So I have changed the title of this blog from Pregnancy Journal to Green Journal since I am no longer pregnant, little baby Mira arrived in Feb, and I am feeling rather environmentally conscious these days.
It all started with ... well more than one thing. I guess my internal green movement has been building but the catalyst was a water bill that was way to high, in my mind anyway. So I began to do a few things to conserve water starting with calling the water company to make sure they didn't think that the excess was due to a leak. The answer was 'no' just us using way more water than usual. So for a month or so I have made the following changes:
1 - No more nightly baths for me
2 - No more nightly baths for Josh, he now showers with us when possible
3 - Turn the water off while I am washing my hands and brushing my teeth
4 - Turn the water off while I am lathering up in the shower
5 - Save the water from the shower while it is heating up to use in the laundry
6 - No more standing at the sink and running the water as a fun toddler activity
7 - Returning to traditional dish washing and using a tub of soapy water instead of running water to wash the dishes
8 - No longer rinsing before putting dishes into the washer, just scraping them off really well
So after the water thing and a nice long weekend camping, I decided that my family was living too excessively. We are starting to make small changes, and a few bigger ones, to help our pocketbooks and the environment including:
1 - Limiting the number of trips out of the house. Letting Jason pick up items on the way home
2 - Using fans instead of turning on the A/C
3 - Being conscientious of lights, appliances and other items left on or plugged in.
4 - Drying clothes outside on the line at least 2 times a week
5 - talking to the kiddos about conserving resources
6 - putting recycling recepticles on all floors of the house
7 - reducing our weekly waste to 1 white trash bag by donating, recycling and composting the rest
On Saturday I picked up a book called "Go Green, Live Rich" and I have been reading it for ideas and inspiration. It certainly seems to be working. You can find it in your library or bookstore but it is not yet on paperbackswap.com I also received Heifer International's magazine that was chock full of ideas that not only help the planet but also the people on it. It is very interesting.
My current big quest is to replace our water hog washing machine with one that is more energy and water efficient. I am leaning towards the Bosch Nexxt 500 series model 3301. It is one of the only front loaders I have found that does not have a bunch of 'My washer leaks' reviews. We should be the proud new owners of some new machine in the next two weeks. With 1 load of laundry a day in our house, this should make a big difference.
I found this link: http://www.fueleconomy.gov that has lots of good car info. After the laundry machine issue is resolved, the car/driving will be the next item on the list.
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To get you started on the car/fuel economy thing...my first thought is for you to slow down your driving speed. I noticed a significant increase in mileage when I went from averaging 70-75mph down to 60-65mph and they say it is even better at 55.
Also to keep your airfilter clean (or replaced often). There is a specific kind that you can get that you can clean instead of throwing out. I can't remember the name but your autoparts store will know. They are about $40 compared to $12 but it works out in your favor in the long run.
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