I've been thinking a lot about the environment lately...

and I want to go green in my house. I feel like it's the one thing I can do to help the earth. I can't make a difference on carbon emissions. I can't control factory pollution. And you know what? If I call the Chinese government and ask them to make some serious and prolific environmental changes, I really don't think they'd listen. So in my small .07 acre of the world, I'm feeling the need to go green:

Here are a few green things we're doing already:

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle



• Buy many fragrance free, dye free products



• Switch household items to the less waste variety (microfiber clothes, one heavy duty tape dispenser, canvas shopping totes, etc.)



• Print on both sides of the paper



• Give the kids boxes, fabric scraps, egg cartons, etc. to play with



• Use tuppers to pack sandwiches for the kids' lunches



• Wash and reuse plastic baggies (the girls even bring the ones in their lunches home to reuse)
  

• Send reusable water bottles to school with the kiddos

• Replace old bulbs with flourescent

• Recently switched from paper to cloth napkins


• And most importantly, continuously impart the crucial needs of our earth to my children

Here's what I'd like to do:

• Put more plants around, including ferns since they're supposed to absorb extra chemicals.






• Get rid of toxic cleaning chemicals (I won't waste money, though. I'll use them till they run out, then use environmental alternatives.)





• Replace my teflon-coated pans with the old-fashioned variety. (My pots and pans are just fine, though, so this one won't happen any time soon.)




• Convince my local recycling plant to accept much more than they currently do.




• Eat organic. (Hahahahaha! When I win the lottery, that is...)

I was reading a book the other day about greening your home. Many, many useful tips, I thought. So many, in fact, I almost bought the book. But as I continued to read, my frustration grew as the author continuously intoned that I was killing my family because of the way I keep house. Yes, I use Comet to clean my sinks. Yes, I use dryer sheets. And yes, I do actually use the microwave!!!!! (This is where you take in a quick breath of horror and disbelievingly say, "No!")

I do have to live, you know!

The book ended up at the bottom of the pile we weren't buying. I'd love to read a less accusatory book about Going Green. Any suggestions? I'll have to peruse the online library catalog. (Oooohhh, totally off topic, but the city just broke ground on the new GIANT library! I'm so excited!!!)

Seriously, we're all so busy and overwhelmed. We need a book that can provide doable suggestions while understanding that as much as we want to make going green a priority, we have to be able to fit in around violin lessons and dr. appts and grocery shopping and Girl Scouts.

But tell me... what is it that you do in your home to go green? How much of a priority is it for you? Is your family cooperative?