it's not easy being green

i am a huge fan of al gore. i was deeply saddened when he "lost" the 2000 presidential election; however, i am not sure the climate would be getting the attention it's been getting if al gore had assumed the presidency, so the trade-off is alright with me.

al was profiled on 60 minutes this past sunday. the focus of the piece was upcoming ad campaign to support the climate project, his non-profit organization focused on "the mission of increasing public awareness of the climate crisis at a grassroots level in the United States and abroad." it was a wonderful piece and highlighted, i thought, just how passionate both al and tipper are about the project. they are giving their own time, talents and treasure as stewards for the environment. it is a subject that i am increasingly passionate about and am even considering trying to become one of the presenters of the climate project at some point in the future. the planet is a gift to us all. although we are under no obligation to protect it there is a responsibility that we have to nuture and care for it. i truly feel that the work al gore, and others like him, is doing is important and relevant. i feel it my responsibility to do what i can to reduce my carbon footprint so that wil and future generations can enjoy the plant as i have.

that's not to say that it's easy. kermit the frog said it best, "it's not easy being green" and how right he was. mom said that when she was here to help us after wil was born that the hardest part of the 5 weeks was not the middle of the night feedings or the constant cooking and cleaning but the RECYCLING i made her do. i laughed when she told me that but i know that she meant it! recycling is only one of several things i have attempted to master over the past few months. i have also cut down on my paper towel use (don't you have 100 dishtowels!? i do!), tried to walk more and drive less, bought and exclusively use sigg water bottles, turn-off the lights when they aren't necessary and am using my own bags at the grocery store. we have changed out a lot of our light bulbs for more energy efficient ones and all of our appliances are energy star rated. yet, i agree with mom, it's hard. the recycling takes up a lot of my time and, quite frankly, the light bulbs that you need to use with recessed lights (of which we have many) are just plain ugly. however, doing the right thing is never easy and i am going to strive to continue to do a little each day to help reduce my impact on the planet. i hope that i can inspire even one other person to do the same. the smallest thing can make a huge impact. just think...if you use a dishtowel every time you want to grab a paper towel not only will you reduce the amount of trees being used to make paper but you will save yourself money in the long run! so give it a try. pull out one of those old tote bags that you never use and replace even one paper or plastic bag next time you head to the store. it'll feel good, i promise! for more green ideas click here and to start small click here!