Earth Day: Looking Back and Thinking Forward

With Earth Day just around the corner (next Wed. - April 22nd!) I've been looking back on some of the eco-friendly changes that I've attempted to make over the past year or so.  Some have been more successful than others.  All have been a learning experience.

My attempt to give up buying new plastic bags has been a pretty big success.  I have been Ziplock free since August without pain.  Once I started saving all the bags that found their way into my house (bread bags, etc...), I found that I had plenty of bags to work with whenever I needed them.  I've still got a roll of plastic wrap in my drawer which I use occasionally.  Should it be next on the chopping block?

My dryer sheet dilemma has been more challenging.  I thought I had nailed it with this weird fabric static eliminator thing that I bought.  Turns out the static eliminator doesn't really cut it in the middle of a dry, Minnesota winter.  I tried adding vinegar in my wash but it did nada for the static cling.  I eventually succumbed to a bottle of liquid fabric softener (something I had never purchased before in my life!) that I use occasionally in loads that tend to get really staticy (like my husband's white t-shirts.)   The Ecover brand worked well for me and smells really nice - but I still would rather do without that extra product.  After re-reading the comments from the original post, I realized that I never tried the ball of aluminum foil in the dryer.  Hmmmm....I'll let you know if that trick works.

Back in December, I wrote about how I started using the grey water that drains from my furnace to water my plants - and I was wondering if I had gone off the deep end!  I'm still doing it - not every time mind you, but it has become part of my plant-watering routine.  I wish I could bring myself to do more with that water because there is a TON of it - but I just don't have the time to haul a bucket of it upstairs every time I need to wash a dish.

I have not made another recycling roadtrip since August - and I have a boatload of plastic containers ready drop off at the Eastside Food Co-op's special recycling program.  Part of the reason I have not made the trip is because the drop-off hours are very limited and hard for me to manage but also because I can now drop off all my #5 plastics at Whole Foods as part of the Gimme 5 program.  I'll tell you one thing I've learned...after you start recycling something it's hard to stop.  But I'm running out of closet space to store all this stuff so I'm afraid it's time to make another trip.

I have a few new goals for Earth Day 2009...

• Recycle plastic bottle caps- Aveda has a recycling program where they turn old caps into new caps for their products.  Here in Minneapolis, I can bring them to Juut Salon - where I get my hair cut...so I really have no excuse for tossing caps anymore. 
• Buy or make fabric produce bags - I've been pretty good about bringing my own plastic bags to the store from home but I think I'd do even better if I kept some durable fabric produce bags in the car.
• Do a better job of eating seasonally - I think what I really mean is do a better job of NOT eating out of season.  At least not so often.  Can anyone recommend a good seasonal cookbook???

What are your Earth Day hopes and goals????

(For more Earth Day thoughts and tips, visit the Green Moms Carnival about Earth Day over at A Passion for Green Business.)

{photo credit:  MontanaRaven}