challenge...

happy earth day!
this year we have decided to challenge ourselves as a family to make a few changes in hopes of positively impacting the earth. we are going to commit to:

1) getting enough reusable bags so that we do not have to use any paper or plastic bags when we shop. we currently have enough for about half of our groceries, but we need a few more to be able to do this.
2) courtney is going to bike to work for the summer because she won't have to drive lily to our childcare provider's house as she is coming to us.
3) we are going to try to use almost all compact fluorescent lights in our home. (they last 10 times longer than standard lightbulbs!)
4) we are going to phase out all of our chemical cleaners and use only natural products to clean our home.

we mention all of this not to pat ourselves on the back, but to let it be known to people so we actually have to hold ourselves accountable. even though they are small changes, we do think they can positively impact the environment and our lives.



so, we would love to challenge you to think about making a small change in your life this year. (whit, this one's for you as we know you love a good challenge!) some other ideas we have tried our are considering include:

- recycling if you are not yet doing that (75% of the trash most americans throw away can be recycled!)
- stop buying disposable water bottles and using a reusable bottle from home.
- donating things that you no longer need (to good will or on craig's list or something) as opposed to throwing it out
- starting a compost (on our list to try again... as our last one was not much of a success!)
- buy produce locally or join a community supported agriculture group.
- turning your refrigerator temperature down a degree or two, turning you furnace heat down a degree or two, turning your AC temperature up a degree or two.
- running the dishwasher only when it is full.
and the great thing is that most of these things are money savers, too!

anyway, we all know tons of ways we can be more "environmentally friendly" but it often seems like too much of a hassle. so, we are just encouraging you to take one small step on this earth day and see if you can stick with it!


let us know what you think!

and as the lorax said, "the trees have no tongues...unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. it's not." - dr. seuss


happy earth day!