Day 80: Use both Sides of your Paper

Today for my Good Human Act I collected all the paper I have been saving, that I have either used only one side of and don't need anymore or cut a part out of and can only use part of the paper now. I gathered all these papers and 1/4 them (from a normal 8x10) and made a  "note papers" box. I used an old "thank you" note box to keep the pages in and now I have a handy note box right by my computer to keep track of things or make lists on.

Day 79: Turn Stuff into the Lost & Found

 It was such a beautiful day today we just had to get out of the house, so I took the 3 little guys to the zoo. We all had a wonderful time, the boys were in great moods, the weather was perfect, most of the animals were out... it was a great zoo trip. The kids favorite parts didn't have much to do with the zoo animals though. They adored feeding the ducks the bread and popcorn from home and they loved just playing in the big open space with all the huge trees and tiny sticks. I got shat on while we were in the big open area by an unseen bird bomb, and even that didn't make a dent in the day's funness:) We even got a Good Human Act done while we were at the zoo, which is just the cherry on top of a delicious fundae. While we were playing we found a tiny SD card for someone's phone by the ducks and we found a forgotten cooler while the boys were playing hide and seek in the big open area, so on our way out of the zoo we took our finds to the front office lost and found. I hope they find their way back to their owners!

My arm got shat on :)

Feeding the ducks!

Day 78: Use LED Night Lights

Our night lights for the kids rooms and bathrooms have slowly bitten the dust and we have had to use much more energy to keep the dark at bay. In our big boys room we had to leave the closet light on all night with the door cracked, which we know is a waste, night lights however are apparently really easy to forget when you are at the store. Finally, yesterday  they were remembered and not only can we stop wasting a whole closet's worth of light but while I was looking around I spotted some LED nitelites from Amerelle and LED lights are suppose to be really great energy conservers!

Here is a little more about LED lights from The Daily Green:

LED Nightlights Cost Only Pennies a Year

The technology behind laptop computer screens, LEDs are greener than standard incandescent, and even fluorescent, lightbulbs because they generate less waste heat. Most of the electricity used is output as light. LEDs remain cool to the touch, so they don't add excess heat into living spaces, which means less cooling is needed. They last for tens of thousands of hours, meaning they can go years before they need to be changed, thereby cutting down on landfill waste.

In terms of cost, size and brightness, LEDs are getting better all the time, and are seeing many new applications.

Many companies now sell LED nightlights, which are competitively priced with standard nightlights, and can be found at most home improvement, value and even drugstores. They cost only pennies a year in energy, and result in much lower carbon emissions over traditional lighting.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/led-nightlights#ixzz1imk7niAF

Day 77: Return Shopping Carts

I didn't plan to run any errands this weeks since I did a whole bunch in a batch the other day. But Chad finally got put back on the shift at work that he has been wanting to be on for a year, so that called for a quick trip to the store for some celebratory champagne!! When we got there there were tons of carts out of the cart racks, I didn't have much time and I had all three boys with me so I tried to gather as many as I could that were close to us and corralled them up for my Good Human Act today.

Day 76: Donate Old Eye Glasses

I just picked up my new pair of glasses! It has been a while since I got an eye exam, I think I am in denial that my vision is slowly getting worse. It is still not that bad -1.25 on each eye with a slight astigmatism, but still it's bad enough that I need to be wearing them daily to drive. When I got to the Dr.'s office to pick up my new frames I brought my old ones in hopes that they would have some sort of recycling or donation set up and fortunately they did! They donate all the glasses they receive to the local Lion's Club who then in turn donates them to people in need of them throughout the world.

The local NM Lion's Club website allows you to find a drop off place for your donations near you and helps people to contact them if vision assistance is needed. Here is a bit more about the Lion's Club International:

Lions Clubs – Ready to Help, Worldwide

Whenever a Lions club gets together, problems get smaller. And communities get better. That's because we help where help is needed – in our own communities and around the world – with unmatched integrity and energy.

We Give 100 Percent

Our 46,000 clubs and 1.35 million members make us the world's largest service club organization. We're also one of the most effective. Our members do whatever is needed to help their local communities. Everywhere we work, we make friends. With children who need eyeglasses, with seniors who don’t have enough to eat and with people we may never meet.

Day 75: Reusable Bags

My son Keston recently lost his first two teeth and has had his money burning a hole in his pocket. He knew he couldn't spend any until after Christmas and he thought he would have to wait a long time because errand day was yesterday and we didn't go to a store with toys. But, I had to pick him up from school today because our carpool was unavailable and my husband was home to watch the other boys, so I surprised him and took him to shop all by himself. He was thrilled! When we got to the store we decided we didn't need a cart, we could just hold what we bought, but as we walked in there was a display of reusable shopping bags. I have collected a few over time (and am trying to collect enough to have for grocery shopping)...but today we grabbed one that folds up into itself like a little pouch, which we both thought was pretty cool, to use for our treasures. He loved carrying it through the store and it was really convenient to hold our 6 items. We just dumped our goods on the counter at checkout, bought our stuff and repacked our new bag full and carried it away. I love that it folds up so nicely, I will be able to keep in my purse so I always have a reusable bag handy!

Here are some reasons to Use Reusable Bags from a website called Reuse this Bag:
And here is a link to their latest list of 25 Reasons Why to Go Reusable, which was too large to post on the blog




There are countless reasons why you as an every day American should start to use reusable shopping bags. We have studied article after article, paper after paper, and blog after blog. Other than the fact that Reusethisbag.com makes the coolest reusable bags around, you are now on the cutting edge of a unique Grassroots movement that is sweeping the nation! It is our belief that within five years over 90% of the country will be using a reusable grocery bag! Its time to wake up and smell the coffee we say!

Here are a few of our favorite facts in regards to why we are urging you to make the very important choice to put down your paper and plastic and protect your Earth today! It isn’t too late. In fact, we are just getting started!

FACT: The largest opposition to the ban of plastic bags comes from the petroleum and plastics industries and of course, consumers that don’t want to change their habits.

FACT: Effective July 1, 2010. Los Angeles County Shoppers can either bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable bag

FACT: Ireland imposed a tax on plastic grocery bags in 2002, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban conventional plastic grocery bags, in 2007, and Los Angeles followed suit in 2010

FACT: plastic is the largest source of ocean litter. The second most abundant ocean pollution, is cigarettes.

FACT: Ocean debris worldwide kills at least 1 million sea birds and 100,000 mammals each year, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has estimated. The litter is most severe in the East Asian seas region, which includes countries such as China with a population 1.3 billion people and where, according to UN figures, almost 60 percent of men smoke.

FACT:  4 trillion to 5 trillion: Number of non-degradable plastic bags used worldwide annually.

FACT:  About 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year

FACT: Australians were using nearly 7 billion bags a year, and nearly 1.2 billion bags a year were being passed out free in Ireland before government restrictions, according to government estimates.

FACT: Plastic industry trade associations were unable to provide estimates of plastic bag use in the United States. However, based on studies of plastic bag use in other nations, the environmental group Californians Against Waste estimates Americans use 84 billion plastic bags annually.

FACT: The first plastic sandwich bags were introduced in 1957. Department stores started using plastic bags in the late 1970s and supermarket chains introduced the bags in the early 1980s.

FACT: About 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and other marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year worldwide, according to Planet Ark, an international environmental group.

FACT: Last September, more than 354,000 bags -- most of them plastic -- were collected during an international cleanup of costal areas in the United States and 100 other countries, according to the Ocean Conservancy

The facts are staggering and we could go on and on as to why it is so imperative that you stop using paper and plastic bags now.

• Reusable bags save trees 
• Reusable bags save water 
• Reusable bags save gas and oil 
• Reusable bags help air pollution 
• Reusable bags help our oceans 
• Reusable bags help our sea creatures 
• Reusable bags save 700+ bags over the span of their lifetime! 
• Reusable bags help our families!

Day 74: Batch Your Errands

Sometimes it seems like I am always running errands. Everyday there is something that "has" to be done. Because of the Holidays some of my errands have stacked up so I grouped them all together and had a big errand day. I was able save myself days of running around, some gas from excess back and forth trips and I was able to help the planet a little with less car emissions. It took me a bit of time but now I am errand free for a while!

This idea and more ways to Save the Planet can be found at a website called 50 Ways to Help:

25. BATCH ERRANDS
Feel like you spend your whole week trying to catch up with the errands? Take a few moments once a week to make a list of all the errands that need to get done, and see if you can batch them into one trip. Not only will you be saving gasoline, but you might find yourself with much better time-management skills.

Day 73: Doggy DooDoo Clean Up

There has been a large pile of dog doodoo on a sidewalk near our house for a bit of time now and noone has claimed it and cleaned it up, so for my Good Human Act I cleaned someone else's doggy poop to keep our sidewalks nice and clean, I should have done it long ago. Merry New Year!!

And I would like to thank whoever dropped a secret delivery of baklava by our house with a Happy New Year's note! It was delicious and so kind!

Day 72: Make an Anonymous Special Delivery

Yesterday I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my birthday from my mom. Right before I got her box I got a call from the wonderful lady renting our other house saying flowers had been delivered to me there also. Now who would be sending me flowers and still have that old address?! So, I went over to pick them up, had a lovely chat, and when I got back and opened them both I realized they were both from my mom, exact same order, same message... I was a bit confused. My mom explained that when she placed the order she didn't realize she still had our old address in the system and when she called the company to change the address over they said it was too late to change it but since she was a loyal customer they would send another order to the correct address. (Very nice of the ProFlowers company!) My mom didn't want to call me and ruin the surprise and let me know to just go get the original bouquet from our tenants and wasn't sure if they would be in town or at all able to get them to me... Any way to make this story a bit shorter, I opened, cut, vased, flower fed and decorated my counter with both bouquets. Then I chatted with my mom and we came up with a great idea, that I did for my Good Human Act today...I put some ribbon around one of the vases with a simple note wishing a wonderful New Year and ding dong ditched one of the bouquets to a lovely family in our neighborhood. I am glad the flower company and my mom allowed me to give such a nice special delivery to someone! And thanks Mom for my bouquet!

ProFlowers picture of the bouquets I got.

Day 71: Help the Older Generation with Newer Technology

Yesterday I didn't get a chance to post because it was my birthday (yay 30!) and I tried to stay away from the computer :) It didn't stop me from doing my Good Human Act though! My son Keston and I went to the grocery store to pick up some Papa Murphy's Pizza (yum!) and a movie and while we were waiting in line to use the Red Box machine an older lady was before us and just couldn't get it figured out. Technology changes and changes fast today and lots of people struggle to keep up with it, myself included. But Red Box I get so, Keston and I helped her through it and we all had a good laugh about how far society and entertainment have come. It was fun to help and Keston loved that he got to help too. I can't wait to see what technology stumps Keston someday, he is such a whiz already it will have to be some mind boggling stuff compared to what's out there today.

Day 70: Unplug Your Cell Phone Chargers

Today I looked online for a planet/energy conserving idea and found that leaving chargers (and small appliances) plugged in, even when they are not being used or charging, still drain energy. Today for my Good Human Act I went around my house an unplugged everything that I didn't need right then. We have 3 cell phone chargers plugged in but only charge our phones at night...unplugged, I keep our dust buster plugged and hardly ever use it...unplugged, I have my stand mixer plugged in even though I am not baking at the moment...unplugged,  baby monitors we only use at night...unplugged, treadmill I use only when it is too cold to run outside... unplugged, Christmas tree we will only have up for a few more days...unplugged, blow dryer/diffuser I try to avoid using unless I have to go outside soon after a shower and don't want to freeze my head off...unplugged. Now I can plug any of this stuff in when I need it and will try my hardest to remember to unplug it when I am done!

Here is a bit of information about leaving cell phone chargers plugged in from Vanity Fairs 50 Ways to Help Save the Planet:

Turn Off Your Chargers

Most cell-phone chargers continue to draw electricity even when the phone isn't plugged into it. If your cell-phone charger averages five watts per hour and is plugged in all the time, that means a total of more than 40 kilowatt-hours every year, or about 93 pounds of CO2. The same problem applies to your other electronic equipment—your laptop, iPod, digital camera, and BlackBerry. Unplug all your chargers when they are not in use.

Day 69: Pledge to Not Text While Driving

My mother-in-law, Ina, sent me a link to pledge not to text while driving a few days ago and it wasn't until today when I got a few texts from people while driving to the Natural History Museum in Albuquerque that I realized I should be signing that pledge. I typically only text when I am stopped at a red light or in really slow traffic because I am not very good at multi-tasking but today I text, (with voice command...so hopefully that is not as bad) while driving on the freeway- which I really shouldn't have done. So, needless to say for my Good Human Act today I signed the pledge and when I did I found that for every person that signs AT&T is donating $2 to the National Organization for Youth Safety, which a great added incentive to sign the pledge to not text while driving.

Here is the link if you want to take the pledge and have $2 donated in your name from Causes.com:
http://www.causes.com/causes/639835-connect-for-good/actions/1475122?recruiter_id=47285525

And here is a little more information about the NOYS, that the pledge donation goes to:

NOYS is a collaborative network of over 65 national organizations, federal agencies and business and industry leaders that serve youth and focus on youth safety and health. Through this network, NOYS influences more than 80 million young people, ages 5 to 24 and adult advisors.

Day 68: Buy Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Today we went a Farmer's Market and Sunflower Market to buy some organic fruits and vegetables. I recently learned about the Dirty Dozen List, which is a list of the most important fruits and veggies to buy organic. And the Clean Fifteen which is a list of fruits and veggies that aren't as effected by pesticides etc in non organic produce. Buying organic produce is not only better for your family but better for the environment.

Here is a small blurb about why it is good to go organic from a website called Curiosity by Discovery:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture classifies organic food as any that was not grown using synthetic pesticides or fertilizers that are harmful to people and the environment [source: USDA]. These pesticides and fertilizers also can be reintroduced into the environment by re-entering our water supply as runoff to watersheds when it rains.

Although organic products typically are more expensive, it is worthwhile when you think about the health benefits and the amount of carbon dioxide emissions saved by buying many organic products locally.

Here is a list of the Dirty Dozen from Yahoo Green: :

Fruits and veggies are an essential part of a healthy diet, but many conventional varieties contain pesticide residues. 

And not all the pesticides used to kill bugs, grubs, or fungus on the farm washes off under the tap at home. Government tests show which fruits and vegetables, prepared typically at home, still have a pesticide residue.

You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by as much as 80% if you avoiding the most contaminated foods in the grocery store.

To do so, you need the latest info from the why the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen" list of foods most likely to have high pesticide residues. Since 1995, the organization has taken the government data and identified which type of produce has the most chemicals.

This year, celery takes the number one spot and both blueberries and spinach make an appearance (displacing lettuce and pears).

The best way to avoid pesticide residue on foods is to buy organic produce -- USDA rules prohibit the use of pesticides on any crop with the certified organic label.

1. Celery
Celery has no protective skin, which makes it almost impossible to wash off the chemicals (64 of them!) that are used on crops. Buy organic celery, or choose alternatives like broccoli, radishes, and onions.

2. Peaches
Multiple pesticides (as many as 62 of them) are regularly applied to these delicately skinned fruits in conventional orchards. Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include watermelon, tangerines, oranges, and grapefruit.

3. Strawberries
If you buy strawberries, especially out of season, they're most likely imported from countries that have less-stringent regulations for pesticide use. 59 pesticides have been detected in residue on strawberries. Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include kiwi and pineapples.

4. Apples
Like peaches, apples are typically grown with poisons to kill a variety of pests, from fungi to insects. Tests have found 42 different pesticides as residue on apples. Scrubbing and peeling doesn't eliminate chemical residue completely, so it's best to buy organic when it comes to apples. Peeling a fruit or vegetable also strips away many of their beneficial nutrients. Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include watermelon, bananas, and tangerines.

5. Blueberries
New on the Dirty Dozen list in 2010, blueberries are treated with as many as 52 pesticides, making them one of the dirtiest berries on the market.

6. Nectarines
With 33 different types of pesticides found on nectarines, they rank up there with apples and peaches among the dirtiest tree fruit. Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include, watermelon, papaya, and mango.

7. Bell peppers
Peppers have thin skins that don't offer much of a barrier to pesticides. They're often heavily sprayed with insecticides. (Tests have found 49 different pesticides on sweet bell peppers.) Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include green peas, broccoli, and cabbage.

8. Spinach
New on the list for 2010, spinach can be laced with as many as 48 different pesticides, making it one of the most contaminated green leafy vegetable.

9. Kale
Traditionally, kale is known as a hardier vegetable that rarely suffers from pests and disease, but it was found to have high amounts of pesticide residue when tested this year. Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include cabbage, asparagus, and broccoli.

10. Cherries
Even locally grown cherries are not necessarily safe. In fact, in one survey in recent years, cherries grown in the U.S. were found to have three times more pesticide residue then imported cherries. Government testing has found 42 different pesticides on cherries. Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include raspberries and cranberries.

11. Potatoes
America's popular spud reappears on the 2010 Dirty Dozen list, after a year hiatus. America's favorite vegetable can be laced with as many as 37 different pesticides. Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include eggplant, cabbage, and earthy mushrooms.

12. Grapes
Imported grapes run a much greater risk of contamination than those grown domestically. Only imported grapes make the 2010 Dirty Dozen list. Vineyards can be sprayed with different pesticides during different growth periods of the grape, and no amount of washing or peeling will eliminate contamination because of the grape's thin skin. Remember, wine is made from grapes, which testing shows can harbor as many as 34 different pesticides. Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include kiwi and raspberries.

And here is a list of the Clean Fifteen:

Nearly all of the data used took into account how people typically wash and prepare produce - for example, apples were washed and bananas peeled before testing. Of the fruit and vegetable categories tested, the following "Clean 15" foods had the lowest pesticide load, and consequently are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume from the standpoint of pesticide contamination:

• Onions
• Sweet corn
• Pineapples
• Avocado
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas
• Mangoes
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe (domestic)
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Watermelon
• Sweet potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms

Day 67: Hold the Door Open for Others

A small act that I try to teach my boys to always do it to hold the door open for others. Today I was able to do this at my gym. After the class I was taking was a Silver Sneakers class, which is geared towards older exercisers, and as I was leaving both the classroom and the gym I was able to get the door for many folks coming into the gym or the room for the class. Sincere thanks and small talk passed quickly and it reminded me of how simple a Good Human Act can really be. I know that having a door held open for me, on many occasions has been an incredible help or just a reminder that there is simple kindness in people everywhere.

Day 66: Recycle and Reuse Christmas Wrappings

Merry Christmas! Today's entry will be very brief. After opening gifts from our wonderful family we will recycle or reuse all wrappings! The big sheets of wrapping paper. that are still intact, we will save in a pile to use for coloring on the back, any bags we will regift, as mentioned in an earlier Good Human Act, most boxes we will keep to either ship with in the future or as in the case of an enormous box from my in laws, we used half of it it as a playplace/boat and more of it to save to create huge art on. Anything not keepable will go straight to the recycling bin! Hope you all have a magical day!

Cardboard for Art Projects!

Day 65: Tip & Thank Hotel Room Cleaners

We didn't use the daily Hotel cleaning services while we were staying in Durango the last few days, to save time and resources for the hotel. But we knew that because of that they would probably be in as soon as we left and a bit worried. This time they shouldn't be :) we cleaned the place up as much as we could and left a little thank you/merry christmas note and a small tip for our Good Human Act today so the people who clean the rooms knew that their services were appreciated and that the work that they do everyday doesn't go by unnoticed.

Day 64: Pass on Hotel Cleaning Services

While on our trip we are staying at a hotel. Today for our Good Human Act we passed on hotel cleaning services. We hung up all our towels to be reused tomorrow, we tidied our beds and cleaned up our room saving the cleaners and the hotel time and resources (water for washing towels, electricity for running a vacuum, cleaning supplies for washing surfaces etc.)

Day 63: Help Kids Pull Snow Tubes up a Hill

We are in Durango, CO for our family Christmas trip!! YAY! It has been just beautiful here and so fun! Yesterday we went snow tubing, which we loved but it was quite a bit of work to trudge up the hill to go tubing. The snow was fresh so there wasn't much traction or any premade paths so the kids had quite the time just getting up the hill, not to mention pulling their tubes up. So, for a small Good Human Act I helped pull tubes up the hill every time I went up. I always had at least one tube for my family (usually filled with one of my boys) and another one or two for other kids trying to get up the hill for a fun time. It was quite the workout, but it was a blast and I was happy to be able to help!

Day 62: Christmas Caroling at Assisted Living Facilities

Today we were lucky enough to be able to join our MOMS Club and go Christmas Caroling to two Assisted Living Facilities that are nearby. The places are called Bee Hive Homes and they are in residential facilities that give custom care to smaller groups of individuals. Both places were warm and welcoming and had really homey atmospheres. As a group we were able to sing 4 songs at each location and give the residents a small Holiday treat, that our President Leslie provided. The kids and I have been practicing our singing for about a week now and they were excited to go, and even more pumped when they found out they got to ring real jingle bells while we sang. When we actually got there they clammed up a bit and got a little shy- but they still had a jolly time singing :) It was a great experience and really made me appreciate more personalized care places like the Bee Hive Homes.

Here is a tiny bit more information on the Bee Hive Homes:
Beehive Homes assisted living offers the very best of assisted living care. At Beehive Homes we make every effort to bring the comforts of home into our assisted living home. Meaningful relationships, home cooked meals, healthy and rejuvenating activities are all a way of life at Beehive Homes. We invite you to come and visit our Beehive family and feel what truly makes Beehive Homes assisted living the next best place to home.

Day 61: Buy Recycled Business Cards

I needed to buy a few business cards today to have on hand, to give out my information easily with my doTERRA Essential Oils stuff. While I was looking around online for a site to buy from I saw 100% recycled business cards from many sites! I ended up going with Vista Print, for my recycled cards for my Good Human Act today, because their site was really easy to use and had so many design options that it made what I was looking for really quick to make! The price on the recycled cards was really reasonable too!

Here is a little infromation from Vista Print on their recycled products:

Thinking Green We’re making responsible choices because every little bit counts Proud to offer 100% recycled business cards and postcards Striving to set the bar as an earth-friendly company Excited about our energy-efficient systems allowing us to pass the savings on to you Are Vistaprint’s recycled products made from 100% recycled materials? Yes. Our recycled business cards and postcards are made from 100% post-consumer waste. What is post-consumer waste? It’s paper that has served its intended purpose and has been separated from solid waste to be recycled into new paper. What is the quality of the recycled paper stock? The paper is 100-lb., pure white stock, meaning it’s the same weight as our premium paper card stock. Will the recycled paper be rough or have specks in it? The paper is smooth and, although it will have more visible fibers than traditional matte paper, the fibers are only noticeable if you look closely.