With another New Year upon us, it's that time again— the time we set goals with the best intentions for the year to come. Some of those goals may be tough (but keep at it, you can do it!) and some can be simple— like making the decision to be more green. But when you decide to be more green, where do you start?
I recently got rid of a large amount of baby clothes and items—it's something I should have done a long time ago since my kids have not been babies for a very long time! I held on to their things for so long because they were cute and tiny and maybe someday (I thought) I may want to dig them up and go through them to reminisce. But then one day while walking by those bags of "stuff" that were sitting there taking up space, something changed. I was ready to get rid of them. It was time. The sentimentality was gone, I was ready to let it all go.
I'm sure you've heard the saying: "One man's trash is another man's treasure."
For students in Cateura, Paraguay, this statement could not be more true.
For most of us, music classes for our kids are easy to access and are not too difficult to turn into a reality. For kids in the Paraguay village called Cateura, a music instrument can cost more than a home! So it is not an easy dream to realize if a child has an interest in music. Which is where The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura comes in.
Each time I have a piece of trash to throw out, it ends up in one of four places: the compost bin, the paper product recycling bin, the plastic recycling bin, or the trash. But there are times when I have something and I'm not quite sure where it should go because I'm not certain it can be recycled. Is this for the paper bin? The plastic bin? Ummm...help?!...
One of my favourite apps on my iPhone is my TED Talks app. Not familiar with TED Talks? Here’s what it’s all about in a nutshell:
“TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader.” —TED Talks website
Over the years, I’ve become a ‘bring-your-own-bag’ kinda girl. I can hardly remember a time when I didn’t bring my own bags to the grocery store. For me, the hardest thing about using them is remembering to bring them into the store—I know I’m not the only one who has had to run back to the car because I forgot them, right?
The New Year is here and this is the time that many of us decide to make positive changes in our lives. No matter what shade of green you may be, the following list will hopefully give you some inspiration on how to make some eco-friendly changes for both your family and the environment:
The cards have been read, the presents have been opened, and the Christmas tree has is starting to wilt. So now what? Throw it all into the trash? No way! Considering that most of the items can be recycled, reused, or upcycled, there’s good reason to be mindful when it comes to dealing with what’s left behind from the holidays.
