Growers and Grocers

Has anyone else noticed how quickly the world is starting to forget about “Going Green” since April ended? Magazines that were once filled cover-to-cover with ways to live green are now back to their regularly scheduled program. Commercials that reinforced making your home a “green home” have gone back to their typical laundry detergent and body wash ads.  And me? I was so get-up-and-go ready to save the earth… reading green books, changing to green ways of living…  And now? Am I still living up to the Green Goals that I set for myself?

On April 22nd, Earth Day, I made the following mid-year resolutions on my own blog:

• Go to the Library to read books and magazines instead of buying them.
• Use my Sigg bottle for water instead of using plastic ones.
• Use environmentally friendly, biodegradable cleaning products like Mrs. Meyer’s.
• Only buy candles made from natural waxes such as soy, palm, and beeswax
• Use cloth napkins instead of paper towels at every meal.
• Bring my own bags to stores…no more paper or plastic!

So how have I done in the two months since?

-Hmmm…I’m off to a bad start already - because my goal to head to the library instead of the bookstore has definitely not been happening. I’ve still been buying books. However, I’ve been buying them from Amazon’s Marketplace. Buying used is just as good as borrowing from the library, right? Right?

-Yea! for Sigg bottles! I was living on bottled water… mostly because we have some serious water issues in my tiny little town. But to go from probably two to three plastic bottles a day to NONE is quite a feat! Point for Abbey!

-I’m still continuing to use Mrs. Meyer’s products, but I think I’ve upgraded even more by just using soap and water to clean up as much as possible… Bonus Points!

-Candles… I got nothin’ here because I haven’t bought one candle since then. I have, however, kept myself from buying candles from a certain brand I love so much because they are not made from soy or beeswax. That’s gotta count for something, right?

-The cloth napkins have been a challenge for me because paper towels are just so darn easy! So easy to buy, so easy to grab in a hurry… and mostly because there are just so many of them. And while I love my cloth napkins, I only have about six, so once they are dirty, I’m stuck. Solution: Buy More Cloth Napkins. Just what my husband wants me to do… buy more stuff. Maybe he’ll be okay with it if it’s in the name of a Cleaner Future (…but I doubt it!).

-My Green Thoughts all began when I saw THIS craft over at Martha Stewart Living. I made several of the bags, but sadly didn’t use them often because they didn’t seem quite sturdy enough to handle a real trip to the grocery. But I felt so strongly about not using paper or plastic that I went out and supplied myself with 6 Chico Bags. These things are AMAZING! I recommend them to any and everyone… and I always get compliments on them at every trip to Nob Hill. However, I may be religious about bringing my own bag to the grocery, but I am terrible about remembering to use them in other stores! I even keep two in my purse at all times just for this reason, and yet I always forget to bring them out. +1 for using them at the grocery, -2 for not using them anywhere else.

I have to say that I’m not doing too bad on my Green Goals, but I think my biggest fault is that my Green To-Do List has remained stagnant since I posted it two months ago. If I were really wanting to make a difference in the world, I should be adding to that list at LEAST monthly!

What about you? Did you plan to Go Green and then Go Lazy instead? What did you plan to do to save our planet? Have you followed up? Have you flaked out? Or are you charging forward with your Green Banner swaying?