Just because everyone else is doing it means I must do it too!

With all the "green"ness going on lately, Gawain and I have been trying to step it up a notch. We have been trying to be better about separating our trash better, recycling what can be recycled, composting what can be composted, and really only throwing away the Professor's diapers (which I know isn't that great, but we're working on that). We have seriously considered using gDiapers, and most likely will once the Professor isn't going through 5 billion diapers a day (we also have to make sure they will flush in our toilet that doesn't have a very good flushing capacity...Isabel please bring one of Baboo's over next time you are in the neighborhood). When purchasing a new car, we got one that claims good gas mileage and is a ULEV. Gawain takes the bus to work, and if its possible, I try and walk to the store and only run errands in the car when I have a long list so I don't use the car too excessively.

We are trying to do our part to minimize our "carbon butt print".

The latest thing that I have fallen in with is reusable grocery bags. I used to see people using them in the grocery store, at Target, at Babies-R-Us, and think "oh that's nice, but they're too small for my purposes! And more expensive than free." If I was only getting a couple of things, I would usually just say "oh I don't need a bag" and try and be good to the environment that way.

Enter having a baby.

The first couple of weeks after the Professor was born, people from our church were nice enough to bring us meals. One of those meals was brought to us in a fancy Trader Joe's reusable grocery bag.

Ok, first of all, this was a lot cooler than any of the other reusable bags I'd seen thus far. I mean seriously look at it:

By happy chance, this same family brought us dinner again, in another cool bag. I decided I would go pick up some bags, so I tried to return the former bag. She was nice enough to just let me have both!

Let me tell you. These new bags are super convenient! A lot fits in them, they are stronger than paper, bigger than plastic, and they have long enough straps that you can swing them over your shoulder if you need too. I ended up going to Trader Joe's, saw the awesome beach one, and asked how much it was.

$.99.

Really???? A buck to have a more awesome bag than plastic??? So I don't have this happening???

I have now been using the bags everytime I go anywhere. They are very awesome, and I feel good about helping the environment. Really, a couple bucks to not have a billion plastic bags running around is the least I could do!

You rock mommy!!!

***** I do know and realize that disposable diapers are awful for the environment. Like I said I'm working on that, and hopefully we will have a solution soon. Didn't want anyone to think I'm a hypocrite!*******