Confession

I have a confession.

I'm a closet tree-hugger.  Gasp! Maybe tree-hugger isn't the correct term.  Perhaps conservationist is a better description.  Don't worry, I'm not going to start believing in Global Warming, excuse me, Global Climate Change or anything like that.  You won't see me voting for the the other side anytime soon.

But as a mother, I can't help but be aware of the waste that me and my family create.  So I try to do my best to be more of the solution and not part of the problem.

Things We Do/Done:

• Recycle- R and I have always been big recyclers. I always try to recycle things that R has to tell me don't belong in the recycle bin.  It's disappointing to me to see so few recycle bins out on trash day.
• Eliminate Paper Towels-I know this seems drastic but we rarely use paper towels anymore.  We do still have them in the house but we've replaced paper towels with a hand towel to dry hands at the kitchen sink and cloth napkins at the dinner table. 
• Meal Planning- How does the help?  I'm terrible about remember what we have in the fridge.  With a written meal plan, I can plan our meals, grocery shop accordingly, and use all the produce I've bought for the week.  This isn't perfect but it seems to have helped with wasting food.
• Reduce Ziploc bags-I've tried to use less Ziploc bags and more storage containers.  Not everything needs to be stored in a ziploc later only to be thrown away.
• No more canned soda- This was really more about saving money than waste but its falls into this category nicely.  We were buying so much canned soda it was ridiculous.  We've replaced canned sode with 2 liters.  Although the cans were being recycled, it was still a lot of waste. 

Things I'm still working on or would like to do:

• Reusable bags-Although I've bought plenty of reusable bags, I always forget to grab them when I go to the store.  I do better when they are in the car but it's something I need to work on.  Plus, at Target you get $0.05 off for every bag you use. 
• Convenient foods- I'd like to eliminate more convenient foods such as frozen meals, pre-package cookies, pre-prepared foods.  etc.  Right now though, I just don't have the time to not buy premade pancakes on occasion, or yogurt cups, etc.  One thing I have done is not buy pre-portioned chips for R's lunch.  I'll buy a big bag and portion it myself. 
• Composte- I'd like to have a coposte out back but I can't get R on board.  We have a good size yard but maybe not quite big enough. 

The list isn't all encompassing. There are many more things I'd like to do but is just more difficult with out current lifestyle.  Excuses, excuses. 

Don't worry, I'm not going to start going all organic, or reusing dryer lint and envelopes.  I'm just trying to do my part so that Avery can live in the same or better world than me. 

What about you?  Do you worry about these things?  What are you doing to do your part?  What tips and ideas do you have for me?  I'd love to hear them!

By the way, the post is picture free due to the fact that I'm on a new computer with 0 pictures downloaded to it.

More Disney on Ice adventures to come!