I Challenge You

To make three small changes to positively impact the environment. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, how for quite some time, I've felt that I wanted to do 'something' to fix things, yet felt unable to commit to any of the big things. I'd love to buy a hybrid car, for example, but hell will probably freeze over before I'm in the market to actually purchase a NEW car. I'd love to buy only organic produce, dairy and meats, but I simply can't afford to. I'd love to not create so much household waste, but with a baby in disposable diapers (who goes to daycare, so even if I were so motivated as to cloth diaper, it isn't feasible), the volume of trash we produce every day is staggering.

So, instead of dreaming big and doing nothing, I've started to just make some small changes. Anything is better than nothing, right? Here's what we're doing:

• I've switched to a phosphate-free dishwasher detergent (Bi-O-Kleen) to minimize adding phosphorous to our lakes and streams.

• I've switched to a non-petroleum-based dish soap and laundry detergent (Seventh Generation). According to the bottle: If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 25 oz. petroleum based dishwashing liquid with our 25 oz. vegetable based product, we could save 81,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 4,600 U.S. homes a year!

Both of these products cost a lot more ($2 plus per bottle) than the traditional brands, but it is an easy expense to absorb, as we only use, at most five or six bottles each per year.

• I bought a reusable grocery tote. While I don't think I'll be eliminating our use of plastic grocery bags anytime soon (they are very useful for disposing of stinky diapers!), I figure just cutting in half the number of these bags we use each shopping trip will contribute, in some small way, to reducing landfill.

So, those are our three small changes. We do have a bigger change in the works, but it isn't for everyone. We're going to start composting our kitchen waste. The county is offering a workshop next month and giving away a free Earth Machine, so we soon should be on our way. So anyway, I challenge you...make three small changes toward a bigger impact.