Earth Day

I have been called a tree-hugger more than once in my life. Being a child of the 60s, we invented this environmental awareness concept. (Well, maybe not, but we claimed to anyway.)

I'm generally careful about conserving resources. I remember taking recyclables to the designated dumpsters in the school parking lot once a week. (Now they are picked up from our curb.) Our regular trash consists of only two small bags most weeks.

I learned composting and organic gardening from my grandmother years ago.

Today there are so many green "resources" available. That is mostly a good thing. It does concern me that it has become a marketable movement. One of the best ways to conserve is to just simply buy less. It conserves money, too. Most of use spend so much time managing our stuff. There are storage facilities everywhere for the stuff people can't fit in their garage, attic, or basement. But, I digress. (Carefully stepping down from soap box.)

One area I haven't tackled just yet is the switch to reusable bags. Lots of options are available, but one of the challenges for me and others is having the bags with me when I need them. Most of us buy more than just one or two bags of groceries at a time. I found this interesting option for easily bringing along several bags. You could probably duplicate this with handmade or purchased bags.
Update on drying laundry outside: Jungle cleaned out the shed over the weekend, and didn't find the retractable clothesline. We didn't come up with a good place to attach it anyway, so I'm not ready to go looking for a replacement just yet. Our house has new vinyl siding, so we aren't too keen on punching a hole in it - perhaps multiple (holes looking for a place with wood underneath.)

Jen @ Daily Mish Mash had a good point, too - hanging clothes outside to dry is inconvenient. It requires scheduling several hours of daylight. If I use the dryer, I can do laundry any time of day.

However, hanging laundry and bringing it back inside could be combined with getting a little sun and vitamin D. Just put on a swimsuit or tank top and shorts - wallah! Am I motivated yet?