Green Gone Wrong

I'm all for being friendly to the environment and using resources wisely. It's important.

Lately I have seen many articles and blog posts on green subjects. Some of it I will NEVER adopt. NEVER. Some of it I laugh myself silly over. Some of it I shake my head in utter disbelief. Some I run out to try right away. Some I start with a "no way" but the more I think about it the more it doesn't seem so far fetched. Some things I am tracking avidly to see how it works out for others because I love the idea but am not sure it will work for me.

I have been making my laundry detergent for a while now. I am currently messing with my recipe because we moved to an area with very different water and I could still smell the sweat on hubs work out clothes after washing with my current recipe. I would also like to try my hand at some homemade deodorant (due to the aluminum toxic load in my body). I'm contemplating giving homemade toothpaste a try. I'm watching the homemade shampoo...but this one bothers me as my mom was a color specialist and used baking soda to strip hair of everything. Over time she has concerns that it will do more damage than good. So I'm watching my pooless friends.

But now I'd like to point out some of the crazy green subject matter out and about the net today. Things that at this moment seems crazy or far fetched for me. (But I do reserve the right to change my mind....I do that alot you know.)

1. According to one green book, you should swap Rover for a goldfish. Seems owning good old Rover is as bad for the environment as driving a SUV 10,ooo miles a year. Owning rabbits or chickens is better because they breed and you can eat them.

Seriously? In our country we spend more on pet food than on missions per year. I'm thinking there's NO CHANCE you are going to talk us out of Fido. And if I can eat it....its not a pet. Pets are a part of the family. I wouldn't get rid of one of my kids for the environment either.

2. Green burials.

“[It’s] simple, back-to-the-earth burial -- either in a shroud or a pine casket, the family participating any way they want to,” said burial coordinator Jennifer Johnson.

Bodies aren't embalmed at Greensprings, and they don't allow hardwood caskets -- just simple pinewood, wicker baskets, or shrouds. Headstones are optional. If the family chooses to have one, it has to be a quarry stone or a field stone, and it can’t be polished.

Okay. Now, I think the funneral industry is way over-priced. Helping my mother when my dad died last year was really eye opening. Cutting every corner we could, it still cost more than a widow on limited income should be paying.

I can see dropping the embalming. I could even see a pine casket. The shroud? I find that creepy. I'm sure its just a cultural thing, but really. Mom went with cremation and you wouldn't believe how many cemeterys wont allow burial in the box that the ashes are delivered to the funeral home in. Do you know how much the cheapest urns go for????? Unbelievable.

So, even though it kinda creeps me out....this might not be so far fetched.
3. Not using your air conditioner....or not using your HEAT??

I can see not having air. Millions of people do it. I'm not volunteering as long as I have the option (unless we are camping). But not using your heat all winter?? ARE THEY CRAZY??? More people die from hypothermia than heat stroke. This would NEVER be a choice I made to save money or be green. So there. Green police, come and get me! But you will never take me alive!

4. Reusable toilet paper.

So if I had a diaper pail already in the bathroom, maybe this wouldn't be too bad. Okay. I lie. I find this gross. There are certain things in life I don't want to handle twice. Butt wipes is one of them.
Sure they are easy to make. Sure they will save you money. No, I don't think there has always been tp we could just go buy. But hey, there are certain modern conveniences that I just don't want to give up. Toilet paper is at the top of that list.

And along those lines....

5. The moon cup.

Yes friends, you too can ditch those disposable feminine products for your monthly! There are all kinds of free patterns on how to make your own washable pads. Throw them in the same pail with the booty wipes!!! (Gag!)

Or for those that prefer the tampon....you can purchase a mooncup!
Do not ask me to go into the details. But I will tell you a funny -- when I told my husband about this jewel, he didn't believe me. He googled it. And now he is educated on the issue. Hah!! (Really, it was very funny!)

It can save you a boat load of money. Those tampons are not cheap. But the whole washing it out each time you go to the bathroom. Squirm. And then there are those public bathroom times. Can you imagine????

I'm going to stop here as I just threw up a little in my mouth. I am a wimp. No doubt. I couldn't kill a chicken to eat either ya know.

Thank goodness I was born in this day and age...and live in this country.

Whew.