Green Giveaway!

Hey, there's a new green giveaway from The MotherLoad.  I thought I'd play along!  Go check out her site.  It's great.

OK, so the question is, what are we doing to be more green.  Well, actually, I've been trying to be green for quite a while.  Here's what I/we do:

• I bring my own bags to the grocery store (most of the time).  I think they are better anyway.  They are easier to carry and hold more than bags the stores offer.
• I try to buy locally produced products.  This is both in the grocery store and at the local farmer's market.  Next year we may even be part of a garden co-op.  I've got to send in my application.
• We have a compost bin in the back yard.  We put vegetable and fruit scraps, used coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. into a cute little container on the counter.  When it's full, out to the compost bin it goes.
• We have a vermicomposter as well.  Yup.  Worms.  We started it when we were at the botanical garden at the university.  We put veggies and fruit in there with the red wiggler worms.  They eat the scraps and produce worm castings (aka: worm poop) that are good for the house plants and garden.  We've only had it a few weeks, so I've yet to harvest the castings.  Should be fun.
• I make my own card stock from the paper in the shredder, then make greeting cards from it.  It's a fun little hobby.
• The kids bring home lots of papers with writing only on one side.  That paper goes into the printer, is saved for grocery lists, etc.  
• We have 3 recycle bins we fill up every week.
• I shop thrift stores.
• I've gotten stuff from freecycle.
• We turn our thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer.
• We turn off lights and watch our water consumption.

I guess that's it for this list.  We may do something else, but I'm not thinking of it at the time being.

Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out the green giveaway at the Mother Load (above).