I have been enrolling all of my bills in the paper-free billing option. I meant to do this so long ago. It seems like a simple task but life finds a way to deter you from doing even the easiest of things - even if they make a huge difference! This time, I made it a priority and did it.
This month, I even received a little reminder in my phone bill email thanking me for saving a tree =)
Sign up for paper free billing and do your part to save one, too!
With all the discussion on food, I have noticed that my taste for meat has changed. It is not that I eat it all the time but I do eat it. I currently eat meat on occasion and I also love animals - I suppose this is one of the great debates within ourselves. I tried being a vegetarian many years ago unsuccessfully.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!
I have decided that the cloning news has sparked a new reason to go veg. I found a couple of great resources to help. If you are looking to try vegetarian for health reasons or for the love of animals, visit these links to find out more!
TryVeg.com - get a FREE vegetarian starter guide and lots of help with what to do next. Also some great resources on why and how to change your lifestyle!
About.com Vegetarian - vegetarian information and recipes
I noticed that we were a bit lazy when it came to recycling our household items that did not give us a monetary return on our investment. It seems like it should be an easy enough thing to separate our recyclables along with our trash but I guess it seemed even easier to ignore it! I grew up being responsible about it. When I visit my parents, I do it naturally but for some reason recycling at home was some monstrous task. I guess I felt like we were doing quite a bit by the number of cans and bottles we were saving up for the big return at 5 cents a piece.
The turning point was the day that I drove past our local landfill and for a brief moment, I mistook it for a mountain. I saw it in the distance and thought, how nice it was to live so close to nature! I nearly cried when I came back to reality. Of course, then when I realized how much my family alone contributes to “the mountain,” I knew it was time for a change.
I guess the next question is what does one do?
This is where the fun comes in! Gather up the kids and a few containers. You can use any kind that fits in with your lifestyle or budget. Some people have recycling centers installed in their kitchen. These are great if you have the funding for them but don’t worry if you don’t! You can use regular garbage bags and hang a few different ones on a nail in the garage with labels above each bag or use large plastic storage containers that you can purchase for about $5 at a discount store and put labels on them. Saving the best idea for last, I saw this on an episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8. Grab some plastic storage bins or plastic storage baskets, paint on some chalkboard paint and let the kids label them with chalk.
Don’t forget to include the kids every step of the way! Let them decorate the bins or labels and have them start sorting! Use the activity time to discuss the importance of what you are doing.