We are 5 days into 2011 and it is way past time for me to evaluate how I did with my Green Goals for last year. My Green Goals for 2010 list was pretty short I think. I prefer to set small, attainable goals that way when you accomplish them you feel great and are motivated to do more.
So did I complete all of my goals? Here are the 2010 results:
Make a whole hearted attempt to cloth diaper new baby
Ummmmmm, well I DID attempt it. Whole hearted? Probably not. I received some Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers for review and tried with those. First poop was a leaky mess but I vowed to give it another shot. I just couldn't get past having to dump the solid stuff into the toilet and then put the diaper in some kind of bin till wash day. And its not that poop grosses me out. I have 4 boys and I am surrounded by poop all.day.long. I just found it annoying. And tedious. So I gave up.
Less TV time for the kids
Yes, we totally did this! It took me till September to get it done, but I got it done nonetheless. Once we hit September and the 3 older boys were in school for 3 hours a day, TV time went down significantly. We don't turn the TV on at all in the morning. When they get home from school we have lunch then they run around (liek lunatics) and play for a bit. I try to limit TV to just one movie per day, usually coinciding with when I am cooking dinner. Some days its a little more but I am OK with that.
Shop local Farmer's Market
I only went to the farmer's market once, however we joined a CSA which ran from June through November. So I would say 75% of all of my produce during that time came from the CSA - and its all certified organic!
Purchase more organic foods
Thanks to the CSA we had a Summer full of organic produce! As far as the grocery store I probably stayed the same. Prices keep going up which makes it really hard for a family of 6.
Start composting
This is a fail. I would really love a compost bin of some sort, preferably a worm one I think. But its not in the budget right now. During the warmer months I would collect all of my green kitchen scraps (from fruits and veggies) in a large mixing bowl in my kitchen and at the end of the day walk out to the woods and toss the scraps in. Not truely composting, I know, but better then throwing them in the trash.
Expand vegetable garden
Another fail. Not only did I not expand my "garden", I did not plant a single vegetable. Shame on me.
Reduce waste in my preschooler's lunches
This one makes me so happy. My 3 older boys are in school 3 hours a day now. One in kindergarten and the twins in preschool. They do not have lunch at school but they do have a morning snack. I am pleased to say that their snacks are 100% waste-free. And healthy. They get water in a reusable straw cup and fresh fruit in a reusable bowl sent with them every day. The real challenge will be next year when my oldest is in first grade and I need to pack snack and lunch.
Switch to rechargeable batteries
Unfortunately we did not do this at all. But when the batteries died in a lit of the baby's toys, I simply did not replace them. That has to count for something, right? ;)
I would love to hear how others did with their goals for last year. Did you set any green goals? Which did you accomplish and which proved to be a real challenge?
Stay tuned for my new goals for 2011 and start thinking of your own as well!
i got a composter in November I think. It's winter but I'm still dumping everything in there. I hope by spring it'll be cooking and ready to use by late spring.
ReplyDeleteI love cloth diapering!
I so badly wanted to love cloth diapering. But i didn't. Very disappointed in myself.
ReplyDeleteJust had to chime in about the worm bin- they can be DEAD cheap! We use a styrofoam cooler with a lid we picked up from a Freecycler, with lots of holes poked in the lid. A pound or two of red wriggler worms is about $20 I think. Just fill the bin halfway with strips of wet newspaper, wrung out really well, and add the worms. Every time you add some food, add a few handfuls of dry newspaper strips to soak up the moisture from the food. We actually have our bin inside right now- as long as I don't overfeed them, there's no smell and as long as everything is happy in the bin, no worms or bugs want to escape! They'll multiply, too.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to chime in about cheap worm bins too. Mine is made of a long low rubbermaid container with holes drilled in the sides and bottom. The worms cost me about $20 (as mentioned by another poster) and the rest is free. Free paper, free food scraps and eventually free food for my plants.
ReplyDeleteI really suggest trying it out. It's been great!
I never thought about green goals. I might need to make some.
ReplyDeleteI really want to compost and you other commenters have inspired me!
Yay!
xo Susie