2009 in Review

Thinking back on 2009 I had several things I wanted to change, did change and will continue to work on in 2010. When I think about all the small changes I made last year I realize that they really do add up.

I started using a Brita water pitcher to filter my water to cut back on my bottled water usage at the end of 2008. I purchased a couple of BPA free bottles from the Filter for Good website in 2009 and have been using those to take filtered water with me to work and when on the go. (I also received a snazzy new Camelbak bottle at Christmas too!) Thanks to those small changes I completely stopped purchasing bottled water in 2009.

I started using a Laptop Lunchbox to take my lunches to work. I LOVE my lunchbox and have drastically cut back on waste by using the laptop lunchbox. I even pack my own cloth napkin so I have absolutely no garbage at the end of lunch each day. I had the opportunity to purchase a laptop lunch box for a co-worker as well during an office gift exchange so the waste-free lunches keep growing!

I also found another product, Posh Pouches, to replace my use of plastic baggies for those days I wanted to have a snack in my purse. These reusable fabric bags are wonderful and I have really enjoyed using them. I was using way too many plastic baggies before I found these. I use them at home to package items after they are opened in my fridge, for snack items, for personal items - I have them in all sizes and they are great for anything.

I continued to use my reusable canvas shopping bags when I go to the grocery store. I started this back in 2008 but became much more consistent last year when I finally got a good system going. I use the bags now for any other store I go into when I know I am going to make a purchase, not just groceries.

I took a ceramic mug to work to drink tea from instead of using the styrofoam cups that are provided. For my weekly Starbucks trips I started using a reusable tumbler as well . I received a new personalized tumbler for Christmas too. :)

I started to purchase organic foods and attempted to grow a few veggies of my own. Although the organic foods are more expensive there are items that can be purchased in bulk and I like to think I am worth the investment. I haven't convinced myself to purchase everything organic yet because there are times where I am staring at eggs on sale for $0.99 compared to the organic version for $3.99. However, I am trying to make use of the local farmer's markets for better pricing as well.

I am a total "product junkie" and for those of you who don't know what "product" refers to, for me that would be skincare items, mainly. I love face washes, exfoliants, peels, moisturizers, creams, serums, masks - you name it - I probably have it. I wanted to start using products that have less harmful chemicals in them. This area has been difficult to change! I would like products with less chemicals but I still want products that work. I had a few interesting experiences to say the least (um, Tom's Deodorant) which will require their own post.

I started to use Marcal's recycled paper towels and toilet paper (which can be bought in bulk at Costco). At first I thought this would be an annoying "sacrifice" since they are a long way from my Viva paper towels and three-ply Quilted Northern toilet paper I was using. I am happy to report that this switch will be permanent.

To improve on energy costs, I switched my electric company to Green Mountain Energy who uses renewable energy. Great for the environment and so far great on my bills as well. All of the light bulbs in my house were switched out in 2009 to the more energy efficient compact flourecent light bulbs. I started to unplug appliances, hair dryers, etc. when not in use. I make sure the water is turned off while I am brushing my teeth, I take showers instead of baths , use cold water to wash clothes and have been washing more dishes by hand and only running the dishwasher when we have a full load.

None of these items may seem like a huge change by themselves but when I think back about all of them together 2009 seems like a pretty successful year. I plan on continuing all of these changes and tackling a few more in 2010.

Happy New Year!!!

More reasons to filter water

Yahoo published a list with just another reason of why you should filter your tap water. The list contains the cities with the best and worst tap water. I was shocked and pleased to see my city is in the top three listed. To view the entire article and a link to the list of cities, click here.

Directly from Yahoo's article, "Experts still agree that drinking tap is preferable to drinking bottled water. Bottled water is much more expensive than tap, it takes a huge toll on the planet, and it's not necessarily any safer than tap. "Bottled water is not regulated in the same way as tap water," says Olga Naidenko, a senior scientist at EWG. "With bottled water, consumers often do not know what they are getting, and 25 to 40 percent of bottled water on the market is simply tap poured into a bottle."

Knowing what's in your water is the key. Once you know which contaminants are present, you can find the best filter to get rid of them. EWG put together a thorough buying guide to help you find an affordable water filter that works for you. You can read the guidelines or search for products based on contaminants you want to get rid of."

Here is also a direct link to the National Drinking Water Database that provides details of what is in the tap water of your city.

2009 Resolution continued

I am not a fan of coffee but I do enjoy drinking chai tea. I know it can be costly to purchase these drinks from large coffee chains so I have found one that I can make at home that is made by Oregon Chai. I found the chai concentrate at Super Target in the tea section. Oregon Chai offers several varieties of the chai that are organic, vegan and sugar free. It tastes great when you just add milk and heat or even if you prepare it as a cold treat.

Even though I will make the tea at home, I still enjoy going to the local Starbucks with a friend to just sit and relax. This is where I started to think, just like all the water bottles I was using, about all the cups that Starbucks goes through in a day. Not just paper cups but lids, paper sleeves, plastic cups, plastic lids, etc. When I started to think about the amount that one Starbucks goes through, let alone ALL of their stores...wow. This goes for any beverage or food chain that is giving you something in a disposable container.

I decided to purchase a reusable tumbler while I was there. It doesn't take much effort to wash it out and then I put it back in my car in case I stop for an impromptu drink. I found out that Starbucks also has a program called Shared Planet where they are helping to reduce their carbon footprint and you can sign up as a participant and reuse your mug or tumbler each time you get a drink at Starbucks. For each drink you purchase and use your own tumbler for Starbucks will give you a $0.10 discount.

Starbucks is currently researching to create a cup that is 100% recyclable but until that happens I will be sure to take my reusable tumbler with me.

2009 Resolution

It is almost that time of year where everyone starts to make resolutions for the new year. I have already started on a few more this year and have some others I would like to try for the next.

One of my resolutions this year came from watching the Biggest Loser. I realized that even though I did recycle all of those plastic water bottles I was using, I still went through a lot of bottles. At the beginning of 2009, I went out and purchased a Brita pitcher and began to filter my tap water and was using a reusable bottle to take with me to work each day. Prior to doing this, I would go through at least three bottles of water while at work each day. I usually also carry a bottle with me everywhere I go, so I have purchased different reusable BPA-free bottles to fit in my lunchbox and different bags so that I will always have one with me.

To help others get started using reusable water bottles Brita also began a Filter for Good campaign where you are able to join the campaign and receive coupons towards purchases of Brita products. Sign up today to help reduce bottled water waste.

Finally!!!!

In an attempt to eat foods that were not grown with pesticides, that are natural and have real flavor I wanted to try to grow some of my own vegetables this year. I think I originally received my first tomato plant as a gift back in March. The information that came along with it said I would have tomatoes in 45 days. Here we are a "few" months later and I FINALLY have some tomatoes from my own backyard. :) I will admit that I started to think it just wasn't meant to be. The Texas heat seems to be a little bit much. I guess the cooler weather in October and November is just what my little plant needed and just enough time for the bugs to take a hike.

I still plan on figuring out composting soon so that I can have some rich soil to plant a real garden this next year. For the time being I am just pleased I finally have something that I can eat. :) I actually still have about five more tomatoes and a few bell peppers in the works as well. Hopefully, the weather will still stay decent long enough for them to become ripe.

Making the switch to Renewable Energy

I was excited to change my electric company recently to Green Mountain Energy. This electric company uses renewable energy which is an energy generated from natural sources like the sun, wind or rain. In this case, Green Mountain uses wind from local wind farms. This form of energy helps to offset our carbon footprint and produces no greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide or methane. For my first month the carbon footprint reduced is equivalent to 130 miles NOT driven. Not too bad when all I did was make a phone call to switch. :)

Eating Organic

One of the main things that I keep reading about lately is eating organic. What qualifies a product as organic? I went to the National Organic Program's (NOP) website to see if there was anything to clarify what is considered organic. Depending on the product there are different guidelines that must be met for a product to be considered organic. For the details on how a product earns the label USDA Organic, click here.

This was one of the reasons why I started going to the farmer's markets to look for produce that was grown without the use of pesticides. There is definitely a difference in price (higher!) as well when you are trying to eat organic products. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised this weekend when I finally joined Costco. I couldn't believe all the organic products that were available in bulk. Being able to buy more for the same price as what I was getting at the grocery store is great, but I still can't believe the variety of organic foods that were there.

I have noticed that while I am trying to eat more organic foods I have been eating less meat. I love a good veggie burger and found a great recipe on Everyday Food. I am going to try to find some different variations but the Veggie Burger with Tahini Mayonnaise was a great start.