20 Green Things I Don’t Do (Part 2)
I would love to be 100% green in all the things I do, but that simply isn’t realistic for me.  To celebrate the “soggy” in me (vs. the crunchy/green part of me), I’m sharing 20 green things that I don’t do.  You can read #1-10 here.
20 Green Things I Don’t Do (#11-20)Â
- Use a Clothes Line – I want to use a clothes line.  I really do!  Sadly, this house didn’t have one when we moved in and installing one just hasn’t happened yet.  Someone please come to my house and install one of those cool pulley system lines off my deck!
- Ban Plastic Toys – Plastics can be kind of scary.  Some toy companies will guarantee you that their products are BPA free.  Others won’t.  I would love if all of Grace’s toys would be made out of wood with nontoxic paint, but that isn’t very realistic for us.  Instead I’ve made certain things a priority (like play food that will certainly go in her mouth) and other things I’ve been more laid back about.
- Cloth Diaper – I’ve already written about my 5 excuses and 1 true reason for not using cloth diapers.
- Family Cloth – Some families who love to cloth diaper have taken it one step further by using cloth toilet paper. Â My mother has threatened to write me out of her will if I ever take that step. Â I’d like to stay in the will.
- Recycle All Plastic – I hate to do it, but sometimes I throw away plastic containers.  My area only recycles a couple kinds of plastics, so that means that the rest usually get trashed.
- Have a Paperless Kitchen – I would love to go completely paperless in my kitchen. Â We already made the switch to cloth napkins, but those pesky paper towels keep showing up! Â The truth is that my husband has a special place in his heart for paper towels. Â I keep trying to change his mind, but I’d rather he help clean the kitchen with paper towels than not help at all!
- Shop at Thrift Stores – I’ve definitely shopped in 2nd hand stores.  However, when it comes to buying my clothes these days, I just don’t have the desire.  My shopping time is limited, so I don’t want to search through racks and racks.  Plus I tend to buy things that are just ok and not always stuff that I love.  This fashion struggling mama needs to step it up a notch and quit buying things just because they are cheap!
- Eat 100% Local and/or Seasonal – Bananas don’t grow in my backyard year round. Â Or ever. Â They still make it on the shopping list!
- Recycle “Gray” Water – In the summer I try to utilize the water from my daughter’s baby pool and dehumidifier, but we don’t have one of those fancy water-saver-things that collects your bathroom sink water to use in the toilet.
- Diva Cup/Keeper – If you don’t know what this is, then you’ll have to look it up yourself.  I don’t have the guts to explain it here.  🙂
Now that I’ve spilled my guts about all the green things that I don’t do, I expect all my green readers to go running for the hills and all my regular readers to follow since I mentioned the words “diva cup!”
Are you running for the hills or do you feel relief from any I’m-not-green-enough guilt?
How are you doing on your 2012 goals? Â The next Insane Goals link-up is on February 1st. Â Plus, the 2nd Annual “A Day in the Life of…” Link-Up is happening in 11 days! Â Have you taken your photos yet???
This post is being linked to Your Green Resource.
Oh, goodness. can I just say how much I love this post? Why? ‘Cause this list is MY list! What a great way to help all your readers feel normal and less overwhelmed… thanks.
I agree – I do maybe half of those about half the time. It seems that stress gets in the way of my ambitions and then the green living goes first.
Except my Diva 😉
YOU need to go read the ZEROWASTEHOME.COM some more! 😉 I’m only half joking…first-time exposure i was like “no way!” second time around (i think you’re the one who linked to it!) i am totally inspired…and going for it…just decluttered my kitchen this week and am going step by step rethinking a lot of my habits…i figure if i tackle each part of each room and replace/elimintate with green alternatives as i go , it will be less overwhelming and more fun…so i’m going to try “bulk” for groceries for all i can and take reusable produce bags. I already put away the roll of papertowels and the box of kleenex (the diapers will wait till i get to the bathroom part..ha! 🙂 anyways, just wanted to let you know what i’m up to….
..and i meant to add that i’m going to buy a worm composter for our terrasse (im excited and scared of the committment all at the sale time!)
Wow… I looked up the Diva Cup which is a very glamorous name for a not very glamorous product. I don’t know if I could go that far.
Haha! The name didn’t sell you on the product, huh? 🙂
I can relate to all of these. The truth is that we can only do so much and to not feel guilty about not doing everything all the time.
I had never heard of a diva cup so I looked it up………….. that is not being GREEN that is being GROSS……big difference. That totally falls into another catagory that is not in the same realm as green/crunchy or granola (as we call it in my family). O my goodness I seriously have issues with that………………pretty sure my husband would too.
The diva cup is not gross, you should not be grossed out by your natural bodily function. I hate the stigma that the menstral cycle is discusting.
Yeah, most of these are unchecked on our green to do list too. That and the great lack of green eggs & ham puts us right over the edge! 😉 Loved the list!
Annie, you crack me up…
So many of these are on my list too-and I’m a self-proclaimed greenie! I think we all have our lists of things we would like to do, but they just don’t fit into our lifestyle. I’m a big believer in we have to do what works for us. No guilt, no self judgment.
I’m laughing at all the Diva cup comments! I NEVER in a million years though I would try a menstrual cup, nor would I EVER share the info. But I did both…..a little gross, but a lot of belly laughing.
http://groovygreenlivin.com/2011/12/go-green-with-softcup/
Random passerby here – the Diva Cup has changed my periods. REALLY! My cycles are so heavy on that first day that I couldn’t leave the house because I would soak through the usual products so quickly. Now, I am actually able to go to the grocery store without worrying. After that first day, I really only have to worry about checking things once or twice a day. I no longer end up with the pain and itchiness at the end of my cycles that the other products were causing (they were unscented so it wasn’t that). I know it seems a little odd at first but it is a great product (and there are others like it too). Just my .02. Have a great day!
Nichole, I’m not surprised by your comment at all. I’ve talked with several women who LOVE using their diva cup. Of course there is an adjustment period (uhh… no pun in tended….), but after that it seems like women love it.
Glad to see you’re normal ;). I love, LOVE our clothes line! The house we bought already had a clothing line, thankfully or I else I probably would never have gotten one.
I’m still not sure if the word “normal” fits me all that well. 😉
Love your post. I’ve just done a post about all the things our family has achieved toward sustainable living. Maybe I need to list the things I won’t be doing!! I suppose to draw a line like that in the sand lets you know just how crunchy you are, but more importantly what things are achievable and what just is not on the radar. Helps to focus on the things that are valued and prioritise accordingly. Thanks for your post.
All I have to say is there is only one thing on this list that i do do. And that’s the Diva Cup. Changed my life. Turns out i wasn’t using other products incorrectly, it was just too much! I would never go back. Don’t knock it till you try it.
Hey, I have a great idea for the paper towels, I bought a really nice clear glass cookie jar (big)and filled it with white rags (I had a favorite waffle shower curtain that “somebody” splashed hair color on it and stained it that i cut up for this) then poured home made natural all purpose cleaner over the top and leave it out on the counter. Ever time we go to clean the counter we grab for the rags. I got a glass container that I really like and used rags that look cool in the glass jar so that I actually LIKE to have it out and therefore convenient and it is big enough to hold about 40 rags so it never runs out. On my weekly wash day i just throw them in with my cloth napkins and dishcloths and towels. I have not bought paper towels in a year and I was a huge paper towel fan- HUGE!
Also, Diva cups aren’t really gross, in fact in many ways less gross one is getting rid of the menstrual remains rather than putting in the trash…they take a bit to get used to but much better for our bodies and environment, not for everyone but certainly nothing to look down on either.
Charlotte, how long do your cleaning rags stay fresh? Do you have to change them out or be sure to use them up by a certain time?
I typically let the rags run down and always take the bottom ones out and put them on top (besides they are fully saturated in cleaning liquid) and then once a month I empty it all out and run the jar through the dishwasher. I have never had anything but fresh cleaning rags that do a great job cleaning and it is so convenient! Hope it works for you!
I LOVE my diva cup and would never go back to tampons or pads, because now they seem gross to me! Once you get over the yuck factor and give them a try, they are absolutely worth it! I promise your cycles will change and you will appreciate not having to change your pad/tampon as often. I change once in the morning and once in the evening. Plus, they are virtually pain free once you get the hang of it (takes 1 or 2 cycles to figure it out, so if you do decide to give it a try don’t give up in the first couple months). You wouldn’t even know it was there.
I’ve never been to keen on the clothes line. It gets pretty dusty around here, especially when it’s harvest season and the almonds are being shaken and the other crops are being harvested. I like the idea of it, but I have a feeling my clothes would just get dirty again before we even had a chance to wear them.
I love the convenience of throwing my clothes in the dryer. If you have a legitimate reason for not using a clothes line, then just do it and let go of the guilt! Lucky you. 🙂
Hi Rebekah! Wanted to let you know I chose this post as my featured post for the Green Resource linky this week!
Thanks, Andrea! I guess this means I didn’t scare you away with my less-than-crunchy ways. 🙂
Love Love Love this list! Most of these things are goals of mine this year as well. We cloth diaper, and I made the switch to family cloth as well (but I do keep TP for guests) …. Hubby was/is against family cloth, but it made it easier to switch since he is deployed right now. I’m still pretty hopeful he will come around to it though. The only thing I’m on the fence about is the Diva Cup …. not so sure I could do that, but I’ll never say never 🙂
Karla, do you use your family cloth for everything or just when you go number 1?
Everything. I made my own wipes and used a dark color for half of them. And I just throw them in the wash with the diapers.
I was just telling my niece and sister-in-law about the Diva Cup last Monday at dinner (no, it’s not a very nice dinner-table conversation). My niece had heard of it; my SIL had not. None of us will be trying it. Blah. BTW–This is my first time reading your post. I like!
I think you need to be with just the right people to talk about the diva cup over dinner. 🙂