Five for Friday - Five for the Earth

This summer, Disney began a huge campaign to get children involved in efforts to save the Earth. Anna Cate, already a huge nature lover, took everything they said to heart. So, we started making some changes in the way we do things around our home. Here are some of the changes we have made to "Save the Earth"...

1. Canvas Bags. I used to hate to get behind someone who used canvas bags at the grocery store because it seemed like it took so much longer for the cashiers to fill them with groceries. I don't know if the structure of the bags has improved or the cashiers are just more familiar with them, but it actually goes quickly AND I only use three canvas bags instead of the ten plastic ones.

2. Bento Boxes. A friend showed me these cute little boxes and I admit that their cuteness is really what first encouraged me to use them. But, using them has really decreased the number of plastic sandwich bags we use. I have actually not even had sandwich bags in the house for about a month now, which is huge considering all we once used them for.

3. Propel Packets. One day I looked in the garbage and was amazed at the pile of water bottles. The next week instead of buying Propel in the bottles, I bought the little packets and again decreased the plastic usage of our home. A side benefit to this practice is that I can limit the amount of the mixture that is added to AC's water and in turn limit the amount of sugar she is drinking.

4. Recycling and Reusing Art Supplies. Family Fun magazine had an issue devoted to ways a family could reuse household items to create wonderful little art projects. Some of the ideas really inspired me. So now, instead of buying new products for art, I search the house to first see if we have different items that I could use as substitutions. One of my favorite "recycled" projects we did was bracelets whose beads were made from old magazine pages.

5. Unplugging IPOD and Cell Phone Chargers. I'm not really sure how much energy this practice actually saves, but Anna Cate has assured me it is A LOT. So, I unplug them and if I forget, she climbs up on the counter and does it herself.

I'm pretty sure the changes we have made are not going to result in closing in landfills anytime soon, but it is nice to know we are at least thinking about protecting the wonderful planet which feeds and houses us. And, I agree with Edmund Burke who is quoted as saying, "Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."