Belated Earth Day Post

Last week was earth day. The 40th one to be precise. While I did spend a whole day last week at our city sanctioned Earth Day event teaching kids about wetlands and compost, I was a bit remiss in getting to blog about it.

The earth is a beautiful place, we are ruining it. It's as simple as that.

I am however, a realist. Living here is a balance, we all still have to eat (something that couldn't be done without modern agriculture), we all still need roofs over our heads that won't blow away (hooray for modern materials). I'm not an extremist in any sense. BUT we can all do our bit. I'll reiterate Renee's endorsement of Envirosax. I've extolled their virtues before. I'm also a fan of the RuMe Minis (and I've been seriously eyeing that "ALL"). I find the minis are just the right size to keep in my purse for those unexpected trips to the drugstore and book store, or for lugging extra stuff home from the office. Reusable water bottles and lunch sacks are great too. Our household waste has been reduced considerably by these easy steps. Christine buzzed me with a few ideas as well and you can see them below.

For my part, as we plan to move again, we've been thinking alot about our stuff. While we have been really good about making fewer and wiser purchases, there was a time when we were not so enlightened, so we have alot of stuff. Stuff we lugged here, or rather paid the movers by the pound to lug here, that has been sitting unused for two years. Do we really need all of the stuff? No. So, in the spirit of reuse, reduce, recycle and smarter living we've been reducing our stuff without just putting it into a landfill. How? Here's a few ideas.

1) Donate it or consign it:

• Clean clothes, shoes, coats and other household goods (toys, the pots and pans from your first apartment, etc.) can go to your local Goodwill, St. Vincent DePaul or similar. If it's in really good shape you can even turn it into cash a a consignment shop.
• Your old prom dress or gowns? Donate My Dress organizes local dress drives, to give them to underpriveleged teens, other local programs "resell" them at a reduced rate to girls in their program who have worked for the charity in some way.
• Similarly with your old interview suits. We all have them, but most of us never wear them to work. By the time you interview again they'll be out of date. Donate them to a women's shelter, being able to wear a suit to an interview can make all the difference.

2) Sell it or trade it: Just search around ebay for some of the random things you have lying around. Toys from the 80s? They're collectors editions by now. I'll tell you, it's amazing what some people will buy. Bigger stuff can go through Craigslist or Freecycle.

3) Recycle it: Paper goes without saying. We've filled up our bin twice already with old stuff like my history 101 notes...But what about other stuff: Old VCRs, CD players, answering machines, cell phones, etc can be recycled via a variety of paths. Locally find an electronics recycling drop off. Sell back your cell phones. Floppy disks? Some useful information here to get you started.

4) Reuse it: Get crafty. Old T-shirts, cut out the logos to make quilts, use the sleeves for cleaning rags. I'll show you knitters what to do with your old sweaters in tomorrow's post! There are a plethora of eco-crafty ideas out there ranging from things to do with kids to honest to goodness decorating ideas. Get googling. Not feeling so crafty yourself. Find a local artist or art school or even an elementary school to donate your stuff too. They'd love it!

There you have it: some easy basic tips for dealing with your stuff without just taking it to the dump.

Christine's earth day list:

Join a meat CSA for locally and ethically raised meat.
Join a veggie CSA and support local organic farming.
Reuse your current ziploc bag collection (they're washable) and switch to aluminum containers for your lunches; such as planetbox.
Go way out there and give a Diva Cup a chance.
While you're at it, look up Luna pads.
Try out cloth napkins.
Make your own cleaners, it's easy peasy with vinnegar, baking soda, and Dr. Brommers castille soap.
Read The Omnivore's Dilemna, No Impact Man, Animal Vegitable Miracle, Sleeping Naked Is Green.
Better yet, get those books from your local library.
I could go on and on.
Just do what you can