Conserving Resources with the Green Moms

When I proposed the topic of conserving resources for this month's carnival, I knew it was pretty broad and somewhat tricky to define.  The term conservation originally referred to the management of natural resources and the preservation of wilderness areas but many now see it as an ethic of resource use that includes materials and energy conservation.  One thing I knew for sure was that the gals of the Green Moms Carnival would know how to slice and dice this meaty topic and turn it into something we could all learn from!

As I read through the posts they fell into two natural buckets:  1.)  Conserving energy and our natural resources and 2.)  Conserving materials through what we choose to buy.

Conserving Energy and Natural Resources

Alline from Ecovillage Musings shares the realities of what it's like to live completely off the grid.  Come take a virtual tour of Dancing Rabbit ecovillage and learn some great tips on how to conserve - even if you don't have your own wind turbine!

Linda from Citizen Green writes about the benefits of using the power of the sun to dry your clothes.  Her post includes lots of great tips for how to be a successful "hanger outer" including how to position things on the line for best results.  And if you must use the dryer, she's got some good ideas for how to conserve energy there too.

Katie from Kitchen Stewardship challenges us to make a conscious effort to conserve energy while cooking and baking and shares her top 10 tips for how to make it happen. 

Diane from Big Green Purse reminds us that our country's wilderness areas are critical to preserve.  These untouched, open spaces not only provide habitat for endangered species but also give us a place to escape our crazy, busy lives.  Diane shows how we can use our feet, our voice and our purse to help protect the wilderness!

La Mama Naturale from Recycle Your Day discusses the meaning of conservation and the little things that each and every one of us can do to conserve our natural resources.

Jenn from Puddle Jumping takes us back to the colonial days to remind us what conserving resources used to entail and then brings us back to the present to discuss what Congress is doing on the energy front and the personal steps she has taken to combat global warming. 

When I think about conserving resources I typically think about tangible things like specific ways to save energy or using less of some certain product.  Karen from Best of Mother Earth looked at it differently.  In her carnival post she talks about the importance of conserving her OWN energy in order to be more efficient and balanced in her life.  It's smart thinking and something we can all learn from! 

Conserving Materials

"So, what's the best way to conserve resources? Stop buying and stop using stuff."  That's what Deanna from Crunchy Chicken has to say. She admits that it's not very sexy but using less of everything goes a lot farther than replacing one thing for another.  P.S.  Be sure to read the comments on Crunchy's post - her readers have a lot to say on this topic.

Beth of Fake Plastic Fish fame steps beyond her usual realm of all things plastic and takes a hard look at conserving resources in the rest of her life.  She talks about avoiding food waste, taking care of her own waist and more...

Michelle aka Green Bean from The Green Phone Booth had a dilemma.  She couldn't think what to write on the topic of conserving resources.  So she took a break to stir her homemade pasta sauce and take a peek at her garden.  As she reflected on her day filled with cooking, gardening, carpooling and reusing, she realized that her life is resource FULL!!

McMilker from The Not Quite Crunchy Parent is sick of all the unhealthy, individually packaged snacks handed out at kids sporting events.  She's got plenty of ideas for how to improve on the nutrition front but she's looking for help getting past the waste issue.  Let her know how you handle the soccer snack dilemma! 

Anna from Green Talk has had it up to here with school supply lists!!  She shares tips for extending the life of supplies you already have and gives recommendations for how schools can reduce paper waste throughout the year.

School lunch reform is what's on the mind of Lynn from OrganicMania.  Not just improving the food but reducing the waste generated by the school lunch system.  She talks about her own experience with school waste at her son's school and also gives us the scoop on meeting Chef Ann Cooper - "The Renegade Lunch Lady"!! 

A change in a recycling program in Portland caused Heather from EnviroMom to rethink her purchases of products that come in those crinkly plastic bags, like cereal, tortilla chips and pasta.  Since these bags can no longer be recycled in her area, she suggests some earth-friendly alternatives.

Lisa from Condo Blues realizes that there are many shades of green and she doesn't claim to be the greenest gal on the planet.  But she does share some kick-butt tips for reducing household trash.  Read 'em and see what you can do to conserve in your own home!

Here's another challenge from Kitchen Stewardship:  use less aluminum foil by thinking twice before you pull it out of the drawer and using it more than once when you do.

When I read the post from Lisa at Retro Housewife Goes Green I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her creative illustration of just what's wrong with our consumer culture.  See for yourself...

Finally, here's my post about how I try to turn off my "I want" button by following the Less is More shopping mantra. 

What does conservation mean to you and how do you conserve resources in your own life?  Please share - we all have more to learn!! 

(Looking ahead....the next Green Moms Carnival (for October) is on Green Standards and will be hosted by Mary from In Women We Trust.  You may submit posts to greenmomscarnival@gmail.com )

Comments

[mother earth aka karen hanrahan]

Thank you Micaela for hosting!! What a remarkable range of ideas!!

[Lisa]

Thanks so much for hosting! This looks like a great carnival!

[Lynn from Organicmania.com]

Wow, Micaela, what a fantastic summary! I can't wait to dig into these. Thank you so much for putting this together!

[Diane MacEachern]

What a terrific bunch of blogposts. Thanks for hosting!

[Anna (Green Talk)]

Wow do I have alot of reading to do. Each post in worth a cup of tea and a long soak just to take in all this wonderful information.

Thanks for hosting and a great job with the summary!

[Green Bean]

Yay! Great carnival, interesting topic. Thank you for hosting. Can't wait to dig into all these posts.

[Micaela]

Thanks everyone!  I loved how unique all the posts were...but all on essentially the same topic! 
Mindful Momma
http://www.mindfulmomma.com
 

[Linda Anderson]

I would like to honor your blog with the Kreativ Blogger Award. You can read more about it on my post and feel free to participate or not. I enjoyed meeting you in Chicago at BlogHer. Your blog has lots of interesting info. Good luck with your book.

[Tricia]

So many interesting posts! Off to check them out now. Thanks.

[Kelly]

Great ideas! I have to check out all the blogs now. Here's an Eco-Moms product list that I just came across, check it out:
http://www.askmelissa.com/index.php/features/eco-moms_09-17-09

[Leslie]

Thanks for hosting! Great topic :) I'm having fun reading through everyone's post's!

[Vapor King]

We should start MFGA Mothers for Green America.

[Gail Keyes]

Hello Mommas! This website is taking off with twitter. Follow @ecoexpo365 and catch all our green booths of services and businesses