Happy Earth Day!

We aren't doing anything "special" to celebrate around here, but we have made so many changes in the last year to become more eco-friendly so I'll just talk about those!

-Cloth diapering Declan from the start. With Mady I was so overwhelmed with the options for a newborn that we used disposables until she fit into our BumGenius diapers. I loved all the tiny fluff I used with Declan, and was sad to see it go (I sold it recently since he outgrew it).

-Going paperless for every bill we possibly could.

-Stopping the use of paper towels for everything except draining bacon grease. We now own a ton of kitchen towels and cloth napkins that we use and love. I particularly love how it only takes one towel to clean the largest mess.

-Slowly transitioning to homemade cleaners. I am packing all the harsh cleaners away and will likely list them on freecycle for a family in need, or take them to the next Household Hazardous Waste day.

-Using homemade detergents and dryer balls. We use Crunchy Clean detergent for both cloth diapers and our clothing. I love it, especially because I'm supporting a work-at-home-mom like myself.

-Reducing the amount of "stuff" we own, as well as reducing the amount we acquire. We donate everything that is in good shape (which is most things). I am trying to purchase clothing for the kids primarily from thrift stores now so that I am reusing instead of buying new. Considering clothes get outgrown so quickly, this has both a monetary and environmental impact.

-Gardening. We planted peas onions and garlic this year. The peas aren't doing so great but we are excited to find that the garlic and onion are growing strong! I can't wait to harvest it.

-Composting. We have the supplies for a simple compost pile and just need to set it up, probably this weekend. That will help with the amount of trash we have in our kitchen bag (allowing us to use less bags overall - although we keep it down to one bag a week most weeks).

-Recycling. Despite all the hullabaloo the mandatory recycling program has caused in our city, we are both happy to pay for it. It was a pain carting it ourselves when we lived in MD and this is sooo much better. They collect every week and the bin is typically full!

-I have stopped using disposable pads. I took the plunge as soon as my "stash" arrived after Declan was born and slowly transitioned during the postpartum period. I finally have it down and am happy to be rid of the dependence on something disposable like that. The laundry is cake and they're so much more comfortable! Plus, I'm not being exposed to nasty chemicals for a week or so every month.

And lastly, making more foods from scratch. The more foods we make ourselves (like pizza dough), the less money we spend and the more healthy it is.

What are you doing this Earth Day? I hope this post inspires you to try something new!