i am mommy: Nine Ways to be More Green

"Mom, are you green?"

"Well, I think so honey."

"No, mom. You are or you aren't. Am I green?"

Actually, I think my little man was talking about something he saw on Sesame Street, but he really got me thinking. Are we a green house, and am I teaching my little ones how they can make a positive change in reducing our environmental impact?

So I did my research and came up with nine ways I can make a change, just in my house.

Nine SUPER EASY Ways to Be More Green

1. Light bulbs. We have all heard this one, now I just need to make sure every bulb is energy efficient!

2. Unplug. I heard the rule of thumb is, if it glows, unplug it when not in use. (Just don't unplug your alarm clock.)

3. Wash full loads of laundry. I think that maybe, for the sake of the environment, I should also consider doing less laundry. Yeah, I would make that sacrifice.

4. Use a laptop. Apparently a laptop uses less energy then a big ole desktop. I wonder how iphones fit into that?

5. Shop online. Don't make unnecessary shopping trips. And when shopping at Amazon, opt for their frustration free packaging. They use recyclable materials!

6. Recycle old electronics. Did you get a new keyboard? Or DVD player? Or cell phone? Recycle the old ones!

7. Let your grass grow. Studies show that grass that is 2 1/2 inches long fares better and grows better. (My hubby is gonna love it when I tell him not to mow for the sake of the environment) Or better yet, when you do mow, use an Earthwise cordless electric lawn mower. How cool is that???

8. Grow a garden. Did you know that a typical produce item travels 1,500 miles to get to a store near you? Why not save the planet from all that carbon emissions and just walk outside to get some tomatoes or basil?

9. Be a smart shopper. Look for the Energy Star label on products, many of which are sold at The Home Depot. Start buying at least one organic item per week. Talk to you utility company about energy saving (and money saving!) options. Drink Fair Trade coffee. Use your own bags when you do shop, especially at Walmart. Ever notice how they only put maybe three things in each bag???

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