Monday, April 22, 2013

Easy ways not to be a jerk this Earth Day


Happy Earth Day!

Today is a day to remember how important it is to take care of our planet since, according to most recent history, there are no other planets suitable for life.

I consider myself to be a "semi-green" mama.  I breastfed, made all my own baby food, use natural cleaners.  I buy lots of organic foods and like to shop at the farmer's market.  I say "semi" because there are things I do that may not be considered the most "green".  I used disposable diapers, I use paper towels and don't compost (but I'd like to!).  To me, I think it's all about balance.  If everyone was "semi-green" then the world would be in much better shape.  It's all about being conscious and doing our share.

 
Have you ever seen Wall-e??  Well, if you haven't you should!  It's one of the few movies that my kids LOVE, and I mean LOVE, that I don't mind watching over and over.  The premise of the movie is that the people of Earth trashed the planet so much that it became unsuitable for life so they had to build large space ships so the people could leave the planet while it would be cleaned up by little robots called Wall-e's.  700 years later, now everyone is fat and lazy on the ship and eats all their food via straws.  All plant life has been eradicated on Earth, but they still send robots, called EVE's to search for life.  The plot thickens when EVE and Wall-e meet and Wall-e has found a plant!  I won't give away the ending, just in case you want to be surprised. The moral of the story is: too much trash = a crappy Earth. Simple, right?
 
 
What about The Lorax?  Amazing book and movie.  Another simple "duh" lesson: take care of the Earth.  One of the best quotes ever comes from The Lorax:
 
 
LOVE!
 
 
Think it's too much of a "hassle" to recycle?  Is it a "pain" to always remember your reusable bags at the store??  Well I have some advice for you: STOP BEING A JERK!  It's our job to take care of our planet and leave it in better shape for our kiddies. 
 
 
In case you don't know where to begin, I'll share some simple ideas for you.  Let's try to set a good example for our kids, okay???
 
- REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE! Don't forget to put those blue barrels out every week.  Is it REALLY that much harder to put sh*t in one barrel vs. the other?  Don't be a jerk!!! Recycle your sh*t!
 
- Use reusable bags at the store.  Not only are they cuter but lots of stores will give you a discount.  If you forget your bags in the car, which I have done a number of times, then use paper NOT plastic.  Paper biodegrades better and you can cut it up and have your kids draw on it (that's called REUSING)
 
- Speaking of reusing...reuse plastic bread bags to pick up dog poop, use both sides of the paper,  and reuse the glass food jars you are going to throw away for crafts or to store food in the fridge or freezer. Simple!
 
- Buy nice water bottles for everyone in the fam and use filtered water, not plastic water bottles.
 
- Wash your clothes on cold...works just as well, saves you money and saves the earth the electricity to heat the water.
 
- Try and use natural cleaners and soaps when you can, they are better for the earth and for you!
 
- Have your kids rewear their pj's and bathroom towels 2-3 times: less laundry, less water and less soap.
 
- Save money, gas and spare the Earth some pollution by consolidating your trips out and get as many errands done when you can.
 
- Teach your kids to turn off the water when they are brushing their teeth.
 
- Tear up old baby blankets and towels and use them for rags for cleaning.  This also helps save money because you'll use less paper towels.
 
- Turn off lights when you aren't in the room and replace those lame out-dated light bulbs with those fancy curly ones.
 
- Read or watch The Lorax and Wall-e with your kids and fill them the knowledge of just how important it is to take care of our planet. We don't want to live on a space ship and drink from a straw or have to buy our air. So make sure you aren't being a jerk or raising your kids to be jerks: reduce, reuse and recycle!
 
Happy Earth Day!!



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