Green Dreams...

It's been a while since I blogged... I don't really have much to say. We've been busy, and just doing our daily thing... I don't have any special "green" revelations for you...
I've added a few links that I think are pretty interesting...

We're still trying to be as green as possible...
We've made the decision to switch from our cloth diaper service to disposables (albeit, 7th Gen disposables). It was a financial decision, even though we don't pay for the service (Thanks, Frances!). We've both researched the best and most environmentally friendly diapering options. Unfortunately, there isn't a good answer. Of course, there is always going without diapers at all, but I think we're a little too far down the road to do that... Plus we're finding that we may have to put Gabs into daycare, and that just wouldn't work... Neither would the cloth diapers... So, we're going with disposables... Honestly, I don't find them too bad. They're fairly easy to use, quick to close, less bulky and I can just toss them. I don't have to worry if we have the "dirty diaper bag". I understand why people use them... I, of course, won't use the big plastic diapers.; those are just too unfriendly. So we use a line by 7th Gen. They're unbleached and use an absorbent polymer gel.
There are drawbacks to cloth too... Most places do a three wash cycle, so the diapers are washed three times. That's a lot of wasted water... They also bleach the diapers. Sometimes we would get a delivery and the diapers smelled very bleachy... That can't be good...

For not having much to say, I sure said a lot...

I'll leave you with this last link (also in the links section) for Xtracycle. They're SUBs (Sport Utility Bicycles) and very, very cool!

-S

Throw it out, and be green?!?

Today I received an email from Crate and Barrel detailing Easy Kitchen Organization ideas, which is nothing to get excited about... I quickly scanned it and was about to delete it, when I saw a link at the bottom about eco-kitchens. I clicked the link (again, nothing to be excited about). They were touting the usual bamboo offerings and such, and it got me to thinking...

I wonder how many people run out to buy a new bamboo cutting board, or knife holder, or whatever, so they can be eco friendly; only to get home and throw away their old (and perfectly useable) stuff, just so they can say they're eco-friendly... Remember people, it's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... Not throw away to become eco-friendly.

Now, I can't admit that I've never done that... It's easy to get caught up in the "hype" sometimes. I wonder how many people have thrown away their old perfectly usable light bulbs, after purchasing some new CFLs. Luckily there are options. We can recycle them (as Angelina pointed out in her previous post), or donate them; Denver has a great Habitat for Humanity outlet. Or even Goodwill?? Why not donate?
-S

My Amazing Field Trip to EcoCycle

I *heart* EcoCycle.

I went there, or more specifically, to their Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, yesterday, and it was like a green person's heaven. You drive up to a little window, and a friendly person asks you what you've brought to their little mecca. You tell, they charge you a recycling fee if one applies, and then you drive around to the little bins and drop off your stuff.

I know, it doesn't sound cool, but let me assure you that it's amazing. I did have to pay a fee; I was recycling a laptop and a wireless hub. It cost me all of $6.00 to keep these things out of the landfills and get them back into refurbishing centers. No leaching lead and heavy metals into the Earth, and I know some of the components will end up in other things. But that's not the cool part. Oh no. There are about 16 stations. You can drop off all of your annoying grocery bags. You can shred confidential documents. All paper is accepted. They have a compost acceptance station. They even take waste vegetable oil that they convert to biodiesel. They take clothes, shoes, styrofoam. They took my ink jet cartridges. They accept old sinks and toilets. They take scrap metal. I was in heaven. A recycling mecca.

I just wish I didn't have to drive 50 miles to get there. But it's still worth the visit if you have a car crammed to the gills with recyclables.

And they offer tours. I know where I'm taking Gabs for a learning excursion as soon as she's big enough...