make a smaller ecological footprint

It’s official. I don’t want to eat any more animal products! I don’t even crave it! I thought it would be soooo hard since I loved cheese and sushi so much. But 3 weeks ago I watched the documentary “Earthlings” and I pretty much went vegan overnight.

I am soooo happy with my choice, and that my footprint is super shallow now when you look at all the other things I do.

Of course, there’s always room for improvement. I’m so much more ahead than I was a year ago.

I ripped some of my son’s cloth diapers in half and use those to clean with now. It’s so much easier and more durable. I also cut down my use of water by washing my hair every other day instead of every day. So half my showers are only 5 minutes long since I am only washing my body. That was the only way I could reduce my shower time.

One thing I do though, that I can’t seem to stop doing, is eating meat. I eat meat MAYBE once or twice a week. And when I do it’s only 1-2 ounces. I just love the taste but I never make meat my main dish. It’s usually a couple of bites here and there just to satisfy my taste buds.

Goals completed:

Vegetarian diet, with the exception of Salmon once in a while.

NO MORE plastic bags… EVER! I don’t even use those produce bags. I bring my own bags from bread loafs and cereal boxes. They work JUST AS WELL!

NO paper cups… EVER!

NO bottled water… EVER!

I simply refuse to by those stupid “convenience” food items that are wrapped in plastic and then wrapped in cardboard. Why does everything have to come in layers of packages???

I use a menstrual cup during my cycle. I bought it a year ago and I can’t imagine going back to disposable cotton products. It’s sooooo much cheaper too!

NO disposable diapers for my son. He uses about 4-5 a month when he goes to Grandma’s… that’s it.

I turn off the water when brushing my teeth. This goal was hard to complete because I hated the sound of brushing so the water helped. What a DUMB reason to leave the water running!!!

I use baking soda, borax, vinegar and Oxyclean to clean my apartment.

I recycle 95% of my paper and all my #1 and #2 plastics, and of course glass and metal too. I hate finding plastic that has a non-recyclable code on them.

Goals I am working on but not yet completed:

Taking shorter showers. I am down to about 8 or 9 minutes but even if I can’t shorten them any further I could at least turn the water off for a couple of minutes each time.

I have to phase out my stupid junk mail. I do recycle it, but that’s not good enough. I have to prevent the crap from getting to my mailbox in the first place! I did it before and I didn’t get junk mail for about 2 years. I need to make that phone call again :)

Turning the lights off and unplugging appliances. I’ve gotten MUCH better but I still slip up once in a while. I never unplug my cell phone or computer charger either, and I SHOULD!!!

I don’t always buy locally. Until at least November, I should be hitting the Farmers’ Markets more often.

I still use paper towels. Although I re-use them a lot by rinsing them out, the fact that I use them instead of rags is not a good choice at all.

Long term goals include buying a house with:

Energy efficient appliances, like clothes washer, fridge and dishwasher.

Dual-flush toilet that I already looked into and got prices on.

CLOTHES LINE!!! I would LOVE to hang out my clothes to dry :)

Veggie garden, so I don’t have to drive the the store as much. It also reduces oil use via transporting the produce.

Compost bin with worms so they can go poop in my garden :P

Finally, to raise my son with a sense of environmental awareness. One of the best things I can do is to not glorify consumerism and fast food, including OVER PACKAGED stuff like Lunchables. I HATE those single serving items with a passion! It’s usually half landfill-cluttering trash, half food.

I am done with PLASTIC BAGS! I absolutely hate them!

I remember my re-usable bags every time I shop now. I keep them in my backseat. It’s a habit now, just like I don’t forget my purse when I shop.

I also WILL NOT get a coffee without my re-usable cup. If I want coffee and I don’t have my cup, too bad. I wait until I get home and brew my own coffee.

Habits are hard to break, even good ones!

Of course I forgot my re-usable bags when I first got them, but not anymore! Anyone can do this :)

1. I cloth diaper my son. We only use 2-3 disposables per week. A single package of disposables will last us several months.

2. I recycle almost everything I can. I recycle ALL #1 and #2 plastics. Unfortunately the others are not recyclable and that bothers me. At the grocery store, I usually check the recycle code for those numbers before I buy it.

3. I shred and recycle my junk mail.

4. I use Borax, vinegar, baking soda, lemons, and washing soda to clean my house. I wonder why other people don’t do this. I absolutely CAN NOT stand the smell of PineSol or Clorox! Plus I save so much money!!!

5. I use a re-usable menstrual cup (sorry TMI) instead of tampons or pads. Trust me it’s sooooooo convenient and CHEAP! Plus it’s what people used in the old days before disposable living was the thing to do. If it was good enough back then, it’s good enough now.

6. I use those new CFL bulbs instead of the incandescent ones.

7. For laundry, I use cold water and 7th Generation detergent. For dishes, I use Sun and Earth brand. No harmful chemicals!

8. I use canvas bags religiously. I rarely use plastic and I am known in my town as the “cloth bag lady”!

9. I am 90% vegetarian :)

10. I buy a lot of used stuff.