For the past two Earth Days, the girls and I have tried to focus on choosing one way of greening our living. Last year we tried to do away with paper towels. I must admit, that didn't work so well. With two kids, a hound, a hubby, and me being an admitted germophobe, paper towels are a must around here. However, I have become a lot more conscious about how many I use.
The year before that, our goal was to do away with plastic baggies in the lunch boxes. I am proud to say that this effort was and continues to be successful. Between our reusable baggies and plastic containers, we have pretty much eliminated plastic baggies from lunches. (Yes, I am aware of the fact that glass containers are more green than plastic, but I have seen what happens in that cafeteria and certainly do not feel comfortable sending in glass to hold Chuckles' baby carrots.)
So, we are 1 for 2. We all know that it isn't easy being green. I would love to just toss pretzels into a tossable plastic baggie and not have to worry about washing and cleaning those annoying containers every damn day. But I am determined to ingrain a touch of green living into my girls. Just a little. A little from me and a little from others can go a long way. For instance, our elementary school is in the process of starting a school garden that would include pumpkins, fruit trees, sunflowers, corn, lettuce and other edible crops. This would be the only school garden in our district. A little from me, a little from others. (Although, admittedly, this is not a little project, but rather a huge undertaking.)
I will make it easy on you this year. I know you have all switched to CFL bulbs. I know, I know, I didn't like the glaring blue-ish light either and was slow to switch. But, the bulbs have come a long way in providing a soft white light. The reduction in energy is indisputable. I have yet to change a CFL bulb, and we are going on two years with most of ours. I was so happy with these bulbs until I found out that because of the mercury in the bulbs, they cannot just be tossed into your garbage or curbside recycling bins. Annoying, I know. Even though the mercury in these light bulbs are minimal, it is the combined mercury from all of the bulbs sitting in a landfill that would wreak havoc on Mother Earth. (And we all know how pissed that beeyotch can get.)
"290 million compact fluorescent lamps were sold in the United States in 2007; if they were all sent to landfill sites, then we would be contributing around 0.13 tons, or 0.1% of all U.S. human-made emissions of mercury (around 104 tons) that year." US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
So, I beg of you, once those CFLs finally burn out, please recycle them!!! You can go online to find out how your community handles it, but these stores also recycle CFLs:
Home Depot
Lowe's
Ace Hardware
IKEA
Be sure to check with your local store to see if they participate in the CFL recycling program before you gas up the car and head over there. If you're anything like me, you may be annoyed to run to a recycling center anytime a bulb burns out. (I can barely return overdue library books, let alone a bulb at a time.) No worries, just keep the old CFLs in a bin with a lid until you can make it over. Unless broken, mercury will not escape from the bulb.
Happy Recycling.
Happy Earth Day.
For more info, click here: http://1st-ecofriendlyplanet.com/10/recycling-cfl/
(Are you doing anything to make the Earth a better place? Feel free to share in the comments below or on LISB's Facebook page. A little effort can go a long way...)
