I'm not going all hippie on you, but...

I once heard... "We didn't inherit this earth from our parents or even our grandparents. The earth is on loan to us from our children."

Can I just say this statement conjures up even more than the usual feeling of guilt, because I've never been that green, nature-loving mom who lovingly clothed her babies in cloth diapers, or who stocks the cabinets with only the freshest, natural foods, reads the labels, or protects her family from chemicals and what-not, blah blah blah. Now, don't get me wrong, I love and admire those of you who do and SO WISH I had the conviction to do it; but, honestly, I've just never taken the time.

But...with Earth Day just around the corner (tomorrow to be specific) I think it's time to get started on #2 off the ol' BUCKET LIST. Better late than never right??

We found a local recycling center that is actually pretty close to home. They take all the usuals (glass, aluminum, and paper). I was surprised to see cooking oil on their list. **Should I have known cooking oil was something that needed special disposal?** They also take 'lead acid batteries' which I'm glad to learn (thanks Google) is NOT the typical AA, AAA, etc batteries that I always sort of glanced over my shoulder to see who was watching as I tossed them into the trash. But, plastic is not on their list so I'm going to have to do some more research on that one.

Normally, I would have used the excuse of needing all the perfect organizing bins (like these...but maybe better) to sort everything properly. And, I wouldn't have even started saving anything until said bins were awesomely decorated, in their perfect spots, and the entire household briefed on proper recycle etiquette. ~~I'm sure your getting my OCD/Perfectionist mentality. ~~

Instead, you open our pantry and see this:
A total mess of boxes piled on the floor plus there's jars on the counter. Totally drives me nuts. And yes, I do know how bad all those bottles of water are but cut me some slack...I'm just getting started and bottled water is a rare occurrence...at least in the house.


Anyway... I'd like to make sure this "thinking of the earth" becomes habit and we can find all sorts of ways to be more mindful of what we are using and exposing ourselves to. I think our next adventure is going to be homemade laundry soap. Eeek, that should be fun.