Comments on grumbles and grunts: greener pastures

I was just reading through the carnival of parenti...

2010-03-29T11:35:38.186-04:00

I was just reading through the carnival of parenting blogs this month and as a non parent but fellow too old to be still scared of the dark-er, The Boyfriend installed something pretty handy...an automatic sensored light. I do okay in our upstairs because we get a lot of natural light (and we have a nightlight for when it gets dark) but downstairs it's just SO dark, so in our main entryway (which is also where the stairs lead down from upstairs) he installed a sensor that stays on for about 5 minutes. This way if I stumble down in the dark it turns on, when I walk in it turns on, etc. Then it will automatically turn itself off so I don't have to be stuck in the dark.

Maybe it'll help you too! They're pretty cheap at Costco and I Think you can get them in a multipack there too, we bought ours at home depot.

I agree that you have to lay out small steps you&#...

2010-03-11T14:48:22.973-05:00

I agree that you have to lay out small steps you're willing to work towards instead of getting overwhelmed by the big picture and then doing nothing.

Something my dad did to teach us to turn off lights when we left a room was charge us a quarter each time he caught us leaving a room with the lights on. Quarters were saved and eventually used on a girls and dad ice cream so that it wasn't ALL painful.

And we did learn.

Because even though eventually those quarters were coming back to us in ice cream, it takes a LOT of mistake rooms to earn yourself an ice cream!

What a fun post. Your self-deprecating humor lend...

2010-03-10T22:37:17.003-05:00

What a fun post. Your self-deprecating humor lends itself to everyone taking a good look at their behavior and trying to make changes without beating themselves up to much. You are a great grumbler and grunter. I think that your plan is a good one and I feel that once you get certain things mastered, it's easier to keep adding on. I love your writing.

Too funny. My husband and I are weird about lights...

2010-03-10T12:50:09.229-05:00

Too funny. My husband and I are weird about lights. He insists they are all off in the day time but leaves them on all night, like even when he's sleeping (he goes to bed waaay later than I do and when I get up at least 4 are on). I like to have light when I'm on the computer and he is always turning the light off saying there is enough light from the screen. Ugh! Lights are a source of contention here for sure!

Ok, as I read this I looked around my house. Ever...

2010-03-09T20:03:52.914-05:00

Ok, as I read this I looked around my house. Every light in every room in my view is currently on despite the fact that my husband and I are only in the one room.

I am SO BAD at turning lights off! Thanks for reminding me!

Hahaha- basements are ALWASY creepy, so don't ...

2010-03-09T18:35:02.938-05:00

Hahaha- basements are ALWASY creepy, so don't worry, you're not the only one. :)

I wish we could eat more organic too, but that stuff is ridiculous! Good job on drinking organic milk, I hear that's a biggie.

"Ew" to the balogna sandwich, that's just gross. (Haha, j/k! :)

I'm sure your son will learn a lot of great green things from you, mainly things you aren't even aware of. Keep it up!

Cuddling. I'm pretty sure cuddling is the poin...

2010-03-09T16:03:15.343-05:00

Cuddling. I'm pretty sure cuddling is the point. :) I also suck at turning off lights. What, I'm going to walk back in the room in 2 minutes, I need to walk around in a cave? sigh, one day I'll learn.

Hey man, you gotta start somewhere! Before Austin...

2010-03-09T15:20:13.084-05:00

Hey man, you gotta start somewhere! Before Austin developed a single-stream, recycle (almost) everything program they only took glass, some plastics, and certain cardboards. I could never keep them straight and I'm sure that a LOT of what could have been recycled got trashed. AND, why didn't I just get a sorting system and do the rest myself? Live and learn, right??

The lights thing is a great

I need to work on the waste and things part. I am ...

2010-03-09T14:09:05.500-05:00

I need to work on the waste and things part. I am such a cluttery person and I'll finally get to the point that I hate it being so cluttery and throw everything out. I know this is horribly wasteful. I should just not buy things I don't really need from the get go!

Dork alert! I happen to know that the Seattle recy...

2010-03-09T13:57:53.609-05:00

Dork alert! I happen to know that the Seattle recycling center website has an interactive recycling quiz to help us mere mortals figure out what is and isn't recyclable. That might be a resource for others to try — give your local waste control website a gander to see if it's helpful.

I so agree that living green used to be a novelty, something you did in a couple small areas (like clipping the rings on six-packs to save birds or whatever it was), but now it's so much more far-reaching. I guess it had to start somewhere!

I suck. I forget to turn off the water when brush...

2010-03-09T13:11:19.804-05:00

I suck. I forget to turn off the water when brushing my teeth!!!! I"m going to remember you every time I brush now! LOL

<3

Ha! I remember talking about turning the water off...

2010-03-09T12:45:28.233-05:00

Ha! I remember talking about turning the water off while brushing in school. Too funny.

Thanks for the link to the organic food list! Very helpful as we are trying to make the switch too, but not liking the grocery bills we end up with.

My 61-year-old mother STILL refuses to turn the wa...

2010-03-09T12:01:53.308-05:00

My 61-year-old mother STILL refuses to turn the water off. Like a good child of the '80s, I have lectured her for going on 25 years to no avail. All I can try to do is use even LESS water to cancel out her wastefulness. Take THAT Mom! :)

They are still making a push for turning off the w...

2010-03-09T11:11:48.252-05:00

They are still making a push for turning off the water while brushing your teeth. I think Nick Jr has taken over on that. We see it in the bumpers every now and then.

We also don't eat organic, and I don't feel bad about it. We make sure to have a good variety of foods in the house. It's all about what works for your family.

I remember that push for turning the water off ;) ...

2010-03-09T09:59:54.164-05:00

I remember that push for turning the water off ;)
Do you have to take your recycling to a center or do you have a truck come pick it up for you? We don't have a pick-up option, so we trek to the center once every month or two. Kieran really likes helping toss things in the bin, and it has helped me know what can be recycled. Not only can I do all plastics (except for styrofoam), but I can combine my plastics and tin cans in one container b/c they go in the same bin. Excellent!