Earth Day 2008: A Tribute to All Things Green
I couldn't let Earth Day pass without doing a little blogging about being greener. We are always striving to learn ways of implementing "green" into our everyday life. Here are a few tips from me on being green:

-Check out www.freecycle.org. It's a great way to get rid of things without having to throw them away. Who knows, you may even find something that you are looking for!
-Buy local - Now that warmer weather is here and summer is approaching, it's time to head over to your local farmer's market. Here you can find a great varitey of fruits, veggies, and organic meats that are great for your family to enjoy. Buying organic from the farmer's market is often cheaper (and much fresher) than buying organic from the grocery store. So grab your mesh shopping bags, load the kids in the stroller and support your local farmers!
-Check the air in your tires. You get maximum gas mileage when your tires are filled to their suggested level. And who doesn't need better gas mileage when gas is up to $3.45/gallon! Fill your tires up and save money and the environment!
-Go to www.pluggreen.com and find out what businesses in your area (from dry cleaners to restaurants) are making efforts to be green.
-Go here to find coupons for Seventh Generation and Greenworks cleaning products. I use both and I am a big fan. I especially love the dish soap in Lavender Mint from Seventh Generation. You will also find LOTS of other coupons to help save you some green :)
-And last, but certainly not least, I encourage you all to evaluate your pantry. Beind green is also being healthy. It's about eating more whole foods and not a lot of processed foods. Look for snacks for your kids (and you) where ingredients don't include the words enriched, hydrogenated, and corn syrup. Three months ago we decided to make very effort to give our pantry a makeover. It has taken 3 months, but we are finally to a point where everything in our cabinet and fridge are either organic or, if not organic, not processed. Now, I will tell you that our pantry is not full. Buying organic for us means buying less b/c organic is more expensive. But, we do have enough and that's really all that matters. Check out www.organicvalley.com, www.stoneyfieldfarms.com, and www.laurasleanbeef.com for some coupons on organic stuff. Thankfully walmart carries brands like Back to nature, Kashi, Newman's and Annie's so we don't have to pay a fortune for them elsewhere!

Happy Earth Day, everybody. Go Green!