It's Not Easy Being GREEN!

Kermit was my favorite growing up.  I'm not sure it was his froggy voice, gentle ways, temper or his sage advice.  "It's not easy being green."  He was refering to his color of course but in this day and age the phrase rings true for daily living.  Growing up we didn't recycle, didn't have a limit on garbage, have any regard for the planet and everybody had a burm barrel in the back yard.  This seems shocking just three decades later and perhaps I feel I must now make up for the entire neighborhood's ignorance but green is how we are trying to live at my house.  Are there times I have NO interest in washing out the mayo container and just pitch it; yes!  Most of the time I frantically "break down" everything from frozen dinner boxes to a box big enough for me that our bulk paper towels come in. (I know I know; working on getting rid of them entirely)        
      Of course this recycling business is not the only way to be green.  Just this year my New Year's resolution was one I could finally follow through on; buy sulfate free cleaners.  "Ignorance is Bliss" is another saying that seems to lead to living green.  I had NO earthly clue what was in mainstream, name brand detergents that come in those red and green bottles.  EWWWWW about covers it; beyond the effects on our water supply who wants that stuff on their clothes or the dishes they eat off of?  So, I set out to the local gorcery in January and bought seventh generation laundry and dish detergent.  Let me just tell ya, the detergent packets they make for the dishwasher (which uses less water than handwashing BTW) are FABULOUS!  So, every month or so we restock and sometimes we even have a coupon but for the most part they only cost 40 cents to a dollar more than the icky stuff.  My water and my planet are worth that right?
       "Live simply so others may simply live" is another great saying that goes with green living.  This one is so much easier to say than to live.  Let's be real; I love a lot of modern day things that up my carbon footprint including my tv, my dogs, my SUV, and so on and so on.  So, how do you live simply in mainstream?  I'm trying.  I think there is no good reason for styrofoam and refuse to have it in the house for anything and dreed when the left overs come home housed in it.  I can't remember the last time I bought a paper plate or paper napkins or even took a shower for more than 5 minutes.  I saw a documentry on the world's water supply this past fall and it changed me.  I went right out and bought aluminum water bottles for the whole family.  The movie made me want to go postal and drive my SUV into the local water bottling plant feature in the film. 
        The next green step is to buy organic and local.  Even though we burned most of our garbage as a kid we could also go across the street to my great aunt's to get fresh eggs or beans.  I had to go no father than school to know a kid in 4-H who was raising a steer that would later become my dinner.  These thoughts came to mind about a year ago when I explained to a classmate why I hadn't eaten meat in over 12yrs.  Why must my produce travel from countries unknown for me to eat them?  The modern consumer is I want it now and I am guilty of that.  I don't think folks like my 90 yr old Nana would flip their lid in the grocery 50 yrs ago if there were no grapes available in the dead of winter like I might.  So, alas the ignorance about my food supply is gone as well but while buying all organic is easily doable buying the same locally is next to impossible.  As a side note beware of the Allentown farmer's market as most of their produce is trucked in and I don't think I have ever seen a farmer there.
        I am no where near the top of the green living podium but I can do what I can.  That's all we do for ourselves, our children, each other's children and the world.  Take baby steps, I have.  It isn't easy being green but it's better than the alternative since we now know better. 
http://www.seventhgeneration.com/