Archive for the 'Environmentalism' Category

Home. Just saying that word makes you feel so warm and cozy. However, the definition of home is different for everyone. It seems that in America, we get so stuck in the “American Dream” mentality…more and more people are buying homes that they cannot afford and sometimes homes that they didn’t “need” in the first place. It’s common in other countries to save up until you can buy a house outright…taking whatever measures necessary to reach that goal (living with parents, etc). There is an article on the history of mortgages here. And another interesting little fact: the word mortgage is from the Old French language and translates roughly to “death pledge.”While it’s true that real estate can be a wonderful way to create personal wealth, owning a home is not essential to a happy life. In fact, I would argue that being free from a mortgage makes life VERY happy While it’s not always possible to be completely free of a mortgage or a payment for housing of some sort, there are housing options that cost much less than a traditional home AND are more earth-friendly. Here are some of those options:

Straw Bale

A straw bale home is insulated with straw bales. They can be beautiful and elegant…as well as efficient. I have always wanted to take a straw bale workshop…we had actually signed up to go to Dancing Rabbit for a week and do that, but it fell through. I have plans to go there someday and learn. I would love to build my own house as we can pay for it…and do the labor ourselves. More photos here…this one is particularly fun.

Cob

Cob is a mixture of sand, clay, and straw. You are able to mold it to your liking…which allows for great creativity in your space. They are so whimsical and lovely with the rounded edges. I love the feel. Here is a cob house in Mayne Island, BC…I am in LOVE with it. Can it be any cuter? Her main website is here which includes more cob resources.

Yurts

I love yurts. I’ve always been attracted to the round shape and the fact that they can be put anywhere. They can be extremely basic and off the grid, or they can be decked out…to the height of luxury. Although they can be just one large room, they can also be separated into different areas and can also have a loft. Yurts have been around for a long time…and are still used in Mongolia today. There is just something about living in a yurt that thrills me. I love reading stories about those who are doing it.

• Yurt Magic
• Rainier Yurts
  
• Pacific Yurts
• Colorado Yurt Company

A “Tiny” House

Tumbleweed houses are so stinking cute…how could you not want to live in one?! If you buy their pre-fab models, the cost is quite high, but if you just buy the plans and build it yourself, they range from $4,000-$14,000. The B-52 Bungalow rings in at 500 sq. feet. Sounds just perfect to me! Check out this great little documentary about a lady who sold her “big” house and moved into a “tiny” house.

Living in Community

Ask any of my closest friends…and they will tell you that “Yes, Sara wants to go live in a commune. She’s crazy”. But seriously. I do. But not a “let’s-all-run-around-naked-commune” in the sense that you may be thinking. I want to live in close COMMUNITY with other like-minded people (it is often referred to as an “intentional community”). I would love to share gardens, share playgrounds, and share meals a few times a week (vegetarian, of course). I would love a community where everyone could have their own living space (preferably a cob home like Kate’s ) There would be a large area where cars were not allowed. Bikes would be the preferred mode of transportation…and everyone would work from home. There would be lots of music, drumming, and singing…and people who like to think and talk a lot (if you’ve ever been in camping ministry, it’s kind of similar!). Ahhh…so fun to dream. I love to read Communities magazine, the Intentional Community website, and dream about living in communities like this or this. When we were visiting our friends in Boulder, we met some wonderful people who were sharing a home to help make it more affordable. There was a married couple with a child, and two single guys. I loved that they were thinking outside the box…combining their resources to achieve their goals. Eventually, they want to acquire land in southern Colorado and build a community.

Renting
And of course, another option to buying a traditional home is to rent. We love renting right now. We have a teeny tiny little rent payment (like our square footage ), and we’ve never been happier…knowing that we’re not “tied down” by a house and that we don’t have to work endless hours to make a payment. Renting allows a certain level of freedom that many are attracted to. I know that there are lots of compelling arguments about why you should buy your own house and stop renting. I’ve heard them…so please don’t try to convince me I’m not AGAINST owning a home. There is a wonderful feeling that comes with making it your own and putting down roots. I’m not saying that we won’t ever own again. I just want people to really examine WHY they are buying a home…and to look at all the options that are out there. When we were renting before, we said “we should just buy so we can stop paying rent”. So we qualified for a loan, and bought a house (the house you see at the top of this post). It was a beautiful home and we were happy there, for awhile…but it was too big (in our eyes). but it wasn’t the best for us at that time. And it costs money to maintain a home. And just because you can “afford” a certain home does not mean you have to purchase all the way up to the loan limit. Be smart and buy a house because it’s the right decision for you and your family…and not because your cousin, your brother, and your brother’s friend’s sister’s uncle is doing it. Just think for yourself. And of course, wherever you decide to call home…make it YOUR HOME…whether you are going to be living there for 1 month or 30 years.

Other resources:
Mortgage-Free!: Radical Strategies for Home Ownership
More Dancing Rabbit photos
The Farm…one of the first intentional communities

Photo credits:
Straw bale: Flickr/cer!se
Cob: Flickr/the_usr
Yurt: Flickr/emdot
Tiny House: Flickr/ Telstar Logistics
Living in Community: Flickr/lalallallalala

I’ve been thinking trashy thoughts again.

I have re-read Garbage Land and I’ve been putting my trash can under scrutiny…and I recycle everything I can. However, instead of focusing on reducing TRASH, I want to start focusing on reducing intake of potential trash into my house and life. Where is it all coming from?

Disposables: For the most part, I have gotten rid of all of the disposable products in our house. The occasional bottled water creeps in, especially after we’ve been traveling. I hate bottled water, but it tastes so much better than nasty gas station water in the middle of Wyoming! I carry my trusty Klean Kanteen bottle everywhere (and one for Bella too) and we fill it up whenever we can. I am going to focus more on this and try not to get caught “waterless”. And for those of you who are buying bottled water for use at home…STOP! It creates so much waste (even if you are recycling). Instead, invest in a water filter. If you’re like me and just like to have something cold to grab from the fridge, fill up empty glass bottles with filtered water and keep them in there. Bozeman just announced that it’s not recycling glass anymore, so all of my old root beer bottles are now water bottles. Wine bottles work great too and make an elegant water pitcher when company is over!

I am also guilty of one too many disposable coffee cups in the trash. I have a harder time remembering my stainless steel coffee mug when I go to my local cafe, but I’m getting better. Most shops have no problem putting your drink into your own cup…and some will even offer a discount. That’s great, but the discount is just pathetic. It’s usually around 10 cents. 10 cents! It’s just not very motivating. Now, give me 50 cents off my coffee and I’ll never forget my re-usable cup. Chains like Starbucks and Caribou usually don’t offer a non-disposable option…but many local cafes do. You may have to ASK for a ceramic glass, however, as most will give you a disposable cup by default. It’s mind boggling to me to think of how much coffee cup trash I have been personally responsible for in my lifetime (case in point…the above photo is my cup from Sunday!). Here are a few stats on disposable cups. And a great article about how Starbucks could have saved the world.

Packaging: Have you ever REALLY paid attention to the hideous amount of packaging you bring home when you go to the store? I did an inventory of my kitchen…in search of items that I can buy without a package. Check out your own kitchen and see where you can reduce. An easy first step is to not bring anything into your home that is “single serving” or “single use”.

• Cereal…will only be purchased in bulk. This will avoid the box that so quickly crowds my little recycling bin.
• Granola bars…will be made from scratch. Matt takes a Clif bar with him to work everyday, so I will TRY to start making them from scratch to avoid the box and endless wrappers.
• Condiments and misc…such as ketchup, butter, mayo, etc. I can make ketchup, mayo, and mustard from scratch (they are much tastier too!). I will examine all options when shopping for these types of items.
• Milk…most of the time I buy soy or almond milk in cardboard containers. I can make my own nut milks at home and put them in reusable glass containers.
• Much of what I purchase is already in bulk…spices, grains, flour, tea, etc. and I already have containers at home for them.
• Other types of packaging…such as that for craft supplies, etc. can be avoided by striving to buy used. The thrift stores don’t have any packaging!

Paper: There is so much paper! It’s everywhere! Whenever I can, I use an electronic copy of a document and try to avoid printing at all costs. The invention of email/internet was a wonderful thing to save paper waste. Of course, if you print out your emails or articles online, that kind of defeats the purpose. Receipts drive me crazy. I rarely keep them (unless it’s a large purchase or I know I might return it). If all retail establishments, fast food chains, etc. would implement a rule to ask if you want your receipt before they print it…just think of all the paper saved! Around the house, be sure to use both sides of the paper, re-use envelopes, etc. for craft projects, re-use padded envelopes for mailing, and shred paper to use for packing boxes. And of course, RECYCLE. However, just becuase you CAN recycle something doesn’t mean you should use it. It’s best to not use it in the first place. Especially with paper because it can only be recycled a limited number of times, unlike glass which can be recycled endlessly.

I found an interesting little clip detailing our country’s trash addiction. It’s 19 minutes long, but worth watching. See it here. It is based on the book “Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage”. Their website offers lots of statistics:

• Packaging comprises the single largest category of household waste, taking up 30% of all landfill space in the U.S.
• About 80% of U.S. products are used once and then thrown away.
• More than 60% of waste in U.S. landfills could be composted.
• Methane gas, which is always produced by trash rotting in landfills, is 21 times more heat trapping than carbon dioxide; garbage presents a major global warming threat.
• Garbage production in the U.S. has DOUBLED in the last 30 years.

I have always been interested in the concept of “Zero Waste”. I am inspired by communities who have taken the initiative to make hard changes. EcoCycle describes this in more detail and has lots of links.

San Francisco has recently banned plastic bags AND has proposed banning Styrofoam take-out containers. Go San Francisco! That’s my kind of town.

The trash problem in the U.S. seems so overwhelming, but people are taking notice and changes are slowly being made. If everyone makes small changes, it will add up to a big change! What will you do to REDUCE your trash today?

I came across an interesting blog…No Impact Man. It’s one man’s radical attempt to decrease his family’s “impact” on the earth over the course of a year. It’s inspiring and CRAZY. It’s been in the news lately, so you may have already heard about it…but I know that many of you will enjoy tracking his progress this year as they live mindfully.

Walk slowly…or quickly if you’re late. Just WALK! One of the reasons we fell in love with our new apartment was because we have so many amenities within walking distance. There is no reason to use my car to run errands. All of the following is within a 5 minute walk:

• 4 grocery stores (including the coop and another smaller health food store)
• Library
• Post Office
• Hardware store
• 8 coffee shops
• Children’s Museum (indoor playground)
• Park
• Ice cream shop
• Every restaurant imaginable (from sushi to pizza)
• Video rental store
• 3 Thrift Stores

And if I just have to go somewhere else…the bus stop is 1 block away. Of course, when it’s freezing cold, walking doesn’t sound so appealing, so I do drive sometimes…but I try to avoid it. I have been working on planning my week so that if I do have to drive, I can clump everything into one trip. I’ve also been trying to be more mindful of if I truly “need” something. For example, do I NEED to go to Costco to buy my bread? They carry a locally made brand that I like…but it’s on the other side of town on the busiest road in town. I can walk directly to the bakery that makes it and even though I’m spending a little more, I am saving on gas, emotional energy drained in traffic, and I would be supporting a local business. Or I could just make my own bread! But that’s another post. I would encourage YOU to examine your extra car trips and work on condensing them or eliminating them altogether.

This morning it was about 20 degrees and we bundled up and walked to our friend’s house for a play date. I was not really looking forward to the cold weather, but the rewards were many:

• Exercise. It feels so great to walk. Move those legs!
• Fresh air. Freezing cold fresh air. It was good.
• A slower pace…which results in you inevitably looking around at your surroundings. Today I noticed so many wonderful things on our walk…a family having breakfast around their table, cute houses along the way, majestic mountain views…things that I wouldn’t have paid attention to if I would have jumped in my car and rushed over there.
• Time to think. Check out this interesting essay on walking by Henry David Thoreau.

My entire life I’ve wanted to live in a city that I could walk places, but I’ve always thought I’d have to move to Manhattan to find it! Walkability will be at the top of our lists the next time we move (let’s hope that’s not for awhile). I feel so blessed that we have the opportunity to “stroll” to our destination. Next on my list…a sweet cruiser like this one. Wheeeeeee!

Photo credit: Flickr/KbH

Tree Hugger. Granola Girl. Eco-Freak. Crunchy Mama. There are lots of ways to describe me…and all of the aforementioned names are compliments in my mind. My path to “green living” has been slow and steady…definitely not an overnight conversion. Every piece of knowledge has led me in a new direction, and helped spark interest in other areas (i.e. I cloth diapered, so it was a natural fit to use cloth toilet paper). As a Christian, I feel even more compelled to be a good steward of the earth. It’s not just about stopping global warming or saving trees, it’s to honor God and to be wise with the resources He has abundantly given us. We live in a nation of excess and ease…we need to get back to the basics and “live simply so that others may live” -Gandhi.

After reading a great thread on Mothering, I thought I would do a quick overview of the things I do to reduce my footprint on the earth (and things I am still working on). It will be a reminder for me to remain diligent in them, and will hopefully encourage you to start or continue in your own journey towards natural/green living.

When you know better, you do better. -Maya Angelo

• Use clothesline/hang clothes outside. Our landlord is going to build me a clothesline this summer…I could not be more excited! In the meantime, we do hang some clothes on a rack inside.
• Be mindful of what lights are on and turn them off when not in use. We do have lots of natural light in our apartment, so this is pretty easy.
• Keep the thermostat set low. This is so difficult for me to do because I LOVE being warm. Our utilities are included in our rent, so I’m not motivated by the money savings. I must decide to motivate myself for the pure ecological impact.
• Reuse clothes that aren’t dirty. This is another hard one, especially with Bella. She changes clothes about 5 times a day…and yes, they are all dirty. It’s so easy just to run a load now that we have our own washer and dryer. Luckily, it is an efficient front loader and the dryer has a sensor in it. However, still not a good excuse.
• Decrease garbage. With recycling and composting, this has become easier. We go through about 1 bag a week. Go check out “Garbageland” to understand the business of garbage better. I think it should be required reading for everyone!
• Use cloth bags at the grocery store. I have been out of my “routine” with this for awhile and need to get a system in place so I have them when I need them.
• Use hand dryers in public restrooms instead of paper towels.
• Carry stainless steel water bottles for drinking when away from the house. (Sigg or Klean Kanteen). I phased out all of our Nalgene bottles a few years back due to health concerns, especially regarding women. This is controversial, but when it comes to plastic, I don’t like ANY of it. Especially for food. They just haven’t been around long enough to perform long-term studies.
• Use cloth hankies/bandanas instead of tissues.
• Use cloth napkins.
• Use cloth towels for cleaning.
• Use cloth mama pads and The Diva Cup.
• Use cloth toilet paper/family cloth.
• Rinse/reuse plastic bags and aluminum foil.
• Use glass jars for storing food in fridge and for bulk items.
• Recycle everything.
• De-clutter and donate on a continual basis.
• Don’t buy anything new.
• If I must make a purchase, buy locally…from small stores.
• Shop at thrift stores.
• Buy more in bulk to reduce packaging.
• Use natural bar soaps with few ingredients for hand/body washing.
• Use all natural body care products.
• Would like to wear only natural fibers (wool, cotton, linen, flax, hemp…).
• Dreaded my hair. I am now able to use less products and less electricity.
• Use earth-friendly/homemade cleaners (my next blog will be about natural cleaning products…stay tuned).
• Would like to get rid of particleboard furniture in the house (off-gassing).
• Would eventually like to get an organic/natural mattress. I have my eye on one of these…they are locally made.
• Replaced all Teflon and similar cookware with cast iron and stainless steel.
• Replaced plastic containers with glass storage containers for food storage (dry goods and in the fridge).
• Compost! We are just starting to compost and I am amazed and saddened at how much food we have wasted in the past. I am very aware of how much food I toss because we don’t have a disposal either.
• Eat organic foods at home…we are at about 90%. When we are out and can’t choose our meals as much, I try very hard to avoid the “dirty dozen“. This is not only for our health, but for the health of the earth by reducing pesticides, etc.
• Eat more raw foods as a way to prevent disease, feel more alive, and save energy by not cooking. To learn more about raw foods, check out Alissa Cohen’s site. Eating raw food doesn’t have to be difficult…just add a smoothie for breakfast and a big salad for lunch and you’re on your way.
• Eat a vegetarian diet. Read “Diet for a New America” or “Food Revolution” to learn how your food choices affect more than just you.
• Buy locally grown foods when possible.
• Breastfeed Bella for optimum nutrition.
• I’d like to learn to can and freeze this year.
• Start gardening this summer.
• Walk more, drive less. Even in the winter, we can walk to the co-op to do grocery shopping, get coffee, etc.
• Ride bike more often. Obviously this will be easier when it’s not snowy and icy…but I am so excited to bike to my errands! Wheeeee!

This is by no means an exhaustive list..because it’s always changing and growing…but it’s amazing to me how adaptable humans are. Five years ago I would have laughed out loud at the thought of most of the things on this list. So, if you are just starting your journey, take heart! Just pick one thing at a time to change and keep moving forward.

I subscribe to very few magazines, but one of my favorites came this week. VegNews is packed with great recipes, vegetarian news, fun interviews, and more. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fabulous article on Daryl Hannah and her efforts to promote green living and other social issues. She has a website with “mini-documentaries” that I have fallen in love with. Each little movie is so rich with information. She covers a wide variety of topics…from bio diesel to hemp to bike culture. Go check it out for yourself!

Another celebrity that I have come to love is Woody Harrelson. Woody isn’t afraid to speak the truth, and I think anyone who is actively trying to educate others about living “greener” and more simply deserves respect. I first learned of his activism when I found the documentary “Go Further” on Netflix. The film shows Woody’s bicycle trek down the West Coast. He makes stops along the way to educate students and anyone else who will listen about bio diesel, the sustainable uses of hemp, deforestation, raw foodism, and more. There are tons of “extras” on the DVD, including a little clip of Julia Butterfly Hill, whom I also admire. You can check out more of his work at his website, Voice Yourself. If you decide to watch the movie…you will also love the companion book, To Go Further: A Guide to Simple Organic Living. It’s a favorite on my bookshelf.

I’ve been thinking about trash.

Moving to a small apartment with a small garbage can has made me very aware of what I throw away. Having to walk the garbage bag down 3 flights of stairs, then down another to the basement, out the back door…and a short walk to the ally makes me not want to make much trash! We usually fill up one small garbage bag a week…but even that seems like so much! I’m still trying to figure out where I could take my food scraps to reduce that even further. One of my goals during The Compact is to buy groceries/food with little to no packaging. This drastically reduces the amount of trash one produces. I’m amazed by how much trash we can throw away just by ordering take-out one night! Wow.

A movie that is closely related to this topic is “The Gleaners and I” (thanks Ali!). I just finished watching this quirky little French film about modern day gleaners and urban scavengers. It was incredibly interesting to me…I’ve always been curious about the lives of experienced dumpster divers and people who live completely off of the trash that others create. The movie goes far beyond that and delves into the world of found object art and into the lives of those making a difference in their neighborhoods. I can’t say enough about this movie…I think everyone should see it.

The Compact has me on the lookout for items that I can re-use or use in a different way. In my research about these things, I came across some fun Flickr groups dealing with this topic:
ReUSE Project
Tips for Recycling and Reusing
Junkin’
Trashion Nation

There are also some great sites dealing specifically with re-fashioning items of clothing:
Wardrobe Refashion
Wardrobe Refashion (Flickr)
Little Brown Dress ::: Recycling Project

And more sites discussing found object (trash) art:
Metroactive
Art from Trash

Books to check out:
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash
Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things

Today, when you throw something away…ask yourself if it could be recycled, re-used, or given to someone who needs it (Freecycle!). In a disposable culture…it may feel weird at first, but it does the earth GOOD!

Photo credit: D’Arcy Norman

Neither! Because…

1. Both use up valuable natural resources for a single-use, disposable product
2. Both have negative impacts on wildlife and pollute our environment
3. Both create significant toxic by-products during their lifecycles
4. Neither is effectively recycled

If you’ve ever tried to decide which one was better for the environment, look no further. Read this great info from Reusable Bags and switch to cloth today. Someday in the near future, you might just save a lot of money by doing so. Ireland, and many other countries are already implementing taxes on plastic bags…and the U.S. isn’t far behind.

I know that a lot of people will argue that they use the plastic bags at home for various purposes (I do this as well right now). Even though it’s better than throwing them straight in the trash, it’s still better to just avoid them altogether. Honestly, what did people do before we had those annoying bags? I’m going to begin phasing mine out and not get any more.

I have blogged about my cloth bags in the past…and this is your friendly reminder to start using cloth today!

When we first moved into our new apartment, I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to set up my “recycling center”. It took me a few days, but I found a solution that works great. This slick little drawer system fits perfectly in my hall closet (no, it doesn’t sit in the middle of my kitchen as shown in the photo). It can comfortably hold about a month’s worth of recycling. I have a separate basket for newspaper/office paper.

I didn’t realize how wonderful curbside recycling really was…until now! When we lived in the house, I had 2 huge bins in the basement that I could throw stuff into. Every 2 weeks I would set it out, and poof! The recycling fairies would come and take it away. Now, I have to carry these drawers down 3 flights of stairs to my car and drive it to the metro recycling center (about 5 minutes away) where I hand sort it and throw it into the appropriate containers. It’s too bad I don’t have one of these nice reverse vending machines in my neighborhood. However, it does give me a great opportunity to talk to Bella about recycling while we’re driving there.

If you’re reading this and you aren’t a recycler…give some thought to the following:

1. Recycling conserves our valuable natural resources.
2. Recycling saves energy.
3. Recycling saves clean air and clean water.
4. Recycling saves landfill space.
5. Recycling can save money and create jobs.

• Americans throw away 44 million newspapers everyday. That i’s the same as dumping 500,000 trees into landfills each week
• Paper products make up the largest part (approximately 40 percent) of our trash.
• Paper products use up at least 35 percent of the world’s annual commercial wood harvest.
• People in the U.S. throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.
• Americans throw away enough glass bottles and jars every two weeks to fill the 1.350-foot towers of the former World Trade Center.

Recycling is much more than just tin cans and newspapers. Recycling just means “to use again” or “to adapt to a new form or function”. We live in a disposable-obsessed culture…and we tend to think we can only use things one time. There are many things around the house that can be re-used. I recycle my tin foil. I recycle plastic bags (check out this cool contraption). I recycle the envelopes/packaging that people send me. I recycle jars in my kitchen and use them for food storage. I wear recycled clothing.

Whenever you recycle, you are not just saving that item from being thrown away. You are saving all the resources involved in making a brand new item from scratch. For example, recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy used to make the material from scratch. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can out of new material.

One of the greatest things ever invented is a recycling network called Freecycle. Freecycle’s mission is to keep stuff out of the landfills. See if your town has one…you’ll love it.

You may be overwhelmed and not know where to start with recycling. Call your local recycling center and find out if they provide curbside recycling in your area. Most will provide free bins. Then, start with just one item. Then move to other items. Cereal boxes, cans, plastic bottles, glass containers…there are so many things that you can keep out of your trash by recycling. Start today…every little bit helps.

Find this information and more fun facts about recycling here.

No, not your shoe size. Your ecological footprint. I’ve taken the footprint quiz before…but Jessica’s blog reminded me how much I love to try to lower my score. Right now, my footprint is at 5 acres. In comparison, the average footprint in the U.S. is 24 acres. Worldwide, there are enough resources for each person to have 4.5 acres.

So that puts me .5 over my “allotted” acres and now I must REDUCE so I can stop using up more than my share of the resources! Here are some other changes that I would like to make:

• Eat a completely vegan diet. I have eaten a vegetarian diet for a little over 2 years now, but have gone back and forth between vegan and vegetarian. For those of you that don’t know, a vegan is someone who eats no animal products at all (no milk, eggs, butter, etc.)
• Walk more. This is a little harder in the wintry cold and ice…especially because our neighborhood is very hilly! I will implement this more in the summer. It’s so easy because we are within walking distance to everything.
• I have always wanted to use public transportation more. However, Des Moines has a really poor system. I have contacted the metro transit authority with route questions, etc. and I want to try it soon! I am definitely not used to riding the bus, so it will be an experience. It takes more time and planning, but I love the idea of it. Much more relaxing than driving myself. There is a possibility that we will park the bus this winter and become a one-car family again, so the bus may be a necessity!
• Focus on buying only package-free foods and less processed foods. Right now our only “processed foods” are chips, bread, almond milk, and cereal. I’m not counting condiments. I would like to start making my own bread again, make my own almond milk more consistently, my own granola, and my own chips. Does anyone know of any good tortilla chip recipes!?
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle… I am learning more about this everyday. I am actively reducing my belongings and I am reducing the amount coming in (The Compact). I am re-using plastic bags, jars, clothes, I use cloth everything in our household, and I recycle everything that is allowed.
• I would like to be even more conscious of my energy and water consumption.

There will always be something to “work on” when you’re living green…but that’s what makes life fun!

Photo credit: Flickr/pingnews.com