Deliciously Green

It's been a while. A really long while since I've posted about my attempts at Greening our lifestyle. I'm still working at it; just haven't had as much time to concentrate on it over the past year or so. (That darned work thing.)

So here's where I'm at...

1. Still using very few paper towels. I thought this would be insanely difficult, but it's not. I just have a large drawer full of dish towels and we pull those out whenever we need to wipe, dry, rub or scrub-a-dub-dub (approximately seven times every ten minutes).

2. Still using homemade kitchen cleanser. Super inexpensive to make and lasts ages. Before I started with it, I could have bought stock in the 409 company, I was buying so much of it.

3. Not doing so great on printing on both sides of the paper. Too much paper. Too much mess. Too much organization involved.

4. Doing very poorly with all-natural cleansers. Aside from the kitchen spray, that is. Baking soda is great, but it can't compare to Comet. The green toilet cleaners are useless around here. Our water is so bad (thanks to that active volcano a hundred miles north) that we need serious bleach power. And I finally broke down and bought large containers of bathroom wipes the other day. (They're now sitting on the bathroom counters and we each have to wipe down our sinks once a day -- morning or night, our own choice, but it must be done.) I hate the waste, but I hate gross, dusty, pinky mildewed sinks even more.

But.... see that Crystal Light container over there? I punched holes in the lid and filled the thing with baking soda. Re-using in action!

5. We are Recycling Fiends! Every little thing that can be recycled is. And now that our wonderful city waste department has provided up with GIANT recycling bins, it's easier than ever. No more sorting!!!!

6. My Green Fund is severely lacking. I had been collecting the money saved by going green, but when last falls GPD (Great Paycheck Debacle) hit... well, my green money went towards groceries. I had saved $500. Now it's back to a measly $100. I will repay it. At some point.

At the moment, I'm in a very Zen green place. I would love to be doing more, dedicating more time to fully greening our lifestyle, but I just don't have the time or energy to make that happen.

And the great news about my slowed green efforts? I'm don't feel guilty! I know! It's a miracle, isn't it? Kate, Queen of Guilt, does not feel guilty! Woowoo!