The Green Thing–Celebrating Earth Day

I haven’t given much thought to Earth Day this year. I know, gasp. I me I am supposed to be green, right? When I mention many of the green things  we do around our house my husband’s grandmother who is going to celebrating her 80th  birthday in May, says “Oh we used to do that growing up” My own father would have been 74 this May grew up in the same generation as my husband’s grandmother. Their generation lived by the motto Use it Up, Wear it out, or Do Without.
To their geneeration recycling was just plain thrifty and finding a way to reuse something instead of wasting it. My farther regularly used coffee tins to store his nails, screws and other small parts in his shop. I guess my parents passed on this way of living to me,
My mother practiced organic gardening not because it was trendy but because chemicals were expensive. She will tell you stories of the older immigrant ladies in her neighborhood growing up who would pick “ditch weeds” to make salads and teas in the spring,
We used a push mower to mow more than an acre of yard because it was what people did, no gas powered weed eater or edging tool either, we used a hand sheers and kid power.
My parents would find ways to fix things or use things until it could no longer be fixed. My husband and I learned these skill from our parents and grandparents, we do not go out and replace a TV because it is broken we may not replace it all.  If an appliance is not working properly we fix it ourselves, just like our parents did.
Now we recycle because if we don’t who will? We buy less because we don’t really need to keep up with the Joneses, we find ways to reuse or repurpose or upcyle clothes and old furniture because it is fun not because we have to.
I buy old furniture to save money but truth be told it is of a better quality – NO particle board, sold wood construction. The bonus is I have furnished my living room over the years for about $350, less than the price of one cheap couch.
Earth Day is not about planting one tree or making a craft with your kids one day then going back to “normal”. What if we made EVERYDAY Earth Day, and consumed less and recycled more?
Earth Day is a good time to reaffirm all those Green Lifestyle choices we make, and make new resolutions. I know that will be getting back to using my own bags and again and hanging clothes out to dry. What Earth Day Resolutions will you be making this yea?



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