A more natural, greener life (Part 2 of 2)

As I stated in Part 1 having a child has made me very conscientious about not only what she eats but what I eat as well. The switch to organic products has had a trickle down effect into other areas of my life. I haven't done anything that you haven't probably already done, but here are areas where I have switched to a greener alternative:

1. Cleaning products-There are so many more natural, safer cleaning products out these days. I have tried several, and I am converting all my cleaners to greener options. Now I must admit that I was skeptical of switching thinking that there was no way that they were going to clean as well, but I have been pleasantly surprised. The cleaner that has surprised me the most is this bathroom cleaner. It has worked great. It doesn't cause my lungs to burn, and I haven't had any coughing fits like I usually do. That's reason enough to switch right?

2. Carpooling and public transportation-Now I must say that these greener methods of transportation has happened mainly out of necessity, but hey it's still helping the environment. I work Mondays and Fridays at Vandy where my husband works too. On Mondays we ride in together which is so much fun. We spend time talking and we stop for breakfast at Panera...I am digressing here...:) On Fridays though we usually can't ride together because he usually has to work later that day. So I have opted to ride the bus to work. I started doing this last summer when gas was outrageous. I have really come to love riding for numerous reasons. 1. Super relaxing 2. No driving involved for me 3. I get to read 4. Saves gas 5. I don't have to walk 5 miles to get from where I park to my building 6. I meet interesting people 7. I see parts of Nashville that I never get to see otherwise. I should do a commerial for MTA. :)

3. Reusable shopping bags-I have recently bought reusable shopping bags from Kroger, and I must say that I am quite a fan. I really feel that I am saving the world when I use them, and they are handy for me as well. I love that I only have to lug in 5 of these babies instead of 15 of the plastic ones. Now the hard part is remembering to bring them on the grocery trips...I don't always remember. :(

4-Transitioning to Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs (CFL)-From now on we are buying CFL lightbulbs. They use 2/3 less energy and last 10 times longer than traditional lightbulbs. They are more expensive on the front end, but they actually end up saving you money because of their energy effectiveness.

So this is a few ways our family is living greener. What is your family doing that I should try? I'm always looking for new ways to save money and to be green. :)


Bonus-Here's a picture of Eden eating her beloved biter biscuits. Isn't she just the cutest?