Researching options for the baby has really led to lots of discoveries and new thought about how our consumerism affects the environment. Now of course we all have been slammed with thoughts on global warming, rainforest destruction, and general automobile emissions; but there are so many things that we're all relatively unaware of. Here are some things that Donald and I have really been struck with:
- DIAPERS! General disposable diapers take 500 years to decompse, and millions are put into landfills daily. We're really interested in a brand of cloth diapers called fuzzi bunz (fuzzibunz.com) - they are uber-cute and they will cost MUCH less than disposable diapers over the "diaper life" of your bambino (donald really likes this part), and this is also good news for the landfills - ever think about how a 2 year old with grown up looking #2 diapers gets put into the everyday trash?? GROSS! Also, because of culture - we associate the color white with being clean. Therefore mass produced disposable diapers use lots of chlorine to make them appear white, and chlorine is really bad for the environment. Chlorine leads to increased dioxin production, which leads to increased rates of cancer, and is not-so-good for our water and land. Obviously Donald and I are not in the process of actually changing 8-10 diapers a day, so who knows how this will pan out in reality, but we're excited about fuzzi bunz right now! Also, there's a fantastic website, seventhgeneration.com, that is really educational and helpful to us being overall better consumers with may daily-use products such as cleaning products, toilet tissue, and paper towels.
- REUSABLE BAGS! This one is trendy and fun. You can order bags online or go to Central Market or Whole Foods and buy them there. Plastic bags are made from petroleum, and we all know the issues that this is causing around the world! Plus, Kroger is doing this really cool thing right now (well, at least in Dallas, not sure if it is nation wide) where they will give you 5 cents for every plastic bag you bring in (it doesn't have to be a kroger bag). And Central Market or Whole Foods will recycle your plastic bags for you. Some stores will say that they recycle them, but actually just throw them away in the back - so make sure you ask!
- SHAMPOO BOTTLES! Don't know as much about this - but found this really cool store (for all of you metroplex residents - it's in Northpark) called Lush (they also have an online store - lush.com) and you can buy a shampoo bar! NO plastic! I thought that was pretty cool. It's a bit expensive, but maybe something to splurge on every once in a while. Also, all of their packaging is biodegradable (even down to their tape) if you order it online.
Just some thoughts from a crazy lady in dallas who is looking at her practices in a whole different light now that we're responsible for this sweet little thang. As I find out more interesting things, I'll post them - feel free to ignore of course, but hopefully they'll make us all think about how our actions affect the beautiful earth God created for us.
3 comments:
You guys are a great example of responsible living. Way to go! You're so green...
Donald must have had a big change of heart from a few years ago. When I used to talk to him about the environment, he was kind of combative.
Ex. 1:
K- Donald, you should really think about recycling.
D- What do I care? It won't affect anything in my lifetime! Kids think they're so smart, let them deal with it!
Ex. 2:
K- Hey man, have you ever been struck with the moral imperative we may have as Christians to not support businesses that are intentionally bad stewards of nature for the mere sake of maximized profit?
D- What are you, a communist? Profit is all that matters man. Let them dump toxins in the rivers and provide sub-standard wages to employees. As long as I can stuff on the cheap, that's all that matters!
Believe me, these things are true. I've lived with him.
Great post. Rico and I are actually about to buy some reusable bags for groceries! Here is a website that I found sells them for pretty cheap: http://www.onebagatatime.com/index.php?page=product&pid=3 We are trying to go more "green," but it's definitely a work in progress. So far we use the energy efficient light bulbs and we recycle and recycle our plastic bags but that's about it right now! You'll have to let us know about the diaper thing!! We won't have to buy them for a while, but it will be good to know in the future!! Love the post. It's very inspiring:-) Yes, dinner is a must soon!
give us china pics!!!
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