It’s Not Easy Being Green…

Beginning this month, I have made a clear and concerted effort to live more green-ly :) No, I did not watch 'An Inconvenient Truth' and become magically inspired by Al Gore's monotone voice! Instead, I feel that I have awakened to the realization that we are God’s stewards of this planet and there are a lot of simple changes we can make to preserve the planet and it’s dwindling resources.

So, here are some of the things that I have already done or would like to begin doing:

1. Eco-friendly light bulbs – they make emit a funny shade of light, but they save energy and money!


2. ANY type of paper products that I buy is made from recycled paper.


3. I will no longer use paper napkins for everyday meals…instead I have converted to cloth napkins – they create no waste and look nicer J It’s a bit of a pain to wash them and iron them after every use but a small sacrifice.


4. I am making a huge effort to keep more lights in the condo turned off and more appliances unplugged when not in use.


5. One interesting thing I discovered a couple of weeks ago was bamboo plates…they can be used in place of paper plates and when discarded they only take 3 months to biodegrade…paper plates take years apparently…WHO KNEW??!!!


6. I have completely STOPPED using bottled water and disposable coffee cups…instead I only use my SIGG bottle at work and the gym and my Starbucks coffee carafe at work for coffee, tea and cocoa J


7. Buying local and organic groceries is easy now that I shop at Trader Joe’s (from here on referred to as TJ’s)…everything we need I buy there and I make sure it is organic if possible and definitely from the USA. Organic food does not contain harmful pesticides or harsh methods of production, and buying from the USA does not impact the planet with more carbon fuel emissions. So it’s a good thing all around!


8. And finally, the newest and most difficult change I will try to make is to join the Locavore movement! I know you are asking yourself, “What in the world is a locavore??” Well, not only was it the Oxford Dictionary’s 2007 Word of the Year, but it is also the movement to eat only locally grown food. Local meaning within 100 miles of your home! Now, I am not trying to be a complete locavore because I am not sure that is even possible, but I will make an effort to buy our fruits, veggies, cheese and some meat only from Farmer’s Markets in Charlotte.
   
   
   Wish me LUCK!!