Green Options

What counts for 25% of most households’ electricity consumption? Your refrigerator. So, of course, you are going to want to make sure you are running it the most efficient way that you can!

1. Be Organized–You waste time and energy with keeping the door open while trying to find something in your messy fridge. I have to admit that I am horrible with this, which is why I tidy up my fridge one day a week.  If I didn’t, it would be scary! Up to 30% of the cool air in the fridge escapes every time you open the door, which is quite a bit!  Be quick when you get something out!

Whenever we decide to go “Exploring, Collecting, or Investigating” those titles seem to have a bit of a jinx to them. It seems whenever we go on an expedition, the rain follows us.  Some days we don’t mind, but others make us run for cover.

This past Sunday was such a wonderfully relaxing day, and I could tell that fall was on it’s way. I told the girls we must go “End of Summer Collecting” up at the Jordan River in Utah so we could keep the things we would miss when summer leaves but still be able to remember the fun we had.

image courtesy of CaliforniaOrganicFlowers.com
We are a family that sends flowers to funerals, mothers in the hospital, for Mothers Day, or just because.  To be honest, I still have not found a great online source for ordering and buying flowers. I haven’t been thrilled with any of them and just now realized I should have been looking for an organic flower source. We strive for everything else to be organic.  Why not the flowers we send as gifts?

I started browsing the web in search of these companies and am excited to share with you the list I put together:

(image via ci.wixom.mi.us)

Mapping out your errands with your kids can turn into a fun activity to plan and execute. Make a game of running errands by mapping out the shortest route. Grab an old map of your city or use an online map service to draw your own. Involving your children will help deepen their respect for reducing the pollutant they put in the air to run their errands now and as they grow older. You can also point out that since you took the time to bunch all your errands together you have more time to do things you really enjoy.

To live green means to live a sustainable lifestyle that won’t deplete or pollute the earth’s natural resources–and to find ways to replenish or recycle these resources and materials. To be green means to preserve and to protect our environments and our planet. Even small things like mapping out your errands teaches your children this important concept.

For my daughters to want to help and protect the Earth I know that they need to love what our Earth is here for and holds. In my mind, beautiful creation, more specifically art is one of those things. We make many trips to the art museums and here are some great tips we have:

The old motto “Be Prepared” is the best advice for taking your kids to art galleries and museums. Everyone always appreciates a work of art better if they know something about it. Before you go to a museum or art gallery, get on their website and see what kind of art they have. Educate yourself about one or two pieces so that you can tell your kids something interesting about that piece when you come to it in the museum.

The publication Seeing the Everday had a fabulous feature on the importance of working with your children. One of my fondest memories growing is up is spending time with my father every Saturday morning working together as a family and then playing together as a family in the afternoon. He took time every single Saturday morning to help us come together as a family and teach us the joy of working together.

Here are some wonderful things I learned from the article “Families Work” by Kathleen Slaugh Bahr and Cheri A. Loveless:

~Exemplifying the Attitudes We Want Our Children to Have: They talk about the importance of honoring family work so our children will feel the same way about it.

You can simply and easily reduce your carbon footprint, save money on your power bill and teach your kids through example how to help the earth just by tweaking your cooking techniques a bit!

Did you know:

Choose the right size pan for cooking and keep the lid on for most of the cooking process to reduce energy use by up to 90%.

Crafting as a family and sending your treasures off to those who really need them would be the perfect family activity this week. E

ven though the holidays are still so far away, it is good to help prepare for the busy season now! There is no better time than the present to do something good for someone else.

Here are just a few of the projects going on that I know about:

Yoga can be a fantastic family activity, a wonderful thing to do for playtime and a good example of the importance of exercise to your children.

Stronger Bodies

Build developing strength and natural flexibility to minimize injury
Improve body awareness and coordination
Experience the joy of movement free from competition
Improve breathing safely

I recently moved into a new home and decided to take the opportunity to “start fresh.” Now I really think about every single thing that comes into my home: its ingredients, origins…everything. I was having a hard time finding home decor that fit my family’s style and from a company I wanted to support. I received a catalog in the mail from At West End and got [...]