Today is Earth Day. What are you doing to celebrate? MJ and I have dates with multiple parks in our area to clean up trash and try to get other parents and children to join in.

In honor of this day I’m putting up my last (official) Go Green post. Today I want to talk about simple ways to save energy and important and easy ways to have a Greener baby. Let’s start with energy conservation around the house.

Conserve Energy

* Do you have a mobile phone?  Do you ever need to charge it?  Great.  But when you’re done charging, unplug the charger.  Actually, unplug every appliance you can while not in use.  That includes stereos, modems, computers and gaming machines.  Although the amount of energy consumed is drastically less than when the items are turned on, electronics continuously draw power when connected.
* Replace light bulbs with Compact Florescent Bulbs (CFB).   Changing just one 75-watt bulb to a compact fluorescent light cuts roughly 1,300 pounds of global warming pollution.  Each bulb replaced will, over the course of the bulb’s life, likely save around $30.  They produce 70% less heat than standard bulbs and will, therefore, reduce the heat in your house during the summer allowing you to reduce the amount of time the a/c is in use.
* Although they do have trace amounts of mercury in them, they are MUCH more energy efficient than standard bulbs.  Check with the EPA and Earth911 for local recycling options. Never throw broken bulbs in the trash.  Bag them and bring them to local recycling centers or stores that recycle.
* Turn off the lights! If you’re not in a room why do you need to leave it lit?  Are there people in your house who have trouble remembering this? (ahem, CableDad)  Put a post-it note above the switch.
* At what temperature do you keep your thermostat?  Keep it a degree or too warmer in the summer and a degree or two cooler in the winter.  Fans use a great deal less energy than the a/c.  My house, for example, is kept at a fairly steady 78 degrees (mind you, it’s usually upper 80s outside) but with the ceiling fans on it feels about 5 degrees cooler in the day and 10 degrees cooler at night.
* Keep your shades drawn in the heat of a summer day to keep the house cooler.  Open the blinds to let in sunlight in the winter.  A well insulated house will act like a greenhouse trapping in heat.
* Clean the air filter on your a/c unit.  It will function more efficiently.
* Plant trees around the house to help provide shade and keep the house cooler. This is also a good idea of a way to spend Arbor Day this week.
* Make sure the energy you’re using the regulate the temperature in your house is contained within it.  Make sure all windows are closed, doors and windows are weather stripped and fireplace dampers are closed.
* Wash your clothing in warm or cold water.  It requires more power to heat the water for a hot cycle than you’d perhaps think.
* Buy local when you go food shopping.  Local growers not only need financial support but they use drastically less energy transporting their goods to local markets than do imported goods.  Think about it, each item you purchase has to be brought to your store.  The further it has to travel, the more energy is wasted in delivering it to you.
* Don’t keep the refrigerator door open.  I remember my mother telling me that an Oracle was not going to appear the longer I kept it open.  I now say that to CableDad.  He  hates it as much as I did.  But sometimes the truth hurts.  Keep a list of the contents of your fridge on the outside of it if this will help reduce the amount of time you spend peering into it.
* Try using a hand held push mower.  It doesn’t require gas or electrical power and runs on manual energy alone.  The benefit to this is twofold.  Not only are you reducing the amount of energy your house consumes but you also reduce pollution.
* In that same vein, rake up leaves.  Don’t use those stupid, loud and environmentally unfriendly leaf blowers.  Seriously, those things may be the stoopidest invention ever!
* Of course, a great way to reduce your household energy cost is to have double paned windows, good insulation and to run only energy efficient dishwahsers and washing machines.  That’s not always financially feasible.  In my house we have made a list of home improvements that will help reduce our ecological footprint and are working to make one improvement a year.  Our next big expenditure will be to replace the windows.

Green Baby

    * Let’s start with the basics.  I’m frequently horrified to see people change a baby’s poo filled diaper and just toss the thing in the trash.  People, NEVER THROW BABY POOP IN THE GARBAGE! Think this through.  For millenia various cultures have used human and animal fecal matter as a form of biological warfare.  Do you really want to throw that into our landfills?  The sewer system is the place to throw out poop.  Knock solid waste into the toilet before you throw out your diapers!
    * I don’t want to get into a discussion of breast v. bottle here, but yeah, breastfeeding is much more ecologically friendly.  If you do bottle feed, think about the bottles you choose to use.  Some have disposable liners.  What a waste.  While I do use those bottles, I keep the liners and wash them for multiple uses.
    * While there are multiple organic baby food distributors out there the best way to feed a baby solids is to make your own food.  No, it does not take long.  Yes, it is easy to do.  Take your favorite veggies and steam them, puree them and freeze them in ice cube trays.  They keep for a long time and require no glass or plastic containers.  Doing this also reduces the amount of energy wasted in the transportation of food supplies.
    * Buy second hand clothing for young children and babies. My favorite store for MJ shopping is called the Kidz Exchange.  I can buy clothing for her in near new condition in exchange for the sale of the clothing that no longer fits her.  Hand me down clothing worked well for my and my brother, it’s good enough for MJ.
    * When you do shop for baby clothing, look for clothes made out of organic cotton, bamboo or wool.
    * Contrary to common belief, babies do not require a vast array of soaps and lotions for healthy skin.  Newborns do not need to be bathed everyday.  The best lotion for baby skin is olive oil. Most commercial lotions have too many perfumes and are likely to be skin irritants as well as a contribution to the garbage or (hopefully) recycle bin.
    * Less is best when it comes to cleaning.  The current obsession with anti-bacterial soaps etc are probably actually  a hindrance rather than a help to a baby’s immune system.  Simple soap works wonders.  Consider some of the Cleaning Green suggestions I made two weeks ago for ways to clean without chemicals.
    * Make sure that the laundry detergent you choose to use is phosphate free.
    * I doubt anyone with a child is unaware of the dangers of lead paint in imported Chinese toys.  Try to buy American.  The smaller the distance the toy must travel to reach your store the less energy wasted in transportation.  In addition buying American prevents your spending dollars from being exported to someone else’s economy.  Buy wooden toys. Wood is an all natural product and when well cared for are low risk toys for babies.  Obviously, you  have to watch for splintering on toys a toddler chews.  Chewing wood, however, is much better than chewing plastic. When your child is older and not putting everything in his/her mouth, buy second hand toys.
    * Purchase bottles, sippy cups, plates, etc that are BPA (Bisphenol-A) free. Check out this website for a list and ranking of common baby gear manufacturers and their safety ratings.
    * Finally, consider using cloth diapers instead of disposables.  While cloth diapers might initially require a big expenditure ($10-$20 per diaper), in the long run they save money as you only need to buy them once or twice and therefore don’t spend $50+ per month on diapers.  Disposable diapers sit in land fills waiting to leech out waste.  Aside from that, while using cloth diapers might require a greater strain on water consumption as well as sewage production, the creation of disposable diapers (easily billions used and disposed of each year, considering that most children go through at least 5000 diapers before potty training) consumes an estimated 3.4 billion gallons of oil and over 250,000 trees each year!

Happy Earth Day! Don’t forget to call your representative and demand better environmental laws.

Many people find it strange that a place like Miami, on the water, built on a swamp where it rains everyday in the summer, could have problems with drought conditions, but that we do. And it is a concept that many people have trouble accepting. Water is a limited resource on our planet and we, as inhabitants of this earth, must behave responsibly to make sure that there are adequate amounts available for future human and environmental use.

Let’s start with the basics. For every drop of water that is wasted down our drains water treatment plants have to expend energy to process the water and make it potable again. The more energy used (and wasted) by the water and sewer department, the higher your water bill. So if care for the environment doesn’t get you excited, think about your wallet. Be self absorbed if you must, but be green to save for yourself both money and resources.

* Don’t leave the water running when you brush your teeth, shave or wash your face. Only turn it on when you need to rinse your face, toothbrush or razor.
* Compost or scrape food scraps into the trash instead of running the disposal. Garbage disposals require the use of a lot of water.
* Don’t do half full loads of either laundry or dishes. Wait until the load is the maximum capacity for your machine and run it with the least amount of water you can.
* Don’t buy bottled water! Check out Frankly Green for the disturbing statistics about waste and energy expended from American use of bottled water. Use a filter if you feel strongly against drinking from the tap. Keep water in the fridge instead of letting it run to cool down.
* Check your water fixtures. It is extremely common for water to leak from the rubber seal in the back of a toilet. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day. Leaky faucets can waste 15 or more gallons a day with a minor leak. Sometimes the solution is as simple as getting a new rubber O ring.
* Put a zip lock bag (see, you can reuse them) with a weight in it in the back of your toilet. That will allow your toilet to flush with less water.
* Take shorter showers. Start by trying to cut a minute off of your shower time. Make it a household game: who can shower in the shortest amount of time and still get clean.
* Use a bucket of water to wash your car instead of the hose.
* Don’t leave the water running when you’re washing your dishes. Only turn it on when you rinse.
* Sweep your front porch and from walk instead of hosing them down.
* Know your lawn and outdoor plants. Different types of plants require different amounts of water, some dramatically less than others. Don’t water all in the same way.
* If you have sprinklers to water your lawn, make sure they are properly aimed. Water your lawn, not the pavement.
* Put mulch around the base of trees, shrubs and bushes in your yard. Mulch will keep the ground cooler and prevent water from evaporating as quickly meaning you will have to water less often.
* Keep a bucket or pail in your sink when you wash vegetables. Save the water and use that to water your plants. Do the same with water that runs while you are waiting for it to heat up.
* Allow your grass to grow a little higher before mowing and/or set your mower blades a notch higher. Longer grass means less evaporation and therefore more time in between required waterings.
* Put this one in the file marked DUH! but don’t water your lawn on days when it rains.
* If you bring your car to a car wash, do some research first. Make sure the one you patronize recycles it’s water.
* Use less detergent when you wash dishes. More detergent means more water necessary to rinse. Or better yet, see my post last week about ways to clean using baking soda and lemon juice. They leave no residue.

My next Go Green post will be how to be greener with your baby and tips on saving energy.

Consider this a reminder: April 22nd is Earth Day. This link will bring you to a map of World Wide Earth Day events. Find one near you and participate in any way you can. April 25th is Arbor Day. This link will bring you to a list of suggestions of ways to celebrate in your community.

Cleaning Green is an incredibly easy thing to do. It requires very little effort or a change in habits. What it requires is finding a safe way to dispose of some of the nastier chemical cleaning agents. It is vitally important that you never pour these chemicals down the drain or simply throw them in the garbage. Consult your local waste disposal ordinances and read the labels for possible safe disposal methods. In all honesty, the safest way to dispose of your current cleaning products is to use them up and then switch to green.

* I spoke last week about reducing your household’s waste production by shifting to the use of cloth towels and rags instead of paper towels.  If you want a great source of cleaning rags try some old t-shirts and socks.  If you can’t bring them to a consignment shop for resale or aren’t able to donate them to Salvation Army or some other charity, use your old clothing as dust rags or scrub rags.  The best part is that instead of disposing of used up paper towels, you can just throw them in the laundry and reuse them next time.
* Ever tried cleaning with baking soda?  You should.  Nothing scrubs out a refrigerator quite like it.  Mix equal parts baking soda and water and scrub away.  It also does a great job on the kitchen sink and with the added benefit of deodorizing.  Come to think of it baking soda cleans just about anything for which you might want a commercial scrubbing agent like Comet or Soft Scrub.
* Forget Draino or Liquid Plumr or whatever you’ve been using.  Mix 1/2 cup  of baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar and pour it down a clogged drain.  Wait about ten minutes and then flush with boiling water.
* I personally avoid using bleach at all costs.  Lemon juice works great on stains.  Try club soda with some lemon juice if you’re worried about bleaching spots.
* While on the topic of lemon juice, try adding some to a sink of soapy water.  It cuts grease like a charm.  You can also use lemon slices if you wish.
* Olive oil makes a fantastic wood cleaner.  Three parts olive oil to one part vinegar and your wood will never have been so clean.  The added bonus of cleaning with oil is that it is also a natural moisturizer for your wood to prevent cracking from temperature fluctuations.
* Baby oil is a great chrome polisher.  Put some on a soft clean cloth and go to town…. although personally I’ll do whatever possible to avoid polishing anything.  ;)
* Ode to the power of vinegar.  I wash down the foam play room pads in my daughters room once a week with vinegar.  It is a natural disinfectant.
* Use vinegar to clean your toilets.  Stubborn stains? (ick!) mix vinegar and baking soda.
* Rubbing alcohol will remove any soapy buildup from your windows and mirrors.  Once you’ve removed the residue mix 2 tbs of vinegar in a quart of water and go to town.  My grandmother always swore by the power of newspaper to make sure the windows dried streak free. It works and it is a useful way to reuse weekly papers.

Vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice aren’t the only way to go. If you prefer commercial cleaners there are some Green ones out there on the market. Look for anything that is hydrogen peroxide based. Companies like 7th Generation, BioKleen, Ecover and Meyer make some good products. I’m partial to Ecover for dish washing detergent and BioKleen for washing floors. In general, however, making your own cleaning agents is cheaper and reduces the amount of waste your household produces by not needing the extra packaging.

I’d like to close out this post with a link to an incredible website that was emailed to me by my mother (aka Nonna). It gives a list of at least 50 uses for vinegar around the house. Personally I’m most looking forward to trying out the vinegar, soap and water bug repellent. Have I ever mentioned how much Miami sucks in the summer?

Next installation of Go Green will include ways to conserve water as well as Greener baby tips.

Let’s start with the basics. Everyone knows that it is in your best interest and the best interest of the planet to recycle everything you possibly can. Most cities in North America have already implemented curb side recycling programs and that is a wonderful thing to be sure. However, as fantastic as a recycling program is it is more important to learn how to reduce the amount of waste your household produces. Here are some easy suggestions.

* When you go shopping buy items with less packaging.  This goes for all types of packages.  I find, however, that children’s toys are the worst culprits.  If you have items in the house that you use in large quantities, say toilet paper for instance, buy in bulk.  There is a lot less packaging in a case of 20 rolls of paper than in individual packs or packs of four.
* Try to purchase items that have a high recycled content. They do tend to be a bit more expensive, but it is an expense that is worth while.  Look specifically for paper products made from recycled content.  Do you honestly need toilet paper made from first run trees?
* Buy reusable items instead of disposable.  Obviously paper plates and plastic cups make party clean up that much easier but think of the waste!  Buy rechargeable batteries and avoid disposable pens and razors.
* Reuse containers.  Glass and plastic jars can make great storage containers.  Always have extra pens lying around loose in that kitchen “thing drawer”?  Keep ‘em contained.  Are you a gardener?  Use those jars for planting seedlings before transfer to the earth.  Store left overs in a washed and reused jar.
*  Try using plastic or glass containers instead of zip lock bags.  If you can’t give up your zip lock infatuation, don’t think that they have to be single use only.  Zip lock bags can be used many, many times if they are properly washed and dried.
* Use cloth napkins and dishtowels instead of paper.  It will up your weekly laundry load, but you’re discouraging wasteful paper consumption.
* Bring your own takeout boxes when you go out to dinner.  Why take home a wasteful Styrofoam package when you could bring back your own washable Tupperware?
* Bring your own reusable cup or mug when you go out to get coffee.
* Invest in some canvas bags and bring them with you when you go grocery shopping.  If you forget your bags, make sure to bring the paper and plastic bags back to the store to be recycled.
* Reuse wrapping paper.  Better yet, use cloth bags or material to wrap your gifts.  Encourage the recipients of the gifts to reuse the wrapping material.
* Does your mailbox get flooded with useless junk?  Stop the madness.  Post a sign declining junk mail, contact the companies that keep sending you trash and have your name taken off the list.  Do you get too many catalogs?  The National Wildlife Federation has teamed up with the natural Resources Defense council to help reduce the number of unwanted catalogs sent through the mail (thereby reducing the amount of wasted paper as well as the fuel burned in the shipping process).  Register on line at Catalog Choice and end the madness.
* If your town or city doesn’t have curbside recycling, or even if it does but doesn’t accept things like cardboard, stake out a local recycling drop.  Many large stores and grocery markets have recycling drop off areas.  Collect recyclables for a week and make it a habit to bring the goods to a drop off center.
* A lot of household waste is compostable.  Start a compost pile in a remote corner of your yard.  Stores like Home Depot sell compost bins if you do not want to have it sitting out where bugs and pests can get to it.  Put food waste like leftovers, egg shells, banana peels and coffee grinds in the compost, aerate it by turning it over every week or so and use the nutrient rich compost you create to fertilize your garden or yard.
* Most companies have arranged partnerships with financial institutions.  Talk to your bank and register to pay your bills on line.  Not only do you reduce the amount of paper mail sent to your house (and therefore the amount of energy used in the transport) but you save on monthly postal expenses. Seriously, $0.41 extra per bill?

My next Go Green post will be about Cleaning Green.
Making the decision to Go Green is an easy one, but it is important to remember that this is not an all or nothing situation. Start with the basics. Pick the things you think you are more likely to do and stick to them. After you’ve become accustomed to your new life style, add other go green means. Every step you take should be one made with the thought of reducing your ecological footprint.

December 2005: CableDad and I were living in Toronto and my brother was in Tokyo with his soon to be fiance. It had been at least a year since my brother moved from New York and therefore out of my range for frequent visitations, something about which I was severely bummed. I went from speaking to my BigBro on a weekly basis and seeing him once a month to not being able to afford a phone call.

And then we got the offer of a lifetime. My father and brother offered to team up on a Christmas present for the Cable Clan and bought us a pair of tickets from Toronto to Tokyo. Booya! There ain’t never been a gift like that!

It was a trip unlike any other I’ve taken and I’ll talk about different aspects of it for later FlashBack Fridays. Today I want to talk about New Year’s Day in Kiryu, my soon-to-be-SIL’s home town.

I should mention, however, that when I first got to Japan my hair was bright purple. Actually, my Cre8Buzz profile picture as well as my blog profile picture are from a late morning trip to the gardens at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. My brother very respectfully (that is if by respectfully I mean “My God, what have you done??!!”) asked me to dye my hair black before meeting the family of the woman whom he wised to make his wife. I complied. I wouldn’t have had it been anyone but him.

The intention was to spend Christmas around Tokyo before heading out to the prefecture to the north west where we’d soak up some time at a traditional ryokan then head off to meet SIL’s family. We were due to arrive in Kiryu by the 30th of December.

(Just as a side note, I’d like to add that yes, they do celebrate Christmas in Japan, but not in any way like in America. It’s hard to explain, but I tell you there is nothing in the world like listening to a tune, knowing it very well and then realizing that you’re listening to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in Japanese.)

I was warned well in advance that we were to participate in a tea ceremony on New Year’s Day at the house of SIL’s grandparents. Loving and dutiful sister I am, I boned up on my Japanese so that I could greet SIL’s grandparents with the proper respect thereby honoring my brother. There are very few phrases in Japanese that I actually remember, but should you ever need to tell someone that you do not speak Japanese say this: Gomen nasai. Nihongo ga hanasemasen.

When I woke up on New Year’s Day my first conversation of the day went something like this:

me: SIL, when are we going over to your grandparents’ house?

SIL: when we go for tea.

me: ok, when will that be? (silly me, I was thinking there was a “tea time” like in Britain and Ireland.)

SIL: When grandmother is ready.

me: ok. I get that. What will the ceremony be like?

SIL: we will have tea.

me: yeah, I kind of got that, you know what with the whole “tea ceremony” thing. Do I need to know anything in particular.

SIL: my cousins and I will prepare the tea.

me: great! (feeling like I was getting somewhere at last) what’s that like?

SIL: it’s like a tea ceremony.

me: yeah, I deserved that. Should I start getting ready now?

SIL: if you want.

me: when will we be leaving?

SIL: when my uncle comes to get us.

me: right. soon? this afternoon? tonight? (looking at BigBro for help as he sat in the corner with CableDad snickering)

SIL: when grandmother is ready.

me: right. I give up. I’m going to go have a bath and get dressed. Does it matter what I wear?

SIL: You probably shouldn’t wear jeans.

me: (said to myself) AH HA! a straight answer!

Two things before I continue: 1) The above pseudo-transcript is HIGHLY abbreviated. 2) SIL was not just fucking with me. It’s just incredibly difficult to get straight answers out of her.

At that point I went to bathe and get dressed in a pair of corduroy pants and a sweater. Have I mentioned that I’m not girlie at all? Have I mentioned recently how much I hate pink? I mean, seriously, have you ever seen me post a pic of MJ in pink clothing? I’ve ranted about my issue with pink clothing here.

Couldn’t be more than 10 minutes later I was shanghaied (yes, I realize I was in Japan, not China and that I was not being forced into hard labor on an American merchant ship) by SIL and her mother. Before I knew what was happening I was stripped down and wrapped about 50 tons of fabric. Pink fabric. With little pink flowers.

This is myself and my SIL posing for one of about 10,000 photos taken by her uncle while at the tea ceremony.

Myself, SIL and BigBro walking out of SIL’s grandmother’s house back to the car. I will pretend that BigBro is not laughing at me attempting to walk in sandals.

Let me tell you, I have an incredible amount of respect for any woman who can wear a kimono and do anything else. I now know why chairs are not part of common furniture. It’s impossible to sit properly in a kimono. I now know why it is considered proper to take very small steps. It is impossible to take anything like normal strides while wearing a kimono. And don’t even get me started on trying to walk across cobbles with the platform sandals…