live an earth-friendly life

My employer has just gotten Envirostar certified and we are now militant at work about recycling and being green. Doing those good habits 8 hours a day at work helps me do them at home, too.

I actually made this a goal a year and a half ago, but have found it to be a gradual process. I went through my entire house and switched over to all-natural cleaning products including dishwasher detergent and toilet cleaner. I bought a floor steamer to clean my floors instead of using chemicals. I carry reusable bags with me everywhere. I buy my clothes and housewares at thrift stores. I recycle all plastic, steel,tin, etcetera. But I’m always looking for more ways to be earth friendly!

is really hard. I don’t know many veggie receipes and when it’s the Fourth of July, meat is always on the menu. I’ve been trying to limit my meat intake to 1-2 times a week. I include poultry, pork, red meat, and some fish in the limiting. My family is trying to help, but when dinner rolls around and I say, “No meat, please,” and they say, “Well then what do you want,” and I reply, “I don’t know,” it gets difficult to choose dinner foods. I’ve discovered that Indian food has a lot of veggie options, so I’ve been eating Palak Paneer, Veggie Biryani, and Samosas for a while. I do need to look up some receipes though…

I am getting used to using cloth bags when I buy things. It’s fun, the people don’t understand what I’m doing when I say I don’t need a bag.

I also shut down and unplug my laptop every night before I go to bed. I turn off the water when I brush my teeth. I turn off unnecessary lights in my house. I recycle and buy organic.

I think I’m off to a pretty good start.