Little "Green" Projects

I had an experience which warmed my heart.  In a world where people seem to be more worried about what they wear than anything else, I witnessed real beauty at my local recycle center!  As you may know, we are in a new town for the summer.  My laundry room and garage have been piling up with things that need to be recycled.

Good news: I found where to take them all and we've been there a few times now. The sight of people showing up and sorting their own "recycle garbage" into different bins made my heart swell! We hear so much bad news and so much about unhappy things in this world. Seeing so many people choose to make the world a better, cleaner place made my day. It seriously made me so happy!

I find that my own experience of learning about ways to lessen our family's impact on the Earth and prevent waste goes like this:
1- I learn about a specific issue/problem.
2-  I want to do something better.
3- I come across an idea of something I CAN DO.
4- I have to think on it until I figure out how I can make that idea fit into my life.
5- I make the change.

My sister is always a step ahead of me on this. When I visited her in DC this past spring she told me that they no longer use any paper towels or paper napkins. She has converted entirely to cloth napkins and cloth towels for their family. I thought, "seriously? wow! I don't know if I could do that." I had to think on it. I think of all the paper products we've just tossed and never thought about....sad, I never even thought about it! But, now I am figuring out how to fit that in my life.

These little cloths are one of our little green projects that brings good change for us.  I only bought 40 of them :)
It seems like a little thing really, to reuse something.  It is amazing how good it can make you feel.

If you want to make/use some too, here is a great list of how to stop using paper towels, napkins, and even baby wipes I think it is an inspiring thought.  If you are like me, you can think on it and you will be able to see a way to make small changes in your life and help your family learn too.  A little bit really does matter!

Here are some tips to prolong the life of your washing cloths from Stacy@momcentral.com:
"Synthetic sponges and kitchen cloths can start to smell and carry bacteria, but you don't have to toss them out after a few uses. One option to reduce bacteria is to sanitize sponges and dishrags by soaking them in a bleach solution (¾ cup of bleach* to a gallon of water) for 5 minutes in the sink. Don't forget to rinse and dry when done. A wet sponge can also be microwaved to get rid of bacteria. (* Always remember to read and follow precautions and usage directions before using cleaning products)"

To learn how to make your own green kitchen cleaning supplies at Plum Pudding.  I love her cleaning container too!

One of our other little "green" projects has been turning old tank tops
and T-shirts into grocery shopping bags.  Want to know how many bags Americans THROW AWAY each year?  It will make you sad!  100 billion! :(  Did you know that if you sew the bottom of a T-shirt closed, cut off the arms and cut the neck a little wider it makes an awesome grocery bag?

Another little green project: donate your old stuff to a thrift store.  It makes me so sad to drive around on garbage day and see all the things people are just not using anymore that are filling the landfills.  I see high chairs, desks, chairs, etc.  They look totally decent and maybe the owners didn't know that most thrift stores offer free pick-up of items.  A phone call.  So easy!

Little things really mean a lot.  See if you can add a little Green project into your life.  It will make you happy :)

2 comments:

elspeth said...

Yeah Jedda! Once you get used to it you'll love the cloth. It soaks up more and is more durable. I was just thinking of turning a t-shirt into a bag. As it's a project you're totally ahead of me. Good to see it worked so well. Also it doesn't look like you finished any of the edges. Is that right?

Jedda said...

Elspeth,

You're right, no need to finish the edges of a cotton t-shirt. It's a fast and fun little project that way :)

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