The end.

Well, last week marked the official "end" of this journey. Over the course of a year, I spent every day trying to find ways to become more eco-aware, and it was amazing.

The biggest thing I learned is that every little thing adds up. Every action you take, whether positive or negative, has a ripple effect somewhere down the road; somehow.

I will no longer be so actively cataloging my efforts, but they will always be in the forefront of my mind, and I may even come back later on to talk some more about something I have discovered.

In the meantime, my 2009 resolution is already under way, and I have a new blog to kick it off. You can find me here on blogger under "Cheap Chick", if you are interested!

I don't know who reads this. I think I have maybe ever gotten one comment, so for all I know, only a couple of people read this. If you are reading this, and you are not me, please allow me to say...

thank you.

The very feeling that someone else might be interested in what I have to say enough to visit my blog and read it says to me that maybe something I say or do really does impact someone; somewhere; to make a change. Even a tiny one.

And that is all I ever wanted this blog to do.

Now I am going to work on my new blog, while wearing my lovely green (both colour and eco-related) soy pajamas that I got for Christmas from my darling husband.

As my journey comes to a close....

This post is a bit premature, but as I am looking forward to the holidays, I see that I am near the end of my journey. I have lived nearly 365 days of trying to find more eco-friendly ways to live my life, and it has really shaped me.

Today I sit down to wrap the last of the Christmas gifts I have purchased, and while I am doing this, I will be using as little giftwrap as possible. Very little gets wasted now!

I am even finding ways to sneak more eco-friendly elements into peoples' gifts this year!

I have also noticed that the turn by corporations to be more eco-aware is on the rise. It's better for their bottom line, and it shows a huge amount of corporate responsibility, especially since most of these things are being done with little/no fanfare. Promoting reusable bags, using plant-based materials in manufacturing giftcards, asking if you want a receipt instead of just assuming and printing one, using sand instead of salt when plowing their parking lots, the reduction of unnecessary packaging, etc. Businesses that are more attentive to this are certainly getting more of my business than those without.

One thing I will say is that it is truly about just being more aware of what you are doing every day and the small changes you can make.

I have already come up with my next resolution and 1 year blog idea, and that will be unveiled in my final post over here in a few weeks. I am hoping that next year I will be able to post more frequently!

I don't even know if anyone is reading this much anymore, but if you are reading, bless your heart! I would love to hear what you have done to adapt more "green" habits in your everyday life.

Drive-by posting

Just a quick one!

I have started my Christmas shopping, and in my effort to go green, I am looking at what causes the most waste. Wrapping paper and gift bags, of course!

So, instead of paying $1-$3 for giftbags this year, I am buying red (target) and green (walgreens) reusable bags and putting gifts in those this year, along with a note explaning how to use the bag. I am hoping that people will take the cue and start using them when they run their errands, as well! Not much I can do as far as the giftwrap, so I might just have to make my peace with that. Oh well, something small is still something, right?

Fear not, fellow readers.

I'm back! We are FINALLY getting settled in from our move! It took almost a month to get working internet, and some personal things have demanded much of my free time, so this is the first chance I have had to sit down and write. Fear not - although I have not been chronicalling my journey, it is always near the forefront of my mind. In fact, it is so much near the forefront that it has become HABIT!

It extends (unwittingly) to work. I am no longer in an office environment, but back in retail management. Each time I tender out a sale, I ask the customer if they would like a bag, and more often than not, they evaluate their current bags and usually say no! I am saving blank paper to re-use after each transaction! Not only is this better for our precious planet, but it is more fiscally-responsible for my employer!

While I was unpacking, I noticed my tendency to hoard bath and candle products. So, I am making an effort to buy as little as possible and either use up what I have or give it away. I can no longer use shower gels, but I figured out a formula to turn them into body scrubs. Voila!

Upon moving into our new house, we changed all regular lighbulbs to CFLs. We dress warmer and use blankets on chilly evenings. We use all-natural dish soap and laundry detergent. Our new guinea pigs have recycled paper for their bedding. I am devising a way to start composting our leftover waste. I am at a bit of a standstill on that, but I am still working on it. When we clean, we use rags and towels that we wash instead of paper towels.

I need some help, though. Like I said, I am at a standstill on the composting. We live in the country, in a state that is very cold 4-5 months a year. We have a big backyard and a garage. What ideas do you have for us to start our composting? Also, I have been searching for 3 months for a biodegradable garbage bag and have yet to find one. Suggestions?

Cleaning Stuffs

We are moving! In less than a week we will be back in Madison, with all of its goodness - Farmer's Market, Trader Joe's, etc! I am cleaning and packing like a mad woman, and on this part of my journey, I am going green, as well!

I got a lead that my local grocery carried biodegradable garbage bags, so off I went. Sad to search high and low and not find any, though.

I did however head over to the "green" section and lo and behold - Dr Bronners Castille Soap and cheaper than it is at Target! I have been stalking a recipe for all natural homemade laundry detergent, and the store had all of the components! After I bought them I managed to talk Joel into letting me try it out, so we will see how it all goes!

I also got a little bottle of lemon essential oil for my all-natural homemade all purpose cleaner.

I can't wait to see how all of this works!!!

Time is flying....

Oh, how time has flown! Summer is here and in full swing, and so is our social schedule! One great thing about keeping a blog is that it is kind of like when you were younger and you would go each year to the same part of the house for your new height measurement. You stand there for a moment and reflect on how far you have come.

I work in a small office, and I noticed that a lot of plastic bottles and tin cans were going into the trash (we do not recycle there) each day. I decided that I was going to take them home at the end of each day and recycle everyone else's items with my own. On my 3rd day of doing this, one co-worker told me that she loves that I am so into the eco-movement. Another co-worker told me that I cannot save the planet on my own so why even try. After she said that, she went onto say that once her baby is born, she is going to be filling up landfills with disposable diapers.

It was really hard for me not to say anything about how I want to make sure that we pass this planet onto our kids in the best possible shape we can, and I am sure she can respect that, given that she is pregnant, right?

It's really hard when I come upon people who share those same ideals. I am of the belief that although I cannot single-handedly save the planet, that enough people like me, acting and thinking like me, can surely make a difference. Every little bit counts, right? And why would you make the choice to rain on someone else's parade? Just because I have not opted to have children at this point in my life does not mean I would ever ridicule her decision, nor should she ridicule my decision to become more eco-aware. Although it is everyone's responsibility to save this one precious planet, I have accepted that I am going to have to bear the burden for others (those who will wish to reap when they have chosen not to sow) and work extra hard.

Sometimes my husband gets crabby about my new endeavour. He LOVES to drive - if I would let him, we would just drive around all day on Sunday and do nothing but drive and hang out in the car. I am so aware of every mile we drive, of every place we eat that has disposable diningware, of every item that goes into our trash. In order for me to win the war, I have had to lose some domestic battles, such as my wanting to make my own laundry detergent, wanting to line-dry 100% of our laundry, etc. Today we watched "An Inconvenient Truth" and I think I saw some of it starting to sink in - only time will tell.

Each day I marvel at how far we have come, and how we are now more aware than we used to be. I am hoping that very soon we can move back to our "hometown" which is far more eco-friendly than the blue-collar factory town we are in. Then my trips to Trader Joe's and The Farmer's Market will be the rule; not the exception.

The birthday is a-coming

I turn 29 in a few weeks, so people are asking for my wishlist. Wow - it's really green this year!

-Pretty Sigg water bottle (not Thermos or any other brand - only Sigg)
-Bamboo towel & washcloth
-Bamboo sheets
-Essential oils in: Tea Tree, Lavender, Orange, Lemon & Clary Sage
-More reusable bags - there is a store in CA that sells really pretty ones I hear....

Of course, I don't think anyone will buy these items, and I will just buy them for myself with the cash I usually get, but still...!

This really makes me realize what a lifestyle change this is becoming...