The Green Movement

I recently stumbled across a blog that really got me thinking.

I initially found it from a simple google search for a granola recipe and then I found minutes slip into hours spent reading her posts. Which leads me to a confession: I'm a total closet hippie tree-hugger. I hide it well.

I've decided it's time for me to come out of the tree-hugging closet and hug trees in public! And so, as my first guesture, I'm taking the Ditch the Disposables Challenge! For September and October, Eric and I set a goal to use ONLY reusable bags and not bring home a single plastic store bag. I think it's going to be a challenge for sure and it's going to require us to actually remember our reusable bags, but it's worth it.
See a video about plastic pollution in our ocean
There is a lot of great (and sad) info at plasticbagfree.com.

I wondered for a while if this Green Movement that's getting so much attention right now is a fad, or just a trend. I think some businesses are definitely capitalizing on this idea and turning profit on it and some people may be doing it because it seems like the cool thing to do. However, I think anything that is about preserving nature, life, and sustaining earth for our posterity cannot be a bad thing.

All of this thinking about green got me thinking about my sweet mom. She is one of the greenest people I know without even realizing it. Here's the proof.

• Her showers are the shortest of anyone I've ever met. She can bathe in under 2 minutes flat.
• With that, she keeps a bucket in the shower and uses the run-off to water the yard. I used to think she was crazy or just being cheap. Maybe it was, but she was saving the environment while doing it.
• She washes and reuses disposable plastic bags. She probably hasn't bought a new box of plastic bags in 10 years.
• She dumpster dives. She might not thank me for putting this on here, but you can't get any greener than that. About 10 years ago, she brought home a pair of tennis shoes that she pulled out of someone's trash can. She tried to give them to me but of course, as a high schooler, I wouldn't be caught dead in some neighbor's trash shoes. She unflichingly wore these shoes (which really were still in great condition) until they were actually ready to be trashed, then at that point she used them to do yard work in. I think it's safe to say she still has those shoes.
• Back in the day when stores actually still had paper bags, she would always insist on paper instead of plastic because they were biodegradable. Then we used those bags to line our trash bin instead of buying plastic bags to do the task.
• She diligently recycles anything and everything that can be recycled.
• She's super diligent about turning lights and appliances off, keeping the temperature at the most energy efficient setting and preserving electricity in any way possible.
• She's the queen of reusing. As I type this, my baby is playing with a toy that she gave me... the same toy that I once played with as a baby.

I could go on and on. My mom has been quietly leading the green movement for years and years. Maybe it comes from being raised on a farm with nine kids and scarce resources. Regardless, we should all be a little bit more like Lady. Thanks Mom, for setting such a wonderful example.

Here's to dumpster diving and tree hugging!