SPT Earth Day

this week's challenge is reduce, reuse, recycle. where are you on the green spectrum? are you an active recycler? do you reuse ziploc bags? do you carpool? use a travel mug? how do you feel about "gently used" items? do you utilize libraries? thrift stores? (kristi??) are your children setting a better example than you?


I'm not really sure about this SPT challenge. I kept debating "to" or "not to". I have never really been one to really watch the things I do and the things I use and how they effect the earth or how they don't effect it. I'm glad I went ahead with doing this. It really made me stop and think about the things I do and don't do that have a direct impact on our earth.

The only things I could come up with that "save" me, or the environment from was that I ALWAYS wear my jeans twice before washing them. That is unless I have an accident, or need I say spill something on them, I rarely have accidents anymore unless jumping on the trampoline. I also do this with my workout clothes. I wear the same outfit for either two walks, or a walk and a run. Never do I wear them again after a run. They are absolutely disgusting by that point and in need of some serious soaking and washing. This surely saves water and detergent and that helps the environment, right?

My other thing I thought of, is really quite embarassing, if I do say so myself. I almost feel like I am in a support group where I have to confess some of my weird quirks. This will probably come across very strange to some, but may be somewhat normal to others.

Not everytime, but sometimes, when Jenny and I go to Chuy's for lunch, I bring along one of my to-go containers they have given me in the past full of creamy jalapeno. I have devoured its' contents, washed it, and brought it along to refill with the creamy jalapeno we don't eat to bring home. Surely, this is not dishonest, right? They can't reuse what has been on our table that we have been eating. If I don't pour it into my container and "save" it, it will find a new home down a garbage disposal or in a trash can. The only other confession I have to make about this, is after I do this, we sometimes ask for another one and I do the same thing all over again. Then if we get "Alberto" (our new favorite waiter) he brings us to-go containers full of creamy jalapeno. He also makes sure he hooks us up with a big bag of chips, and two, to-go diet cokes.

As I sit here typing this, I almost feel like some sort of addict or something. Hoepfully none of you will see me as psycho, just someone that loves a certain mexican restraunt so much that I will do just about anything to have leftovers from it.
Other things I've found I reuse are my tupperware containers(store bought ones and ones we brings home takeout in). I also save plastic bags from my shopping trips. You can never have enough of these. They come in handy when I run out of my bathroom trash bags, or just to reuse to take something somewhere.
Having three girls I started out savin gall of their clothes. I think I have had, at one time, 12 runbbermaid containers full of clothes. As the girls have gotten older, as well as the clothes, tastes change, and stains somehow reappear, so I've been going through them and keepin only a few of them. The others have made their way dwon the street to Taylor, and some have returned from her too. Then they make the all important trip to the local goodwill store. I've never been one to find great deals at our Goodwill but some people really score at these thrift stores. So I guess my donations are a plus for them.
I love to do yard work and to be outside. I use to consider myself a person witha green thumb, but not so much anymore. I love when Spring returns and I can get flowers and plant them all aroun our house. I had plans to do just that this weekend but never made it to the nursery to get them. Maybe tomorrow, after the rain passes us by, I will get out and put a little beauty back into my yard.

Thanks Lelly for another challenge. I just hope the little things I do are some what helpful in making our environment a lttle better.