Benefits of going green

It's come to my attention lately that I'm consuming the Earth. Little ol' me and my family are damaging the environment without even trying.

I read a chunk of Alicia Silverstone's book "The Kind Diet" and was inspired by her healthy eating and self-care habits. Inspired enough to become vegan? Heck no.  Though I fell asleep last night thinking about it. I like bacon too much.

In fact, I'm at a pizza parlour with a veritable stack of napkins sitting not too far away from me on the table I just cleaned with them. Seems if I'm going to make some changes, it's gonna have to permeate my entire life. Because my wastefulness does.

Sure, I recycle. And, of course I've noticed that they make the recycle containers bigger than the trash receptacles, too. That should give anyone (me) with half a brain (me) a clue that I should be recycling more than I throw away. And, sometimes I do. But the sheer number of rolls of toilet paper our household goes through per week puts me in awe. There's just got to be a smaller carbon footprint than the one these size-9's have been putting down. I'm determined to make a positive change.

What's neat about change is that small increments DO make a difference. Taking a tag off of a piece of clothing and separating the paper from the plastic piece and recycling the paper part is just one small thing toward the benefit of the bigger whole. Better yet, shop at a thrift store. I was pleased to note the other day that my outfit, excluding shoes and undergarments, was second hand. Yay me. And, you can get in on the action, too. Google "being eco friendly" or "green living" and see what you find. Then apply the results in *your* life.