How I am a Semi-Green Girl by: Rita

I was born to live as naturally and eco-friendly as can be. It was a desire inside of me when i was a little girl. I loved the outdoors, I loved nature and I was all about 'saving the rainforest'. My grand-parents and parents have always been very conservative in their use of things... although mostly for the sake of being frugal, it has been an encouragement. Things in my house always got reused. I thought ALL house-holds reused plastic bags... I never saw a plastic bag being tossed without it having a second usage first.

As a teenager I was an inactive "green" girl. Lazy, and effected in the wrong way by the disgusting non-conserving ways of my time. In 11th grade my science teacher brought that desire back to surface. The science class was called "Environmental and Natural Resources". I loved that class and all i learned. All the documentaries, projects, and field trips got that earth-loving desire to become active.

In recents years, though, I am a green girl in many new and active ways. Natural beauty products have become a must in my life. Natural shampoos have changed my hair, jojoba oil and tea tree oil has changed my skin. Conventional medicine is a last resort. I don't eat meat, and have VERY minimal dairy products. I recycle like crazy and love co-ops!

I love thinking of new ways to minimize the impact on the environment. The beautiful things on this earth is a gift, and I want to take care of them!

The Good:

• I try my best to do the 3 R's...............REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE.
• I teach these ways to the 3 children I am a nanny for.
• No Meat
• Natural Products
• I compost
• Opts for organic whenever possible

The Bad and Ugly:

• When I am really thirsty and don't have my reusable water bottle, I BUY BOTTLED WATER!!!
• I love 'to-go' coffee.... the convenience, the flavor! But oh! the amount of cups i toss!
• Even though I'm a vegetarian, I buy leather shoes..... oh! the hypocrisy!!!
• I travel far distances to have fun.... Oh! the gas I waste!
• I often leave lights on in empty rooms........ I DONT DO IT ON PURPOSE! I PROMISE!!

I am Rita, a GIRL trying to live a SEMI-GREEN life.

Hi My Name is Nicci and I'm a Semi-Green Girl.

I do so want to be green. I want to be the envy of the hipsters, the crunchy moms, and whole foods shoppers everywhere. It's just...so expensive/ exhausting/ HARD! I try though, and I succeed sometimes. Hence my semi-greeness.

It's really easy at work because I work for a family of green people. I am a nanny for a 1 year old boy and a 5 year old girl. There I drive their Prius, eat their ALL-organic foods, take the little girl to her hippie school (Waldorf) dressed in hippie clothes, recycle, conserve electricity, use cloth diapers, clean with green and environmentally safe cleaners, and watch NO tv. At home I do many of these things too, but don't always buy organic since I live in a small town with either a WalMart or tiny grocery store to shop in with hardly any organic products. But I try to go to Whole Foods when I can and stock up! I do watch tv...well tv on dvd when at home, and I don't personally drive a hybrid car. I am a vegetarian who recycles though! I buy local produce at our town farmer's market, and I've recently switched to cloth napkins and paper towels (mostly...some messes require the paper!). We've switched all our bulbs as they burned out to the energy saving ones, and only use the A/C at home when absolutely necessary... I recycle any plastic bags I do get from the store, but try to always take my reusable totes when grocery shopping. I will admit though that I am addicted to candy, sugary things that are bad for me, and even eat things containing high fructose corn syrup. I eat dairy and not always organic dairy. I have more clothes and shoes than I can wear, and none are made of organic materials (that I know of). I'm not crafty in the least bit and I eat fast food once in a while!

I'm horrible!

Alright, I'm probably just normal, but this blog will chronicle my attempts to be greener. Read often and tell your friends!

my semi crunchy life...by Nichole

the good me...

• uses cloth napkins & paper towels
• uses cloth diapers & wipes
• has been a vegetarian for 13 years
• has two rescue pups
• regularly recycles (even though there is no curbside pickup)
• buys organic (most of the time) & tries to shop local
• loves to cook for my hubby and son

the bad me...

• is a sucker for a cute baby toy....aargh, plastic!
• sometimes throws away a plastic bag (w/o reusing it!)
• uses Clorox Clean-up instead of homemade vinegar cleaner
• sometimes cracks open a jar of (non=homemade) baby food
• likes Taco Bell...aargh, fast food!
• is obsessed with OPI nailpolish...aargh, toxins!