Happy Earth Day

I'm sure today one can't help but think about saving the Earth. For us, it's an every day thing. We intend to pass along our green habits to our children and really try to influence the people around us to make smarter and greener choices. Starting the Green Team at work, I've had the opportunity to educate over 300 people on simple ways to Be Green. Being green can also save you pennies! And really, not recycling is just plain lazy. Especially if you have curbside pickup! Please do your part!

Raising a baby can be expensive, so we're going to try and save money while being green. Check this out:

1. Using cloth diapers will save the landfill AND save us a buttload of cash!

• The average child uses 6,000 diapers in the first 2 years of her/his life.
• Average cost of disposable diapers (according to The Real Diaper Association): 25.5 cents
• 2 year cost of disposable diapers: roughly $1600

A pretty nice stash (according to bebop baby shop in Essex Junction) is only $605.50. Hello??!! No brainer!

2. Using cloth wipes is easy to use and easy to make!

• 2 year cost of disposable wipes: $700

Making your own reusable cloth wipes can cost almost next to nothing. Just your time and a few old terry robes, chenille, or microfiber. All soft for the babies bum.

3. Second Hand is awesome for us!

Besides the obvious safety concerns of cribs, car seats, and strollers, most everything else we plan to buy/use second hand! Not only can we support local businesses, save money, but we're saving these potentially unused items from the landfill.

4. Reusable is best.

Investing in reusable everything is going to keep junk out of the landfill and save money. Reusable sandwich bags (these from mamamade on etsy are adorable), metal straws, lunch tote, travel coffee mugs (did you know many stores will give you a discount on your coffee every morning??), bring reusable totes to the store, etc! The ways to reuse are really limitless. Be creative and think outside the box.

These are probably the big four on our list to-do for Peanut and for our Mother Earth. We only get one Earth, and I want to make sure Peanut's kids and grandkids get to enjoy it as much as we have.

Check out these other easy Green Tips to makeover your life!

1. Recycle everything you possibly can!
Paper, plastics, aluminum, etc. You can bring your LDPE plastic (grocery bags, produce bags, ziplock bags, some packaging plastic - LDPE plastic is any plastic that is stretchy and you can push your thumb through - cereal bags are NOT LDPE plastic)
2. Reuse - think of ways you can reuse items in your house
Use clean one-sided paper for scrap paper, keep your half used candles and remelt into brand new candles.
3. Join Freecycle to help keep your junk out of landfills. Honestly, your trash is another man's treasures. I got rid of a bag of used, holey pantyhose!
4. Save your wasted water - using 5 gallon buckets collect warming-up-shower water, rain water, etc. Water your garden or household plants!
5. Keep your heat low in the winter and warm in the summer
6. Don't drive over 65 - saves on CO2 emissions and your wallet!
7. Donate your old sneakers to Nike. They recycle them into new athletic fields!
8. Consider buying items with less packaging. Think Costco, Sam's Club...
9. Go Local - try to buy vegetables at your local farmers market, meats from a local butcher.
10. Use Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. Go to Energy Hog for more information on how to save energy and money in your home.
11. Use Green Cleaners like Method of Seventh Generation. Good 'ole Baking Soda and Vinegar are excellent Green cleaners and are very inexpensive. Click here for tips on cleaning with vinegar.
12. Bring canvas bags with you when shopping. Leave them in your car, but don't forget to bring them in with you! Many grocery store give money for using them. It could be as little as 3 cents, but eventually the bags pay for themselves.
13. Wash your clothes in cold water.
14. Compost at home. Here is a composting guide for your home.
15. Reuse water bottles, or better yet use Nalgene or aluminum bottles.
16. Downloading GreenPrint (a free program that saves paper when you print stuff from your computer) they also have a font that uses less paper and ink (it costs $10 to download) (Thanks Kristinwintle!)
17. Donate your old clothes instead of throwing them away. My local Salvation Army uses fabric in their quilting classes and their quilts are donated to the community.
18. Keep plastic bags in your car and when you're at the playground, out for a walk, etc pick up trash. You'll get an extra butt workout while you're beautifying the environment.
19. Lengthen the life of your kitchen sponges by microwaving it for 1 minute. Just be careful it comes out hot!!
20. (this is more for warmer climates) Considering installing a radiant barrier on the inside of your roof to cut air conditioning costs. (Thanks Mainer-in-Texas for the next 7 Green Tips)
21. Water your lawn using rainwater collected with rainbarrels.
22. When upgrading appliances, by ones with an EnergyStar rating.
23. Keep up with your car maintenance, especially your tire pressure - it increases fuel efficiency, allows your car to burn cleaner, and puts more money back in your pocket.
24. Keep electronics plugged into a powerstrip that you can disconnect when they are not in use - electronics that are plugged in still draw electricicty when not in use.
25. Let your dishes air dry instead of using the heat dry cycle on your dishwasher.
26. Don't top off your tank when filling your car. It causes vapors to be released into the air.
27. Under the re-use category - Save sweater boxes, gift bags, etc. to use for gift-giving later on
28. Install a programmable thermostat (thanks MA&CB!)
29. Fill a half gallon or a gallon size jug (milk or oj work well) and place in your toilet's tank. Every time you flush your toilet you're saving a gallon of water! Make sure your toilet is not a low-flush one.
30. Energy efficient light bulbs! Spend a little save a lot! These use approximately 75% less energy!



HAPPY EARTH DAY from Vermont - just voted the Greenest State in the US! Check this out!