Happy Earth Day, everyone! It’s that time of year when everything is in bloom, new life is all around and outdoors is the place to be. I couldn’t let this day pass without doing something to honor it. I would love for everyone to take a few minutes and think about what steps you take in your daily life to help care for our planet. I know “going green” seems all the rage lately and that’s great. I have always been fairly environmentally conscious but no matter what your previous efforts or lack thereof may be, I think this is the perfect time to reflect and consider what you are already doing and what else you could do to help protect and conserve.
Think of it as sort of a environmentally-minded New Year’s resolution in April! You certainly don’t have to go to great lengths to make changes, and little changes go a long way, especially when everyone makes them. Could you drive less? Reuse and recycle more? Take advantage of reuseable coffee mugs, grocery bags, water bottles? Drive a more fuel-efficient vehicle? Buy less prepackaged food items? Printing less recipes?! (I know, people love that printer-friendly version but I always cook straight from the computer to avoid wasting paper.) There are tons and tons of ways that you can help make a difference. My own personal goal is to drastically reduce or eliminate the use of paper towels in our home.
So, on to the giveaway! I am giving away two sets of these RuMe reusable bags. Why? Because I have them and I absolutely LOVE them. I’ve had a few sets of RuMe bags for over a year now and they are literally as nice and new as the day we bought them. They fold up small (as you can see below) and can hold up to 50 lbs. each. They are also comfortable to carry, with nice long shoulder straps. And it feels great to leave the grocery store without a ridiculous number of flimsy plastic bags.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me a change you have already made or a change you plan to help the planet.
The Rules: One entry per person, will ship to U.S. residents only. Commenting will close on Sunday, April 25 at 10:00 am, EST. Two winners will be chosen at random and announced next week. Good luck! (By the way, even if you don’t win, I highly recommend purchasing a set of these bags for yourself. They have lots of great colors and patterns. I am in no way affiliated with RuMe – I just really love my shopping bags :) )
And quickly for those interested in the cupcakes, I made a blue velvet cupcake (basically just red velvet, but with blue coloring) and frosted them with cream cheese frosting. To make the Earth toppers, I used the same technique as I did for the butterfly cupcakes with candy melts. I think equally cute toppers could be made easily with royal icing or fondant as well, but I had leftover candy melts and I loved the finished look of these.
Pretty! We separate our trash into 3 different trash cans now. Plastic/paper, trash, and cans and bottles. It took a little bit to get used to not throwing everything away but after a while the whole family pitched in and jumped on the recycling wagon!
I am in grad school – now I am brining a real plate to free food events instead of using paper plates provided there. I believe it’s called “adopt a plate” program. Happy earth day! The bags look adorable.
I walk to work every day- it’s a nice time to get ready for my day, get a little built-in exercise without trying too hard, and then of course it’s 2 less trips I need to take the car!
No more plastic. Water bottles, sandwich bags, plastic wrap. We now use washable containers with lids as a substitute.
In a recent move from the country to the city, we sold our minivan and now rely on nothing but public transport or the occasional use of a car share program. Of course, we do all our grocery shopping without a car so these bags would be great! Plus, where we live, grocery stores don’t give you bags (you have to buy them if you forget your own) so it’s nice to have these in your purse at all times. :)
Our NY resolution was to make it through 2010 without using a single plastic grocery bag…so far, so good. I’ve also introduced reusable sandwich wraps in my boys’ lunch bags.
I’m already pretty green and do everything I can to reduce, reuse, and recycle, but just yesterday I decided that when my current package of disinfecting wipes is gone, I’m going to start using a spray bottle filled with vinegar and water to clean my kitchen counters. Long live the planet! :)
After many “fights” with my husband, I have switched my family from disposable to reuseable water bottles and filtered water from home. Thanks for the opportunity, love the colors of the bags and for the fact that they can fold up and stash right in my pocketbook!
After spending the year in Europe I have come to appreciate being “green” more than ever. I am going to stop using plastic waterbottles at work!
I always take a big glass of water with me in a tervis tumbler each morning. No more water bottles for me!
i drive a prius! i have a pretty long commute right now so driving a fuel efficient car makes me feel a little better about it.
Love your blog firstly! We have been using reusable grocery bags for awhile and could always use more. Another way we are trying to be green is to use more reusable containers in our lunches.
My boyfriend and I make sure to recycle as much as possible. Also, we stopped purchasing and using plastic water bottles. If makes you feel good when you make changes to support the planet!
We use reusable shopping bags and when I do forget them I always bring back the plastic ones and recycle them at the store.
We have also done away with paper napkins and we strictly use cloth!
Finally, we ride our bikes to school! There is no reason to drive when we can bike!
I pack my kids’ lunchboxes with reusable containers. No more ziplock bags. Plus, I put in a cloth napkin and real silverware. Nothing gets thrown away at school.
I participate in a Park & Ride program, taking a bus to work every day (an hour commute here in Houston!). I also keep a mug at my desk and re-use it all day instead of purchasing a paper cup of coffee or tea every day. Happy Earth Day!
I am a kindergarten teacher in a very large school. We already recycle and teach the kids about taking care of the environment. As a teacher, I know I go through a lot of paper, but I am going to attempt to limit myself to one class set of copies per day. This will reduce the amount of paper I use and increase hands on learning.
Our church has started a free recycling program, so we now take our recycling there. We don’t have to pay for curbside pickup and we don’t have to drive anywhere special to drop it off…we just take it on Sunday!
I already recycle, but can’t get in the habit of using the reusable bags for my groceries…..they always get left at home…so yesterday, I drove home again to get them!!!! So these will really come in handy and I can keep them in my purse!
We try to do what we can at home but at work, I always make sure the conference room & file room lights are off. No more plastic water bottles and we’ve even found a place that will recycle our old fridge that we’re getting rid of. I prefer the reusable grocery bags I already have since they can handle more. Not only are those plastic bags bad for the environment, they are annoying too! Let’s all keep Mother Earth happy!
I absolutely love your blog– thanks for all the fun and inspiring recipes! As for going green– my apartment complex failed to have any recycling pick-up. After witnessing far too many cans and bottles in the trash, we successfully petitioned management to have curb side recycling from each building. Now everyone living in their properties recycles! hooray!
I already use Baggu bags but would love to try RuMe bags. Now if I could only get my husband to use them!
SO cute! Andrew is so lucky to have you as a mommy, every child will want to be in his class to see the cool new treats brought in :)
Those bags look much nicer than the ones I’m using now for reusable bags!
we have used cloth diapers for our three kids and try to remember those reusable bags at the grocery store, we compost our kitchen scraps and have recently started trying to use cloth napkins and rags for cleaning instead of paper napkins and paper towels. thankful for this beautiful planet God has given us and trying to be a good steward of it! :)
We switched to the reusable bags instead of plastic at the grocery stores. We also ditched the plastic water bottles and use a Brita and resuable stainless steel bottles instead. We also avoid paper plates. We’re working on reducing our use of paper towels.
we’ve made lots of changes i did a countdown to earth day where every day i listed a change we have made, the biggest we are going to do a rain garden and composting this year
We’ve been reducing, reusing & recycling for years, so now we focus on maintaining those practices & trying to purchase things from companies that are ecologically responsible & respectful in their manufacture (hard!) & packaging (getting better).
I have started to make my own flavored carbonated water eliminating the plastic water bottles I had been going through. That has saved at least 5 water bottles a week going into a land fill!
Between class and working out I drink a ton of water, so my resolution was to use a Nalgene bottle instead of normal plastic water bottles!
No more shopping bags so this would be perfect!
I use a resusable waterbottle and lots of tupperware instead of plastic bags.
By the way, my college has been selling Earth Day cupcakes similar to these all week, but yours are decorated so much nicer! I love the idea of the blue velvet base.
I use reusable grocery bags and I also walk in our small town when ever possible.
Love the cupcakes, very cute!! :) The changes I have made is to recycle! wow simple i know…I have also started using the re-usable grocery bags, and try my best to use only glass containers at home (reusing the ones that food come in from the store).
We gave up our car!
I love your Earth Day cupcakes :)
Everytime I make a purchase somewhere, I immediately tell the cashier that I do not want a receipt. Therefore, they don’t print it, making for less paper that is used! I simply write the amount of my purchase into my handy account register. Most stores can swipe your credit or debit card to use as a receipt if you have to make a return. I also get statements from banks, gas and electric company, etc. via e-mail. Again, less paper!
I have made the switch from taking plastic to bringing my own bags. I have cut out all harsh cleaners and detergents. I now make my own, and know exactly what is going into them. I try to avoid plastics and buy supplies that can be washed. As a teacher, I spend large amounts of time supplementing my curriculum with Earth friendly lessons to raise student awareness. Last night, I spent several hours making an Earth Day version of Hollywood Squares. :)
We recycle and use reusable shopping bags for groceries. Love these!
With the help of a great friend, I am the proud owner of a rain barrel that attaches to my gutter and collects rainwater that I can use to water my plants instead of the hose.
My goal is to actually remember to use the reusable grocery bags I have. Sometimes they don’t make it from the house back in to the car or in to the store with me, causing me to slap my forehead when I realize I don’t have my bags in the checkout line.
Cloth napkins are a great “green” switch. The bags are beautiful!
I admit we’re not great about this sort of thing, but we do reuse plastic bags whenever we can. Love those cupcakes!!
I LOVE how small these fold up!! I hate how much room the bags usually take up in your cart, these would be a great help.
Let’s see – we use soy clothes instead of papertowel, I use reusable bags – (but yours are prettier), natural cleaning products, those good light bulbs instead of the traditional kind, low flush toliets, garden and can and this year is the year of composting!!!!
I try to remember to use my cloth bags for groceries. And no more paper plates, cups, etc.
So cute!! I’ve started using some reusable bags. However, I only have a couple and they’re not so great. I’ve also started making my own cleaning solutions!
We recycle, use cloth napkins and I love using my reusable bags. Any tips on cutting down on paper towels? I don’t use many, but sometimes I don’t feel like I can get the house as clean with a rag.
We buy local produce, recycle and are planting a vegetable garden in our backyard for us and to share with our neighbors.
I have been recycling for a long time but now I’m all into composting! and my parents (who live in Spain) as well! plus I’m trying to use less harsh chemicals when cleaning and I’m all about reusing jam jars (after sterilizing them) for canning! oh and i never go shopping without my reusable bag, it’s not as pretty as those ones though! :)
reducing the number of paper towels we use by stocking up on washable kitchen towels.
I try to be fairly green, but as a new mom my most recent green undertaking has been cloth diapers. Its actually a lot of fun and so cute!
I have given up my daily water bottle purchase and now use filtered water from home. Make as many items from scratch as possible to forgo the packing that everything is now in..
I bring my own refillable mug to Wawa for my morning coffee. It can be a hassle to have to wash it out every night, but in the long run it is definitly worth it!
Love your blog!
We’re having a baby in June and we have used cloth diapers in the past. But this time around we’ll be using cloth wipes as well. I just spent a couple of hours last night edging the fabric for the wipes.
I try to recycle everything I can and we are eating more vegeterian meals to cut down on our impact.
We recycle and collect kitchen scraps and yard trimmings for composting. I’m trying to use less plastic in my lunch box. I would LOVE those bags for grocery and farmer’s market shopping!
I have been using reusable bags for almost 2 years now. I love them, but could use more. :-)
We also have been recycling, using filtered water vs. bottle water and “green-friendly” cleaning products.
P.S. Love the cupcakes!
Your cupcakes are adorable! I’ve been making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of water I use lately. And recycling more paper. I’ve always recycled cans and bottles but the paper recycling didn’t really happen until recently!
My husband and I use to be big bottled water people because of the horrible taste and appearance of our city water but now we have a lovely water filter and our Nalgenes! :)
The bags are so cute. I have almost eliminated paper towels from our house and we use Skoy cloth instead and I love it. Our next plan is to eliminate toilet paper at home by using diaper sprayer.
When our 20 month old was 7 months old we switched to cloth diapers. Not only are we not throwing Tons of diapers away that will not breakdown for hundreds of years, not needing to buy diapers is Great! Plus cloth diapers are super cute and colorful.
We try to recycle everything possible–for me that means bringing home bottles, cans and papers when I travel. Try to take canvass bags to grocery and other places. We have installed a tankless water heater. We are composting.
Mostly, it takes a mind set to waste as little as possible, to thoughtfully shop, to make a commitment.
PS. Love those bags and would put them to good use!
I work at a hotel and I started a Green Team in an effort to change peoples habits for the better. We are currently working on changing out all light bulbs and are looking into a linen reuse program. Little by little, we hope to make our guests know that we care about our footprint on the earth!
I use a reusable water bottle, and I make my own natural cleaning supplies.
My husband and I have stopped relying on plastic bags when going to the store. Right now I carry around the reusable ones from Whole Foods, but unfortunately they don’t fold up small. I am going to have to check these bags out. I bet they would fit in my purse!
Just a few things to do “our part” in helping the Earth: we use re-usable water bottles instead of plastic, have drastically reduced our paper towel consumption (like you mentioned above), and we also play a recycling game each week. I know it is silly, but my goal each week is to see how full I can make our recycle bins of plastics & paper (mail, magazines, etc.) vs. the actual garbage. I am pleased to say that our recycle is now triple of our garbage at the end of the week! Yay! A compost pile helps too. :)
Cute bags! Another great reason to go food shopping! I’ve bought a Brita pitcher to start using instead of bottled water. A little late jumping on the bandwagon I know. But its green, no really it is!
My husband and I use one car and walk anywhere we can. We have been recycling for a while now. And, like you Annie hope to drastically reduce our use of papertowels. Happy Earth Day!
I switched all my lightbulbs to compact flourescent! They’re much more efficient, and as a bonus, if you live up north like I do, give you a little bit of full spectrum light so you can make vitamin D :)
We recycle everything we possibly can! We rarely have to take a bag of trash out to the dumpster.
I also always try to remember my re-usable bags when I go to the grocery store, and these are adorable!
I love reusable shopping bags….and if you do the self checkout at the store, the clerk can’t fill your bag with plastic bags, as they so often do if you allow them to check you out and pack your bags.
I help my workplace recycle as much as we can. Plus, I always turn off lights when we’re not using them.
Being Green is something we are working on as a family. As we master one task, we add another. We picnic a lot in the summer at local parks, simply buying a lunch container with several compartments (think of a school lunch tray with sides and a lid) has reduced our waste significantly. With all the compartments, we can pack a colorful, healthy lunch. The kids are excited to open their boxes.
Our next green task is composting…this one has been on the radar for some time, but its a commitment! We have the kitchen composter and we thought Earth Day was the perfect day to get the yard compost and get started before we plant our summer garden.
We recycle paper, glass, plastic and cans even though our community does not do a pick up and we have really tried to cut down our use of plastic bags and non reusable containers.
I already use some reusable grocery bags, but would LOVE to add to the collection so i can eliminate plastic altogether!
As our light bulbs burn out, I have replaced them with energy-efficient CFLs. I also have switched from chemical-filled cleaners to homemade ones made with vinegar and other ingredients from around my kitchen.
i have a compost pile in addition to 3 trash cans in the kitchen (paper, plastic, & non recyclables) Thanks for having this giveaway and happy earth day!
I’ve started a recycling program at work. Living in a city where recycling is not #1 priority (they don’t recycle glass (crazy!)), I thought it would beneficial to get everyone on board at work. All those soup and soda cans are put into a separate bag now. :)
We’ve just recently started recycling since our city now provides recycling bins. It has inspired me to use reusable grocery and produce bags, to not buy plastic water bottles, and to try to throw less away in general. It feels so good to do some good!
I do a couple things: walk to school, use reusable shopping bags (though not as nice as the ones you have!), and drink from a aluminum water bottle. I also recycle, even though my apartment complex doesn’t pick it up.
We recycle as much as we can, and we bought an AFV that gets us 38-40 mpg.
I recycle more than cans, bottles, etc…. I recycle my leftovers creatively! And I walk a lot more. And I use less electricity. And my daughter and I believe in hand-me-downs. And we use earth-friendly products!
First off I love your blog!! I am printing off and trying a new recipe at least once a week and I love it!
As for the contest:
We love to recycle at our house. My daughter loves sorting everything out (weird I know) and we’re really good about energy concervation. Leaving lights on is kind of a pet peeve for me!
I cut up my husband’s old T-shirts to use as rags instead of paper towels.
I’ve started buying as much food as possible from local sources to avoid the transportation from far-away places. Plus, it just tastes better!
I have already changed out the light bulbs in the house to the more energy efficient ones. I always turn the water off when brushing my teeth. But the biggest thing, for me anyway, is that I no longer use paper plates. Now I just have to work on my addiction to paper towels! = )
well, we have become recycling maniacs around here. My kids (4 and 6) are always on the hunt for recyclables. We also always use our cloth grocery bags. We use refillable water bottles–not buying plastic disposable water bottles is hard sometimes, but we try!!
we recycle, bike to work, shop at local farmers markets for food and never us pesticides in our yard!
We already recycle, but lately have been using pyrex containers to store everything, cutting down the amount of plastic bags & pretty much eliminating those plastic storage containers for leftovers. We’re big fans of Nalgene bottles (BPA free of course!) for water, too!
I recycle, compost and use re-useable bags when I shop!
Like you, I am trying to crack down on the number of papertowels used in our house. It’s so easy to just grab a couple from the roll. Now I have dishrags available instead!
I’m at college right now and I’m really making an effort to recycle as much as I can… the amount of true “trash” I make each month has dropped drastically!
I try to be eco conscience with a lot of things already. Something fun I just started doing is to use a new reusable grocery bag as gift bags for friends. They can reuse it at the grocery store and no waste by buying a new gift bag (or wrapping paper) that might be thrown away!
Love the cupcakes! You’re so talented.
We just signed up for a CSA for the summer and so plan to get a majority of our fresh produce from less than 30 miles away! We are also trying to use more earth friendly cleaning products around the house, but haven’t made the jump quite yet.
As soon as the yellow pollen stops coating everything outside, we’ll be back to drying our clothes on the line.
Also am taking a set of silverware to work to use with my leftovers, rather than the disposable plastic stuff at the office.
I’ve bought reusable containers for our lunches and also tried to get a good collection of reusable bags for grocery shopping. I just don’t like the plastic bags even though some stores do take money off your bill for using them!
My 3 kids all help me recycle everything we can; no more plastic water bottles; I love my Whole Foods reusable bags– take them not only grocery stores, but every other store that I can! My mom has RuMe bags and loves them, too, so I’d like to add them to my “bag wardrobe”!
This year is the first time that my apartment building has recycling. We seperate containers (plastics, glass, etc.), paper, and regular trash into paper Trader Joe’s bags (which we get when we don’t remember to bring the reuseable ones). Once we bring trash out to bins, the contents get dumped into their designated bins and the bags go in with the paper. So easy!
I use old diapers and a vinegar solution for cleaning windows and other smooth surfaces instead of paper towels and Windex.
We’ve recycled for years, so to do more, we have stopped purchasing factory farmed meats. We’re lucky enough to live in an area with a fair number of small family farms so we’re able to buy from families who raise chickens, beef cattle, and pigs using organic, sustainable practices. It’s better for us (no hormones, no antibiotics), our food tastes WAY better (a steak from a grass-fed cattle is a revelation!), and it’s WAY better for the environment.
I use only natural cleaners (vinegar & Baking soda) to clean my home.
Although I have made an attempt to be more green, using environmentally friendly products, walking when I can, remembering to turn off the lights. But the one thing I cannot seem to get in the habit of doing is remembering reusable grocery bags! Maybe cute ones that fold up so nicely will help!
We reuse plastic grocery bags for trash can liners, use paper grocery bags to hold our recycling. I also have a camelback water bottle that I use instead of buying water (and their plastic bottles)
I too love shopping bags. A change that I have made to try to help the planet is buying more food from local vendors (ie. local farms); buying more food from local vendors means that my food doesn’t have to travel across the country and put dangerous pollutants in the air.
My sweetie and I have started to carpool to work. Great for the environment plus we get to spend a little more time together in the morning. Love your blog and cupcakes.
The hubby and I have vowed to stop using zip top bags. We used to use them for literally everything, but now we are using reusable containers instead.
P.S. I love, love, LOVE your blog. Keep up the awesome work!
Those bags are so cute- thanks for the giveaway! We use the re-usable grocery bags and recycle paper. In the future, I want to buy fewer packaged items.
One change I have made is giving gifts in reusable shopping bags instead of gift bags.
Happy Earth Day! Those cupcakes are adorable.
Yeah, I really need some new shopping bags. Mine are the cheapies from the grocery store and after awhile they’re starting to tear. I’m already on round number 4 or something I think :( For the most part I’ve always been environmentally conscious – recycling, carpooling when a possibility, not wasting water, etc. but I REALLY need to get better about drinking my lattes out of reusable mugs. When I get my morning coffee at work I use the paper cups and sleeves but 4-5 days a week adds up to a lot of waste.
We started cloth diapering our daughter when she was 2 months old (she’s going to be one in a few weeks, yikes!)
Cute cupcakes! You always make the prettiest food. I converted my former roommates to recycling several years ago, and they still do! I also walk to school everyday.
I use reusable bags at the grocery store — don’ t know how I got along without them for all those years because they hold so much more and don’t break! My family calls me the “Recycling Nazi,” but it’s a title I’m happy to take — I’m proud to say that our recycling bins get emptied far more often than our trash can.
My fiance and I just purchased our first home! It is an energy efficient and “green” certified home…so we have made many changes just by getting this house! We also are recyling at the house and I recently started using reusable bags for grocery shopping!
I just recently switched over to a vinegar/water mixture as a multi-purpose cleaner and am using baking soda for cleaning as well. I use cloth bags for 75% of my grocery shopping, and I would love these cute bags!
I am really trying not to use plastic grocery bags anymore. I hate keeping them around the house to bring back to the store to recycle (but I always do). It’s even better not to use them at all! I just have a hard time remembering to bring them in to the store.
I stopped using papertowels
I’m going to work from home more and drive to work less. And when I’m at work, I’m going to drink from a reusable cup.
Last year I started composting, using all reusuable water bottles and bags, and hanging a lot of my laundry to dry. Mostly recently we switched to using all cloth napkins and starting a garden. I do not have a green thumb so we’ll see how that goes!
We recycle. I can’t believe how much less garbage we have. I love that my kids get excited about it to. They know just what can be recycled and they are really good to take those items to the bin without me even asking.
We started recycling and we walk (instead of drive) to the store a lot! Now maybe I’ll try to cut back on paper towels too – that’s a good one.
I am bringing my lunch in a lunch bag and am recylcing more. Love these bags and of course the blog!
We are working on walking as much as possible to nearby grocery stores and to the gym. I have also become obsessed with reusable bags! I use them for everything.
These cupcakes are so cute! I try to recycle everything I can and reuse bags when grocery shopping. I’m trying to be more ‘green’ and any ideas help! =)
Our township switched to Single Stream Recycling last year and it has been wonderful, they take much more stuff curb side now. We have cut our trash by at least 50%. I have also started making my own cleaning supplies, and using old t-shirts as rags instead of paper towels or store-bought wipes.
I also want to get a rain barrel and plant a bigger garden.
We have stepped up the recycling big time. Ever since we found out our city offered it, we started participating, and it is amazing how much it has cut down our trash! I also use reusable bags at the grocery store, so these would be awesome to have! I love how stylish they are…way cuter than the 99 cent green ones I have :)
Those cupcakes are out-of-this-world adorable!! :-)
I already use reusable bags, but having some more can never hurt!
I have a little 8×24 foot garden going this spring with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and okra. I also have a compost pile behind the garage that I contribute to almost daily.
I use a refillable water bottle everyday instead of relying on the plastic ones. I also carry reuseable shopping bags to the grocery store and just recently purchased a more energy efficient computer!
Hey Annie! Fun giveaway! My change is that I’ve been using all re-usable bags for grocery shopping now. Yours are waaaay cuter than mine, so I’d love to win a couple! Thanks, as always, for a fun blog!
I’ve organized to clean a local beach here on Saturday. We also test the water to make sure its safe.
I recycle everything that my city accepts, even though there’s no curbside pickup (I’m talking to you, Clearfield, Utah!). Yeah, it’s a pain having to incorporate a drop-off into my errands once a week or so, but it’s worth it every Friday (trash pickup day). Our can is usually not even half full, but often our neighbors can’t even close the lids on theirs, because the cans are overfilled. I have to avert my eyes, lest I go can diving for all the things I could take with me when I drop off my recyclables.
We use reusable bottles and bring bags when we shop. We also joined a CSA and shop at the Farmer’s Market.
I got a floor steamer, no chemicals on my floor anymore! The house doesn’t smell like chemicals anymore either! Its so easy. I also keep some reuseable bags in the car for whenever we go shopping!
Those bags are adorable. We just bought reusable bags to use at the grocery and I’ve seen my husband using them for other things as well…easy changes to make and glad we did it.
I bought a Brita waterfilter and a reusable water bottle to cut down on how many plastic bottles I use.
These are so fun! I have one bag that is similar but more would always be great!
In the last year, I’ve been slowly making changes to our lives in order to have an impact on our environment. I’ve switched to a completely natural laundry detergent, I print on both sides and recycle unused paper, we are on our *last* roll of paper towels and are switching to cloth napkins and such, and we’re even selling my car this week and becoming a one-car family!
Thanks for the encouragement to support Earth Day!
When I do have to get plastic grocery bags, I save them and reuse them for EVERYTHING. We also try to walk or ride our bike to town when we can.
I bought a Hybrid car a couple of years ago, and I absolutely LOVE IT!! It’s great!! I’ve changed all my lightbulbs to Energy Saver, and I try to combine shopping trips. We all can do something!
Those bags are so cute! :) My husband and I are about to have our first child in a couple of weeks and we are going to primarily use cloth diapers.
We avoid all disposable products – paper towels, diapers (yay cloth!), etc. whenever possible. We’re also a one car family with a bike trailer and a bus pass!
Instead of driving to the grocery store – we take a long walk! We have a little push-cart so at least we don’t have to carry everything home. :)
I made the switch at the beginning of the school year from disposables (baggies/napkins/drink bottles/cutlery) to all reusable items in my son’s lunches. Also, our family has cut way back on meat (especially red) and enjoy vegetarian dinners at least twice a week. It feels good to go green! :)
I live a mile and a half from work and have decided, it’s not worth driving to work and I’ve started unplugging items that aren’t being used.
I cloth diaper, use a refillable water bottle, take reusable shopping bags to the grocery store, recycle, make my own cleaning supplies, carpool and walk as much as possible (to get from point a to point b). :-)
Adorable bags! I am trying to cut back on chemical-based cleaning products.
I love these cupcakes!
I’m helping out in my local community by organizing a hazardous waste event with coworkers! We’re collecting items that are usually disposed of improperly that cause harm by ending up in landfills (such as batteries, aerosol cans, oil, paint, gasoline, medications, propane tanks, electronics, and appliances).
On a more personal level, I have approximately 6 or 7 reusable grocery bags that I use not only for food shopping but also to carry books, my lunch, dishes to my friends’ for parties, etc.
I love being to nice mother earth as she has given us so much!
Cute cupcakes and bags! I’m a teacher and I’ve cut down on the number of handouts I give, opting instead to have students read from their computers when we have a document to read. I also recycle paper and bottles/cans at school!
Julie
I use organic cloth diapers!
We are HUGE recyclers in our house. For the items that the city doesn’t take, we drive them to a place that does. It’s kind of chaotic in our garage at times, but it sure is worth it!
We use reusable bags for shopping, and really focus on our energy consumption everyday at our home.
Once I moved to Richmond for med school, I was devastated that the apartments don’t offer recycling! SO, I ordered a recycling bin to go to my parents’ house, picked it up, and have been driving my recyclables for the last 2 years to the firestation for recycling. It makes me feel so good!
We switched from using paper filters to the gold filter on our coffee pot and use our own travel mugs. Which saves filters, starbucks disposable cups, etc.
We use a water filter on the kitchen sink instead of buying plastic bottles.
We recycle.
I already recycle, but would like to be more diligent about it. I don’t buy styrofoam plates, etc … I’d like to start using the reusable bags when I go grocery shopping.
These bags are super cute and great!!!
I’m trying to watch the amount of paper that I waste… I always use whole pieces of computer paper to jot down short lists and then throw it away… Today I cut the paper in quarters so it is a smaller sheet. I’m also going to start putting the paper like that along with the newspapers so that it is recycled.
Hey, reading through these comments I realized that I’m more green that I thought and I thought I wasn’t at ALL! Sadly though most of my “green” activities are due to our budget shortage rather than preserving the planet. Bottled water is too expensive and so are clorox wipes. I’ve been using a spray bottle with cleaner in it and a washcloth since I was little. At home, we get one cup a day (sometimes longer) to drink from. We don’t use paper plates or paper napkins either and although I don’t have cloth grocery sacks…I do reuse my plastic ones until the handles break. I with there was a “green” way to air condition a home. In the winter we cut our fuel bill by burning wood collected from trees that have fallen from spring tornados.
Small cars!! No SUV’s for us!
We compost all our veggie scraps to help make soil for our veggie garden and we always try to bring our own bags with us to the grocery store! But none of our bags are that cool…
Thank you so much for this opportunity! We are also trying with the paper towels, but I feel like we are just doing more loads of laundry (we are a messy family). But reusable shopping bags are right up our alley.
Thanks!
We have started composting and recycling. I am teaching my 2 3 year olds the importance of recycling and using the compost in the garden. They love helping plant things in the garden, and couldn’t be more excited about it!
What a great giveaway!
No more plastic water bottles!
We always use reusable bags, and I have a reusable water bottle.
I’ve started using reusable bags, but so far just the ugly ones they sell at the grocery store. These bags are super cute!
Our whole family has really gotten into recycling. I am switching over to non-toxic househyold cleaners as well.
Instead of buying water bottles I have switched my husband and I over to using reusable bottles. We also only use cloth towels in the kitchen.
I have stopped using plastic water bottles and bought one that’s reusable.
I always use travel mugs and bring coffee from home so I am not buying coffee in paper cups with plastic lids anymore! I would really like to try eliminating the plastics bags at the supermarket too..
We recycled all our milk jugs this month. I can’t believe how many we recycled so far this month: 12.
I re-use all of my water bottles, use mostly tupperware for when I bring my lunch to work and recycling at home!! I grew up recycling so it is 2nd nature to me! I try and use re-useable bags but forget to put them back in the car! So…winning the giveaway would allow me to keep the rolled up bag in my purse!!
Composting. It will help my flower and vegetable gardens and also reduce the amount of trash.
We have always separated our trash so that we recycle as much as possible. Now I am starting to use reusable grocery bags. One thing I would like to eliminate is the use of paper towels.
My husband and I made the decision to live in the area where we work, play and shop. Our offices, favorite restaurants, the grocery store, and gym are all within one mile. We almost never need to drive more than a few miles to get to where we’re going and we walk whenever possible. Not only is it reducing our carbon footprint, but we love our neighborhood and enjoy the short commute. The goal for this year is to move away from plastic bottles and paper plates – we use them far too often.
With 4 kids we do lots of RRR….they have it hammered into them at school and at Cub Scouts besides at home! The earth has a great shot with these guys as our future! We even make our own earth friendly laundry soap! Great on sensitive skin too!
We bought plastic totes and have them in our basement for paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, and aluminum. We use re-useable containers for leftovers so we aren’t throwing garbage away. We pay very close attention to the energy we use in our home. We use reusable bags for shopping. We buy as many fresh foods as possible and visit the farmer’s market often. We also buy environmentally friendly cleaning products for our home. A goal I am setting for myself is buying a water purifier so I don’t use ANY plastic bottles anymore.
I use reusable shopping bags whenever I shop. I’m also a teacher and have cut down on the extra copies I make. I’ve also saved a ton of handouts that don’t have any marking on them and will use them next year. Our school has done a tone to be more “green” though. It’s been really nice to see!
We’re going to use cloth diapers when baby arrives in June! No, not the old-school prefolds with safety pins… They have so many hip diaper versions out there. We’re using GroBaby which have a waterproof shell and organic cotton liners that snap in/out with each change!!!
I implemented a recycling program in my office. I had to contact the city to schedule pick up times and request receptacles. It’s working out GREAT so far!!!
We use reusable bottles instead of plastic bottles!
We use reusable containers & water bottles, recycle as much as possible, and try to use towels instead of paper towels (but with 3 boys + husband it’s not so easy).
I have bought some reusable rags, to try and reduce the number of paper towels we use. It seems to be working!
I stopped using plastic water bottles and finally bought myself a reusable one and its great! I’ve been trying to stop using the plastic bags, as well, when shopping but I need to work on this one more!
From my make-up and shampoo containers to all the empty bottles and boxes left over from cooking, I recycle everything. When my fiance gets a granola bar out of the box, I remind him that he needs to recycle it. He teases me for being recycling obsessed, but we are always amazed that the little effort to recycle yields so much. We also live in a city, so I use my car maybe once a week or once every two weeks.
Finally, I absolutely love your blog, Annie. I went to Butler in Indy for undergrad and now live on the east coast for law school, so it is fun to actually have been some of the places you blog about.
We have eliminated a lot of our paper waste this year–we only use paper towels when handling meat, dish towels for everything else; we use cloth napkins; we don’t use disposable cleaning wipes. Our trash has gone way down and we don’t even do an extra load of laundry with the new cloth habits.
I use reusable shopping bags and also reuse my plastic sandwich baggies! I also reuse jars to hold sauces and spices.
For our grocery bags, even though we still often use the plastic ones given by the grocery store, we always reuse as them as our lunch bags, then as liners for our trashcans at home – we don’t even buy garbage bags! It may mean that they fill up quickly and we have to take the trash out all the time, but I feel like it helps a little!
I already recycle and use reusable containers whenever possible. The next main thing I want to do is get our house set up for using rain water to water our plants and garden. It’s actually fairly easy to set up using existing gutters, a pump, and tank.
We fill up our bins each week and my 5 year old even started recycling in her classroom! (:
What a wonderful idea Annie! My husband and I just purchased our first home in October and we are working on getting a EEM which is an Energy Efficient Mortgage. If we are approved it could cut our energy use tremendously! Here is a website for anyone who might be interested in doing the same:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=bldrs_lenders_raters.energy_efficient_mortgage
And if I don’t win I think I’m still going to buy those bags, so cute and exactly what I’ve been looking for in a reusable grocery bag.
I try to use reusable grocery bags. I say try because sometimes I forget to put them back in my car. I also get my coffee in a carbon credit travel mug. No more paper waste for me!
We have drastically reduced our trash by recycling and composting. (We basically have 1 bag of trash every other week now for a family of 4.) Also I bought reusable baggies for lunches so we don’t use disposable sandwich bags.
My daughter is an avid recycler and would come over and take my trash home with her to recycle. Can you believe that? I now do not use plastic of any sort and recycle myself, so she converted me! Save the planet one person at a time is her motto.
Cute cupcakes! I currently use reusable shopping bags whenever I go shopping and I am trying to use less paper towels!
I don’t own a car anymore!
I use reusable coffee mugs and water bottle at work. We use recycleable bags at the grocery store and when we shop. The bags you’re giving away are so chic!
I’ve started using reusable water bottles and coffee mugs and bringing food to work in plastic, reusable containers instead of plastic bags. I’d love to stop using plastic grocery bags as well!
I have already recycled thanks to my city, but I have started to make my own cleaners with vinegar, water and Dr. Bronners soap. I love them and am always looking for more ways to go green.
I’m starting a compost pile this year for the garden. It’s a great way to reduce yard and kitchen waste and great for fertilizer!
I have been gradually doing more green things, such as lightbulbs and some reusable shopping bags and green cleaning products.
No more bottled water, and our new house is “energy efficient” (although not technically green, we have tried to be frugal in the resources department). I WANT to start using reusable bags, and have a couple but they are not sturdy for the purchasing I do!
We try to do so many things! Recycle everything we can, use re-useable bags (I love these because they get small enough to throw in your purse just in case!), use water bottles, re-useable coffee mugs, etc etc… but also trying to eat less meat and more veggies, eat locally and all of that.
Love the cupcakes! They are adorable!
These bags are so cute! I use reusable bags when I go grocery shopping. I also have stopped using plastic water bottles and recycle more than I did before. Happy Earth Day!
One change I’ve made in the past year: switching to natural cleaning, laundry, and personal care products.
I’ve switched to biodegradable laundry soap, cleaning spray, toilet bowl cleaner, etc. I try to keep any yucky chemicals from going down our drains!
After hearing about some not-so-nice ingredients in everyday toiletries, I’ve also switched out my soap, shampoo, shaving cream, lotion, and have even switched to natural makeup!
I really believe, like you do, that it’s the small things that make a difference!!
I have quit driving to work. I walk to the bus and take that to the train system here, which drops me off at work! =)
I try to bike whenever possible!
Well mine isnt too new or exciting but i recycle the plastic grocery bags in their bins that most store offers. I use my reusable bags most of the time as well.
On very nice days which is rare in central PA i will walk the 2 miles….exercise and not polluting the air!
Recycle plastic bottles and cans at work as well as use recyclable bags for shopping.
I recycle everything I can and try to donate as many items to goodwill as I can instead of throwing stuff away. I love your website Annie…. I look forward to your posts every day.
I cloth diaper my baby boy!! The dipes are cute and earth friendly!!
We seperate ALL our trash now. It’s sometimes hard with a baby, but we stick to it. We’ve also quit buying bottled water and are using tap!
We currently recycle our paper at my office, but I would also like to go further and recycle all the pop cans we go through here. The only vending machine we have is pop cans, so it wouldn’t be too big or difficult to start this.
BTW, LOVE your site :)
These cupcakes turned out adorable! I know I need to make a more conscience effort to be a little more environment friendly. So I want to start by cutting down on the use of paper towels and these bags could help me have so many of those stupid plastic bags from the grocery store.
We have finally started recycling. I was amazed the first few weeks by how much recycling reduced our regular trash.
I love your blog! I recycle and use a Nalgene bottle for my water every day. I would like to start using reuseable bags at the grocery.
In the last 6 months, my family of six has worked to become a paper-free kitchen, we use reusable “unpaper” towels and eliminated paper plates, napkins, etc. We are doing pretty good with it so far.
I’m going to ride my bike to work everyday in the summer. Plus, I’ve started reusing plastic baggies that just had pretzels or crackers in them.
I try to resuse and recycle as much as possible.
I plan to use less paper cups!
I drive a hybrid, take public transportation to work, recycle, use reusable water bottles and grocery bags, and generally do as much as I can to be as environmentally responsible as possible! Here is a great list of tips for people looking for ideas of ways they can make a difference: http://www.aqua.org/dolphins/what-you-can-do-tips.html
I have always been a big fan of recycling and do it as much as possible. We’ve also started composting to cut down on our trash output. I bring my own grocery/shopping bags as much as possible and have been making them for friends and family to encourage them to use them!
Thanks for the giveaway!
We have switched to mostly reusable shopping bags – trying to remember them all times gets to be tough, but we are working on it!
I wash and reuse Ziplocs if they have only been used once or twice. Yes, I can admit it!
I use cloth diapers on my 2 youngest and I’m in the process of switching over to cloth wipes
We started cooking almost everything from scratch to cut down on all of the packaging waste from all of the prepared foods we were eating. As an added bonus, our food is healthier and much tastier. And we got to discover great foodie blogs like yours!
We avoid drinking bottled water and recycle all our plastic & paper goods at home!
I pack my lunches in reuseable containers. I also go shopping at the grocery store and the mall with my own shopping bags. I also recycle like crazy. I take the train and walk to work everyday.
Hi!! First of all I love your blog. I’m not sure if I’ve ever left a comment before, but I do know that I’ve linked back to you when I’ve tried some of your recipes. They’ve all been great, by the way. Having six kids we’ve recycled a ton of things, ie, clothes, toys, other baby/kid items. :) We’re constantly trying to create less waste around our home. We always use reusable grocery sacks, however they are usually the ugly ones from the store. I never even knew these bags existed. They are adorable. What a great giveaway!
We use washable containers for lunches… no more plastic for us either. And always have my eco-friendly shopping bags in the car so I never get caught without them. But I certainly could use those cool ones! 50 pounds? Wow!
Since we’ve moved to Colorado, we’re gotten very “green” – I’ve got a ton of re-usable grocery bags (the cheap ones from the stores, not as nice as those!), we recycle, and I just started a compost. We grow a ton of our own veggies (organically) in the backyard in the summer. And we use a swamp cooler to cool the house in the summer, which uses a fraction of the energy that an air conditioner does (good for the earth and our wallet!).
I sell antiques, so am totally into reusing or repurposing everything! I plan to buy a personal water bottle and get away from buying flats of water everyweek. Great blog!
I commute by bus to work now! :)
Recycle, recycle, recycle
ever since my bf moved in, we’ve been sorting our trash & recyclables… no easy feat in a cramped apt! we’ve also both gotten used bikes for transportation during the weekend and ALWAYS reuse our trader joe’s paper bags for groceries. having the RuMe bags would be a great substitution for our (falling apart) old paper bags!
putting a brick in the toilet – to save water
shutting off the lights
unplugging electronic devices when not in use
using energy efficient lightbulbs!
Happy Earth Day.
My husband and I just moved into the city and we now have curbside recycling…which I am super excited about! I also am making the transition from plastic to reusable grocery bags. I have a pattern to crochet some and hope to have time to do that this summer!
I switched from using platic bags to reusable ones. It took me awhile to just used to using them as I would always forget them in my car.
We do not use throw away packaging anymore–no plastic bags, paper bags, napkins, etc. Everything we use to store food is wash & resuable. We also buy all our produce from a local farm that doesn’t pollute the environment with harsh chemicals.
We are eating locally and organically and have become avid recyclers. I realized how old my eyes have gotten when I realized it was a strain to read the numbers on the bottom of plastic. :)
First, I love your blog. I’m amazed at how you have the time and engery to accomplish so many things. As for the environment, my husband and I carpool as often as possible. I have to pass his office to get to mine so I usually drop him off and then continue on to mine.
We’ve done lots of things. At the office we’ve changed to getting faxes electronically. We’re doing client reviews on the computer then e’ing copies to those who are ok with that instead of paper. Overall, we hope to cut our consumption of paper by 75%. At home we’ve doubled our garden space, switched to compact flourescent bulbs, put the tv’s on power strips, recycled anything we can, are using reusable shopping bags (I like yours better!,) built (and are using) a compost bin, switched to Tracey Clean cleaners (she’s local and I love her cleaning supplies,) leftovers go in a reusable plastic container instead of plastic bag…
Since the weather has gotten nicer, I’ve started biking the 3 miles to school almost every day. Now that I’ve started, I really don’t want to stop (even for rain). Maybe I’ll get a poncho. My boyfriend and I have also started cooking our meals from scratch instead of buying prepared foods. It’s cheaper, healthier, and we enjoy the time together.
We don’t use plastic water bottles anymore and bought a very gas efficient car.
No more water bottles for us. I use recycled grocery bags and I wash my ziplock baggies.
We recycle EVERYTHING! We’ve gone an entire year without buying bottled water, and we’ve started a mini garden this year! We have green bell peppers, red bell peppers, snow peas, basil, cilantro, and parsley!
We started using reusable bags a few months ago and I LOVE THEM! They hold so much! However, I’ve noticed they’ve started to wear, so I’d love these cute bags!
We switched almost all of our lightbulbs to CFLs and I bring a reusable water bottle to work every day.
I use a nalgene water bottle daily (no bottled water for me!) and I use reusable bags almost all the time for groceries :)
We bought a Brita filter & Camelback bottles for everyone in the family. We switched all bulbs to CFL’s. We walk more & drive less. I cut up an old sheet for cleaning cloths to reduce the number of paper towels we use. We refuse store bags whenever possible. We cook at home lots more often, and try to focus on local & fresh ingredients.
I try to do a lot of little things – bringing my own bags to the grocery store, using a low-flow shower head, use “green” cleaners, use reusable rags rather than paper towels, use an adjustable thermostat, recycle everything I can, etc.
i recycle everything, compost, by from and sell to consignment shops, use reusable water bottles, and LOVE my reusable shopping bags! I also pick up the recyclables from my office and take them home to recycle on my own. Oh, and I use cloth rags and towels instead of paper, and the new light bulbs. I love recycling!
These bags are way cuter than the ones I carry around. : )
We’ve given up on paper towels!
I’ve switched to reusable bags as much as possible. I only have a couple though so big shopping trips are tough.
We have already started using reuseable grocery bags and we recycle as much as possible.
We have stopped using paper towels in our home, and often use cloth napkins as well. Also, I am in the process of switching to using only reusable shopping bags, and those RuMe bags are super cute! We also have pretty much eliminated prepackaged food in our home. And, when I’m home with the kids, we take walks more often to places instead of driving….great exercise too:)
Thanks for the giveaway, LOVE your blogs!
These are so pretty.
I take the bus to work! And will use these bags, if I win them :)
I work from home now and drive considerably less.
We already recycle in our home and wash and reuse Ziploc bags. I plan to use reusable shopping bags more as our twins get potty trained. (We currently use the plastic shopping bags for dirty diapers. Hopefully they’ll be trained sooner than later!)
I keep an aluminum water bottle, plate, bowls, several coffee cups, and a few sets of silverware in my office at work so that I don’t have to use paper plates, disposable utensils, or paper coffee cups when I have lunch or go to meetings. My officemates and I also wash and reuse plasticware if we have cake and people don’t have their own silverware.
We’ve eliminated plastic water bottles and plan to do the same with plastic bags and paper towels.
I think being green is so important! I even did a speech about it in my speech glass last year. What do I do to help? I don’t leave the water on while brushing my teeth, I don’t take showers longer than 10 minutes, My roommate and I have a recycling bin in our dorm room and I have a compost bin in my backyard at home that we put all our scraps of food in.
I always bring my reuseable bags to the grocery store and go to the Farmer’s Market to try and purchase my food locally.
I am a meticulous recycler. I make sure to recycle all my plastics, paper and other household materials and am also planning on starting to compost once we move out of our apartment.
Blue velvet? I love it!
I have started recycling everything in my apartment– from pop bottles to shampoo bottles, and using a metal water-bottle instead of buying plastic. I’ve also bought a bowl and utensils to use at my desk so I don’t end up using disposable things to eat with. Baby steps, but I’m trying!
I’ve stopped using plastic bags and water bottles. I’ve increased recycling to include glass, cardboard, and aluminium. I’m also weaning myself from paper plates.
A few things I’ve done to help: using a reusable lunch tote, travel mugs and regular mugs at work/home, using shopping totes, turning off most of my lights even at home, using CFL light bulbs, planting my own vegetables.
I just planted a garden
I make my own household cleaners, recycle everything possible, always use reusable bags when grocery shopping, and use a menstrual cup instead of environmentally unfriendly tampons and pads.
Super cute cupcakes! I try really hard to be conscious of the waste we are putting out by recycling and washing and reusing what we can. I try to always use reusable water bottles (sometimes with kids you have to purchase a bottle while out though). And also this year have been really crazy about making sure light are out and electronics are unplugged.
We recycle! We’ve also tried to drastically cut back on paper towel and water bottle usage! And by the way, I love this blog! Whenever I am looking for a new recipe this is where I come! Thanks!
I just bought a fuel-efficient car! And have been using more reusable bags at stores. LOVE your blog! (And I’ve been hoping for some bags just like this…)
I try to be green on a daily basis. I take a reusable water bottle to work, take my lunch in a reusable lunch bag, bring real utensils. I make sure that we recycle everything in my house!
We are a very environmentally conscious family which includes eating a vegetarian diet, recycling, walking/biking wherever we can within reason and always drinking tap rather than bottled water. We are working with our 4 year old to limit his waste of water because he loves to keep it running while brushing his teeth and taking a bath!
There a quite a few things we already do, but have been less than perfect at (riding the bus to work, using real plates instead of paper at work, buying organic, etc), but with renewed spirit, we are going to get better at all of those things and more!
Happy Earth Day!
We try to limit our trash as much as possible. We use cloth diapers and wipes on my daughter, recylce everything that we can, and compost our food scraps. I wasn’t sure how the composting would go, but we keep a little collection bin on the counter (no stink, bugs, etc. even here in Hotlanta) and DH is in charge of emptying it into our outdoor compost area.
My husband is a science teacher and is always encouraging his students to “live green”, so we do a lot to make sure he practices what he preaches. We compost everything we can (you’d be suprised what composts- including baby wipes!) and have a small vegetable plot in our yard even though we live in the city, we recycle everything we can, my husband has “eco-modded” his car to improve gas mileage, we walk or bike whenever we can (my daughter looks super cute in her bike seat!), use LED lights where we can and CFLs otherwise, keep our house cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer to cut down on climate control, and use reuseable bags for lunches, shopping and travel.
There are so many small things you can do to make just that little bit of difference. The list seems long, but none of it is that difficult or time-consuming (except the car stuff- “eco-modding” is a bit extreme for most normal people). Excellent post and give-a-away, Annie!
Mostly they are little things, but ever little bit counts! I am continously turning off lights around the house or even at work if no one is using them, we recycle, I try to use reusable bags or reuse the plastic bags as much as possible, and most importantly we teach our 4 year old son the importance of taking care of the environment; that way we hope to “pass it on”.
Several members of my household walk everywhere (no cars, by choice), I bike as much as I can during the Spring/Summer/Fall (hard to bike in Montana in Winter), we use reusable water bottles/travel coffee mugs/lunch and shopping totes/plastic containers and basically anything else that we can find to avoid a “throw-away” item. And we recycle. And we compost. And my best-friend uses cloth diapers, which isn’t technically my contribution to the world, but I am proud :)
i gave up plastic sandwich and snack bags and am using reusable ones to tote my lunch each day. every little bit helps!
We try to have more recycling each week than garbage and do a pretty good job of it. We also added a compost bin to our backyard last summer!
My husband and I use SIGG water bottles instead of plastic bottles and have a pitcher with a filter in our fridge.
Nalgene all the way :) No more Deer Park & Dasani!
I use a reusable water bottle for work everyday and also use recycle bags myself when shopping.
I use washable cleaning clothes instead of paper towels for cleaning the house.
Love you’re site! I take my lunch to work in reuseable containers and use a resusable water bottle at work as well!!
We’ve recently started using compostable garbage bags for what trash does go to the dump. We’ve also made a concentrated effort to reduce the waste coming from our family using recycling and composting. Plus it’s great for the garden!!
We raise our own chickens,turkeys and pigs for food, use no plastic and grow much of our own food, for preservation. Less waste all the way around :)
We recycle, use reusable shopping bags, buy in bulk, make more foods from scratch, use reusable lunch totes and travel mugs, and my husband takes public transportation to work. It’s amazing how much money you can save by helping to save the environment. Win-win!
We bought a Prius! In addition to already using reusable bags, composting, recycling rainwater for our garden etc…
I love those bags! We use reuseable bags for our groceries, recycle paper, reusable water bottles, and are about to start adventures in composting.
I am in college, and I walk everywhere I go :)
Your cupcakes are just adorable! Love them! Very cute!
Our household has made some major changes this year. We have switched over to filtered water instead of buying bottle waters. We recycle everything we can. Good bye to paper plates, we now use regular plates at all times. Reusable coffee cups when we fill-up at Starbucks. No more plastic bags at the grocery store, we bring along our reuseable bags.
Great post and thanks for this wonderful giveaway.
Happy Earth Day!!
We bring reuseable bags to the grocery store and also dont use plastic water bottles anymore. This year we will also be doing a garden for the first time. Im so excited!
I have 4 kids who come home from school with a ton of paper. We go through and re-use anything that is one sided to print on, and recycle the rest. I haven’t bought paper in 6 mos. or more! Even if you don’t have kids you can still re-use your “junk” mail most only has printed info on 1 side.
I love your blog and have been following it for a couple of years now. It is a great inspiration! I’m definitely considering getting some of these bags for myself. They’re so cute! We try to do as much as we can to help the planet. We recycle weekly, use re-usable grocery bags and water bottles, compost veggie scraps, coffee grounds, and leaves, use cloth napkins, among other things.
In the past 8 years I have only driven to work a handful of times. I either biked, take the bus, walk, or carpool occasionally.
Both my husband and I walk to work every day instead of taking the metro or a cab. Our next step is to buy and eat less processed food and start sticking with more organic and homemade things. Oh and we’ve started taking our tumblers to Starbucks to replace the paper cups!!
It is so easy to use plastic baggies with kids. They are portable and seal well (yellow and blue make green right?). Anyways, I have started using reusable plastics containers in their lunch boxes instead of buying single serve snacks or using plastic baggies. I even use sandwich boxes so even their sandwiches are not in baggies – it also helps it not get smooshed by the banana in their lunch box!
Other than the usual recycling cardboard and paper, using reusable shopping bags, and composting, I started something this year that is not only more environmentally friendly, but has started to save me some money. I make on average 4-6 dozen cupcakes/muffins a month, and have completely switched over to using silicone baking liners, they aren’t all that expensive, and come in lots of different colours and sizes. I smile even more so now when I’m done decorating, thinking of all the paper I just saved from being thrown out.
I use travel mugs, no more water bottles, turning off lights, making my own laundry detergent and using the plastic containers from store bought detergent over and over, and moved to cloth diapers and wipes for my twins
One of my favorite things to do is make homemade cleaners and use microfiber towels instead of papertowels!
I use a Brita water pitcher instead of constantly buying water bottles!
I started using cloth diapers w/ my 7 month old daughter back in January… it has made a HUGE difference in the amount of trash we have each week!
We shop at a grocery store that will not/does not have plastic shopping bags. This forced us to convert to reusable grocery bags, which we had sort of started anyway, but now I never forget them at home. Because otherwise I have to get paper bags with no handles and those are a pain to haul in to the house. But I could definitely use some nicer/prettier reusable bags like the ones you are giving away!
Now that it’s nice again I’ve been biking to work. Exhausting but rewarding. :)
I am doing better about recycling since our city joined RecycleBank, but I am a big believer in the Reduce/Reuse part – it comes first for a reason! Recycling paper is painful for me – it is actually better overall to make new paper than recycle it! But I am really trying to REDUCE – the amount of paper that comes into our home (e-billing, catalog elimination), and the amount of things I buy in general – it is easy with 4 kids to buy for to get carried away! I am being more diligent about REUSING too – I have been selling the kids outgrown clothes at a local consignment store, and being careful about donating any household things still in good condition to Goodwill.
I use a reusable cup whenever possible and reuse my water bottles. My city does not have recycling (gasp!) so I have my own bins and take it to my mom when I go to visit. I also try to use my reusable bags when I go to the grocery. The ones you are giving away are adorable!
To help do my part to keep our earth green, I am not using the plastic cups for my coffee in the morning. I bring my own cute mug from home! I’ve even got some co-workers following my trend :-)
I haven’t used a plastic water bottle in years, and though I’d like to say my roommates and I use a water filter because it’s eco-friendly, the truth is that everyone in our town does because the water tastes terrible! I love these bags and they are the first I’ve seen that I wouldn’t feel foolish walking out of HEB with.
I love your blue velvet cupcakes! I love experimenting with colors = )
My roommates and I not only separate our recycling into specific bins, but we’ve also started using travel mugs over the past year and try to use them whenever we go to caf’es so as not to use up styrofoam or paper cups.
We’re also intensely interested in shopping locally and eating only local grass-fed meat and I strongly encourage you all to do the same!
Another fun tip about local stuff…if you get bad allergies/spring fever, eat your local honey! Because the bees pick up local flower pollen, you ingest some bits of those in the honey and your body is able to build up an immunity.
Love your blog,
Claire
I have compost bin and a rain barrel in my backyard. Will be purchasing another rain barrel in May. Besides helping the earth, I am saving money. Money to put towards causes I believe in. Have a vegetable garden and also frequent the farmer’s market and the 50 Amish farmers who auction their produce cooperatively at a local auction house.
I switched all of my lightbulbs to the energy savers. Got a “green” MacBook Pro. And I am looking into buying a hybrid when I graduate from college
I have given up plastic water bottles. I either take a large cup or water or use the stainless reusable bottles.
I only drink water out of my SIGG bottle now. I used to buy 24 packs of bottled water, but that was too wasteful and also, pricey.
We no longer use paper plates or cups at home. I am no longer going to buy pastic water bottle to use at work, I’ve aquired some travel mugs.
Just wanted to say I’m new to your site but visit everyday…just wish I had the time to bake right now. But someday I will again…
We replaced all of our lightbulbs with more efficient ones, and we’re making much more of an effort to recycle everything we can. I do still get quite a few plastic grocery bags but we reuse every single one of them, for bread (we bake our own then bag it in plastic for freshness), to hold wet gear after swim class, or to collect DDs pull ups for the trash.
i’m transitioning to paper-less in the kitchen. so far so good. i go through a roll of paper towels once every three or more months which is a significant reduction. i’m really happy with the system so far. i still have a ways to go, but we’re getting there.
I use old newspapers and magazines to make beads for jewelry.
We keep our heat set about 3 degrees cooler than we used to in the winter, have taught our kids not to keep the water running, and have switched to environmentally friendly microfiber cleaning clothes that disinfect with only water.
I plan to eliminate taking plastic produce bags while at the store, instead I will buy or sew my own. I’ve done this before with canvas, but it didn’t work out quite right.
Great recipe and fantastic giveaway! I’ve really been thinking consciously this past year. I’ve gotten away, almost entirely, from using commercial cleaners. Instead, I opt for vinegar, water, hydrogen peroxide, and other less toxic cleansers. I have become much more aware of how many produce bags, paper towels, and Ziploc bags I use. I’ve also really clamped down on single-use water bottles. I’m now the Nalgene queen!
I started consistently using my reusable grocery bags about 3 months ago – I got to the grocery store about twice a week so those plastic bags can really add up. Would love another reusable bag to bring along – sometimes all of my groceries won’t fit in the two that I have.
Those cupcakes are adorable!
I like your tip about printing fewer recipes, so I’ll definitely try that. I do try to make shopping lists on envelopes from junk mail or other scrap paper.
This one’s controversial…lol…but we recently switched to cloth diapers and we love it!!!
My New Year’s resolution was to remember my shopping bags. I’m doing pretty well but I only have 3 really good sturdy, stretchy ones, so I always end up with a few plastic bags too (which we reuse to line trash cans). We have always recycled but are trying to focus on reducing our trash by reusing more, breaking down packaging, buying less, etc.
I am trying my hardest to recycle everything I can in the house and use the reusable bags when shopping. So more of the bags would be nice ;)
We don’t use plastic bags in our house anymore. We use reusable shopping bags for groceries and shopping and tupperware instead for lunches and storing food.
My husband built a compost for our backyard about 6 months ago. We have a container inside the house in which we put our everyday scraps and take them outside when it is full. We also recently built above ground gardens and are growing a variety of vegetables. We are also members of a local co-op from which we get all of our fruits and vegetables.
We use recyclable bags when we go to the store and don’t own a car. The next step in helping the planet I believe would be join an urban garden and begin learning how to grow our own herbs and vegetables.
We use travel mugs and reusable water bottles, compost our food scraps and then use the compost on our garden, use re-usable grocery bags, carpool to save gas, have cut WAY back on paper towel use, banned paper napkins and use cloth ones… we’re taking in steps, doing what we can, and enjoying the process! :)
We started a small (organic) veggie garden last year, and this year I’m going to set up compost bins nearby.
Less plastic – using a water pitcher with a filtation system on it rather than buying bottled water, using reusable leftover bowls rather than plastic throw-aways, reusable shopping bags, etc – as well as recycling.
I gave up my bottled water habit and have been using a filtered pitcher. Also just planted my garden! Try to buy locally whenever possible.
We’ve recently given up plastic water bottles and paper towels.
I don’t use water bottles we use re-usable water bottles and drink tap water.
We recycle plastic, paper, etc. We changed all of our light bulbs to the eco-friendly version and added dimmers. We live in the city so we are a one car family and use public transportation as frequently as possible. We take our own bags to the grocery store, that is why I am excited about these! I have the ones you get for a dollar at the store!!
I recycle, carry a reusable water bottle, and use reusable bags. Now that spring has arrived and summer is on its way we will start going to the farmer’s market each week for fruit & veggies and I’d really like to start composting. My dad has done it for as long as I can remember..now its my turn!
We have a garden, recycle, and put in a reverse osmosis water filter system so we carry our own water…..
I have been pondering lately of all of the things we WASTE and how to stop or cut down on OVERBUYING more “STUFF”.
Really there comes a time I think when you have to consider the jam packed closets and drawers and wonder do you really need it? Can someone else get some good out of it? Lastly, do I have enough sense NOT to fill it right back up once I purge what has accumulated? I smile as I wonder.
My third-grade class and I are picking up trash around our school grounds, planting flowers and trees and recycling paper in our classroom.
I have switched to all ‘green’ cleaning products and in our new home we are using NO VOC paint on all the walls!
There are so many things that we do now: Eat more organic foods – we have our own herb garden & tomatoes but zucchini and more veggies are my next to plant.
We use recycable bags for everything – grocery shopping and regular shopping trips, too. I always carry them with me.
We always donate clothes/unwanted house items at least twice a year whenever we clean house, too. Every little bit counts. ;-)
I use travel mugs and a reusable Contigo water bottle. It is no spill, too, which is perfect for my klutzy self!
Let’s see. Composting, recycling, biking everywhere, reusable cloth towels and napkins, travel mugs, keeping lights out and air conditioning low, reusable shopping bags, shopping a local markets, and a bunch of stuff I can’t think of now. :)
We have almost eliminated paper towels–you can do it!! I think the secret is to put them in an inconvenient location, then you really have to want one to go to the trouble.
We have tried to stop using plastic grocery bags and recyle more.
we’re trying to use no plastic grocery bags, and working on being better at recycling!
these rume bags are adorable!
Amy in SD
My family has faithfully recycled for several years – newspapers, cardboard, cans, plastic, etc.
I have a small compost bin underneath my kitchen cabinet and when it gets full, the contents are deposited into a larger compost bin outside. We use the “tea” from the breakdown of the food items to fertilize our garden.
We invested in a rain barrel several years ago and regularly collect rainwater in plastic milk jugs to use on our garden and flowers during particularly dry summer weeks here in North Carolina.
I don’t go anywhere without my reusable shopping bags. My local grocery store rewards customers for using the bags, and that’s a great incentive to continue to do so.
We joined a CSA program for the first time this year! I am so excited about getting fresh produce while supporting our local farmers. I also started using reusable bags when I go to the grocery store.
We recycle EVERYTHING (it has really cut down on our weekly trash too!) and I guess the biggest change we’ve made is that we use cloth diapers and cloth wipes on our baby, ever since she was about 8 weeks old! It is saving the environment AND $$ in our pocketbook!
This might be too personal of information to put out there, but I no longer use disposable pads or tampons. I switched to a menstrual cup about a year and a half ago. It saves me money and it saves a lot of resources too!
I’ve actually been thinking about trying to eliminate/reduce plastic bags! These would be perfect for my goal of getting rid of all the plastic in my life…and under my kitchen sink.
I yell profanities at my husband when he leaves the water running while brushing his teeth.. okay maybe not PROFANITIES :) But I do give him him my best impersonation of a stern talking too :) I also refuse to buy or accept styrofoam. :)
We “gave up” plastic water bottles a few years ago. In my home if you want to drink water you have to drink it out of a glass, and if you want to take some to go you need to fill up a Sigg bottle. I also pack my own lunch everyday, in reuseable containers, all packed into my reuseable “built” lunch tote.
I just switched from using regular laundry detergent and softner to Mrs Meyers and absolutely LOVE it (or I should say my husband loves it as he’s the one who does laundry) and it earth friendly! :)
I am trying to use more reusable water bottles instead of the throwaway kind and we recycle all newspapers, plastic bottles, etc.
Trying to walk more and use filtered water pitcher instead of buying plastic bottle with spring water in them.
we only buy energy efficient appliances and we keep our heat down as much as possible and don’t even have a/c!
I use reusable water bottles and mugs, and try to recycle as much as possible.
We’ve decreased the size of our trash bin by 1/2! It’s been a great way to encourage us to think about what we’re putting in our trash vs. what we can recycle. (Plus, it saves $!) We’ve also replaced buying plastic water bottles with SIGG cups and Kleen Kanteens. Small changes, but easy to implement for our family! Love your shopping bags! Thank you for your blog!
We recycle all household paper, plastic, glass & aluminun. We also pick up all non biodegradable litter.
Happy Earth Day – what cute cupcakes! We always try to look on freecycle for gardening stuff and have switched over to earth-friendly laundry and house cleaning products, among other things :)
The most recent thing I have done was buy a reusable water bottle and brita filter so no more plastic bottles.
We try and always bring our reusable bags with us whenever and wherever we are shopping and our family has really cut down on using plastic water bottles. I also try and go around and unplug appliances that aren’t being used.
Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
We planted a garden last year and plan to do it again this year. I use the square foot gardening to cut down on the water used. This year I am going to be more picky about planting things that need less water and chemicals.
I’m going to use only fabric shopping bags and try to break my bad habit of plastic water bottles!
We use canvas bags for our groceries.
We try to be green on a daily basis by recycling, using reusable bags, etc but our biggest change is that we are moving to be closer to downtown where my kids go to school and work, so that we all can bike or walk! We can’t wait!
We are going to one car, because my husband is going to ride his bike to work now. We are hoping that it works out!!!
I use reusable shopping bags, only cold water for laundry, recycle weekly, and we compost and grow a vegetable garden!
Recycling, using more green products and buying local. We even convinced my MIL to recycle if we promise to pick it up & drop it off at the recycling center for her!
I have switched to cloth diapers and cloth napkins.
What a great giveaway!! I always use my cloth bags. Whenever I empty them out after shopping, I place them on the doorknob of the front door so that I won’t forget to place them in the car. I also turn on the water only when I need it. I don’t allow it to run if something’s not immersed in it.
I’ve gotten really good about using reusable grocery bags but these are way cuter!
We have cut our use of paper towels down to 1 roll every 2-3 months! We also recycle everything that we can.
We started recycling a few weeks ago when we moved into our new house. Our apartment complex didn’t allow us to recycle, which made me sad. Now I’m happy! lol :)
We recycle EVERYTHING – even the smallest scraps of paper. :) We also use glass food storage containers instead of plastic (they last much longer) and in place of plastic bags.
I have recently switched over to Earth-friendly cleaning products and I love them! We have also started using reusable bags, but I can definitely use more. I like to stash them in our cars and some at home so we always have them nearby.
I’ve been consuming a diet higher in organic plant based foods to be a little greener and healthier!
I’ve been trying to be very conscious of the electricity I use at work. I leave the lights off in my office when I am not in it, and I only use half of the lights at a time. I’ve got two switches and I only turn one on.
We recycle and use shopping bags as much as we can. No light is left on when not in use, only cold water for our laundry, we buy local as much as we can, we grow our own herbs and I work for a green company and we are in a green LEED certified building.
We’re recycling a lot more and not using plastic water bottles. Trying, trying not to use so many paper towels. I would love to eliminate those plastic shopping bags!
Recycling, even though my apartment doesn’t offer the option I dump it into a cardboard box during the week and then haul it to my grandma’s on pick up day. Love the cupcakes!!
I no longer eat meat.
I use reusable shopping bags (but mine are ugly green), and I take a reusable cup for my daily Diet Dr. Pepper run, and I planted a garden! Love your blog!
We are changing over to florescent light bulbs as the other light bulbs burn out.
I use cloth bags when shopping.
We collect rain water to water our plants.
Easy changes…. but every little bit helps.
I walk whenever possible, use reusable shopping bags, switched all our lightbulbs out, cold water for laundry only!
I’ve given up plastic water bottles and styrofoam coffee cups at work. I’ve brought some favorites from home – ones with good memories that make me smile. Double bonus!
I bike to school as much as possible, recycle like crazy, and carry bags to the grocery store!
I have 14 month old twins and we try to be environmentally conscious to the best of our abilities, but since the boys have learned how to throw food, the amount of paper towels we’ve been using is ridiculous! I want to start cutting back as well. Plus, my whole family just cut back from eating meat every night, to eating meat one or two times a week. We eat so many more veggies now, so I am planning on starting a garden this year and buying from local farms. It is exciting.
I recycle as much of our household waste as possible. I am currently teaching my 2 year old what can and can’t be recycled. I am planning on starting a compost pile this weekend.
We cloth diaper our 1 year old & 2 year old now. We hope to have our own garden, compost, & rain barrel at our new house next year.
I just recently got rid of my gas guzzling SUV and got a more fuel efficient vehicle.
Love your blog and your love of good eating! Thanks so much for sharing.
I lived in Sweden for 20 yrs, and recycling and earty-friendly thinking is widespread there, as well as mandated by law. I remember the first Earth Day 30 yrs ago and am pleased at how environmental thinking is spreading even here in the US.
All lightbulbs in our home are low energy compact flourescents which we recycle at Home Depot. We do not throw used batteries in the garbage but take them back to Radio Shack, WalMart, etc to prevent nickel and cadmium polluting from our landfills. We recycle all newspapers, magazines, etc as well as all bottles and cans. We do not throw old paintcans in the garbage, either, but take them to the recycling center. Always take reusable bags for shopping! I promise to start riding my bike to work (3 miles each way) at least 2 days a week (as soon as I get new tires!) to minimize exhaust, save gasoline, and get exercise without having to pay a gym membership! My theory is that if I burn more calories I can eat more cupcakes! Win – Win situation!
We use reusable shopping bags and buy local as much as possible.
We have done a lot in our house but, now moving on to the kids.
We are trying to reuse any of the packaging for the kids items. For example using the wipe containers to store crayons and toys with small parts. Instead of swim diapers I am using the washable swim diapers. Hoping they work as well … no accidents to test them yet.
i’ve been riding public transportation to school every day! i love these bags…i need some! thanks for introducing them to me!
We purchased a bunch of plastic plates at the end of last summer (clearance sale!) and use those for all our parties instead of paper plates. If we just have friends coming for dinner, we use our “regular” plates, but it’s nice having a reuseable option when you have 20 people over for a bbq!
I am switching to environmentally friendly laundry detergent and dishwasher soap. They are the last two areas cleaning supplies to switch over!
We recycle, everything is reusable, compost and I’ve been using all the junk mail to make my own paper. Also, as we are moving, no new furniture, buying used and giving it a make over.
We’re pretty “green”, but I want to start composting soon so we can have our own compost for our garden
We reuse our plastic water bottles and try to walk or ride our bikes rather than drive when we can.
We traded in our cars for more fuel efficient ones and vacation close to home to reduce our carbon footprint!
We’ve switched to steel water bottles already but I’m researching ways to pack my oldest son’s lunch in reusable containers when he starts kindergarten this fall. This project is designed to give me something to occupy my mind this summer so I don’t remember to panic about my baby growing up…
We use re-usable water bottles and buy our water in 5 gallon containers. We re-cycle everything that we can, daily. We consolidate trips in the car. We compost and have a veggie garden. We eat only in-season produce.
When we move to our new home, we will raise chickens in our back yard and use their waste as compost and of course we’ll eat the eggs! We also will get back to buying as much, as possible from local growers and suppliers–over and above what we can’t grow ourselves. We need to purchase some new appliances and will check with our state or local energy supplier to learn which appliances are the most energy efficient, although it is tempting to buy used and save the land fill.
Areas to improve upon: remember to bring the bags in from the car to the store! My new rule is to have the bagger just put the items in my cart without a bag for me to bag at my car, should I forget to bring the bags into the store. Eat more organic foods–this can be so very expensive, but there are so many benefits to us.
We’re a one car family, we use nalgene bottles instead of plastic bottles, and we no longer use paper plates.
I’ve started biking to work – at least on the days when it’s not raining!
I have been reusable bags more often. I found that putting them right back in the vehicle after unloading groceries is best. I plan on to using them when I do non-grocery shopping as well.
my husband and i are reusing our dog food cans to make lanterns for our garden/yard. we will be drilling holes in the cans to allow the light to show through from a small tealight candle (or the battery operated kind). we are also looking at purchasing an energy effiecient washer & dryer. we don’t leave the water running when brushing teeth and we are taking faster showers to help save water.
I try to be conscious of the decisions I make and how they affect the environment. I always carry reusable bags with me and I’ve eliminated plastic water bottles. I bring my coffee in a thermos and I commute to work. I know this isn’t nearly enough, but it’s a start. I hope to start a garden soon, and like you I’d like to be aware of our paper towel use. We go through way more than a two-person household ought to. These bags look awesome. I’ve been meaning to buy new ones as mine are getting pretty worn through. Great Blog. I love the clean design.
I plan on biking to work instead of driving!
I make sure to bring a couple reusable cloth bags every time I get groceries; fewer plastic bags+ less strain on my hands= good for the planet & good for me :)
I’ve switched my banking/insurance/IRAs/etc over to paperless statements. I hardly ever get mail. I use canvas bags for shopping and am making the move to eating locally. I’m also very conscious of how much I drive–I consolidate trips and walk when I can (though, admittedly, this might have more to do with gas prices than eco-consciousness). And I’ve been making my own kitchen cleaners, too.
Rent text books instead of buying them. You do save a bit of money but you also save the planet! Yippee.
I’m at college, and I bought a bike a year ago and now I never drive to get around town. I realized that everything I need is within 7 miles of my house, so why drive? This way, I’m also in way better shape. The only time I use my car is when I’m visiting family and friends that live out of town.
We recycle, use our own shopping bags, grow vegetables and this year have added composting to our green efforts. So far, no compost, but it’s only April!
Love those bags! I went to Target this week and they gave me some new reusable bags for free in honor of Earth Day.. SCORE :-)
Annie, you rock. Just wanted to let you know !
we have been recyling bottles and paper for years now. in the last year i have made renewed efforts to bring my own bags w/ me when shopping – i’m doing much better when i go to the grocery store but tend to forget at other stores. i would love to try cookng directly from recipes on the computer – but w/ the computer a floor away that just isn’t realistic right now.
The bags are a great idea! We do not use paper towels or napkins, all of my cleaning & laundry supplies are “green”, we installed a bio-fuel stove for heat, & we have gone “paperless” on all of our bills & statements. My husband is looking at plans to install solar panels & a windmill that will generate electricity. Thank you for your blog, I so enjoy you sharing your life with us!
I try to remember to bring reusable grocery bags when I go shopping. I also drive much less than I used to now that I live closer to the city and can walk/take public transport almost everywhere!
We recycle, grow a vegetable garden, use reusable bags and containers, use wrap-n-mats for our sandwiches, and have metal canteens for our water.
Those bags are sooo lovely! I recently started using bags at the store, but they take up some room and are awkward in the cart… Those look wonderful!
My roomate & I are joining our first CSA in an effort to eat more locally grown produce.
I have been recycling for the past 20+ years. :)
We started a compost bin in our house for food scraps. My friend gave me a bunch of red wigglers and now I have beautiful compost for my garden this summer and there are fewer eggshells in my garbage. We also teach our children to keep the water OFF when brushing teeth and to take short showers!
My husband and I recently purchased our first home. It needed a LOT of work before we can move in so all of our renovations are “green”. We are installing dual pane low-e windows, low flow toilets and water fixtures, using low voc paints, using only compact fluorescent bulbs, installing a solar hot water heater and using flooring with recycled content. The project is really exciting to me since I have always loved doing earth-friendly things :) Recycling and refillable water bottles are a must in our house and I think some of my habits have started to rub off on some of my friends – but they are good habits to pick up!
We started using cloth diapers for our baby. We bought a bunch of pocket diapers and it’s not any more difficult than disposable diapers. The cloth diapers come in a lot of cute colors and prints too!
I do a number of things to try and protect and preserve our planet. I recylce at home and work. I encourage family members and recruit them to join the cause in recycling. I “grocery shop” at my parents house since they have spring and fall gardens and year around herb gardens. Once I am no longer renting I plan to establish this in my home. My dream is to have a fully functioning, self sustainable green farm ranch. Right now where I am deliquent is with my grocery bags. I do still use the plastic, but recycle everything. Winning this giveaway would close this gap in my journey and duty to protect Earth. Thank you Annie for your blog, it is really amazing!
I’m starting to recycle my disposable coffee cups from Starbucks because I drink LOTS of coffee!
I’ve been recycling everything I can possible and taking shorter showers!
I am doing a garden this year to cut down on the amount of “gas” that it takes to get my veggies to me. And I recycle glass now. Love the new program in my city! Cute bags, and thanks for the giveaway!
We don’t buy from companies with harmful environmental policies (namely Exxon). We also started a compost pile and vegetable garden exchange with our neighbors!
I’ve been putting my green waste in the green bin. I’m hoping to try composting soon!
We use nalgene waterbottles and filtered water from home, we try to use our re-usable shopping bags (but I need to get better about remembering to grab them), and when we can we bike, run, or walk to our location or to do errands. Those bags look really cute!
I love these bags! We’ve started making the transition from plastic bags to reusable ones while shopping, and are gradually expanding the kinds of items we recycle.
I bus to the University everyday for school and I also reuse all of my used paper as scratch paper for calculus/chemistry homework. I use reusable shopping bags whenever I go shopping.
When I buy clothing, I always bring a bag myself so I don’t get bombarded with those huge paper bags even when I buy a tiny accessory.
We recycle, use reusable bags, and now I have stopped using harmful chemical cleaners! Now working on cutting out plastic sandwich bags and paper towels…
We’ve done a few things over the past year or so in an effort to be more “green” – we recycle pretty much everything, including plastic bags and cardboard, i use reusable grocery and shopping bags, i shop at the farmers market as much as possible to be more “local” with our groceries, i only buy fruits and veggies while they’re in season, i buy sustainable seafood, we use reuseable glass food storage containers, we use our own refillable water bottles instead of buying bottled watter, we use CFL light bulbs where I can stand it, and we’ve started composting!
I use a stainless steel water bottle for work and when I go out walking or riding. I also have a few of the Target reusable bags, which I love and take them everywhere!
We’re avid recyclers, I walk the kids to and from school most days, and we try to wear jeans more than once to save on washing water & energy. That’s just the beginning. My goal for this year: Start composting!
Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
We already recycle our cans, bottles, plastic and paper. Even if I don’t win, I plan to check these re-usable bags out!
Last year we started using a compost bin. I pretty much just let it do it’s thing so we probably won’t get any compost from it this year but its nice to know that we are helping out. Between the compost bin and recycling we have much less trash each week than we used to.
I’ve been using reusable bags everywhere and we try to group all of our errands into one trip a day and as few as possible per week.
The cupcakes look fantastic! But what about the other side of the world?! :)
started using washable containers instead of plastic bags…
I’ve started making one vegetarian dinner a week and have started recycling at home.
We use reusable bags at the grocery store, target, etc. We are also moving closer to our jobs and plan to bike and use publis transit to get to/from work instead of driving. P.S. I made the peanut butter sandwich cookies last weekend and they were absolutely awesome, thanks for posting the recipe!
I now bring home the empty pop cans from my work and put them in w/ our recycling each week.
I’m really trying to eliminate using plastic bags from grocery stores too. I always end up with a closet full of them and they just sit there. We don’t have much need to re-use them. I wish all stores would offer discounts for bringing in your reuseable bags. Only one store that I typically don’t shop at offers a discount.
Love the idea of using candy melts to make the image of earth from above!
My husband and I carpool to work- or I sometimes ride the bus- and we recycle anything and everything we can at home. We also use re-usable water bottles and re-use the occasional plastic store sacks for pet waste. I have also recently starting going to Goodwill again- to re-purpose things I find as house decor, etc.
we reuse our plastic baggies and live with only one car!
i recently purchased reusable sandwich bags from http://www.lunchskins.com/home.php and i love them! no more wasting plastic ziploc bags :)
Our new stainless steel water bottles are so nice!
Instead of wrapping our sandwiches in saran wrap and putting our fruit into ziplock bags, we’ve switched over completely to storage containers. I found that it really saves a lot of unnecessary plastic wrap/baggie use! We also have 6 reusable grocery bags that we got from the supermarket. I still don’t remember to bring them with me on every trip, but we’re getting there.
I just got back from living in Germany for two years where they really know how to recycle! I walk instead of driving whenever possible, use reusable bags and water bottles, recycle everything possible and take excess to recycling centers. I am with you, however, on needing to reduce paper towel usage.
We have fluorescent lighting in most of our house, recycle as much of our paper, cans & plastic as we can and water the grass maybe once a week.
I do almost all my wash on the cold water setting now and have switched the kids to reusable water bottles…need to convince my husband so I can eliminate the plastic water bottles altogether!
and a ps – unrelated to this post, I continue to get rants and raves and recipe requests whenever I make your Pizza Bites. I now just ask for email addresses and send the link…they are delicious
We’ve done some changes in our home the 1st BIG CHANGE for me is no more Paper Towels or paper plates not an easy change with a 3 year old running around and we recycle everything !! happy earth day :)
adorable cupcakes!!! We recycle at my house, it’s not a big thing but I am the only one who is really into it so it’s my job to take the recycling bag out when it’s full. It’s just a little extra effort but I’m glad we do it.
I use reusable bags more and more. I just got a neat little sticker that is on my windshield that reminds me to remember my bags. I hate it when I forget them.
I don’t throw away any of my daughters old worn out t-shirts, pj bottoms or anything that can be used as a rag. But my favorite is the red plastic mesh bag that shallots come in. I’ve been using one for several months to scratch food off dishes and pots and pans.
I have to say first that I LoVe your site. Absolutley wonderful recipes. On to the contest. I have to admit, we do not to a ton. But one thing we started doing last summer was to have a ‘clean up’ night about once a month. We will pick a spot in town (park, section of the road, etc.) to pick up garbage. The kids love to do it and love how the area looks when we are done. We taught them to leave it better than they found it. That’s our contribution.
I’ve already switched to canvas bags, energy saving light bulbs, and all reusable containers. I’m a big DIY person, so I plan on using more sustainable materials, eco-friendly paint, and recycle more items rather than buy new things.
I’ve started recycling EVERYTHING and using Nalgene and Klean Kanteens instead of water bottles.
I’ve started using reusable grocery bags.
I always use reusable bags. And I have even been reusing Ziploc baggies!
We started using reusable shopping bags and want to get a few more. I also want us to try to use these are other stores as well, not just the grocery store. Another big area for me is reducing paper use!
I use my own fabric grocery bags, we recycle, we turn off lights we aren’t using.
I made my own reusable cloth shopping bags. I keep one in my purse and the rest in my car so I always have one handy.
We use reusable water bottles and recycle as much as possible. We’ve started up a vegetable garden in our backyard and are composting. We also have reusable shopping bags.
I recycle my paper, plastics & glass – thank you City of Irving, TX! I still buy water in plastic bottles when I am stuck somewhere, but I wash and re-use them, I have some that I know I have had over a year. I try to remember to use my few reusable bags at the grocer, but inevitably forget to bring them in…must work on that one.
We bring our own grocery bags to go shopping, and I also use a stainless steel water bottle for work.
Husband and I keep all our appliances unplugged when not in use to save energy. Even the tiniest digital clock on the coffeemaker uses energy. Can I tell you how absolutely much I´ would love to win those bags? One of mine just broke this weekend at the market, and I think we could definitely use them. Our farmers market bags are stuffed to the brims each week, and wear out pretty quickly.
We currently recycle, carpool, and use reusable grocery bags. I really need to start using reusable produce bags as well.
The bags you are giving away are too cute!
I make sure to always use reusable grocery bags and I also use reusable sandwich bags for our lunches to cut down on the plastic ones.
My new years resolution was to use reusable shopping bags when grocery shopping. Im trying to remember to use them for all my shopping now.
no plastic! no nuclear ! no to log! yes recycling and disposing of wastes! yes to plant! yes bottles, paper and glass recycling!
For a cleaner world :((
I walk to work, and try to use reusable bags (I have the worst time remembering them!)
I use cloth shopping bags (and try to get my roommate to follow suit), and I have cut disposable menstrual products out of my life for nearly 2 years, and gotten some of my girlfriends to make the switch, too! Also, my best friend uses cloth diapers for her kids, and I knit & crochet wool soakers to go with them.
We recycle and use shopping bags.
We chose not to have a car, we walk or take a bus everywhere. We also were using to many water bottles so we bought a cooler that uses 5 gallon bottles that are exchanged at the store.
We recycle everything we can and we compost! But probably the most useful thing that my family does is we keep a watering can by the kitchen sink and everytime we have left over water from cooking or glasses we pour it into the watering can. Then once a day we go out and water the flower beds with it.
We recycle everything our city will accept, and take the bus to school whenever possible. Oh, and I LOVE using my Sigg waterbottle instead of plastic!
I do WAY more than I use to. I now recycle all paper that I don’t shred at my son’s school. I recycle all aluminum cans because my husband and I go through entirely too many. I am now using cloth bags at the grocery store(this way a huge change for me!). My van is a flex fuel vehicle, and we are replacing(slowly but surely) our appliances to energy saver models and using CFI bulbs. Oh, and I’m planting some of my own fruits and growing some herbs at home. I want a full blown garden, but I think it’s best if I take baby steps for that! :)
It’s a start!
I stopped using plastic water bottles. I got some resuseable that I fill everyday and are dishwasher safe. I haven’t used a disposable water bottle in months.
I put a recycling bin in my office and inspired others to do it too! Now we have more recycling going out each week than we do trash. It’s been wonderful!
Using less water.
I plan on using homemade household cleaners this year. I already reuse shopping bags and never get plastic ones from the grocery store. We also recycle and I try to buy in bulk to cut down on extra packaging. We have also recently bought all energy star appliances. (well, with-in the last 4 years).
I have switched to using a re-useable water bottle that I am filling constantly. I take it with me so that I don’t have to use plastic or styrofoam cups when I am at work or church.
We have up’d our recycling efforts 10-fold and started composting everything so we have very little trash. We’ve switched to all energy efficient light bulbs, canvas shopping bags, water capturing barrels to water the garden and more. I love it!
Such cute bags and I love how small they fold up! We have started buying energy smart light bulbs and I am trying to remember my reusable bags every trip…gotta get better about remembering. Maybe these super cute bags would help me remember!
My roommate and I carpool to school every day. My classes start earlier than hers so she uses the gym on campus and her classes go later so I can do work in the library. Plus, only one of us has to deal with the awful parking situation.
I LOVE reusable bags, but found myself leaving them in the car every time I hit the grocery store. I started making myself walk back out to the car to retrieve them before going through the check-out line, and before long, stopped forgetting them! My 3-year-old also faithfully reminds me, “Don’t forget your bags!” every time we hit Target, the grocery store, the mall, etc. My reusable bags, however, are the cheap-o grocery store variety, and a couple of them are starting to fray. So I could really use these new ones! Also, I own 7 reusable bags, which is usually enough for my weekly grocery stop, but on an extra big week, I overflow. So, 3 new ones would be super helpful!!! :-) Thanks for offering this giveaway!!
Hey Annie! This year I’ve ditched the bus/car, got myself a gigantic winter coat, and started walking everywhere! My roommates and I just started composting in our back yard, too (very fun). As a college student trying to eat fresh, I’m always going to the grocery store…these bags would make life a ton easier!
I’ve been trying hard to only buy food that is local (which was difficult this past winter in NY!) and changing out light bulbs for CFLs and not using paper towels. small changes!
I have always turned the water off while brushing my teeth =). And yesterday I found a homemade laundry detergent “recipe” I want to try.
We recycle, reuse plastic grocery bags, and refill water bottles.
I have three different organic garden areas. One is actually in a discarded paddle boat we rescued. This year I have started composting in a discarded water trough we also found. Trying to improve the land in my little corner of the world.
This is my first time commenting, but I wanted to say I love your blog and all your recipes! I am going to have to try the “straight from the computer trick” as I am always quick to print our recipes I am interested in.
My husband and I just got new Contigo water bottles are I am obsessed! No more plastic water bottles or paper cups at work here!
Love the cute cupcakes! I use my reusable shopping bags all the time. The store gives a discount for using them too! :) These look nice (RuMe bags)!
By the way I love your blog! My family and I always try to recycle everything that we can. I try to re-use jars, and even the plastic wear such as sour cream containers and such, I use them for freezing food, and just storing leftovers in them that would stain regular Tupperware. I also use my reusable bags as often as I can! Happy Earth Day!
We reuse water bottles with home-filtered water.
I have started switching to compact lightbulbs as I need a replacement.
We recycle everything that our city’s program allows.
I do the usual stuff – recycle, don’t use plastic water bottles, etc. I’m trying to switch to “green” cleaning chemicals now, but it’s hard. I love my Comet and orange Pine Sol.
I have been using cloth Diapers for years now at one point i had 3 little on diapers, I also use mama Clothes and cloth napkins and no paper towels
I actually got my water bottle guzzling fiance to kick the habit and drink filtered water instead!
coffee grounds are used as fertilizers. my own mug/tumbler go with me to starbucks, etc
plastic bags, when unavoidable, are reused in a variety of ways – final use, large ones especially, as waste bin liners – we’ve never bought garbage bags. ever.
sturdy food containers(like tupperware) and lunch boxes/bags, instead of foil and brown bags.
we don’t use machine dryers… instead, make use of the warm weather we have and hang up clothes to dry. dishes are hand-washed.
I want to start a compost! I have always wanted to do that and now am going to start!
I dont waste water unnecessarily….
Love the tips from previous posts! We walk many places instead of drive and we use green cleaning products. I love my planet!
Not only have I made a point to buy several shopping bags but more importantly I have made a point to actually USE them!! I love a good shopping bag!!
I’m going to try and not buy the bottled water and take my water to work in a resuable water bottle. I’ve just gotten so used to grabbing a bottle and going!! The bags are really cute.
We’ve been cutting back on plastic grocery bags, starting with my husband bringing a reusable lunch sack to work instead of a different plastic grocery bag every day.
I’d love to eliminate them from our house completely!
We recycle as much as we can at home. We shop at thrift store as much as we can; not only to save money but to use products that are already out there instead of adding to consumption of new things. We turn of our lights when we’re not in the rooms, we’ve switched to CFL bulbs, we water during cooler hours, and we have our own garden.
Those bags are adorable!
Love your blog!
I use cloth shopping bags, reuseable water bottles and cloth diapers!
Like most people, I have really embraced the re-usable shopping bags. Honestly, with so many cute ones available these days it is just like getting to carry and second, sometimes even third, cute bag- who doesn’t love that!
I have also become a regular at my neighborhood farmers market. I’m not a stickler about organic growing, but I value knowing that things are locally produced and not using energy to be shipped from far away.
We use reusable water bottles, car pool when we can, and I love to grow my own garden, I bottle my own sauces and veggies, the bottles can be reused!
We try to walk everywhere. I have been married 13 years and we’ve gone with one car that entire time. We just recently purchased a van to accommodate our two children, but the car will just sit around for emergencies. My husband bikes to/from work every day, and has done for the past 16 years.
I’ve started recycling!! I know, it’s ridiculous that I haven’t started yet. I have a daughter now though, and I’ve realized that I want to leave the world in better shape than I found it. So I’ll do my part, for her sake. ;)
We live in a condo building and worked with the condo management association to bring recycling to our building.
I have started using natural cleaners at home, like a vinegar/water solution in my spray bottle instead of buying them.
I use reusable shopping bags and water bottles whenever I can. I also recycle like crazy!
I’m a huge fan of riding bikes! I’m grateful that i live in sunny AZ and that 99% of the time i can ride my bike & have everything i need so close. Back baskets and grocery bags will make my bike complete!
We’re planning to cloth diaper our baby!
We try to reuse, recycle, or compost everything (no trash!). We’re not perfect, but we’re getting better.
I’ve cut back greatly on the bottle consumption, both water bottles and soda bottles. I reuse my plastic containers and recycle soda cans for the local Humane Society. Plus, I unplug my cell phone charger when it is not in use. Using reusable bags is my next move. It just makes sense.
I live and work in Downtown Los Angeles, so I walk to work! I rarely drive my car other than on the weekends!
I have a growing collection of reusable grocery bags and I recycle! I’m also planning on starting a garden this summer to (partially) become a farm-to-table household!
We had a second really huge recycle bin delivered to our house. We now are down to one really small can for garbage. The yard waste gets all food scraps and weeds go together.
When I bought a new car, I had to buy a hybrid. I am happy to get 48 MPG . . .
My husband and I have started carpooling to work.
We use vinegar for cleaning in our house.
Toting my Sigg water bottle around everywhere and switching light bulbs in the house… It’s a small start!
At home we recycle as much as possible and have eliminated plastic water bottles. At work I take my lunch in reusable containers and also recycle paper and cardboard.
I have started recycling. I really think about what I am throwing away and as weird as it sounds, once you start, it is almost impossible not to. It just becomes natural:)
My family has given up grocery store plastic bags, so these bags would be perfect. We are also trying to be more green with our cleaning products.
My husband just installed a reverse osmosis water filtration system & we bought a few stainless steel water bottles so they’ll be no more plastic for us.
I finally convinced my husband to start recycling with me!
We stopped using bottled water, changed all of the lights in our house to the eco friendly version, and we use reusable bags (and we always need more) Unfortunatly we live in a part of the USA that just started offering recyling programs. As we live in an apartment it still isn’t offered to us, but I’m working on that with the property manager.
Uses old rags instead of paper towels.
We installed Toto dual-flush toilets in our house which was built in 2007 and I use a mis-match group of bags for the grocery store. It would be nice to have some pretty ones to use. Love you site – I look at it every single day.
I have a weekly meeting with a friend at Starbuck’s and I’ve started taking my own coffee tumbler inside the store and not just when I’m getting it to go. Its a great way to not use so many paper cups.
I am installing a rain barrel as well as a compost bin next month!
I made the handmade pledge last year, and I “recycle” that way!
I wash almost all our clothes in cold now, instead of warm or hot. And I use WAY less laundry detergent than I used to.
I have been trying to recycle ALL the glass bottles that I use to feed my little man fruit and Veggies. I am SHOCKED at how many I use when I see them sitting in the bin….makes me a little proud.
Ps. I LOVE your site. I just found it yesterday and spent HOURS on it!
Hi Annie! Happy Earth Day! After spending 2 weeks in Italy, I observed one way that they stay so green – motion sensor everything! Even Italian escalators stop moving unless someone is ready to board. When I got home (2 weeks ago), I installed motion sensor lights in every single room in the house. I am now working on putting them into place in my business.
Hi Annie,
This is a great post that you did! I recently tried your chocolate peanut butter ice cream and it turned out great!
So anyway, I have done a few things to help better the planet in the last few months. My husband and I have started to carry Klean Kanteens and we have reduced an unbelievable amount of plastic water bottles this way! I’m also starting to buy our meats and produce locally. It is a great way to support your community and it also helps our planet by saving on materials and waste so the items don’t have to be shipped and transported to major chain stores.
I can’t believe how many posts you received, as a daily follower I was shocked to see but I think it’s exciting for you and shows what a great blog you have!
Thanks!
Niki :-)
I make my own laundry detergent and refill (many times over) my old detergent bottles! I also do many of the abovementioned things as well–grocery bags, cloth napkins, resusable coffee mugs. One thing I would like to start doing is my own compost (lots of coffee grounds each day!), but I need to find a cute bin for my kitchen! I could shop for one with one of those cute bags!
Our whole family recycles as much as we can. I’d like to start a compost bin along with an herb/vegetable garden. We also only use natural cleaners at home. (vinegar/water)
Living in Hawaii is when I became more aware of all the waste! Recycling is huge here. I don’t purchase paper towels anymore. I honestly need to start bring my bags with me to the store more. I have some, but usually forget them at home! Adorable cupcakes!! Happy Earth Day!
I walk anywhere I can within reason/time constraint to save :)
Our family has been using reusable personal water bottles instead of buying the cases of plastic ones.
I love my reusable water bottle and got one for my little guy, too. He loves being a helper and takes out the recycling with me. I’m trying to be good about being less wasteful and modeling this for my son. He’s only 3, but I look for ways he can participate so he’s learning with me. Good habits start young :)
Hey Annie! Love your name :D My roommate and I carpool to school and so far this year we’ve managed to keep our AC and heat off. I also got her to start recycling used bottles and cans. I plan to approach the schoolboard at my university soon and ask them to put in more recycle bins for both paper and cans. We only have 1 on our floor and I know that people are too lazy to go there and just end up not recycling. It bugs me so much and I think if there were more convenient locations for recycling, more people would do it. Thank you!
Thanks to my husband we are recycling and composting a lot more.
I try to use my re-useable bags when I go shopping and I sometimes get paper. Oh, and NOT turning every light in the house on.
Making your own laundry soap!! Try it. Store bought detergent costs about 20 cents a load. Making your own costs pennies per load!!!
I stopped using plastic sammie bags, so everything gets packed up containers or recycled foil now. It eases my conscience but it’s REALLY hard trying to find plastic reusable containers that don’t leach chemicals!
I’ve completely switched to using only reusable bags. I even keep on in my purse! How lovely it would be to add these to my collection.
I’ve been using resuable bags for shopping. Plus, I was able to get a job with a local commute of under 5 miles. I don’t have to use a car to commute and I frequently don’t now.
I’ve cut down drastically my use of disposable paper items such as paper plates and napkins
Hi, I’m no where near the procreation age (I’m only 17, and plan on uni), but the idea of cloth diapers keeps coming up on here and I’m curious. You just wash them, correct? Do you wash them separately, in a special way etc?
Sorry if this seems weird, but I’m just trying to get ready for a greener future! =D
We have started a compost bin, water our 2 fruit trees with water collected while the shower warms up and UNPLUG almost all of our small appliances when they are not being used–it really does save money!
Thanks for your wonderful blog…Happy Earth Day :-)
I don’t feel like I’m as green as the people I hear talking about it all of the time, but then when I started thinking of my reply to this post, I was a little more proud of myself:
I use my sigg bottle for drinking water in and around the house from my Brita tap filter.
I try to make as much of our food as possible, including bread and granola, which cuts down on waste by reducing the packaging we use.
Whenever possible, I buy my supplies in bulk, which also reduces packaging.
We changed the lightbulbs in the house to more eco friendly kinds, I can’t remember what they’re called right now.
We haven’t given up plastic grocery bags yet, but that’s due to using them for doggie doo and cleaning the little box, so, at least we’re reusing.
When we built our new home, we purchased only energy star appliances and had a reverse osmosis water filter installed at the sink. Our builder used a lot of eco-friendly materials and methods (which was one reason we went with them), but I can’t remember them all. My husband also opted for the smallest of the city garbage cans (there are 3 sizes) to encourage us to recycle more, especially since the city provides a giant can just for recycling. We also use cloth diapers on our daughter.
I also want to cut down on the use of paper towels and also my addiction to disinfecting wipes so I’ve stocked up on dish cloths and environmentally friendly cleaning sprays and store them in a cute bread box on my kitchen counter. Now they are always handy when I need to clean.
Thanks for your great recipes! I always know I can turn to you when I need to plan a meal or dish.
We joined our local CSA and try to eat local organic foods and when we can’t, still try to avoid processed foods. (And use the reusable grocery bags when we do hit the grocery store!)
We started composting this year!
I’ve started using reusable shopping bags, unplug all appliances that I can, and I try to line dry all my clothes.
Love your blog!
We do lots of things (recycle, compost, use rain barrels, reusable bags, etc.) but I always feel like we could do more. I’m trying to figure out non-hazardous pest control for those nasty fire ants. I found a recipe using Borax, so I think I’m going to try that.
We have ditched paper plates, plastic grocery store bags, plastic water bottles, paper napkins and recycle like crazee!!!
The place where I work doesn’t have recycling (sadly), so I end up hoarding my plastic water bottles/soda cans and bringing them home to recycle because I can’t bring myself to throw them out in the trash!
I no longer use plastic water bottles for work or the gym. I take a reusable bottle with me. I also take reusable grocery bags to the store and use glass/plastic containers when I can instead of sandwich bags or plastic wrap.
Those bags are so cool! Since last year, I’ve decided not to purchase plastic bottles of water and bought a Brita filer and waterbottle so I can refill it every time I want water. It not only saves money, but lots of plastic too!
I guess the biggest change we have made is continually teaching our children about the small changes that THEY can make now, so that hopefully they continue the cycle of “being kind to the earth” when they grow up. We garden and have a compost pile, limit shower time, do multiple errands when we drive,etc. They are aware of the affect our actions have on not only the enviroment, but all the creatures that live on it.
We compost, reusable bags for shopping, biking to my nieces soccer games (25 miles roundtrip!), line dry our clothes, use reusable baggies & wax paper for our lunches and take short showers! Next up – rain barrels :)
We have definitely changed to buying local and organic produce, and even grow some of our own stuff! It has been an awesome experience to see where our food comes from. Knowing the farmer who tended to your food gives you an entirely new perspective on the planet!
We have started using reusable shopping bags when we go to the store. We also try to recycle plastic!
I am trying to drastically reduce how much I drive. I will jog to the gym, walk to the store and plan my errand trips to be as efficient as possible, bonus, save money on gas!
I walk almost everywhere, and I never use plastic bottles. I try to buy organic food, and I always bring my own bag to the store.
We’ve been using reusable bags for a while now and I love it! My contribution (and it doesn’t seem like much- but adds up) is making doing all me errands in one day. I make a list and stick to it. This helps me not start the car up for a 5 minute -uh oh I forgot- a few times a week. It’s also helped out our budget!
In the last year we have almost completely eliminated using any grocery bags from the store–only our own reusables. I’ll have to check these out–they are adorable! This year I plan to continue the switch in our house to CFL lightbulbs. Thanks for the giveaway!
Since getting married, I now recycle. We’ve also made the switch to reusable shopping bags. My husband truly helps me to be a better person! :)
Our recent move brought us from and area that emphasized recycling to an area that does very little to encourage recycling. Our family continues to practice the good recycling habits even if is requires more effort on our part. We know that every little bit counts.
Purchased a more gas economical vehicle! Thanks!
Great giveaway Annie! The biggest change I’ve made recently is using cloth napkins instead of paper, and trying to cut back on paper towel usage
I started using re-useable everything, includign coffe tumblers and dishes for when I pack my lunch. I also changed all the bulbs in my house to CFL bulbs to conserve energy and I try to take reuseable bags to the grocery every time I go.
We’re going to start a compost pile- should be fun (and interesting!). Love your blog, all your yummy recipes, and sweet stories!
We started growing our own veggies this year! We have already planted tomatoes and soon we will be planting cucumbers, g. onions, and radishes. My son is in preschool and have learned all about recycling. He had to bring “clean garbage” for a project for school. He is now asking me everyday what can he take to the recycling bin. We already recycle but now having my 4 yr. old and 2 yr. old interested in it makes me excited because ultimely it’s about them because they will be here after us, hopefully taking care of the earth! He also told his brother to turn off the water because he was wasting it! Right now we do not have a single reusable bag and this would help us get started on not using plastic bags at the store! Crossing my fingers!!!
I use all natural cleaners, plant a garden and try to use my reusable bags at the grocery store.
At the place where we used to live, they never recycled, and I was so lazy that I didn’t worry about it either. Now, we have moved and not only do they offer recycling, but we have embraced it full heartedly! We recycle EVERYTHING we can now, and I’m proud to say that our recycle bin is always twice as full as our trash! :)
Hi, this year I have started a green clubs at my boys school and have given an Earth Day presenation to the parents and in each classroom. It has been so fun to share what I care about.
In our small town where we have no city or county recycling, we still bundle our newspapers and cans and donate them to a charity in town. I hope to get more into composting.
We always recycle our newspapers, but I just bought some other reusable bags and am excited to start using them. But I love these!
I now walk to work, recycle, and we bring our own bags to the grocery store. (But these look way nicer and way more cute than what we have) :)
What a great way to celebrate Earth Day with the cupcakes and the giveaway! I have a couple reusable bags that I use for shopping, I sold my car and bought a pink scooter, and I have been trying to quit a bad habit of keeping too many lights on in the house. I love your suggestion about the paper towels, I’m going clean more with cloths instead of paper towels.
Thanks Annie!
I use a refillable water bottle at work every day, no more disposables for me.
Composting worms! It’s kind of gross but makes great soil for my husband’s garden and keeps us from tossing out any produce we don’t get to before it goes bad.
We used to only recycle newspapers and soda cans. Now we recycle everything. It’s amazing how little trash we actually have now.
I recycle everything that I can, turn out lights, don’t leave the water running and am planning on starting a compost pile soon :)
My friends and I have started to become more green! We unplug appliances that aren’t in use, recycle paper and bottles, use insulated travel mugs, carpool to campus, switched to energy-efficient light bulbs, set the heater on low during winter and the a/c on high during summer (that’s if we use it at all) and use cloth bags to go grocery shopping.
I’ve tried to cut down on the bottled water. I purchased a large reusable water bottle and am refilling it each day.
I always bring reusable shopping bags to the grocery store. I’ve also been re-using the plastic bags given to me at retail stores. I also try not to drive as much and walk to places instead of driving.
I started composting! I’m hoping to bike more, instead of driving or even taking public transportation.
Well, I bought reusable bags a few years ago – but I am terrible with remembering them – my Earth Day (which is also my youngest daughter’s birthday – she’s 1 today!! Happy B-Day LadyBug!) resolution is to actually remember to bring them into the store!
I use reusable bags for shopping now, but I need more! I’ve also started using a mug for coffee each morning at work instead of a styrofoam cup. Little changes definitely add up.
I live in an unincorporated part of town so there is no recycling program. After two years of feeling guilty every time I threw something away, I finally looked on the internet and found where recycling bins were located. Now I drive my recycling down to the recycling bin once a week!
I have stopped buying and using plastic water bottles. I’m also in the process of making reuseable sandwich and snack bags for me and my kids.
We eat vegetarian, use reusable bags, and don’t use paper towels.
I eat vegetarian, which is one of the greenest things you can do, in my opinion.
Also, if you want to cut down on paper towels, there are so many etsy users who sell fabric reusable paper towels- I get mine from a seller named Moocowmomma. She’s awesome and sells pretty colors! No more paper towel waste in this house!
we recycle and use reusable water bottles!
I have given up the plastic water bottles we used to buy and now use my reusable water bottle and carry it everywhere! I have been supporting my local farmers’ markets and buying fresh, and we have switched to energy saving light bulbs which are awesome!
I love reusable shopping bags! Our newest effort to cut down on waste is vermi-composting! We have 1000 red wigglers in a bin in the backyard eating our kitchen scraps.
I have started walking my kids to school. That way we’re not using the car plus we get some exercise!
One change we made years ago is to start using cloth napkins – I’ve only bought one package of napkins in the last 3 years! And like you, this year I plan to cut down on our paper towel usage.
We try to keep the lights off as much as possible, sometimes eating dinner by candlelight. We also go on walks and have the kiddos bring plastic bags with them and pick up trash as we go. They have fun and the planet gets clean!
we are paper free in our home (except for personal paper use) No paper napkins or paper towels. It was much easier to switch the family than I thought it would be!
I have started a compost bin to reduce waste that ends up in the landfills. I also turn off the lights when I’m not in a room.
Thanks. I love your blog.
I make all my own cleaners so that they are natural and not harsh or damaging to the environment.
We recycle everything we can and use stainless steel water bottles. I’m also really watching the electricity use. My next goal is to start composting!
Reusable shopping bags! And when I forget to carry them with me, I just stick my groceries in my purse (i love large purses).
We use plastic reusable plates at parties, recycle, use reusable bags, and I plan to grow our own vegtable garden in our yard this summer.
I have started buying natural and or making my own household products.
We recycle here at home as well as use our own bags when we got to the store.
I am new to your blog but absolutely love all of your recipes! I have used resuable bags for the last few years but love the look of these. I am also trying to get my husband to give up the paper towels!
We’ve started recycling in our house, those baby jars add up fast!
We limit our use of paper goods, particularly napkins. Ever since last year we switched to cloth napkins all the time. We also re-use plastic bags and try to remember to take re-usable bags to the store.
We’re selling our only car!!!! Yikes!!! As a mother of one with one on the way I’m a little bit nervous, but I know all around it will be better. Better for the environment and healthier for us! Wish me luck!
I got a bike that I’m using and I use a Camelbak water bottle instead of plastic ones.
I use Catalog Choice to deal with my abundance of junk mail. Now every time I get a random catalog in the mail, I contact the publisher and ask them to take me off their mailing list AND I put them on my “no mailings” list on Catalog Choice.
I try to make more recycling than I do trash by breaking down things more or looking up to see if it can be recycled!
we only buy CFL lightbulbs!
We just installed 3 sola tubes.
I don’t drive to work.
I try to reuse bags at the store and I also walk to work. I try to not over heat or over cool the house.
I bring my reusable water bottle to work everyday so I don’t have to use the styrofoam cups that everyone else uses…and I am getting better at bringing my reusable bags to the store!
I switched to a hybrid and try to not run my heater…that’s hard living in minnesota. I use glass containers and that I use for serving and storing…why wash twice.
cute cupcakes!
I bring my water to work in a resusable bottle everyday and I planted my own veggie garden. I commute 30 miles to work, so my next car is going to be a hybrid to help save on gas.
Those are so cute!
I make sure to recycle everything I can.
I just bought glass containers with locking lids to take my lunch stuff in. Our garbage can is way smaller than our trash can so we recyle a lot!
Our first baby is due on May 17th (less than a month away) and I am all about the cloth diapers!!!
The newest thing I’m doing is gardening. Last year, it was just tomato plants. This year it will be strawberries, tomatoes and peppers.
I think I do a lot (but know I can always do more), such as drinking tap water out of reusable bottles, taking my own shopping bags everywhere, using glass storage containers in the fridge instead of plastic, recycling everything, take public transportation instead of driving to work, CFL lightbulbs, etc, etc. The most recent thing we have done, though, is to put a composter in the back yard, and this will be the second year we’ve been a part of a CSA for locally-grown organic produce. I can’t wait for the first pick-up day of the season!
We just moved, so my immediate goal is to get a clothesline up.
We recycle, installed energy saving lightbulbs throughout our house for a start. This spring I also am starting to compost, which will reduce my garbage output to landfills by 1/3, while supplying me with nutrient soil for my garden. Great blog, awesome photos!!
I plan to re-use and recycle much more than I currently do. There is so much waste on this planet and just be reusing and recycling we can eliminate alot of it. Cheers!
We recycle everything we can, installed energy saving lightulbs and try to limit water usage. This spring I plan on starting to compost which we decrease my garage output to landfills by 1/3.
Great blog!! Awesome pics!
I’ve done a couple of things so far, 1 of them being taking reusable bags with me everywhere I go. I do more recycling, things that I would normally have just tossed I double check to see if it can be recycled. I also try to group my shopping trips by location, not driving all over instead going to stores that are near each other.
Although we already recycle in my classroom, I have started teaching and practicing myself more of reducing and reusing items.
I have started using my laptop for recipes as well. I am always afraid of spilling something though!
no baggies in kids lunches and thermos… pack in a sterlite 3 compartment container!
Okay, first off, 633 comments so far? Did you know you were so popular? What I have done to go green? I switched to the other type light bulbs in my downstairs lights. I have recently (the past week) installed a rain barrel and am using it to water my garden and reduce my water bill. I use online bill paying, have created a compost bin (the past two days), recycle, use reusable shopping bags, and have a reusable water bottle that I use every day.
Happy Earth Day! I currently try to use reusable shopping bags (although they were cheap and getting holes in them so I could really use these!), I recycle just about everything, and I almost always work off my laptop for recipes rather than printing.
Very cute cupcakes by the way! Love the idea of using different food colorings for “velvet” cake :)
I’ve been reusing ziplock bags for a while now, but this year I’ve really started doing so in earnest… and remembering to put more things in ziplocks, so that less food gets wasted.
I know I am tardy to the party .. better late than never, right?
We just started recycling this year & I now use reusable shopping bags.
We are always recycling because my son went to the local landfill and they showed him how much trash that people use. He even saw people sorting all the trash. Did you know that the bottle caps on the water & soda bottles wreak havoc on the machines and they constantly jam up? It also can hurt the employees working the sorters. So now we constantly throw the caps in the trash and try to rinse out all things being thrown out. I do have some reusable shopping bags but they certainly don’t hold up to 50 pounds, mine are more like 10-20. heh
No more plastic water bottles or paper plates. Looking back it’s amazing how many of those bottles I was going through.
I stopped buying so much unnecessary stuff. Saves a lot on packaging, trash, and gas.
We no longer (and haven’t for a couple of years) buy bottled water. We use Camelbacks. We also have replaced our lightbulbs with flourescent. We also use reuseable grocery bags. A few more would be very handy!
I use cloth bags whenever I go to the grocery store. I have also started to use them at Target. I would like to transition from plastic bags to small containers when I pack my lunch…that’s my Earth Day resolution. Great giveaway…thank you!
Your cupcakes are adorable!
We try to recycle as much as we can and have been trying to make the switch over to riding our bikes to work. We live fairly close – about 3 miles, so it’s a feasible trek.
I’ve recently started using hot water&vinegar in a spray bottle to clean everything from the bath to the kitchen, carpet/clothing stains and more! I no longer have stinky cleaners that I’m afraid to pour down the drain and am hopefully doing my part to keep them from hurting the environment!
I have recently started bringing bags with me to stores. I also picked up a “I’m not a plastic cup” ceramic travel mug…and I love knowing I am not producing extra trash- while at the same time I am not ingesting plastic with my coffee. I actually want to try composting next!
We don’t have recycling pick up in our neighborhood, so we collect or own and drop it off at a center whenever we are nearby. We also love using our own bags at the grocery store. Now if only the baggers wouldn’t pack them so heavy!
We have just started to buy as much organic food as possible and are currently in the process of choosing a CSA for the upcoming season!
I got a compost bin, finally. I’ve been wanting to set one up for a year now.
I started using Bento boxes for my sons lunches instead of plastic baggies. I am SO much fun being creative with them, and the boys are actually eating ALL of their lunches now. Double bonus.
My new plan to “greenify” my life is to start worm composting, and therefore cutting back on the amount of trash I send off to that pesky landfill in my town.
less trash… more things that are reusable… eat what we cook…less plastic… we’ve gotta save the planet
I’ve been making a lot of changes this year. A few of the most notables: starting a vegetable/herb garden, planting some trees in our yard, using a bucket to catch our shower water while it’s warming up and using it to water the flowers and switching to CFL lightbulbs.
I started my own garden this year, bought reusable produce bags, and bring a reusable water bottle to work everyday! Happy Earth Day!
I have stopped using plastic water bottles at home or at work. Filtered water from home in a reusable bottle!
In our house we turn out lights when not in use, we have a shred box for papers that we can shred to make bedding for our two Guinea Pigs, and we recycle old magazines, cardboard, newspapers, plastic, cans, and glass.
I have been fusing plastic bags to sew into tote bags. I also compost all of my vegetation to use on our big .
We recycle as much as possible! We use recycled good for our kids’ crafting projects and we also reuse plastic bags. These bags are lovely. We would love to use them!
No more plastic water bottles, and we recycle everything we can.
We recycle and use reusable shopping bags.
Recycle EVERYTHING. Reusable aluminum water bottles. and I have been meaning to stop the Kroger-Bag-Madness! Need those bags!
and By the way, I love love love your site!
I bought a compost pail for my counter and I intend to begin capturing all of my foodscraps and adding them to my compost bin.
I planted an herb garden this year, plan to plant a vegetable garden next year and am teaching my 3 year old son how the earth takes care of us so we need to take care of it.
I use my dryer much less and bring my own bags everywhere I go. Hardest part was learning to put them back into the car for the next trip. Now I put my purse in one so I have to find them to leave!
Our curb-side recycling didn’t include glass so we weren’t recycling it. Just found a local area where i can easily drop off my glass so now we’re recycling glass too!
We don’t buy plastic water bottles. We drive Honda’s . . . not the most fuel efficient, but close, and we are trying to get reusable bags. It is a sign. I like them a lot.
I know its not much but I love my daily coffee and I use my own reusable travel mug instead of getting a paper cup each time
No more bottled water for me. I love my camelback water bottle. My husband calls it my adult sippy cup!
We changed ALL our light bults to the CFL type last year which has made a noticable difference in our electricity usage. We also started eating vegetarian one night a week this year, and have been able to stick to it pretty well!
I just started composting in my backyard. I also reuse the produce bags when I go to the grocery store and have been eating a lot less meat!
I have given up plastic shopping bags for reusable. No more bottled water, I have a reusable bottle instead. Also, no more SVU- traded it in for a low-emission compact car
I plan to create waste-free lunches for my children- no more ziplocks and plastic wrap! (and– eek! no more juice boxes!)
We moved into the city so that we could walk more places. No more long drives from the suburbs. Love the bags that you’re giving away but more than that, I LOVE your blog!
I’m working on eating more locally produced foods and decreasing the amount of meat in my diet.
I stopped buying single size bottle water and refill gallon jugs at the health food store. Carry a folded shopping bag in my purse to use for purchases. Replaced where possible incandescent bulbs with CLF. I use a refillable water bottle and carry a soft lunch box to work. I have a small garden with a mix of veges, herbs and flowers.
My city started a curbside recycling program over a year ago and we participate in recycling. We have also started switching our light bulbs to the spiral ones, use more natural cleaners, started a garden, use my reusuable store shopping bags at the grocery store and try to turn out lights when we are not in a room. Thanks for the giveaway.
The water at my office is very bad – tastes very chemically. I’ve switched from buying bottled water to filling reuseable water bottles at home and carrying them back and forth.
We’ve started a compost pile in our yard for our garden. I also got a clothes line for outside and air dry as much as possible.
I use reusable grocery bags as often as I can remember to!
We recycle big time and I am working on sending reusable containers in my older kid’s lunches instead of sandwich baggies.
I am trying to recycle our plastic lids from milk jugs, etc.
We shop at our local farmers market every Saturday, are members of our co-op and buy 90% organic products and all meat/dairy we purchase is free range. Also bring reusable bags everywhere – and would love to try these!!!
I reuse A LOT of things around the house for my daughter’s craft projects. You’d be amazed at the different things you can create with stuff you’d typically consider junk.
Hi Annie!
I’m getting to be a go green dork (it’s kinda addicting) so we’ve done several things including… changing out our light bulbs in our house to energy efficient ones (my husband gets all the credit for that), I also use recycleable grocery bags, we have a recylce trash can at home, I try to reuse ziplock bags and tin foil, and I just planted my first mini garden. I am also on the “Go Green Team” committee at work.
Those bags are adorable! I’ve always recycled and tried to reuse as much as I can, and lately I’ve been biking/walking/taking the bus instead of driving. It’s been good for my waistline as well as the environment, which is always awesome!
We have been recycling paper, glass, plastic, and aluminum for quite a while now. One of the more recent things we have done is convert an old diesel Mercedes to run on vegetable oil. My husband gets used oil from a bar and grill near us, filters it, and we are able to use it as fuel. It’s funny – when the car is running on the veggie oil, it smells like burning french fries! :)
Cute! I always try to recycle when possible and I’m trying to take shorter showers. Its not going well so far, but I’m still working on it!
Very cute cupcakes Annie! We have eliminated paper towels from our house.
i’m lucky enough to live in a town with AMAZING public buses and i LOVE using reusable bags!
I’ve started using reusable water bottles instead of buying bottled water. Also, turning off the lights when not in use and using reusable bags. Love the ones you’re giving away. Hope I win!
The husband and I just got reusable water bottles! Go green!
I have recently started recycling paper and cardboard. We have been recycling plastics, tin, and aluminum for a while now but we just threw out the cereal boxes and coke boxes and it was taking up so much space in my trash. I realized how easy it would be to drop off the paper and cardboard when I dropped off the other recyclables. It has made a HUGE difference!
I’m going to start using reusable grocery bags and hopefully these cute ones! I also am going to recycle all my magazines! Go Earth Day!!!
I have been making my laundry detergent since January and it has saved us a ton of money! Super easy and cheap!!
I stopped buying bottled water and purchased a BPA free bottle for each member of the house. We use them all the time!
I started to brush (and floss!) my teeth in the shower while I condition my hair. :)
These bags look awesome. I stopped buying paper towels about 8 months ago. It has been such an easy change. We also always use the same reusable plastic water bottles after our runs.
We’ve stopped using plastic baggies completely. We use reusable and recyclable containers instead. It’s cut down a lot in the amount of waste we have. Next step? No more paper towels or napkins!
I recycle soda cans, plastic and glass bottles, and I’ve started taking bags similar to the ones in the giveaway to reduce the the plastic bags in my life!
Hey Annie! I’ve been using my “I give a sh*t” green water bottle since I bought it on campus in college (3 years or so). I also use reusable shopping bags whenever possible. Whenever I go to a store and purchase something small, I just ask them for the item and a receipt (and for them to keep the bag). I think they’ll stop looking at me funny in the future, maybe not…who knows?! I love your blog and have fun attempting to recreate some of your yummy treats!
I LOVE reusable bags! I also really dislike when I forget them and the “baggers” seem to put one item in each plastic bag…..Such a waste!
We recycle paper, plastic, cans. I walk to the library and grocery when possible.
I have tried to impart with my kids the importance of recycling. So, instead of purchasing a book to dump later, we go to the library weekly.
We also use reusable bags. We have 4 kids, so we do a lot of grocery shopping. We stared our own garden last year, a 10 x 10 in the back yard and have started canning. I love to make jams and jellies. We don’t just put bottles in the recycle bin, we reuse some bottles and lids when canning. Part of the kids chores is to make sure they take the recyclables out, not the adults. It helps them realize how many items can go in there. We use Tupperware kinda stuff instead of plastic bags for lunches and leftovers. When I cook, I make large batches, and then freeze half for a quick dinner later and for instant left overs. This way, the kids are not always wanting junk food when there is ready made available.
We’re separating our recyclables, changed to those swirly light bulbs, and may be getting solar this summer!
I love my Nalgene bottle and use the water coolers at work to fill it up throughout the day instead of using bottled water. Plus, bringing my own mug of coffee to work with me daily.
I never drink bottled water anymore. I bought a Kleen Kanteen and use that instead all the time now! (:
Instead of using disposable plastic bags for food storage, we reuse plastic containers. We also use a lot less paper products (paper plates, napkins, paper towels, etc).
Instead of driving, my husband and I have started bike riding for short errands. Not only is it better for the environment, but it is good exercise and fun too!
I love yogurt, but I hate the waste associated with the plastic containers from purchasing it. So, I’ve decided to start making my own yogurt!
It starts with the kids so reusable lunch bags, reusable containers for sandwiches and snacks and Sigg water bottles for the whole family. My daughter has learned to use bath side of paper and we have a recycling box under her art desk for papers. We are also planting a vegetable garden in the backyard. And to get the point across for Earth Day- read the Lorax with you family :) Happy Earth Day!
we do cloth diapers, canvas shopping bags, cloth napkins, and literally run our errands instead of driving.
We try to use as little disposable plastic as possible — no more saran wrap, less ziploc type baggies, that sort of thing. We are also being more aware of the amount of paper towels we use and we already gave up paper napkins. Every little step helps and you just get used to not needing all the wasteful things!!
I subscribed to a CSA to get all local/ organic veggies delivered. Organic Farm eggs are so much better.
I save paper by practicing/learning ochem mechanisms on a dry erase board instead of printing out 50+ sheets of paper… :)
I actually take my bags to the grocery store when I go now!!! I put them back in my car after I get home. It works wonders. I am also cutting down on the paper towels and napkins I use.
I am planting a garden this summer and I am looking to start composting.
I want to get a rain barrel to water my herb garden and other plants. We also recycle everything possible and minimize our plastic bag consumption with our very small collection of resuable bags. We could definitely use some more to completely eliminate using plastic or paper bags!!
I bought my husband a reusable lunch bag so he can stop throwing away grocery bags every day.
Love your site! We have started our own compost pile for our garden!
The bags are so cute! I love them. I quit buying bottled water and use a filter and reusable water bottle. It’s a start!
iv cut my shower time down to 2 minutes 12 seconds.
I drink a LOT of water and have been using a BPA-free aluminum bottle for a couple years now… Also reusable coffee cozies and reusable grocery bags :)
We recycle most everything that we can. And our using less plastic
This year I am biking to work almost every day! We recycle, use shopping bags, refill our water bottles, use cloth napkins, and take egg cartons back to our farm egg supplier.
I’ve been so glad that green is becoming the new black. I try to think every day about how my way of life affects the planet. So there are many green things I’m already doing: getting cleaning products in jugs that can be refilled at the co-op, reusing plastic bags, can’t remember the last time I bought paper towels.
One of my more recent green moves is to go with glass tupperware containers. They don’t leech harmful chemicals into my food, are microwavable which is great for lunch at work. And the best part is that I’m much more motivated to take the time to clean them out and wash them if I’ve left something in the fridge until mold is growing on it. With the plastic kind I usually end up just pitching the whole thing into the trash.
Oh wow, look at all these comments! I hope I still have a chance :)
My parents tried to be as green as possible when they remodeled the house! My house is completely solar-powered, save for the gas stove. All the toilets, showers, and sinks are low-flow.
Our city has been doing curbside recycling for quite some time, so we recycle plastic, glass, and paper. We were also recently given the option to either upgrade or downsize the garbage bins; we chose the smallest size, so as a family of five we would produce less waste.
My mom plans to start composting soon, and we may also get a few chickens! :)
3 years & counting of public transportation! no printing of recipes (never did)… just used a small tablet if i absolutely HAVE TO. reusing everything possible. saving older kids handmedown clothes for the lil one & accepting families lovely handmedowns! hmmm what else can we do?….
We moved to a new house and didn’t have a recycling bin which is required to participate. After many calls to many people, we finally got our bin and have started recycling again.
I purchased reusable water bottles and use the filtered water from the fridge instead, and we started using reusable bags, though we don’t have NEARLY enough, since we have just 2-3 bags for a household of 7! Its a small change right now, but even a small change can make a big difference.
I walk everywhere!!!
We try to use our smaller car that gets better gas mileage whenever we can; especially on long road trips.
We use only reusable water bottles in our house (BPA free of course!) and cloth napkins. Beautiful on the table and good for the environment. Love your cupcakes by the way. Made the fauxstess ones last week for a friend… delish!
I really enjoy your blog, and this is the first time I’m posting a reply. Your Earth Day cupcakes are very cute! I have been carrying an aluminum water bottle for a long time, and I make a conscious effort to avoid buying plastic water bottles. I use environmentally friendly dishwasher detergent, and I am continuing to transition to “green” cleaning products. And I recycle, despite the fact that it means taking the items to a farther away station than the trash bin at my apartment complex.
I recycle and walk instead of driving whenever possible.
Cupcakes look delicious! BTW… Tried your benechilada recipe about a week ago and loved it! Anyhow, order my first bit of fluffy mail today…..ie cloth diapers to try out on our 2-year-old as well as some supplies! Expecting baby in July and wasn’t planning on cloth diapering until then but I’m getting sick of the disposables not working especially at night. So although we know what we will be using for newborn diapers decided to try out some of the all-in-ones and pocket diapers that fit bigger babies and up to 35 pounds, with our 2-year-old.
We’ve started using reusable bags at the grocery store, and have put separate trash bins in our kitchen for bottles, cans, & glass as well as for recyclables such as plastic and paper.
I have started to walk my 7 year old to school in the mornings (when he wakes up early enough) LOL and am trying to get him to remember to turn off lights when he leaves a room. *sigh*
Always trying to find new little things I can add to my routine to do my part…recycling, riding my bike when I can (but Alaska is cold!), reusable bags, water bottles and even coffee cups now, just to name a few.
I am trying really hard to use my reuseable bags when I go grocery shopping. I just need to remember to take them out of my trunk!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the cupcakes & the “blue velvet” idea. I would’ve never thought of that. You are SO creative. I LOVE your blog. Well, we have made a couple changes recently. I have started buying reusable shopping bags. I love them! I use washcloths to wipe down my counters instead of paper towesl. Hubby has been packing his lunch in Glad ware for a while now instead of baggies. We have not one regular light bulb in our house. We use only energy-efficient CFL bulbs. Love them! Plus, they don’t get hot which is great. =)
I am going to be better at making sure I turn off the lights when I leave my apartment.
We are on the same roll of paper towels we have had forever, save glass jars/spray paint the lids and then give friends homemade chocolate sauce, etc. in them, and take travel mugs everywhere. At school, I make exactly the number of copies I need…if you lose it, you can copy it by hand (funny, no one loses any papers anymore), we use both sides of the paper before recycling it and use memos from the office for scratch paper only when necessary. We use small whiteboards frequently instead. A boy doing a current events report called me an “aggressive recycler”…I was thrilled!
Have used baking soda as underarm deodorant for over 10 years and it works for me and is not toxic. Also great for brushing teeth and for scrubbing sinks.
Oh, my silly bro, I love you.
Love your blog!!!!!
I have decided not to use chemicals on our lawn. If we have weeds, I have been pulling them. Great exercise is a bonus as well!
I’ve been using reusable bags when grocery shopping, using towels whenever I can instead of paper towels and recycle every week.
I love using my reusable shopping bags, they can hold a nice amount of groceries. But the ones you buy at the grocery store doesn’t seem to last very long. I am looking for bags that’s stronger and more colorful. I am totally with you about the flimpsy little plastic bags they give you at the store….wasteful.
We recycle, use reusable bags to shop with, try to limit use of paper towels, use a Brita water purifier in place of water bottles, and try to buy grocery products that use less packaging. I’d like to try my hand at composting next!
Those bags look awesome! We recently changed over all of our cleaning supplies to the green kind, and we stopped using paper towels to clean the house. We use a cheap set of wash rags instead.
We already recycle just about all the things we can, and we give away the things we don’t use instead of throwing them away. But, recently I decided to use the old cloth diapers I used as burp cloths for cleaning and drying surfaces.
Look at all of these comments!!! You are a regular Pioneer Woman!!!
I use reusable bags for grocery shopping and would love to add these cute numbers to my stash! :)
I think these bags are adorable. I have bags upon bags of plastic bags from the grocery store, just waiting to go back to the supermarket’s recycling bin. They drive me nuts! Thanks for all your great recipes!
I have used a Sigg aluminum water bottle for the past few years and no longer buy bottled water. The bottle paid for itself in a few weeks and it keeps my water cold, too :)
Awesome cupcakes! I love them and those bags are so great!
We have changed some simple things in our house to help where we can:
-short showers
-recycle all plastics
-only “green” cleaning products
– lights off
Hope I win, those bags are great!!
I’m starting a compost! Plus I am all about reusable bags, so I would love these!!!!
This past fall our community finally started a recycling program. So excited to not just be throwing out all that paper and plastic!
I commute by bike. I’ve even figured out a way to bring a cake to work on my bike!
Recycle and educate my children to do the same!
I live in NYC so I have adapted to taking public transportation EVERYWHERE. Even now when I go out of town I take the train where I used to drive. I also bring bags when I go grocery shopping but unfortunately have not seen these little gems in the store. I would love to have a tiny bag to carry around with me for impromptu stops at the grocery store or farmer’s market!
We just got a composter! Here’s hoping my sad green thumb will get better this summer.
We have switched to environmentally-friendly cleaning products.
I plan to start using only “greener” cleaning products. That will be good for the environment and for my family!
We always bring some reusable bags to the grocery store and try to buy things that reduce packing etc. These cute little bags will be a great addition that you can take anywhere!
I drink out of a BPA Free water bottle – no plastic water bottles to throw out.
I use plastic grocery bags for trash can liners.
Our garbage service has started a recycle program – plastic bottles, cans.
At my office I cut message pads out of old forms instead of throwing out -try to save a tree.
I love reading your site and trying new things!
I started small and started by buying the energy-saving light bulbs last year. This year I also decided to start eliminating paper towels in the house and also napkins too. Since I am also doing a load of towels every other day at least, I bought cheap inexpensive wash clothes as napkins. My kiddos thought the idea was neat and have been trying different things too to be “green.” For my cleaning, I have been cutting up old t-shirts not nice enough to be handed-down or donated for my cleaning rags. After used, I place them in a bucket on my washer and wash after the bucket gets full. I haven’t missed buying paper towels or napkins! My next goal is to start making my own cleaning products which I have been researching on-line.!
Thanks for your site!
Well, my husband and I have started walking anywhere we can. To the bank, to church, etc. We have also just recently started using reusable shopping bags and we love it. We just need more! Those bags are so cute.
I carpool to work!
I try to repurpose things as much as I can. I donate old items to the Salvation Army, or I cut up old clothes and make new clothes, stuffed animals, or other items out of them. I would love a set of reuasable bags!
My husband and I are trying to do the little things to help reduce our carbon footprints. We wash all our clothes in cold water and don’t turn anything on we don’t need including the heater or air conditioning. We have saved so much money and it saves energy. We only use reuseable bottles and shopping bags and even recycle our old unused electronics.
Using Gdiapers on my baby. Started on Earth day! So far, I love them!
We seperate out everything at home to recyle. my Husband is a teacher and at school and at games we collect and recyle everything left behind.
I use re-useable bags at all stores. Even Macy’s…
I even use re-useable Gift wrap ( Fabric) and make Re-useable Gift bags.
I’ve cut down a lot on my use of plastic bags from stores and my use of plastic bottles too! Hopefully little things are helpful.
We try to do our part each day…somedays it’s easier than others. I try to use non chemical cleaners…vinegar and baking soda no longer live in my kitchen, they live in the laundry room. We are big on the resuable shopping bags. I think we have one from just about every store we frequen (my son is obsessed with collecting them). Those bags do tend to take up space though, so I’m going to definitely check out the RuMe bags! We also try to buy things with earth friendly packaging (don’t you love those new ever so noisy chips bags!!), or at least packaging that is recyclable. I make a lot of meals and foods from scratch eliminating the need for all that convenience food packaging! And when my son or husband take lunch to school and work we use reusale containers. No plastic wrap or zipper baggies at our house. :) And that’s how we try and do our part. Maybe it isn’t much but a little is better than nothing. Especially when it comes to preserving our environment for future generations.
We recycle all paper that comes into the house. I am amazed each week at the amount of junk mail, school papers, cardboard boxes, etc. that we used to throw away in the trash.
We have been teaching our kids to recycle. It is a conversation we have everytime something is thrown away in our house
Loving these bags. I keep the reusable shopping bags in my car for groceries and smaller, fold-up ones in my purse for clothes shopping. We use vinegar and baking soda bought in bulk for cleaning everything and have almost eliminated paper towel use. I’m hoping to set up a compost soon…hopefully this spring. Thanks for the giveaway and all the great recipes. (The salsa and chicken gyros are in heavy rotation in our house!)
We’ve just started recycling and we never use bottled water anymore. Now we only use our brita and we’ve purchased reusable water bottles.
Hi Annie. I LOVE your blog!!!!
We recycle, use our own tote bags instead of plastic bags when grocery shopping, and we walk to work! We also live in Budapest, Hungary, but we’ve got a mailing address in Texas.
I forgot to mention that we also dry our clothes on a drying rack and clothes line outside. We don’t own a dryer! :)
I use cloth diapers for my baby, and we have planted a garden!
I’m a newcomer and love your site. I’m newly committed to becoming more of a loca-vore.
We recyble or donate everything we can in our house, we buy as much local food as we can and we are very conscious of our energy use and are always looking for ways to cut back. I keep reusable bags in the car and fold up ones in my purse but they have started to tear so I would love some new ones. Especially ones as pretty as these!
I am working on switching over to reusable bags. I have always hated the plastic ones!! I have purchased a couple — but really feel like I need to look through the closets for unused clothes that can be sewn and repurposed into cloth bags. I have also vowed to hit the farmers’ market this summer for local produce!!
When my son was born I used cloth diapers on him for one year. I make my own cleaning products and my husband laughs at me for refusing to throw batteries in the trash. And when we first moved to Florida 5 years ago I made my husband put up a clothesline, I use it all the time.
We recycle in our house, and we’ve been using a filtered water system for the last few years so as not to buy bottled water. We’re also trying to teach our 4-year old about the importance of recycling. We also try to reuse bags for grocery and shopping purposes.
Thanks for all of your inspiration and for the opportunity to win something. Have a great weekend! :)
The last few years we have actually made quite a few changes. We have been using reusable shopping bags, we recycle, and I have stopped buying bottled water and we now use our Nalgenes, to name a few.
When I am nearly out of laundry detergent, I am going to make my own from a recipe I saw on the news a couple weeks ago. Two cents a load versus about twenty. I have already switched to white bar rags for mopping up stuff instead of using paper towels.
We recycle everything we can! I also use the backsides of paper when making lists or practicing spelling words, whatever. I always use a shopping bag when going to the grocery store or other stores. These bags look fabulous!!!
Hey Annie! I just LOVE your blog!! Thanks for the opportunity to win those cute bags! Other than the obvious of using recycled bags at the store and recycling (thanks to living in Austin it is the easiest thing to do!) I work at an architecture firm and we use paper like crazy- so I started a recycling program for my office!!! Happy (belated) Earth Day!!!
Cute cupcakes! I long ago stopped buying paper plates. I also save my glass jars from pasta sauce, etc., to reuse for salsa and craft storage.
I am going to start composting. No more throwing out coffee grounds and watermelon rinds. I am going to use my garbage disposal as little as possible.! Thanks for the inspiration.
Cute, cute bags!
Some things I do: Bring my own grocery bags, cloth diaper, use cloth napkins, recycle, recycle, recycle, and about a 2 years ago we gave up paper towels (except for cleaning the bathroom…).
I’ve been commuting to work on my bicycle.
I rode my bicycle to work just this morning for the first time! I’m also planning on buying cloth napkins soon.
I have already decreased the amount of paper towels I use by purchasing some clothes that have made great replacements. This summer, I also plan to make some produce bags so I don’t have to use those plastic ones at the grocery!
I bring my own coffe cup and reusable plastic cups to work so I don’t have to use styrofoam. I have stopped buying bottled water, and I buy local and organic as much as possible!!
Thanks for the great giveaway!!!
My camelbak water bottles. I use them constantly at work, rather than using styrofoam cups.
Cute bags!!
I bring my own grocery bags to the store and use a travel mug for my daily coffee fix. These are such cute bags! I would love to put them to use. Thanks for the opportunity!!
I was really disappointed when we moved to Pennsylvania from Wisconsin as we had wonderful curbside recycling pickup through our trash company (Waste Management). We don’t have any recycling pickup here as we live just outside the city limits, so I do my best to store recyclables in my garage and drive them to a limited recycling bin in our township. They don’t accept much, but it’s a start. When we moved here, I posted our moving boxes on freecycle and was able to give them all away to people who reused them. That felt even better than just recycling the cardboard as it may have saved those people from buying the special purpose moving boxes.
Thanks for a wonderful website. It’s one of my favorite stops. Your photographs are always drool-worthy! Liz
We (my husband and I) started getting our meat from a small farm that raises their animals in a humane and sustainable way. We are also going to buy an electric car as soon as they become available in a year or two.
I am paying a lot more attention to how I pack the kids’ lunches. I used to go through a lot of plastic baggies and other disposables. Now, I use mostly reusable containers and utensils.
I use reuseable bags, recycle, and when I have babies, I plan to use cloth diapers. Thanks for the giveaway…great idea to celebrate Earth day!
Whenever I go on walks I make sure I take a bag with me to pick up all the stray trash! It makes my neighborhood so much cleaner!
I use reuseable bags and I also use a water bottle instead of continuously buying bottled water. I have also started to recycle more.
We are trying to cut down on paper in our house – paper towels, napkins, etc.
I have used cloth diapers on all of my kids. I also make and use cloth wipes. When weather is nice I dry our laundry on a clothes line outside. This year we have started a garden! This is my first year doing a garden and I am very excited! I just hope I don’t kill everything! lol I use re-usable grocery bags, we recycle all of our plastic, glass, aluminum, cardboard, and paper items. I do a lot of my cleaning with baking soda, or vinegar and water.
This is an awesome giveaway and I REALLY hope you pick me! Even if I don’t get picked this is a great way to bring awareness to all the simple things one person can do to help our planet! It really doesn’t take much and if you just work it into your normal routine it doesn’t seem like a lot of effort! Good Luck Everybody!
Recycling!
I take public transportation to work (lightrail/streetcar and then by foot)!!
We now use reusable bags at the supermarket and even at the mall!
I recycle my plastic bags–they have that option at the grocery store. I love being able to do that!
We have been using reuseable bags when grocery shopping.
I switched from using a plastic water bottle every morning to a reusable bottle. Super easy and cutting down on using tons of plastic (I see all the extra space in our recycling each week!)
tomorrow we’re hosting a tree planting party, to replace some trees that had been cut down last fall!
great cupcakes!
We recycle, use reusable grocery bags, and I try to make sure that we aren’t using too much electricity by turning off lights and unplugging appliances when they are not being used. We’re not perfect, but we try to do what we can. :)
p.s. I’m in awe of all that you do! You’re a superwoman.
We no longer use any paper in the kitchen, only cloth. We just bought a few more cloths of various sizes to use for cleaning up different kinds of messes (including my 14 month old’s hands and face after every meal!) . Would love to win those bags–they’re so pretty and I’m a fan of bags that are easy to carry around.
These look great!! To “go green” I have increased my use of re-usable containers (such as Pyrex) – good for me – with less BPA – and good for the environment! I also no longer purchase individual packages of items, to cut down on plastic consumption.
I love those cupcakes!
My husband and I have slowly made a number of changes in our lives, including: stopped buying plastic water bottles and instead have a Brita pitcher and reusable SIGG bottles, switched over to CFL bulbs in all of the lights that will fit them, installed a programmable thermostat, and rely more heavily on fabric kitchen towels than paper towels. We could do so much more, but I think we’ve made a decent start. Thanks for the giveaway, Annie!
I take resuable bags to the grocery store, and just recently got a cute tote to take to other stores (bookstore, Kohl’s, etc.). To cut down on paper towels, I got microfiber towels from the automotive section at Sam’s. I have two different colors, one for cleaning and one for food-related tasks (drying & draining veggies mostly). I can make a roll of paper towels last 6 months using those! My next goal is to make some cloth napkins.
I have several reusable shopping bags…the problem? Only one of them rolls up to a purse size. As a result, it is the only one I ever remember to bring along! Those portable bags are the greatest.
I just bought a clothesline, so I don’t have to use the dryer. And I love bringing my own bags to the grocery store. I can fit everything into 2 bags, instead of struggling to carry 10 plastic ones.
I have learned this week about “electric vampires” aka all the appliances and gadgets that we leave plugged in that suck out our electricity. The new goal is to unplug computers, toasters, lamps etc. when we leave the house, at night, or when they are not in use.
I try to ride the bus to school as much as I can and I try to use reusable bags when I remember… but those are so cute compared to the ones I have!!!
I make my own laundry detergent at home. It’s *way* cheaper, low sudsing and I know exactly whats in it. My constant companion is a stainless steel waterbottle, I use public transit and use cat litter made from recycled newspaper! And I recycle like a mad woman. But I live in Portland which is a city that makes it easy to be green!
love your blog. i make the challah weekly. great recipe. i don’t let the water run constantly while i am brushing my teeth. that’s one of my green behaviors.
I have a few reusable shopping bags but plan to get more! :) I also set up a recycle system in our garage so hopefully we can recycle more! I want to set up a compost also!! We shall see!
We already recycle, and I’m pretty good about using reusable shopping bags. At work, I’ve started using a mug instead of disposable cups for my tea. And I use a stainless water bottle instead of plastic water bottles. It’s all about baby steps with me. :)
I teach K-6 music and I always make a big deal about earth day. We sing lots of fun earth day songs and talk about how they can reduce, reuse, recycle! I also recycle many things at my home.
I also have been cleaning with more natural products (like vinegar and baking powder). I’d be interested in hearing how you’re working to lessen your paper towel usage – I use a ton so I know I need to work on it!
I’ve been traveling the past year for work on a weekly basis. So, as I no longer have a car with me, I walk everywhere and bring a backpack and 2 reusable bags with me when I grocery shop. I walk everywhere. 1/2 a mile used to seem long, and now 2 miles is nothing, plus it’s really great exercise. The bags would be great for me, because my one reusable bag already has a strap that’s broken! lol! Love the recipes! :-)
I take public transportation or walk and we stopped eating meat. It has made us all feel a lot better.
recycling, i drive a prius and switching to earth friendly cleaning products:)
I just got a bag to take to the grocery store to use when I’m just picking up a few items….it’s a start!
My change is that I use reusable shopping bags!
Hi Annie,
This year my family and I ditched all things plastic and only use reusable containers. Also, we began to use GREEN cleaning products and purchase for the most part organic groceries and we would certainly love to begin using these awesome bags.
Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle : )
My change has been to cook from scratch. It’s amazing how little packaging I now have to deal with – and most of it is recyclable!
We recycle, have reusable shopping bags, stopped buying bottled water and I have a real coffee cup on my desk at work. Every little bit helps.
I not only recycle my paper and plastic, I’ve gone green by filtering my own water, and using reusable water bottles to go. I’ve used reusable bags for years now, and have quite a stash of them. I love having new and different ones to change things up!
I have a Brita water pitcher in my refrigerator. Tastes great and the kids drink more. I have moved my coupons to my reusable bags to help me remember to take them to the grocery store. It has helped, although, I still have a few slip ups.
i plan on unplugging unused electronics and buying in bulk to cut down on waste.
I’ve been recycling glass, plastic including ldry detergent bottles, and aluminum for years. I keep reusable shopping bags in the trunk of my car for groceries and I also have separate bags for clothing as well. My husband and I compost just about all non meat items and do laundry in cold water. But the biggest change I’ve made to help save the planet is to reduce the amount of water I use when I shower. While I’m shampooing my hair or washing my body I turn the water off and turn it back on to rinse off.
I pretty much never ever use paper plates. I have had the same pack for nearly 6 years. I also try to limit the # of plastic bags I use by storing things in resuable containers.
I am going to do more online bill pay in order to save the trees! I already pay most of my bills online, I would like to streamline them all. Great giveaway as usual and an awesome blog!
I ride my bike as much as possible, and don’t own a car (despite living in the burbs)
I have started using the reusable grocery bags. I love them! They hold so much and make bringing things in from the car so much easier!!!
We have changed all our bulbs to CFL bulbs. And I plan to plant a veggie garden this year.
I hang my laundry outside and don’t buy bottled water. I enjoy reading your blog. The photography and recipes are amazing.
I pretty much only use reusable containers for leftovers, lunches, and snacks for work and if I do use a plastic bag I try to reuse it (like with my pretzels I took to work last week – I just used the same bag both days).
I switched to a refillable water bottle and I love not having to waste bottles and bottles of water. I am planning to start a garden, so I can grow my own fruits and veggies.
My husband and I have recycled for awhile now, but to make it an easier trip to the recycling station we have separate containers for different types of materials – cardboard, cans, glass, plastic, etc… I also make sure to cut up the plastic rings on our gatorade bottles and bottle holders – can never be too safe for the little animals that could get caught up in them! Great looking bags – and thanks for Earth Day recognition. It is a special day for us because it is also my husband’s birthday!
Gosh, we have changed our way of life so much. We recycle everything we possibly can. We don’t use disposable paper or plastic products any longer. We compost leftovers. we have done away with processed food and buy only local, organic vegetables and meat. I’ve learned to bake our bread and make homemade potato chips for my daughter.
I already recycle everything that can possibly be recycled but I’m going to start walking my kids to school and to the grocery store when the weather permits (I live in the NW, it rains a LOT :-).
I love your blog (who wouldn’t) I am very aware of saving and conserving. I sort my garbarge (in our town we save the plastic 1 and 2). I bill pay online, When grocery shopping I bring my own shopping bags. Now when I am shopping in any store I decline the store bag and usually anything I buy fits into my bag(I always carry a bag that seems to have an endless amount of storage). I use rubber bands to keep chip bags etc. contents in the bag and fresh once they are open. This way you don’t need another storage bag and the rubber bands can be used on anything.
We’ve stopped using plastic water bottles (for the most part!) and have started using re-useable grocery bags, though not as cute as what you are giving away. We’re also trying to be better at separating our recycle items in the appropriate bins and are paying as much as we can online.
We’ve been recycling cardboard and cans for years!
We use cloth shopping bags, we recycle, and we buy organic and/or local food as much as possible.
The cupcakes looks super yummy, btw! :)
we use our own reusable water bottles and reusable grocerie bags. we also use environment-friendly cleaning products at home. littl ways to be green!
We use Nalgene bottles instead of buying bottle water and reusable containers to pack lunches in for work. We also are getting better at recycling since our city switched to single-stream recycling.
I don’t buy bottled water anymore – just reuse one of those metal water bottles!
I’ve stated making my own cleaning supplies! :)
My new thing is that I’m trying to grow my own vegetables. Well, not all my vegetables, but some! I’m also packing reusable containers in my kids’ lunches instead of plastic baggies. We’re recycling more, and composting. Many changes!
My husband and I practice Natural Family Planning. This is healthy for my body and less hormones out there in the environment. Our relationship has become very giving and respectful and we have been blessed with 8 children. The kids help us live in a more simple way out of necessity-everyone has their own water bottle, use cloth instead of napkins and paper towels, recycle as much as we can, and eat from scratch instead of processed. Also with 8 kids, there is always someone who can wear it, or use it, or eat it-no waste here! The kids are helping us make the earth a better place!
we recently moved to a condo that’s really close to work – so i’m trying to walk to work more than driving. loving it so far!
thanks for the giveaway, annie!
We are now getting to be good recyclers in the house. I started it and we recycle more and more each week. If we could also compost, that would rock. Maybe that is next to do.
I also try to use as many recyclable bags as I can and say no to plastic. It never fails, though, on one trip I will forget my bags. These are perfect because they fit in your purse!
Here’s how I stay green: cloth diaper, breastfeed, make own baby food, reusable bags, rain barrel and compost!
We try to use less electricity.
Love these bags. My husband and I both drive hybrid cars. And I’m going to try really, really hard to give up plastic water bottles.
I would like to start my own compost bin….with (gasp) worms!
I want to start growing my own vegetables, too. That way, I can maintain a sustainable garden and kitchen; without having to by produce that traveled far to get to my plate.
We are huge composters! It has reduced our garbage tremendously. I was just reading this morning about starting a worm bin. The kids at my childrens’ school have a worm compost bin and it’s VERY cool.
I try to reduce my carbon footprint by eating less meat and eating veggie/local whenever possible. I am also helping the planet through working in the community–this July I will start a year of service helping fight poverty in the AmeriCorps!
I use reusable containers to take my lunch to work and bring my own resusable water bottle. When I do end up with plastic grocery bags I donate them to a food bank that reuses them to hand out food supplies to needy families.
We recycle. I plan to work at the community farm as a way to help the community and the earth by providing home grown food to families.
We have started recycling all plastics and newspaper. That’s all our small community has recycle bins for, but it’s better than nothing!
I am cooking at home more often!! This means I am driving less every day because I don’t have to “run out and grab something.” Also, my pantry is stocked with essentials and I am more strategic in my planning. Fewer trips to the grocery store saves fuel and shopping bags.
Recycling and creating less trash by taking care of what I have to make it last as long as possible.
We reuse our trash. Usually in the form of some craft!
Cute cupcakes!
I pack my lunch and snacks for work in reusable containers as opposed to plastic bags and take the bus to work.
I recycle everything that I can and try to reuse things that I can’t.
I try to buy recycled paper products as often as I can (esp. with stuff like toilet paper, tissues, paper towels etc). I think it’s really wasteful to cut down new trees just to make paper that people will use to clean up something and then throw it away.