I know it’s trendy, but I really love the “green” concept going on… After all, I grew up in the Northwest, it’s in my roots to be a tree hugger.
It was easy {for me} to want the “re-usable” shopping bags because so many of them were so cute, I wanted to buy all of them! Now, I love turning down the sales people at the mall, “I don’t need a bag, I have my own…” so cool.
The Orem City newsletter this past month was very motivating. Did you know that Nationally, our city has the highest-ranked volunteer-usage-based sign up rate for their recycling program!?! Did that make sense? I am ordering my first recycling garbage can, and I want three but Dusty said if we fill one every two weeks (recycling is picked up every other week), then he will let me get 2 more! Merry Christmas to me. If you are thinking it’s too much work, you don’t have to separate the items thrown in the trash. Paper products, card board, recyclable plastics 1 & 3, and thin plastic grocery bags bundled together all get thrown in the same bin. Dusty doesn’t like the idea of 5 garbage cans housing themselves in our garage… that’s my empty space-obsessive husband for you!
Today, I spent quite a bit of time on the phone cancelling catalogs that come to me in the mail everyday… imagine the trees saved! Most these companies already contact me by email if I shop with them, so it’s not even hurting their sales by dropping the catalog they send me in the mail… Plus, I’m always so bugged by the amounts of junk mail I receive. Typically, I throw out about 80% of our mail daily.
This is only the beginning…
Way to go Jane! The tree hugger is totally coming out in you. haha
We have the Recycling garbage can too, it is amazing how much gets thrown in there, i feel like i need one more, and my real garbage cans are never full anymore. It just takes so much room and that once every 2 weeks is kind of annoying. They will hopefully be changing that really soon!
I sometimes catch myself taking other peoples water bottles and saving them for when i get home so i can throw them in my Recycle bin.
I may need to try my own bag at the dept store. That’s new to me!
You’ll definately need two, we fill up both every two weeks. I love that it’s not that expensive at all and completely worth it!
Thanks for the inspiration. I go hot and cold with my “green” efforts. It IS necessary to put for the effort. I need to get the garbage cans.
Good for you!
I filled out this attachment to help reduce ads being sent to my home. It is wonderful not getting so much ‘junk mail’.
http://www.advo.com/consumersupport.html
Cheers
We’ve been using the (blue) recycle can for a couple of years now and i agree – every two weeks is annoying (especially when you can’t remember if it is a recycle day or not) – but using it makes me feel good and when i feel good those around me feel good 🙂
Hi, My name is Dusty and I drive a 10″ lifted Hummer that gets 8-9 MPG. The thing is I’m driving a big rig to avoid getting killed by all you crazy Tree Huggers that fly around in your little hybrids, talking on your cell phones about missing the 2 week pick up on your blue garbage can that hasn’t been picked up in months. When you duck your head and text Al Gore while driving… just be sure you don’t swerve into my lane. 🙂
That’s my man. 😉
Furthermore, I don’t think we need to cheapen oil, WE NEED TO RUN OUT OF IT. That is why I drive my Hummer to help us run out quicker. I consider myself as being at the front of the environmental movement and I think that people that insist on driving hybrids are just prolonging our dilemma and that’s JUST SELFISH! Come one… don’t you care about mother earth?? Don’t ya??
Dusty, i mean Anonymous, you are Hilarious!
Jane, i may need to rephrase my grasshopper story.
Cory accidentally broke off the leg of two so she could get them. hahaha
That was so fun this morning. I think i am feeling it in my back and Butt tonight though. O well it was a good workout!
We have to recycle everything over here in Japan. We have 4 different trash days out of the week. It gets exhausting to remember which day to put what out but when you see how much plastic, paper, aluminum, and glass you have separated from the food trash you realize how awesome it is. I’m totally signing up when we get home. Way to go!
He he. Anonymous, thank you for doing your part in draining the oil supply!
We are lazy recyclers who started only because the city of Phoenix picks up once a week and it’s free. It is amazing how much less is in our regular can now that we are used to the green can. So where did you get all of your cute shopping bags?
Our recycling can is always overflowing, and our garbage can is rarely over than half full. You’ll need another can (sorry, Dusty). I also recently figured out that Sundance takes glass when their glass blowers are in town (the only other recycling plant for that is in SLC). We are pretty into green at our house and it’s fun! Maybe not as fun as driving a Hummer, but pretty darn fun!
Yeah! Isn’t it fun? I started recycling 7 years ago when I was a cubscout leader and I was teaching the boys about recycling – I got the message real quick and signed up for my first blue can. Since then, I can’t stand to throw recyclable (is that a real word?) materials away!
Dusty, I am contributing to draining the oil and like you, I’d rather be safe than crushed in a tin can:)
Hey Hummer man…you should join Enrique’s Hummer Club. He use to own 4 Hummers including a Hummer Limo!! At home Im teaching the kids to turn off lights..short showers..lowering thermostat…I even taking back to Walmart plastic bags to recycle. I might say the kids got a little confused. Jane don’t give up you are doing an amazing thing. You can go to go green.com to find out dates when the whole world turns their light off after 7pm. It’s amazing what such little sacrife could save much energy,