Footprints

Are you tired of reading that post about Grits Pie? Sorry. Not much noteworthy has been happening. Working, housekeeping, grocery shopping, bill paying, and other things of that nature have been filling the time.

I have been reading lots and lots of other people's blogs lately finding out all about what other people spend their time doing such as: living "green" according to the three R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, anti-consumerism, eating organic, vegetarianism and veganism, gardening, canning, homemaking. One of the most interesting practices I've read about recently concerns using cloth wipes instead of toilet paper. Don't worry. The cloth wipe deal definitely isn't something I would ever consider. Neither is veganism, but it is intriguing to read about other people living this way. The other topics I have and do consider. I am very interested in learning more about organic foods, home canning, gardening, and recycling.

Now let me say that Dave is already worried that I'm getting too fanatical about the recycle thing and may turn "crunchy" on him, but I don't feel that it's a big deal since we haven't had to drastically change the way we live in order to recycle. They pick up the recycle curbside for goodness sake. There's no reason not to do it. Hopefully one day it will be the law to recycle. In some places in this country certain non-recyclable items have been banned. For example, in the state of Oregon Styrofoam is illegal. And recently in the city of San Francisco plastic grocery bags were banned.

My philosophy is that if there's a more "green" option that is just as easy to incorporate, albeit less mainstream, that makes our footprint smaller, there's no reason not to choose it. We've been hearing so much in the news about global warming, the greenhouse effect, and the like in recent years that my interest has been piqued and my level of awareness has greatly increased. Don't worry about hearing any lectures on these issues, though. I'm not trying to convert anyone. I just want to share my thoughts and what I've read and learned.

I already recycle everything possible, have changed all the light bulbs in the house to compact fluorescent, try to keep the air turned up higher than normal (this is tough sometimes as I'm extremely hot-natured), turn off appliances/lights that aren't in use, run the dishwasher only when full, wash and dry only full loads of clothes, keep the hot water heater turned down lower than normal, and use ceiling fans to help the air conditioning run more efficiently. I believed I was doing okay or at least making up for the fact that I drive a great, big gas-gusseling Chevy Tahoe. In my defense on the vehicle, though, I really don't drive that much since I mostly work at home. Part of this is just being cheap, too, since gas prices are so high.

Now I'm really trying to consider the other 2 R's - Reduce and Reuse. I have become very aware of how much waste we throw away from the packaging on store-bought items and how many plastic bags I accumulate from grocery shopping. I don't throw the bags away, though. They get used for other things like kitty litter waste or as trash bags. Ideally the goal would be to use some type of canvas/cotton bags that can be used for years and years and not to bring anymore of the plastic ones out of the store in the first place.

Another issue is the number of plastic bottles and tin cans we put into the recycle bin. There is so much bad press these days about the possible danger of certain chemicals leaching out of many types of plastic bottles into the drink you're drinking. The jury is still out on this, but if there is the potential for harm then why not go ahead and eliminate the potential hazard? When my friend Dree was being treated for cancer at Mayo Clinic, her oncologist told her that you should NEVER EVER heat or cook food in plastic containers in the microwave because the plastic leaches dangerous, carcinogenic chemicals into your food. Ever since the day she told me that I have only used glass containers in the microwave. The same applies to Styrofoam. I hate to think of all the years I didn't live by this rule but you can't change that. Makes me wonder if it's safe to use plastic food containers at all.

Most tap water (unless you have a well) is the same or better than bottled water anyway. Since bottled water isn't regulated by the Federal government there's no way of knowing where that water is really coming from. But a lot of times it's coming right out of a tap somewhere. And diet sodas (all sodas for that matter) aren't good for you. Just think of all that artificial color, flavor, sweetener, etc. you're ingesting. Our bodies weren't meant to consume all that junk. And on the cheapskate note again, sodas are expensive. I struggle with this one though, because I do still like a good carbonated beverage sometimes. I'm trying to learn to have them only on occasion. As far as the water issue, I'm looking to buy a filter that hooks to the tap so we can drink the water we already pay for. Actually, I already drink it. Some people, I won't mention any names, think the tap water tastes funny, though. When you grow up on sulphur-tasting well water, the city stuff tastes pretty good.

There's so so so much to say on these topics and right now it's all running around in my head. I'm sure you'll be seeing more about these issues as I read and learn more. I'll try to include some links also so you can read things for yourselves. For now, rest assured I'm not turning into a crazy lady. I'm just trying to raise my level of awareness and make small changes that may add up to making a big difference. If you have thoughts on these issues, please share them with me.