Reflecting on 2008 and Looking Ahead to 2009

There has been a lot of discussion in our house about the new year. Many of the conversations involved things we changed during 2008 that made us happier. As we talked about those changes, it soon became clear almost all of them also made our lives greener. It was nice to see the two characteristics line up so nicely so I thought I would share!

First is an overview of the greening steps we made during 2008. Since I love hearing about other people’s resolutions, this is followed by the resolutions we have currently made for 2009.

Due to our limited budget, we concentrate on changes we believe will bring us the biggest bang for our buck. As a result, many of the modifications dealt with items we put in or on our bodies. Several of the changes were cost neutral or even saved us money – I’ve marked those with $$ at the end of the bulleted area in case folks are looking to trim their spending.

The most exciting thing to us about this list is this goes far beyond what we had planned for the year. We found that our modifications naturally led to more ideas for change. It was especially gratifying to see our kids begin to make suggestions for things we could change as a family. Without further ado, here is the list for 2008:

• Became more adept at utilizing all the produce from our CSA. The biggest challenge for us was eating the mounds of okra, okra, and more okra. We finally found a simple pickling recipe that is amazing. We often reduce or leave out the peppers. Our youngest daughter is a huge fan!  $$
• Switched to free-range eggs raised locally. Our CSA began offering free-range eggs as an option so we gave them a try. I had no idea eggs could be so yummy! When I saw an article in Mother Earth News about the nutrient levels of free-range eggs, the news got even better.
• Switched to free trade organic coffee. Another option from our fabulous CSA. Richard is the coffee drinker in our family but he reports that this switch was a winner. I can tell you that it smells delicious, something I can’t say about the previous coffee.
• Reduced consumption of processed foods even further. We realized that much of our consumption of food in boxes was habit. Once we tried the less processed version of many foods, we didn’t want to return to the processed version. They cost a lot more, didn’t save that much time, and did not even compare in taste. Baked goods in particular are tastier when made from scratch. $$
• Started drinking raw milk we purchase from a local certified dairy farmer. If this is a new term for you, raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. This switch was a big decision for us; to say that controversy swirls around this topic would not be an overstatement. If you are interested in learning more about the subject, I recommend The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Products by Ron Schmid, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, and the Real Milk Campaign by the Weston A. Price Foundation. Several medical professional have also posted on raw milk, including Dr. Ron Schmid and Dr. Joseph Mercola. Just search their sites for “raw milk” to see what they have to say if this is something you are considering.
• Cleared home of plastic cups. As I mentioned earlier, we purchased Kleen Kanteens for the kids and for traveling. Richard and I use glass glasses and the girls are now as well. The jars we’ve been saving are another cup option for them – they think it is cool to reuse the jars. $$
• Cleared home of plastic dishes. We had plastic plates and bowls for the girls but became increasingly concerned about the leaching of BPA into their food. We found some glass dishes, some at Goodwill and some at Garden Ridge, and made the switch. I was concerned about breakage but no one has broken a dish yet. (Hope I didn’t jinx us there!)
• Began storing leftovers in repurposed glass containers rather than plastic. I wrote about this recently. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy this switch was to make. It is much easier to see what is in the refrigerator, making it easier to use leftovers. Our Tupperware tended towards the shallow square variety so the tall jars also save us shelf room. $$
• Switched deodorant. This and the following personal product switches were among the easiest changes we made this year. When it was time to buy new product, we simply found a greener, healthier option. $$
• Switched lotion.The Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic safety database, called Skin Deep, is a great source of information when looking for personal care products.
  
• Switched to Dr. Bonner’s Soap.
• Switched to nontoxic nail polish and remover.
• Added water filters to our shower and tub. We had filters on our list of things to do someday but did not expect to get to this in 2008. When our showerhead fell apart, we decided to move this purchase up a bit. Our whole family is glad we did. The filters filter out chlorine, so the water we bathe in both smells and feels better. Both girls remarked on the softness of the water. The addition of filters makes early mornings much more pleasant.
• Stopped using paper napkins altogether and started using cloth napkins. One unexpected but lovely side effect of this change is the fact that our daughters saw our family meals as “fancier” events. This hasn’t lead to perfect table manners but they seem to be trying a bit harder. We did not have cloth napkins (how sad is that!) so had to purchase some. If you have rudimentary sewing skills, you could save a bundle by making them yourself. Either way, over time this change will save $$.
• Reduced our use of paper towels significantly. I encourage everyone in the family to use cloth towels and, for the most part, they do. We already had kitchen towels so we incurred no additional expense for these. They take up such a small part of our laundry that I don’t feel that washing them adds extra cost. $$
• Reduced our trash from one can a week to less than one can a month. Our city’s trash collection does not have different levels of service but some areas do. Check your refuse options to see if this can save you $$.
• Found a way to recycle glass after our city’s recycling program stopped collecting glass. Our city stopped recycling glass (you read that right, glass!) so we had to find another option. Fortunately, we found a recycling center in our area that still accepts glass. This change is probably the one I am most happy with because it has sparked some great conversations with my children. And they see us taking the extra step to recycle these items, which is more valuable than anything we could say about recycling.
• Reduced the number of plastic toys by roughly one-third. As our daughters outgrew toys, we brought in new toys that were not plastic. I also had several discussions with them about the chemicals in plastic and they helped me identify toys with which they were willing to part. I’m really proud of them both for this change since it affected them so personally. $$
• Changed to non-toxic dishwasher detergent. I will write more about this in the future since it took several tries to find a dishwasher detergent that worked for us.
  
• Changed to non-toxic dish soap.
• Began using reusable shopping bags regularly. For some reason, making the change to reusable bags at the grocery store was much easier for me than making the change for other stores. After making myself carry out several purchases without a bag, leaving reusable bags on the front passenger seat, and placing a string bag in my purse, I finally began using them regularly.
• Discovered Simple Shoes. I love my sandals more now than I did when I wrote this article. We just had a freakishly warm day so I put them on after several months away and was surprised again at their level of comfort.
• Discovered Fair Indigo. My youngest daughter and I weaned in 2008 so I was finally able to see my non-pregnant, non-nursing body for the first time in seven years. While the pieces are the same, it is fair to say that some areas have shifted a bit. That is probably true over most seven year periods but was made more apparent to me because my non-pregnant, non-nursing clothes had not changed during that time. I wanted to make new purchases as organic as possible but could not afford many of the clothes I found online. I was pleased to find Fair Indigo and their organic selections. Cute clothes, reasonable prices with many sales items, organic options, and fair trade to boot. What’s not to like?
• Became much more conscious about driving habits, including reducing speed, inflating tires regularly, and combining trips. As gas prices rose, we started paying much more attention to this but we’ve kept it up even as prices have dropped. I pack a snack, some water, and books for the girls and we knock out all our errands in big swoops. It not only saves gas but our collective sanity as well. $$
• Began picking up usable trash. A year ago I would not have imagined writing this but now it is hard to believe I ever felt differently. The change occurred when I altered my route to my youngest daughter’s preschool to go through a residential neighborhood. Once a week I would drive by perfectly good stuff left by the curb on trash day. One day I could stand it no longer and stopped to pick up an item. The rest is history. Now the girls know to keep their eyes peeled when garbage cans are in the street. So far we’ve rescued a bike, a cat carrier, several milk crates, and a laundry basket that is perfect for picking up our CSA share. $$
• Became a Freecycler. I love Freecycle, simply love it. The love affair began when we cleaned out a shed. Sigh. Inside were many building items that were opened but not used completely. It seemed like a shame to throw them away but the Habitat Restore would not accept them. Freecycle to the rescue. Every single item we listed on Freecycle was snatched up quickly and easily. My hero! We haven’t sought items on Freecycle yet but doing so would save $$.
• Trapped, neutered, and released eight cats with the help of a local organization, Street Cat Rescue. After a momma cat had kittens in our backyard, we learned that the warmer winters in our area have led to an explosion in the feral cat population. We trapped the momma, her kittens, and a few tom cats that smelled the food left as bait. There are already enough kittens looking for homes!
• Made eldest daughter’s school lunch waste-free. This change was one we had been playing with but was made permanent after a suggestion from her school. Small glass containers have been our friend for this change. Thinking about the packaging also caused us to rethink what we were packing so lunches are a bit more creative now as well. $$
• Reduced waste in youngest daughter’s lunch. Glass containers are not an option in our preschooler’s classroom so reducing the waste here has been more difficult. We’re still working on making both lunchboxes waste-free. $$
• Bought majority of clothes at thrift stores. I posted about our back-to-school shopping earlier. Richard and I especially appreciate the fact that we have found more age-appropriate options in the thrift stores than we do at the mall. The girls will be teenagers soon enough; they don’t need to dress like teenagers now! $$

Listed out like that, 2008’s changes look exhausting but they weren’t. Most were easy changes and they often lead us to rethink habits. All the changes involving food, for example, flowed into one another. We concentrated on small changes and, before we knew it, our life looked quite different! As I mentioned above, these are all changes that made our lives more enjoyable so the benefits are many.

At this time, our goals for 2009 include several changes but we know more will occur naturally as we go through the year. On our list are:

• Begin composting. So far I have only found composting containers made out of plastic. Open composting areas are not an option given the amount of wildlife in our backyard so we need to keep it contained. I’m looking into options – please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences!
• Expand our garden from container gardening to raised beds. Our yard poses some challenges (lots of shade, little rainfall) so we need to do more research to pull this one off successfully.
• Continue to experiment with homemade cleaners. I’ve found several that I like, thanks to Clean House, Clean Planet but I’d like to have all our cleaners be homemade. I really like knowing exactly what is in the products in out home!
• Find an affordable source of non-toxic, eco-friendly furniture. We are currently moving the same four chairs from room to room so an additional chair would be welcome. I’ll let you know if I can find a workable option.
• Learn how to sew. I’ve been muddling through repairs with the few skills I remember from junior high home economics. It has not been pretty. The search for non-toxic window coverings, however,  pushed me over the edge on this one. Homemade curtains, here we come!

How about you? What are your resolutions for 2009?

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