penny Pinching Parties" which is why i subscribe to her blog and is why I thought to share her with you today. 

Yesterday on her blog, she showed us how to make your own foamy hand soap (which is mostly water with just a bit of normal soap - imagine how much better that is for the environment and for your budget!?) by The Common Cents Home

Also, how to make your own reusable swiffer duster cloths (by Sew Much Ado). I go through probably one of these little dusters every two weeks to a month and then I toss it in the trash. What a great idea to make them yourself (and it looks easy!!!) and just plop them in the laundry with the rest of my cleaning cloths when i'm finished. 

Another thing that I love about her blog is that she introduces us not only to great ideas but also to really creative people. Check her out if you so desire or have the time.

I think this is awesome. Also, it makes me grateful that Landon and I get the opportunity to own a car that is fueled by clean diesel.

Food, Inc.

Yesterday was a proud day for me. My sister called me and told me that she has chosen to eat free-range. She told me that she watched Food, Inc. and though she was only half way through, she decided that she needed to take responsibility to buy ethically grown food. I was so grateful to hear that someone outside of our house would be compelled to live this way.

"But...", she said, "I'm afraid to dissect a chicken." Ha!

No fear, my dear, free-range chicken comes in breasts just like dirty chicken. You just have to pay for it!

Food, Inc.

Think about sustainable living. 

Think about responsible consumption. 

Think about stewardship of the earth; of its creatures. 

Think about our responsibility to our own health and the health of our family.

Yet again, I will remind you that I have an awesome tab on the sidebar of my blog brought to you by the "Eat Well Guide". Enter your zip code and they will provide local places for you to purchase your happy foods. 

Recycling Party!!!

Yesterday I was talking to my sister on the phone on the way home from church. She told me about this awesome party that she went to on Saturday. As I'm listening to her tell me all about it I'm thinking to myself that this idea needs to be shared with the masses. Then she said, "I think you should write a blog about it..." And I said, "no, YOU should write a blog about it"


So friends, this is the first of hopefully many guest blogsposts (maybe you want to write a guest post too?) written by my dear lil' sis: Janelle Sheely (she's the red head beauty)

I wanted to share something that a group of women and I have been doing recently - a swap party.  It is the most fun recycling you will ever do!  We get together and share food and conversation, but also swap things we no longer want.  So far we've done a "book and movie swap" as well as an "accessories swap'. 

 We all have that movie we don't care to see again, or that necklace that looked great in the store, but doesn't go with anything in our closet. Why not trade your not-wants for someone else's unwanteds? After all, as the saying goes, "one man's trash is another man's treasure".  

Here's how it works:  you bring as many items as you want to go home with - but everything must be desirable - no junk.  Everyone draws numbers to determine the order of who gets to choose next.  The first round you get to keep what you pick - so everyone is guaranteed to go home with something they want.  We re-draw numbers every round and it runs like a white elephant, where you can pick a new item or steal one each round.  It's a great excuse to get together on a Saturday night and the bonus is you get new things without spending a dime.  I've enjoyed it so much, I told hannah she should mention it on her blog!  But we are now getting to the point where we are running out of ideas of themes for the swap parties.  Any ideas?

Thanks Janelle! I love this idea. It's a great excuse for a party and I love that it's free and it's also environmentally conscious. I really want to be conscious of purchasing things that have been pre owned and already used (not EVERYTHING, of course), but it really is unnecessary to dump old things for shiny new things, when it takes so much energy and resources to produce everything that we consume. see www.freecycle.net for some freebies in your area. 


and Janelle, my idea for your next party: cook books!  

No Impact

Landon suggested that I write a post today about the movie we rented yesterday, "No Impact Man"

This movie is about Colin Beavan, a regular Joe who decided to conduct an experiment. They ask the question: can you truly live your life making zero negative impact on the environment and still live a happy, good quality life? This is a documentary that is very interesting and funny and wonderful (read: not boring and definitely worth 90 minutes of your time) and it follows Colin and his family for an entire year as they conduct this experiment in their lives. That means: only eating locally grown food (IN NEW YORK CITY!!), no toilet paper, no electricity, producing ZERO trash, not using harsh chemicals (like cleaning supplies), no carbon producing transportation, etc...

I found this video on the Free Range Studios' website (they brought you the story of stuff and the meatrix) and instantly added it to my Netflix queue.

So I am not putting this on my blog to encourage you to ban toilet paper and electricity in your home and "go vegan"! I do admire this family for what they did: they were so extreme in their experiment that it caused people to notice and reevaluate their own lifestyles. Landon and I even sat down afterward and asked each other a few questions about how we could do better to live a lower impact lifestyle. I encourage you to just watch the film - it's inspiring and it's awesome!

And in that same spirit, check out Simple Mom's blog post today: 9 Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Live Simply. Anna, my wonderful sister-in-law is an amazing example of this kind of parent. Be inspired!

A few things...

This post requires feedback, so get your clickers ready...


First: Thanks for your sweet, encouraging and loving comments on yesterday's post, friends. What surprised me most is that many of you are in the same exact spot. Why is it so difficult to make friends as an adult? It's tricky, isn't it?

Second: I need another easy sewing project to tackle. Any suggestions? So far I have made napkins, an apron, and those little produce baggies. Suggestions, please!

Third: I was thinking to myself that someone needs to write a book. I wish that the church, and Christians in general would make it part of their mission to preserve the earth. I very seriously feel that one of God's first and primary commands to his crown of creation (us!) was stewardship of the rest of his creation. It is so obvious to me, I'm not sure how many Christians see stewardship of the earth's resources and the ideas to combat our previous damage as a hoax and a conspiracy, or even a lost cause - hello!

I wish that I could write a book. I wish i knew enough about biology and theology to put something together that would mobilize people, but especially Christians, to finally take seriously the stewardship that God has entrusted to us since the day of our creation. Yesterday I was looking through my local library's catalog and found NOTHING (what a surprise...but there are actually 143 books on Joseph Smith). Amazon.com suggested these reads on this subject:

Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship
by: Fred Van Dyke, David C. Mahan, Joseph K. Sheldon, Raymond H. Brand
InterVarsity Press c 1973

Earth-Wise: A Biblical Response to Environmental Issues
by: Calvin B. Dewitt (who has actually written two previous books on this same subject: The Environment and the Christian: What does the New Testament say about the Environment, and Missionary Earthkeeping)
Faith Alive Christian Resources c 2007

Serve God, Save the Planet: a Christian Call to Action
by: J. Matthew Sleeth M.D.
Zondervan c 2007

Have any of you read any of these? Since my library doesn't have any of these books, I will need to be purchasing them, and I really don't want to waste my mullah (who has ever heard of Faith Alive Christian Resources anyway?) I'll have to do some reading up about these books. But please, let me know if you suggest any reading on this subject.

Thanks, friends!

By the way, this one sort of cracks me up:

Harper Collins has put together a version of the NRSV translation called "The Green Bible". There is actually a subject index on the earth's elements (ie: air, agriculture, water). And whenever the subject of earthy things occurs in the text, Harper Collins has made them green. You know, like the red letters of Christ, only these are green letters.

edit:::::::::sorry loves, I included the "pattern" (which was really just a tutorial) as a link in the paragraph below, but I'll put it here too for easy access: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-onestringbag/

by the way:

I had SOOO much fun with this sewing project! It was neat to find some instructions online and then just run with them. This project cost me about $1 for the tulle at Walmart. I used some scraps of cloth from previous projects to reinforce the draw-string part of the bag since i didn't have any "rope" except hemp and I thought that hemp could be a big abrasive after awhile on the tulle. I have 5 bags in all, each one trying out a few different things. It was fun to get to take creative liberties and to try to be resourceful with what I have at home. I learned so much about how to use my machine during this small project.  I tied some buttons onto the hemp so that the hemp doesn't slide away and hide in the bag - they were a pain to get through the openings (then i learned to just sew the bag with the hemp already in there!).

Okay, now it's time for you to make some for your house too! Going paperless in 2010!!!

paper waster

I've mentioned a few times before that Landon and I are trying to be a paper-less family. I did succumb to purchasing paper towels a few weeks ago when landon offered to trade in his toilet paper usage for just a roll of paper towels. But that was tough on me. And hopefully this roll will last us the next 3 months.

I alluded to the fact that one of my great pet-peeves is when there aren't electrical hand dryers in the bathrooms. Drives me nuts, even, when i'm sitting in the stall and I hear the automatic paper-dispenser chugging along for a wasteful person that wants three towels for their two hands. at least they're washing their hands...i guess.

when we were traveling through thailand, there was a woman at the door to the womens' restroom that you paid for 3 squares of toilet paper... most opted to drip-dry i think. (i snuck in my own toilet paper!)

The Sierra Club is doing a initiative for Christmas, trying to get people to be creative about their gift wrapping - foregoing the traditional paper wrapping. Can you think of some creative wrapping alternatives?

Landon refuses to get the local news paper when we can just read the news online. I have a hard time imagining that the traditional and powerful newspaper will some day move into oblivion because of the internet. But maybe it's a good thing, really...

Maybe a tiny  (and totally attainable) new years resolution for this year would be to waste less.
Here's some easy things to do:
1. buy a few cloth table napkins. do not buy any paper napkins in 2010. see how you like it.
2. buy cloth grocery bags (they're $1 a piece and I usually just need 3 or 4 per trip) and forgo the paper and plastic bags at the stores. seriously, if this is too difficult, then you're just plain lazy.
3. reuse, reuse, reuse: wash and dry your ziplocks, wrap sandwiches in cloth napkins instead, reuse the paper and plastic bags that you get with your chick fil a, bread loaves, cheese, chinese, etc....
4. abandon bottled water. if you really can't handle the tap, buy a filter and a nalgene. seriously.
5. invest in a pile of rags and use those instead of paper towels to clean your house. you can do ALL the glass surfaces with one towel, ALL the wood surfaces with another, you end up using 3 or 4 towels in the whole house and save TONS of paper towels.

I noticed that almost all of these say "buy" which could turn you off. I just did some calculating in my mind and realized that for all the things i mentioned buying (besides the water filter), this entire purchase would be around $15-$20. Which all of these things are REUSABLE, so you will spend a TOTAL of $20 for the entire year instead of continually stocking up on paper products. So don't let that deter you, friend. (and if you're being even more resourceful, you could make rags and napkins out of old clothes that are too tattered and not spend a penny).

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned each of these on my blog before, but I haven't actually challenged anyone to do this. And granted, when you have kids, you probably are cleaning up many more messes (my goodness, i can only imagine!), but maybe for that reason it will be even more worth it!

People have commented to me that washing these cloth napkins and rags wastes power and water! it's a catch-20-20. but it's actually not. It's not even one whole load to wash those each month. He have a HE washing machine, but still - i'm sure yours won't do much damage.

Please comment if you have anything else to add about how to waste less. Maybe you want to challenge me to do something I've forgotten when it comes to conservation.

And read my friends blog today about water conservation and environmental stewardship. It hits the nail on the head.

buying responsibly

my last trip to the grocery store, i started to reevaluate our ethics about where we get our food - after i saw my grocery bill. $6 for a gallon of milk? but we only buy organic milk from local farms - that comes at a price (which i don't really get - the stuff transported over thousands of miles should cost more, in my mind, but oh well). i try to buy vegetables that are in season, if i can help it, thinking that they may be from local illinois/wisconsin farms. we drive up to wisconsin to buy our free-range (happily raised)meats. if we do eat out, we try to eat at panera or chipotle - they only use free-range meats and they are also very environmentally responsible when it comes to their business practices. but they are more expensive that other fast-food.

yes, this economy has me re-evaluating. i thought of just buying the regular cheaper stuff that everyone else buys, full of bad hormones, bad memories, and a large carbon footprint. but then i remember the commitment that landon and i had made a few years ago when we committed to buy and eat "ethically": we'd rather eat beans.

i'm thinking we may need to consult dave remsey when it comes to keeping this discipline in our budget.

though, we've been trying to eat more vegetarian (for budget's sake) and i've made some terribly awful meals. eggplant chickpea curry wasn't too bad, but not great. eggplant roasted red pepper frittata was so awful we tossed the entire thing in the trash - non-edible. tofu coconut curry was yummy, but even that was a bit expensive. chickpea patties was yummy but not really fulfilling. eggplant parmesan seems to be the only winner so far. i'd like to incorportate more beans and vegetables into our dishes in place of meats, any suggestions on yummy vegetarian dishes?

calling all creative minds...

reduce, REUSE, recycle

I know that many of us recycle but i think the reduce and reuse part of the campaign toward a better earth are often forgotten. I am definitely one to feel good about myself when i recycle my plastic propel bottles. ha! landon reminds me that water flows freely from our kitchen faucet and i shouldn't 1.spend the moolah, and 2.create the waste of a gazillion plastic bottles. yeah, i need to ponder the REDUCE idea a little more. (did you know you can buy propel in a powder and just stir it into a glass of cool water - eureka! now landon and i are both happy)

So i've been trying to be re-using things around here. I think we've made major improvements. We use cloth grocery bags so we don't use plastic, we use cloth napkins as well and i try to clean (haha -WHEN i clean) with cloth rags.

I save the old toilet paper rolls and slide my folded appliance cords into them to keep each cord with its host instead of entangled (my grandmother's idea). It's great in my drawer full of curling irons, straighteners and hair blow dryer!

I've decided to save glass jars (from peanuts, jelly, salsa, spaghetti sauce, etc...) to put left-over soup or whatever in. Also, i've noticed that they keep my coffee fresher than the bags that come with the coffee. So i get my coffee beans ground at Starbucks and then put them in their own glass jar marked "espresso", "whole beans", "decaf espresso", "french press", etc... it's great.

I've converted a metal tin that we received from the boy scouts popcorn fundraiser into our cookie jar - i've just covered it with some pretty paper.


But i can't for the life of me decide what to do with this thing. Surely it's worth keeping for something. It's air-tight and 24oz. What shall we do with my Quaker Yellow Corn meal container? Now, the most creative people that i know in the world read this blog every now and then. I'm not even kidding - you ladies and gents can surely come up with a really resourceful idea for this. Please help!

Greener grocery shopping

I was so excited today! Today was the first time EVER that i have been able to go to the grocery store and use ONLY my own bags (made from post-recycled materials). It has taken me awhile to accumulate enough "grocery bags" for me to be able to put the entirety of my groceries in them instead of using some plastic bags.

There is so much we can do to help the environment and be better stewards of the earth (beyond changing our light-bulbs to the more energy efficient type)- it is so simple!

I have been so inspired by many of my family members: both McBrayer and Sheely. here are some ideas that have been implemented within our family:

1. use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. each person is designated their napkin for the week - you have assigned seats at your house anyway! if not, just color-code!

2. do away with using paper towels when cleaning. use sponges and wash clothes as much as possible - these can be washed and used again.

3. reuse water bottles and paper bags. also, i reuse ziplocks - just wash them with the rest of my dishes and hang them to dry.

4. because i drink coffee EVERY DAY, i bring my own mug to starbucks (they will charge for a grande size usually) - i save SO much paper and plastic without using their cups. also, if i do use their cup, i never use a sleeve - those things are useless.

5. recycle, recycle, recycle. there are a lot of things that are recyclable that you usually wouldn't think about. like those worthless bags that you put your produce in at the store.

6. we only buy organic milk that is made from local cows - cuts down on the pollution to get it from the farm to my supermarket to my fridge.

7. absolutely refuse to use Styrofoam

okay, those are just some of the ideas that i could remember are being implemented in my family. do you have any ideas or anything you are doing? PLEASE SHARE!!!