Hippie Chick / Small Change Challenge #5

This month’s challenge is to get out there and clean up a local park or playground. I’m going to twist this into “do something for the environment.” We pretty much never go to the park or a playground. For one thing, my non-walking child doesn’t really mesh with the playground equipment that’s available. And his tolerance for being in the stroller doesn’t even last long enough to walk down to the park, much less around it or back from it.

I stumbled across a blog a while back. It’s extreme. It’s about a guy and his wife and toddler who live in NYC and they’re spending a year doing an experiment by which they try to live with no net impact to the environment. Knowing that they will have some impact no matter what, for those things they do proactive things for the environment – replanting trees, etc. So they’re going in phases, reducing trash, not buying new items (except food), buying locally grown food, going vegetarian, not using electricity (his laptop is powered by a solar cell). They’re in NYC, so giving up the car is easier for them.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about what I do and used to do for the environment. When I first started caring about the environment I started with cutting up those plastic rings that 6-packs come in. I made everyone in our family napkin rings and we used cloth napkins. I also made my parents start recycling. They still recycle, but have given up the cloth napkins.

And coming full cycle, I’m now trying to figure out what change I can make to help the environment now.

So I brought out the cloth napkins. Hey, guess what, I’m finally using one of my wedding presents, Thank you nonsoccermom and Modernish Father!!! We already plan errands to conserve drive time. I already don’t litter, and I already do what I can to conserve water. So technically with the bringing out of the cloth napkins I’ve already completed this challenge.

Our city also has a recycling program, where we can bring in items to drop off. And eventually I’d like to do that, but for now, I don’t have the time or energy to do it.