I'll Make It To The Moon...
Alright!
Earth Day is fast approaching us (April 22 to be exact). While the cliche of "every day should be Earth Day" rings true, it's nice to have a specific day where we can reflect on what changes we can make to improve our environment.
I think I do pretty well myself. I've been vegan for 4 years now (WOW!); I've been an avid recycler since I was about 8 years old; we got a compost bin the first summer of being in our house; we planted a veggie/berry garden last year and intend to do that again this year; I attend the St. Norbert Farmers' Market when it's in season; I like to buy local (or at least Canadian) when practical, etc.
But is there more I can do? The answer, of course, is yes, always!
My favourite vegan cookbook author, Sarah Kramer, posted a link on her Facebook the other day called "Give It Up for Earth Day 2011". That immediately made me think of Lent, but I decided to look into it anyway. The campaign site offers many great environmentally-friendly ideas that we can all take part in. As part of this, I've decided to give up the following things:
- Give up toxic cleaning products (for 4 weeks); and
- Buy nothing new for 1 week (aside from essentials).
I've been slowly trying to phase out toxic cleaning products anyway so now I'll just pay more attention to what kind of cleaners I'm using and if there's a "green" alternative I could use instead (vinegar and baking soda come to mind). I like Martha Stewart's Clean all-purpose bathroom cleaner and it appears to be enviro-friendly. I like that it doesn't reek of brain-cell-killing-chemicals and it seems to be a pretty solid cleaner. I would definitely get more of her cleaning products. And as I've said before, I use Soap Nuts as our laundry detergent and wool dryer balls with some essential oil dabbed on that get tossed around in the dryer.
Ideally, I'd like to "buy nothing new" for the whole month as that is honestly very challenging for me and I'm sure some of you know about my shopping addiction. I would love to participate in a "swap stuff" party with friends (clothes could be a problem since I'm smaller in frame and height than most of my friends). With "buy nothing new" in mind, I actually started thinking about all the books I buy. Wouldn't buying an eReader be much more environmentally-friendly? It would potentially be cost saving, books wouldn't keep taking up space, and I wouldn't be buying a paper product. It's very interesting and with that in mind I'm spending this month saving up for an eReader. :) That's my goal for April!
Anyway, there is a ton of suggestions and articles on the site so ch-ch-check it out!
Earth Day is fast approaching us (April 22 to be exact). While the cliche of "every day should be Earth Day" rings true, it's nice to have a specific day where we can reflect on what changes we can make to improve our environment.
I think I do pretty well myself. I've been vegan for 4 years now (WOW!); I've been an avid recycler since I was about 8 years old; we got a compost bin the first summer of being in our house; we planted a veggie/berry garden last year and intend to do that again this year; I attend the St. Norbert Farmers' Market when it's in season; I like to buy local (or at least Canadian) when practical, etc.
But is there more I can do? The answer, of course, is yes, always!
My favourite vegan cookbook author, Sarah Kramer, posted a link on her Facebook the other day called "Give It Up for Earth Day 2011". That immediately made me think of Lent, but I decided to look into it anyway. The campaign site offers many great environmentally-friendly ideas that we can all take part in. As part of this, I've decided to give up the following things:
- Give up toxic cleaning products (for 4 weeks); and
- Buy nothing new for 1 week (aside from essentials).
I've been slowly trying to phase out toxic cleaning products anyway so now I'll just pay more attention to what kind of cleaners I'm using and if there's a "green" alternative I could use instead (vinegar and baking soda come to mind). I like Martha Stewart's Clean all-purpose bathroom cleaner and it appears to be enviro-friendly. I like that it doesn't reek of brain-cell-killing-chemicals and it seems to be a pretty solid cleaner. I would definitely get more of her cleaning products. And as I've said before, I use Soap Nuts as our laundry detergent and wool dryer balls with some essential oil dabbed on that get tossed around in the dryer.
Ideally, I'd like to "buy nothing new" for the whole month as that is honestly very challenging for me and I'm sure some of you know about my shopping addiction. I would love to participate in a "swap stuff" party with friends (clothes could be a problem since I'm smaller in frame and height than most of my friends). With "buy nothing new" in mind, I actually started thinking about all the books I buy. Wouldn't buying an eReader be much more environmentally-friendly? It would potentially be cost saving, books wouldn't keep taking up space, and I wouldn't be buying a paper product. It's very interesting and with that in mind I'm spending this month saving up for an eReader. :) That's my goal for April!
Anyway, there is a ton of suggestions and articles on the site so ch-ch-check it out!