Going Green for St. Patrick's Day!

For some, the thought of "going green" may bring to mind thoughts of skipping daily showers to conserve water, composting your waste, or wearing itchy, yet natural and organically grown hemp clothing. All of these things seem to just turn many off of being a responsible, eco-friendly member of society. However, Kermit was wrong: it is, in fact, easy to be green.

A California girl at heart, recycling and conservation seem to run in my blood. Okay, okay. Well, at least they run through my mind! I remember water conservation and recycling were things I never thought twice about. Reduce, reuse, recycle, right? We always had a bucket in the shower to catch all the cold water before it turned hot enough to shower. We then used that water to flush our toilet. (Yes, you can actually just pour water into your toilet bowl and it will automatically flush when the water level rises.) Sound funny? T'was totally normal for me. I didn't know any different. I may have complained about how I got cold in the shower when I turned the water off while I was lathering my body and washing my hair, but did I think twice about keeping the water on the whole time? No way. That was the way it was. We had a shower head with a little switch to turn the water off for short spurts mid-shower.

So this year, even though SLC makes it a little hard to recycle, I've decided to make a more concentrated effort to go green. Go more green. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day! My current green goals include:

1. Reusing plastic grocery bags as garbage bags. (I already do this.) REUSE
2. Using cloth bags at the grocery store. REDUCE
3. Skipping the produce plastic bags. REDUCE
4. Separating and actually recycling my paper, plastic, metal and glass waste. (We already started doing this.) RECYCLE
5. Reusing plastic ziploc bags when possible. (Already started this, too.) REUSE
6. Buying a bucket and putting it in my shower, then using that water to water plants and flush my toilet. CONSERVE WATER
7. Turning off water while brushing my teeth and lathering my hands in soap. CONSERVE WATER
8. Turning off lights when I leave a room for more than a few minutes. CONSERVE ENERGY
9. Planning my errand-running so that using less gasoline and emitting lower emissions. CONSERVE

Two things I'm hesitant to commit to working on right now are my paper towel usage and the length of my showers. I love paper towels. I hate using dish towels, probably because I'm paranoid of the germs they undoubtedly hold. And I love my showers. I don't take extremely long showers, but they're usually ten minutes. :) Those two opportunities to reduce are for another time. Baby steps, right?

So, I'll keep you updated on my new green goals and share with you websites, tips, and thoughts as I have them! Please feel free to share with me your green tips and anything you find out, too.

So don't forget, Kermit... it's so easy being green. :)