Our Attempt at Natural

When Jackson came into the world we knew we wanted to do things as naturally as we could feasibly do. What did we do or change?

-We use cloth diapers. Besides being good for the environment, and saving our son from daily exposure to chemicals in diapers, it also save's us a lot of money.

-We use natural cleaning products. Not store bought natural, but homemade and 100% chemical free. This is another natural thing that has saved us $.

-We have a programmable thermostat. We keep our house at 21 celsius when we are home during the day, and 16 when we are out, it is 17 at night. We keep little man warmer by closing all the vents in the house except in his room. (so his room is warmer than 17 when he sleeps)

-We wash all of our clothes in cold water. Cutting energy costs.

-We use perfume and dye free detergent, better for Jacksons skin, and all those extra additives aren't necessary.

-We use a clothes line in the summer (in the winter i use one inside, but i can't dry 100% of my clothes on it). Using a clothes line can also help preserve the life of your clothes.

-We donate all of our clothes that we no longer wear, instead of throwing them out. If they are in bad condition, we make them into rags.

-I use mineral makeup. It saves me money in the long run, and my skin can't handle the chemicals in most other makeup products.

- We recycle, A LOT. We have three recycling bins, and usually have one half full bag of garbage a week.

-We have a compost bin. I haven't used the "dirt" that is in the bottom of it yet, but we do keep adding to it.

-We TRY and eat more healthfully and naturally. I stopped using sweetener, and margarine. I drink 80% less diet pepsi than i used to, as does Marcus. We make our own salad dressing, and try and eat more seasonal vegetables. (we definitely still treat ourselves on the weekend, and Sunday is ice cream night!) We generally don't keep things like, chips, cakes, cookies etc in the house.

-We use a shower timer, at least i do. (ahem)

Who knows what difference we are really making. My goal is to try. We do our best to set a good example for the J man. Hopefully we are making at least a small dent in our ecological foot print.

What do you do to try and live more naturally, or be ecologically conscious?