* We consign clothes and toys (and make money!), and buy from the same consignment shop.
* We donated some of our old toys to the church nursery (our church lost all the toys in Katrina).
* We use cloth napkins now, unless it's something really, really messy.
* They came today! Find them at http://www.mysigg.com/ or on Amazon. They're aluminum bottles that have leak proof and spill proof lids (a little tough for Bull, but Gator can do it).
* Slowly, but surely, I'm trying to get rid of my plastic storage dishes and replace them with corning ware. We will recycle the plastic, of course.
* I'm using ultra-concentrated laundry detergent, biodegradable laundry sheets (available at Wal-Mart), and only do full loads.
* We use Method brand cleaning supplies. They're available at Target.
* We have reusable lunch bags for when we take our lunch to school or work.
* We also take cloth bags to the store instead of "Paper or Plastic?"
* Even though I tease him incessantly about it (like he does me with the compost pile), Hubs has an electric lawnmower.
* And last, but certainly not the least expensive, we got a new A/C unit. We waited until the old one died, but we've already seen a drop in our electric bill.
How do you get your kids involved?
Our priority is to teach them about stewardship vs. wastefulness in life, not just in consumption. Teach the principle! How you do it depends on the age of the kid. For Gator, it means helping us with the recycling. In fact, just the other day he found a box on the counter, broke it down and took it out to the recycling bin completely on his own! I was so proud! Also, when he asks why we don't, can't, or won't do something that is wasteful, we just tell him that it's wasteful. That may seem obvious, but it's the place to start. As for Bull, he drinks out of a SIGG bottle and sleeps in organic pajamas.
Please consider what you can do to make a difference. For the first installment of living greener, see this.
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