This past weekend I actually recognized how far I’ve come in my pursuit of greening my daily life. Without even realizing it, I made decisions that I recognized have become automatic rather than a conscious decision. I’m not sure what made me take special notice of how far I’ve come in the past few years, but I realized “you’ve come a long way, baby!”…
- I shopped organic, big time. I avoided high fructose corn syrup, excess sugar and hydrogenated oils, and skipped the frozen food aisle entirely. I used reusable shopping bags and reusable mesh produce bags too!
- I had to buy cups for an event at our daughter’s school. I bought paper cups. I would have preferred something reusable, but I needed about 75 and couldn’t round up that much… but plastic or styrofoam were never a consideration!
- I bought a new shower gel, skipped the regular soap aisle and went straight for organics. Ended up with “Yes To Carrots”… good stuff!
- After my husband accidentally sent a big bowl of uncooked (organic!) scrambled eggs plummeting into the cabinets and floor, I did a clean-up with a dishtowel and Skoy cloths. I made everything sparkly clean with a spray of vinegar and water… not one paper towel used!
- I did a leaf clean-up – no leaf-blower, no lawn mower… just a rake, a tarp (to drag the leaves down the ravine instead of bagging), ME and some great exercise… and the kids playing for hours outdoors!
- I prepared a meal that included an organic roast, organic carrots (it was a carrot-kind-of-weekend, apparently!) and organic potatoes. No steroids, hormones or pesticides for us!
- I did some laundry with all of my beloved, eco-friendly Method products.
- I had to grin… my son actually noticed that my husband left the light on in the shower and reminded him “don’t forget to turn off the lights, Dad!” (The “green” apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!)
I realize that I am truly practicing what I preach and it wasn’t because I knew I should; it was because that’s what I “do”. It’s what I know, and I can “live” with that!
All the changes really add up!
.-= Lisa @ Retro Housewife Goes Green´s last blog ..Product Review: Esse Reusable Bags =-.
Thanks for reminding me to be proud of how far I’ve come (sometimes without even realizing it) in my efforts to go greener instead of only focusing on how far I still have to go.
You definitely have come a long way!
If only we could all make that much progress!
.-= aaron shaw phd´s last blog ..Baby Animals of the Day! Baby Porcupine! =-.
Most importantly, you are a great example to others! Congratulations! Those are a lot of fantastic life changes. And I for one am happy to read this because when I don’t make another change or sometimes do something that might be a little easier, I feel bad about it but it’s important to look at all of the wonderful changes we have made!
Lisa @ Retro – they DO add up, don’t they?!?!?
Lisa – I agree that we absolutely have to recognize what we are doing instead of dwelling on what we still have to do.
aaron – the beauty is “we all CAN!”
Frannie – Thank you! I try… and that’s all any of us can do!