Earth Day!

Spending time enjoying God's creation (both the mountains and the man) on our honeymoon! We were skinnier, tanner, and blonder then. 

Wait, Earth Day was yesterday? Just kidding, I knew it was... I was too busy enjoying the free coffee from Starbuck's and tornados to post an update! :) (BTW, thanks to everyone who checked up on us during the storm. We are fine and were quite oblivious to the sirens and everything. Friday night is pizza night at our house and we stick to business.)

I still can't believe this is real. Who cannot believe in God at this beautiful site! 

As far as Earth Day goes, shouldn't be Earth Day everyday? Dustin, Julip and I LOVE being outdoors. We love enjoying God's green earth and being stewards of what he has given us! As I was thinking yesterday about the green things we do as a family, I came to realize that our choices have been made in baby steps and only when it benefits US. No offense, Earth, but our family comes before you. All of our decisions were only made as a step to make our family healthier, and coincidentally helped green up the Earth, too!

If we had it our way, we'd always live outside! Fact: I've always wanted to live in a tree house! :)

Here are a few small steps/goals we try to take:

Replace with healthier options- If you are like us, you don't have the money to go out and buy green products, hybrid cars, and solar panels. Not only will that cost lost of money, throwing away your "not-so-green" things will waste money and add to the waste of the Earth. So alternatively, as we run out of things, we replace them with greener, healthier options. Next time you run out of toothpaste, try a greener option or if you need a new refrigerator, try to buy an energy efficient one. In the long run, it will save lots of money and be healthier for you and your family!

Shop local- This is an easy one! Shop at your farmer's markets. Go visit local farms and get to know your farmers! Support local foods and farmers by purchasing a CSA! or, better yet, start a garden! How amazing would it be if you could eat the foods you grow for dinner. Not only is it healthier, but you will know exactly where your food comes from, exercise, and save money! AND you won't have to mow as much! Bonus: if you have children, they will enjoy helping harvest and learn that strawberries don't have to come from a plastic carton! 


(My dream is to one day have a garden that feeds our family the majority of the food we eat! Just ask Dustin, I NEVER stop talking about this!!!)


Eliminate plastics- If you haven't heard, plastic is not your best friend. Plastic is everywhere! Food is wrapped in it, clothes are made from it, our oceans are polluted with it, and it has even shown up inside of our bodies! Plastic is linked to health problems that even cause cancer. My thought is that if it is potentially harmful, why use it! Bring reusable shopping bags to the grocery store; carry a reusable coffee mug made of stainless steal and opt out of the styrofoam. We have been slowly replacing plastic things with glass, stone, ceramic, or other natural materials. Start with your baby by replacing plastic bottles with glass bottles, plastic toys with wooden toys, and plastic fibers in clothing and bed sheets with natural fibers. These will last longer and are healthier for your baby and the environment. Next maybe eliminate plastic from your kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom. 


Cloth diaper- Ok, so this one may not be so much of a "baby step", but it is definitely beneficial to the health of you, your baby, your wallet, and the environment. Once again, you are eliminating plastic from being on your baby at all times and replacing it with natural cloth fibers. You are saving money by reusing diapers (and we all know, diapers can add up over 2-3 years!). And you're doing your part by keeping landfills less full of those tightly bundled packages of poopy! Maybe I should dedicate an entire post to cloth diapering! :) 


Compost- This may very well be one of my favorite ways of being green-er! Composting is so simple and anyone can do it! Rather than throwing away your organic waste, save it in a bin, and once the bin is full, toss it in your compost pile. I love composting because I know that every penny I spent at the grocery store is being used. All of the ends of my carrots, coffee grinds, banana peels, and corn husks are going to work for me and become the rich, dark soil I can use to plant those delicious vegetables and herbs we talked about earlier! You can even throw in newspapers, cardboard, and yard clippings (but not diapers), and soon, you'll have black gold! 


Greening your life is a process! We are all at different stages and can learn from one another. Start by taking baby steps to have a healthier body, home, and Earth! And the best place to begin is by enjoying God's green Earth!


with love,
Caro, xoxo