Being Eco-Friendly {part 1}

Ok, so we all know that the planet is in trouble. We can no longer dispute it. The proof is in the pudding as they say. So what are we doing about it? I know that one little person can not shut down polluting factories or stop the massive amount of waste we as a planet create. However, one little person can do their part and combine 1 person with another and another....it all adds up! 

Right now you and I will live the rest of ours lives happily on this planet. But what about the lives of our children & their children? What about them? I would like to think that I am taking steps to contribute to the "saving the planet movement". Despite the fact that I am just 1 person doesn't stop me from doing my part - in fact I feel better about myself by doing what I can! 

I thought I would share with you some of the ways my husband and I try to be eco-friendly. 

Recycle

This is pretty easy thing to do and thankfully, most of us on the planet are doing it. (I hope!) Any paper waste including junk mail, newspapers, & envelopes our mail comes in. Cardboard waste including boxes that contain gadgets you buy, file folders, cereal, ANYTHING cardboard! We even recycle our tetra-pak containers. (those may not be recyclable everywhere). We take drink bottles such as pop cans, water bottles, glass bottles, any bottles that contained a non-milk beverage we keep aside to take to the recycling depot, where they give us a certain percentage of money back! Some grocery stores have a plastic bag recycling program where you can return all of those plastic bags you get when grocery shopping. I look forward to a time when those pesky bags no longer exist! 

Compost

Unfortunately the practice of putting your food waste in a separate compostable bag is not common world wide. I know it is not a new idea as it has been done in many homes over the years. Typically those homes had a composting unit in the backyard that you "fed" every night after dinner. I remember doing it as a kid. What do people who live in apartments do? Now we can help too! ALL food waste can go into a compostable paper bag (with an eco-frindly wax lining on the inside) or a compostable plastic-like bag that can go back into the ground. For now, my husband and I live in an apartment. We keep our food waste in a separate container next to the recycling and garbage bins. When full, we take it downstairs and outside to where the large compost bin is kept. It is then collected by the city's waste management. When my husband and I move into a house, I am sure we will try to have a compost unit in our backyard and teach our future kids about composting. In some provinces, the microwaveable popcorn bags are compostable! Oh and some provinces so is kitty litter waste! 

So there is {part 1} of my list. The list is very long hence why I am breaking it up into parts!  I would love to hear what you recycle and compost!