So, today is Earth Day and this marks the end of the One Small Change Challenge. If your new to my bloggy just click here to find out more about it. I just wanted to look back at all the fun I had doing this and to let you know that if you have always thought about making some changes to reduce, reuse and recycle more now is the time. I mean, shouldn’t every day be Earth Day?
Ok, so let’s remember…first for February I added bricks to all our toilets. What a super easy way to reduce the amount of water you use EVERDAY! Apparently, our toilets are one of the biggest water wasters in the home!! Then, I brought more plants in our house. What an easy peasy way to get cleaner air…especially come winter when our homes are all stuffed up. And lastly, I made lots of pretty cloth napkins to reduce the amount of paper towels we use. I’ll be the first to tell you that we definitely still use paper towels, but now I buy them much, MUCH less often. It’s a work in progress really, I would love our home to be rid completely of all paper towels but I may need a 12-step program to break the habit completely…just sayin’.
In March, I knit up some reusable swiffer sweeper pads (using the pattern found here) to reduce the amount of waste going on in the constantly cleaning my floors department because of our little black-haired pooch. They knit up fast and the materials were cheap, like $1 a skein of yarn when on sale…love it! Plus, they work just as well as the store-bought pads.
In April, my goal was to reduce the amount of plastic we used in our home. I have to admit this one was hard. I mean, with little ones running underfoot it’s so easy to see the benefits of plastic: sippy cups, little bowls, plates, etc. especially when they both throw things on the floor on a daily basis. But, I bought tiffins to put leftovers in instead of tupperware/gladware products and lots more Sigg bottles (they even make these sports tops for easy drinking for the kiddies). AND, did you know that Target now carries Sigg bottles along with a bunch of other brands, on sale this week!! Go check ’em out for some great prices. A reader, Sara, even commented on how she brings her tiffins to restaurants to haul leftovers home…brilliant and really how much effort does this really take? Loved that idea!!
So, overall I would have to say that adding these small changes a bit at a time was really not too hard to do. I think it helped that I did a few little things every month instead of one giant overhaul of our entire house, that way I could really, truly try to make the change stick. A little bit goes a long way, no? I am still looking into ideas for getting rid of the little kid-sized plastic bowls and plates we use for the kiddies mealtimes, any ideas?
Alright, so that’s all, just a teeny re-cap of events! Thanks for letting me share, you’re the best!!
Biggest hugs,
Thanks for the wrap up…so many awesome changes! We have been using and loving our tiffins also!! As for the plastic bowls and plates, there is always wooden. We are now using our regular dishes with the kids for the most part, now that they are 3 and 6. You can also use stainless steel bowls and plates…or use your tiffin.
Congratulations on all your changes!
We are keeping the blog active year round, so stop by for blog posts offering support for those who wish to continue the challenge, ideas, inspiration, and guest blog posts. If you would like to be a guest blogger, we would love to have you (email me at suzy@hipmountainmama.com)
Thanks and congrats on all your efforts!
~Suzy
I made a Swiffer cover from the same pattern, too, and I definitely plan on making more. Great tip you passed on about the take-out from restaurants, too.