Time to Go GREEN!

March is quickly upon us and in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day I thought I would take a minute and tell you a few ways I have been going GREEN.  

• I try to use these anytime I think about it.  I have found if I put them back in the car as soon as I empty them, they get a lot more use.  I often forget them, or stop by the store without planning ahead.  This way I have them in my vehicle and they are ready to be used.  When I do get plastic ones, they are used in the trash cans OR sent back to school where we are helping earn money for the school by recycling them.  

• We joined Melaluca.  No this is not a sales pitch (unless you are interested than yes we would love to talk to you about it or you can go read this in secret and no one has to bug you about it).  Their products #1) are made here in IF so it helps out tons of our friends and neighbors by providing them a job.  The money stays in our local economy which right now is a GREAT thing.  #2) they use WAY less packaging because they are made and sold here so they don't have to be boxed into little individual boxes with tons of cardboard between them, into bigger boxes and saran wrapped to death on a palette to travel all over the country into stores where that stuff is all just thrown out.  #3) the stuff is very concentrated so you use less bottles than you would buying the other brands.  1 thing of laundry detergent is equal to 6 you would buy in the store.  and #4) the stuff is made from natural ingredients and are all non toxic.  If my kid accidentally drank something, he would probably get a little sick, but it would not threaten his life.  Not to mention I don't have to go to THAT ONE store for all this stuff anymore so I eliminate the temptation to buy clothes, electronics, and cute stuff for my house in the process saving me more of the kind of Green I never have enough of! (I don't really buy cute stuff for my house, but thanks for thinking I did.)
  

• I have started turning off power strips at night and unplugging things when not in use.  Plus my kids think we live in the dark cause I won't let them turn on the lights unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.
   A collection of water bottles and reusable cups
  

• Much to the chagrin of my family members, I have started recycling our garbage.  The only problem is we have no pick up for it so I have to take it to the bins.  Which I happily do when I remember.  Storing it until then is a problem though.  I have not gotten to every little detail yet, but I have to work on them in baby steps or they will rebel completely and nothing will get reused. We use old juice containers instead of buying water bottles.  I make Ry refill his cups at the gas station instead of getting a new one.  I stopped buying paper towels and just use kitchen towels.  Stuff like that.
   My pile of milk jugs waiting to be recycled--collecting snow this morning
  

• I DVR everything I watch so the TV is on less cuz I don't have to watch commercials.  Does that count?  No?  Just checking.  
• I rarely buy books anymore, I check them out at the library.  And the books that we do have, with a few exceptions, I have been selling to the used book store so we have less books just sitting around while more are being printed for people to buy.  (this is also saving me the other kind of Green!)
• And my last thing is actually one I need help with.  I want to start using reusable diapers.  I just am not sure where to go with this.  I know the flat white ones from "back in the day" (I think I am too young to use that phrase--ask Liza) are still out there some where, but there are also a MILLION other options.  Please let me know your thoughts on this.  I think this is our last child, but he will wear them for at least 2 more years so that is worth the trouble to me.  Not to mention the expense(another GREEN).  So help me out.  Any thoughts?  Any suggestions?  Which ones do I want and where is the best place to get them?  

• I appreciate any other green tips you may have.  I am not super environmental, but I am trying to do my part as much as I can.  

P.S. this is my first post with bullets.  Are you proud of me Amanda?