Going Green, really going back to Green

I have something on my mind, something that has been bugging me for some time now. I just have to figure out just how I can go about changing my habits, habits I once proudly practiced with vigor.

I have always tried to be green. I was green back in the 80’s before it was hip. It was easy to be a greenie in California. I had access to great co-op and health food stores that sold goods in bulk. I was in the habit of buying my shampoo, various soaps, peanut butter, honey and cleaning supplies in bulk. I used the same plastic and glass containers month after month. I never filled my garbage pail in less than a week and recycled as much as I could. I ate local organic food and for a while, even owned a small produce market on the coast.  When Alex was born I used cloth diapers. My family and friends laughed and placed bets on how long this hippie faze would last. They all lost, as Alex not only wore cloth diapers but ate organic baby food and drank from glass bottles.

When I moved to Montana I tried in vain to find organic produce and bulk food. After living in Montana for just two short years my green living style went out the window. Moving to Nevada has been no better. We do not have great health food stores nor do we have co-ops or local produce. Our recycling program is a joke. We have milk carton like containers to put our paper and plastic in. With the heavy winds these containers just tip over and spill their contents. Many mornings would find me running down the street trying to catch my plastic milk jugs.  

Living green is very hard here but year after year I become more and more disgusted with myself and my environment. I have made some changes in my town. I started a drive to collect the plastic cards the Savemart pharmacies give out as rewards. The store now collects theirs and other plastic gift cards. They send them off to be recycled. I call Waste Management every six month asking for the large recycle cans most cities now offer. I keep being told we will get them soon, but soon never comes. We now have the containers in Reno and I am told we are next. I will keep up the pressure until they do.  

I buy organic produce and meat, yet I do not feel I am doing enough. Each time I buy cleaning products I become angry knowing soon the plastic bottles will make their way to my local landfill. I want to do more! I would love to buy baking soda and vinegar in bulk to make my own cleaning products but alas, we do not have these items for sale in Carson City Nevada Nor do I have the financial means to purchase them off the net. So here is what I am going to do:

I am going to start my Clean Green blog again, though this time it will not just be a blog about cleaning with natural products. I am going to blog about my adventure to become as green as I can given my limited financial means and lack of resources. What I want to do is blog about a realistic change of lifestyle.  My goal is to throw less away and reuse as much as I can. The blog will not be updated as much as this one. I am going to start a weekly update and hope it keeps people’s interest. If this is something that has been on your mind I hope you will join me over Clean Green. I will want comments and suggestions. Perhaps we can inspire each other to do more and change our bad habits.

If you are interested in radically changing your habits or want to learn about living plastic free I suggest checking out Beth’s Fake Plastic Fish blog. Beth is an amazing woman who has weaned herself off plastic and other nonrenewable products. I cannot go as far as Beth did, but with her help I have made some positive changes.