Sunrise Tantalize

I know you’re all holding your breaths to read “How I Got Here, Part II” but I’ve been relapsing into sickness for the last few days and I’ve also been working on my 20-page final paper. (gah, passive voice!) So I’m going for an easier topic today. And I’m getting ready for Earth Day (April 22).

Earlier this year (before I got sick), I made a resolution of sorts. I decided make one positive change in my life each moth. January’s goal was to be greener. I bought reusable shopping bags (from reusablebags.com). Plastic grocery bags are one of the biggest wastes. I hate the pile of bags under our sink. Yes, we use them for trashcan liners but we will always bring in more bags than we use up. I have one Workhouse bag that I keep in my purse at all times. It’s very tiny. I also got two Reisenthel Mini Maxi bags. I like them because they have long handles so I can carry the bags over my shoulder. Another plus of reusable shopping bags is that they hold more than a regular grocery bag. They’ll hold up to 50 lbs and not break. When I was at Whole Foods the other day (the Boy wanted beer) I saw several Whole Foods canvas bags. Those things looked sturdy. Bulky, but sturdy.

My other greener action was to buy myself a DivaCup. What’s a DivaCup? It’s a silicone menstrual cup that you can use instead of a tampon or pad. The Keeper is another brand. If you’re a woman, think about how much money you spend on ‘feminine supplies’ each month. How many products will you use in your lifetime? The cup is cheaper, easier, and greener. It’s more comfortable and you forget that it’s there. You only have to wash it twice a day. That means no more fumbling with a pad or tampon in a dirty public restroom. You can change in the privacy of your own home. It is a little awkward to put in at first but you’ll get the hang of it. (I’m sorry if that was TMI for some of you, but menstruation is a natural process so try not to get too upset about it.)

Other ways to be green(er):

• Use a reusable water bottle (I like Sigg) and travel mugs.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. I plan to do this in my new apartment.
• Plug all of your peripheral chargers (phone, iPod, PDA) into a power strip and turn it off when you’re not charging. These chargers use power regardless of whether or not a device is actually charging.
• Go easy on the meat. Raising livestock uses up a lot of resources and pollutes the environment.
• Use cold water when you do your wash.
• Sign up to receive and pay bills online. Enroll in your bank’s paperless statement program. (Watch out for identity and credit card theft though.)
• Use greener cleaning supplies. Lemon, baking soda, and vinegar work wonders.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle. Buy secondhand items if you can.
• Use a kindle. (I can put that in here to justify my purchase, right? Maybe? lol)

I know there are many more ways to be green (or green-lite in my case). What green things do you do in your everyday life? Any good green sites or blogs out there?

Some good green links that I found:
reusablebags.com
New American Dream
The Green Guide