Tuesday, October 27, 2009

green.

I've been feeling extra motivated to live as "greenly" as possible lately. All it takes sometimes is making a little extra effort to conquer laziness and be good stewards of our resources, you know? Hanging your laundry instead of drying it, bringing your own bags to the store, unplugging items you aren't using.....there are dozens of great little ways to change your lifestyle. But I've come to think that the key is really learning to change your mindset.

In our consumer driven society, we are trained to believe that our value is based upon our level of consumption. So we are continuously trying to upgrade our wardrobe, our houses, our cars, etc., and we are never, ever satisfied. Its a hard cycle to break out of, I'm the first one to admit. But it is crucial to start examining the excessive way we live, and start focusing on the things that really matter- our family and our friends, our spiritual life, blessing others through service, savoring the small moments, etc. Here is a link to a video called "The Story of Stuff" that really convicted me to start making some changes. What do you think?

3 comments:

Dunlap 7 said...

Hey Aunt Betsy love to see you coming to the green side, we have been trying to get very creative with homemade items for many reasons one of which is I want to know exactly what I clean with or wash with, and not kill the kids with harmful fumes, it is lots of fun, and very cost effective...ever tried making your own laundry soap, I have a great recipe that works really well..even with 5 grubby boys :) Have a great day and I would love to chat with you about fun recycling projects, I will never throw away another t-shirt! Love to you both.
P.S. your new projects are beautiful as ever!!

K said...

There was a great quote in my baby book:
We do not inherit this land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

That, and the complete belief that good stewardship includes this earth (as you said) are what motivate me to follow through on becoming more "green", especially when it saves me money! It's also nice to know exactly what's in my cleaning supplies and that they are safe for the baby to have contact with. I am slowly trying to switch to greener alternatives as my current stuff runs out. So far I love cloth diapers and homemade pre-moistened disinfectant wipes (using soap, vinegar, and tea tree oil) that I can wash. :)

Emily Jean said...

So along the same lines is a neat ministry to alleviate poverty in the world...
www.tradeasone.com
I thought you would like to see this.