Friday, April 22, 2011

Happy Earth Day! Are You a Dirty Hippy?

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Nehemiah 6:9
You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

God has gifted us with His beautiful creation. Let's take care of it, not just consume it!
You might not know this about me, but I am kind of a dirty hippy. Except I shower just about every day. Oh, and I shave my legs armpits. And I have nothing made out of hemp. And I do wear a bra. So maybe I am not a dirty hippy, but I am into natural, eco-friendly stuff as much as possible.

There is always more ways to go green but I do what I can, am open to more changes, and I care. I recycle everything I can. I avoid traditional medicine and try natural remedies whenever I can. I buy chemical-free and organic products whenever it's available and we can afford it. And things like that.

Today is Earth Day.
There are a lot of ways we can support our environment both inside of our homes and out.
Today I want to encourage you to make one small change that will benefit not only the earth, but your family.

There are a lot of toxins inside of the home. It is overwhelming, which paralyzes some people and so they do nothing. Start small. Start with one thing. Or add just one more thing. I'm sure a lot of you have already done this stuff, but if not let me make a few suggestions.

1. Buy some organic food this week. I know it is more expensive, but can you pick one thing to buy organic this week that you would not normally buy organic?
How about strawberries, rice, milk, meat -- all are high in pesticides or hormones.

2. Buy some eco-friendly beauty products over at "Eco Natural Soap" instead of your normal stuff. I recommend getting their lip balm because when your kids steal it and ingest half of
it . . .
And if you have not joined in on my Mother's Day giveaway now is the time. You could win some of these eco-friendly products!


3. Use recyclable grocery bags when you go to the store instead of forgetting about them and leaving them in your dirty minivan. I'm getting better at this one, but it still happens.

4. If you have plastic grocery bags because you forgot your recycle bags in your car, do not throw them away! Take them somewhere (some grocery stores have bins) to recycle them.

5. Take your batteries somewhere to be recycled. They have a lot of toxic chemicals in them - do not throw them away! Did you know it is illegal to throw away batteries in California?

6. Buy some eco-friendly dishwasher detergent. I read on several websites that dishwasher detergent is the #1 cause of household poisoning.

7. Use less zip-lock bags. My sister-in-law Kate got me two Wrap N Mats
and I use them for my son's school lunches instead of zip-locks.

8. For you crafters out there who have withdrawals if you don't do a craft on a regular basis, check out these Earth Day craft ideas.

9. Have a birthday party coming up in the next few weeks? Spend a few extra dollars and shop at a local store for that gift. And use some of those papers that come home from school (or that you make in homeschool) to wrap the present.

10. Talk to your kids about Earth Day. Go on a walk with them and hugs some trees.

For more earthy ideas check out Kate (my sister-in-law) and Amber's website Unprocessed Moms. You'll find headbands made out of yogurt containers, aprons out of plastic grocery bags, a lame video with good info, and a white girl with dreads (Kate).


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4 comments:

grey rose (they/them) said...

happy earth day!
wonderful ideas!
we have an organic grocery on our block, can't afford to buy everything there, but we love it! really can't wait for our farmers market to open, north dakota has a super short season:/
i already use reusable shopping bags and storage-i will pick some extra things to do this week! thanks for the nudge!

happy easter!

(and YOU are amazing-i am loving your book! if i didn't have a crazy kiddo, i am certain i could have finished it in an hour-so great-i will be snagging it for some mamas i know!!)

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Wendy this is such a great post. We can all make a difference we just have to start! Thanks for mentioning our products and thanks so much for the link to your sister-in -law's blog. I really liked her post on thrift shopping.

TDM Wendy said...

Thank Hannah!
You're welcome Alicia. I am really digging the moisturizer. It is really different than any I have tried before. And I always put chapstick on (now yours) before bed.

Devin said...

I do a lot of these things, too...except for recycle. We used to, but the area we live in decided having the bins was 'too expensive' and got rid of them. I cringe every single time I throw plastic/cans/paper away....ugh.

It's so important to be a good steward of what you are given--whether it is your money, your body, or your planet!! :)