Living like Ed.

I am loving this book. It has a lot useful examples of how to live a little greener. Not all of these ideas are realistic for me because of where I live. There are a lot of cities that support this kind of living but ours does not. But there are several great tips and things to think about. Eco-Friendly living is a process and it's hard to get used to in a way. What I really like about this book is that it isn't full of scary facts that make me not want to shop or eat again. There are some realities in it but nothing I can't handle.

I am going to track some of my journey to the "green side" here mostly for my own sake but also to show that if I can do it anyone can.

I started out with recycling. I bought some stackable storage bins so I have one for paper, one for cans, one for glass, one for plastics #1 and #2 and a bag for cardboard (this is mostly cereal-type boxes flattened). It's unbelievable how much trash would have been thrown in the dumpster in just a week had I not recycled it. And that's just me. Then I greened my cleaning by using Method products from Target. Other great products are Meyers, Seventh Generation and even Clorox Green Works which is really affordable. Palmolive makes an eco-friendly detergent that is not much more than their regular product and you would be surprised of the dangers in dishwashing detergent. I have also switched many of my personal items. I bought the Organic makeup by Physician's Formula and I really like it. I have also switched my shampoo, soap, etc. I finally bought canvas bags for groceries. They are only $1 so that is worth not having 500 plastic bags to deal with. My current challenge is to quit buying stuff. I could afford the more expensive good-for-me stuff if I could just quit buying the little things that I don't need at all. We are keeping it simple by buying things used or not at all. It's hard and we still buy some things that we probably shouldn't but it's a process also.

There are so many reasons to change the way that we live. I am doing it for three reasons. The first is so I can prevent disease for my family as best as I can. The second is because I believe that God did not give us the earth to destroy but to use in a healthy way. The third is that once I have learned certain facts, I no longer have a choice but to live different. So it is worth it to check out some books and find out the dangers and the solutions yourself. I am not perfect and still have many things I need to improve (sonic cups being the main offense) but if we all did something little it could equal something big.