Happy Earth Day!!! I am making organic baby food for my 10 month old twin boys instead of buying the pre-packaged stuff. It eliminates the packaging waste and lets me know exactly what my little lovs are eating. Plus they like it better than the store bought stuff.

I recycle snd reuse bags and containers for many different things. I love reuse them (jars and boxes mostly) and decorate with ribbons and handmade tags for gifts. They have that down to earth feel and are more heartfelt than just putting cookies in a container anyone can go out an purchase. BTW, I love your blog… it is one of my favorites. You keep me inspired to keep pushing the envelope in what I can do as far as cooking and baking. I used to be a box cake girl, not anymore though. I’m spoiled so only 100% homemade now :)

What great timing, Annie! I’m scheduled to get my first Green B.E.A.N. bin delivered today! I’m very excited to try it out. I’m also a huge fan of Moody Meats (and have 2 full Carnivore Club cards in my wallet now…just waiting for an occasion to get my 2 free filets!).

My 4 year old has been playing Earth Day games on the computer and they talked about it a lot during his preschool science class He is motivating me to do more! We already recycle (our church has a variety of recycling bins, so it’s so convenient). But Michael also asked me this week if we could stop at the neighborhood playground to pick up trash.

Oh, and we are due with our second child on Monday! We’re going to use cloth diapers on this one.

I’d like to be entered into the Green B.E.A.N. delivery drawing. Thanks!

First of all … wow. Those cookies are beautiful! I would love to enter in your giveaways – I’m not sure if Green B.E.A.N. delivers to Bloomington (I might be a bit too southern), but if they do, count me in for that giveaway as well!

Over the past year, I have switched to using cloth grocery bags, and I also never buy water bottles anymore – instead, I have a Nalgene I bring to work with me every day.

I love the idea of buying local. We shop at local farmers’ markets all summer! For Earth Day I plan to try to be more aware of where our food comes from and try to buy local more often throughout the year rather than just in the summer!

Living in VT I try to be as green as I can be. I buy things as local and organic as I possibly can. I make all of my sons baby food, hardly ever pre-packaged. I’ve also purchased two 95 gallon recycle bins and try to recycle EVERYTHING. I even root through the trash to see what my husband was too lazy to wash out and throw in the recycle! I love our Earth and want it to continue to be a beautiful place to live for my children and grandchildren.

I have started buying local when I can and organic when I can. When it’s a bit cooler out we shut off the air conditioning and open up the windows. But the biggest thing I’m working on, is using reusable shopping bags!

I have already adapted many earth-friendly habits in my attempt to become as green as possiblee–I recycle everything, haven’t bought bottled water or drinks for several years (I use the Soda-stream system to make carbonated filtered water at home), make coffee at home instead of running to the coffee shop on a regular basis to buy it in singular paper of styrofoam (why are these even being made and used?!) cups, buy organic food whenever I can. This year, I would like to move towards making my food purchases more local across the board, and expand my home garden to grow many of the vegetables locally and organically myself during the summer season. I also need to continue influencing my husband and son to adapt more earth-friendly habits, especially related to recycling, and remind them to not forget to bring reusable bags when grocery shopping (for which the give-away would come very handy!).

I too have started trying to buy locally. My husband and I already get our beef and pork locally direct from a farmer. I have also started trying to buy produce locally, as well as I’m trying to reduce the amount of plastic bags we use. We are also planting a garden this year for the first time.

Hi Annie – love the blog and have used several of your recipes. My husband and I are planting our first garden together this year and will buy all of our produce at local (Amish) farmers markets this season. There’s no recycling in our small town (I KNOW!) but I plan to start taking ours to the nearest town with recycling bins and work toward bringing recycling to our little ‘burb.

What a great day to celebrate! As and Earth Science/AP Environmental Science teacher….I think one of the biggest ways I contribute to saving the earth is educating future generations about what they can do to solve Earth’s problems. In fact- we are talking about global warming and the ozone layer today in class!! I also recycle all aluminum, glass, paper and some plastics at my house. We use cloth bags at the grocery store. We just started using organic fertilizer, to keep dangerous nitrates out of our yard/groundwater. Next Saturday I am participating in a neighborhood clean up. Everyone was just going to trash everything…but I convinced them to let us recycle things that can be! Happy Earth Day!!

Great giveaway! We’re a big recycling family and compost, too. I love not having to take my trash can down to the street every week the truck comes for pick-up. This year? I want to take advantage of pretty days and open some windows and not automatically flip on the AC.

I carry a handkerchief in my purse (as opposed to using Kleenex)and use my trusty cloth grocery bag when I make my weekly grocery shopping trips.

We started using a CSA during the summer (WI). I also started re-using plastic bags that I freeze my bread in. At work anytime we print an extra label for a label, a blank sheet if paper printed out that was being thrown away. I put out a box to save the blank sheets and now co-workers and myself take it home for our kids to color on and then recycle it! Your cookies are beautiful!

Annie! I just love that you use Moody! My husband’s family been using Moody since as long as they can remember, we actually pick our own cows out and such and I cannot tell you what a difference it makes, now eating any other meat, I definitely tell the difference! I go to the local farmers market here in Broad Ripple every Sat morning and buy all my groceries for the week to supplement what I have canned from the garden from last year. You should try out Royer’s Farm that is at the market it is wonderful lamb if you love lamb like me:) I am an Indianapolis resident obviously and would LOVE to win the Green Bean Delivery. I have heard so many wonderful things and am dying to try it out! Here is to crossing my fingers!!!

I love that you are working on reducing your prepackaged goods. I have started bringing my own bags to the grocery store – it’s amazing how much more they will hold than the plastic ones! I do live in the Indy area, and with a little one on the way in 2 weeks would LOVE to try the produce delivery service. I have heard wonderful things about them from friends and family.

I think Earth Day is one of those holidays we often forget about, myself included. This post made me take a second to think about what I can do to help give mother earth a boost! I’m expecting a baby girl in a few weeks and have decided to make my own organic baby food for her when the time is right. I’m also going to be more mindful about the amount of trash we throw out. Making sure to only buy foods we need and will eat all of before having to throw it out.

Thanks for the getting the ball rolling!

We’ve made more of an effort to support local, sustainable food.

We have always been big recyclers, but I’ve made and effort to recycle at least twice as much as we throw away in the trash. Also, we try to donate or reuse as much as we can rather than throw things away in the landfill.

I’m and Indy resident too- and would LOVE to win one of the Green B.E.A.N. delivery gift cards!

Earth Day is doubly nice for me because it is also my husband’s birthday. We are lucky to have a recycling station right down the street from where we live, so its convenient for us to recycle. We also recently renovated our kitchen (which has really helped me enjoy cooking more and given me enough room to do it!) and in the planning we decided to go with a double pull out trashcan – one can for trash, the other for recycling.

I’ve made many changes over the years: canvas bags, reusable storage containers, less chemical cleaners, electric mower, compost, planting trees, gardens, and raising chickens.

We are also building our house with thicker walls, more insulation, and solar panels.

I hope someday to be less dependent on the grid.

I’m going to start walking to work more… I have no excuse to be driving most of the time, especially now that the weather is so nice! I’d love to win the Green Bean Delivery. :o)

We currently recycle and don’t use plastic water bottles any more. Our next step is to start to use the reusable grocery bags.

I would like to cut out our use of plastic grocery bags altogether. During the summer I frequent the farmers market for local produce but would love to find something like Green B.E.A.N. in the Chicago area for winters.

We are reducing our use of paper towels by cleaning up spills with rags made of old t-shirts and sheets. I am also buying more secondhand clothing and choosing no-drive days. Every bit helps!

This year we are growing an organic garden and will hopefully be able to replace the majority of our grocery store produce purchases. Working in this large garden has given all of us a new appreciation for food, farmers, and the earth. Even if we don’t end up with the harvest we expect, the rewards already reaped will be far worth all the the work.

I have really made a shift in the past few years to help with my share of taking care of the environment. I adopted a mainly plant based diet and also try to buy as much local produce as possible. I use reusable shopping bags and at grocery store and also when I shop for anything else (clothes)!! I reuse all my ziplock bags and also take an earth friendly reusable water bottle to work each day! It is so important to take care of the environment around us. If everyone chipped in and adopted one green habit, it would make a huge impact of the earth. Happy Earth Day!!!

I joined a CSA for the first time this year, and I can’t wait for the season to start here in Michigan! I also have cut down on disposable paper and plastic products substantially, using towels for cleaning and reusable containers for leftovers!

I have been using almost solely recycled grocery bags! :)

I tried a Food Co-op, but we got way too much food and too much my picky eaters just won’t eat. It ended up being more expensive than my regular produce bill, and also going to waste. I’m super bummed about it, but I just couldn’t get rid of the beets! LOL

I’ve made a LOT of changes since my son was born in 2007. I only buy organic milk, and try as much as we can afford to buy organic produce (basically the dirty dozen as much as possible… peppers are SO expensive organic in the winter). I’m trying to find a local egg supplier, but in the meantime, buy cage free. I use earth friendly or friendlier cleaning products. My 1 year old is cloth diapered. I use reusable bags for my grocery shopping, even sometimes remembering to reuse the plastic produce bags. We have a compost pile, though it’s not working out so well. We use cloth napkins, and I have seriously reduced our use of paper towels (though I will never get my husband completely off them). I try as much as I can to buy fair trade coffee. We recycle everything we can (Lean Cuisine trays are!). We spent a LOT of money to replace all our windows to be more energy efficient, and I keep the temperature as low as possible (especially since I am on maternity leave and so home all day).

Unfortunately, as our family has grown, we’ve moved to a large SUV. We went from two sedans to one SUV, though we replaced one of the sedans with a smaller, more gas efficient car in the hopes of balancing. It’s made me really think about how much I need to run errands (though it’s sometimes a necessity for me to get out of the house and walk the mall if nothing else).

The biggie for me, though, has been getting hubby to make some of these changes too.

I LOVE those bags…I have started using reusable bags as well on shopping trips, but mine are falling apart already.

We’ve made several changes at our house to be more earth friendly…and they have also helped to be more budget friendly now that I’m a stay at home Mom! I make all of my daughter’s babyfood (this week we started chicken…and to my surprise she LOVES the chicken/veggie dinners I’ve made for her using homemade salt free broth & fresh veggies!!). I’m also greatly explanding my garden & starting my plants from seed. We’re also big fans of reusable bags for shopping/errand running. We buy our meats from the farmer who lives on the next farm over – all grass fed/natural beef, pork, and chicken! What produce I don’t grow & freeze on my own, I buy at the farmers market or from my neighbor listed above. It’s great to see over the past few years how communities are really pushing seasonal/local consumption! Yay Earth Day! :)

I currently recycle and reuse everything I can. I always compost in the spring, summer and fall but plan to force myself to do it in the winter as well. I buy locally and organically as much as possible. I am hoping to start riding my bike to work this summer.

We recycle everything we can. We also visit the recycling center when we need boxes. I use reusable water bottles instead of plastic ones. We also plant our own garden to grow our own produce.

We’ve tried to do a lot of things in my family. We don’t buy any paper products any more but toilet paper. We plan on joining a CSA and enjoying more local foods.

I use reusable grocery bags, recycle cans and bottles, I reuse any containers that I buy food in (tubs, jars, bags, etc.), I used to have a garden for my own veggies but since I recently moved I haven’t had the chance to get that started up again. To reduce garbage, me and my neighbours share and trade things. Like small appliances or food or even toiletries.

Happy Earth Day! (:

When I forget to take my reusable shopping bags to the store, I always reuse the plastic ones. They are the perfect size for the bathroom trash and for scooping kitty litter! I also use my reusable shopping bags for more than just shopping – I use them to take books to school, as overnight bags, and especially when I move…those giant IKEA bags are great for that!

We’ve always been big recyclers, but since the arrival of the screaming bundle of joy, we’ve found that it’s a lot harder to keep track of all of the bits and pieces of plastic that come with a baby. Everything is shrink wrapped and double bagged. So we have moved an extra recycle bag upstairs, behind a closet door where the little one can’t get to it.

Second thing: Do you know what the number one cause of death for young Americans is? Car accidents. Number two isn’t even close. So we’re minimizing road exposure by planning trips to hit as many places as possible along the way. It’s easy with the various planners and organizers and Google maps on your iPhone. You look at your list, think about where you’re going, think about what else is nearby, and do it all at once.

God bless America. Let’s try to save some of it. (Edward Abbey)

I am trying to buy more local items, can’t wait for the Broad Ripple Farmers market to open in May!

**local Indy resident for the Green BEAN giveaway

We have free recycling pick up which makes it so easy to recycle your cans, glass, paper, and plastics. I also use the re-usable bags for my grocery shopping 90% of the time-I do get the regular plastic ones some because I use those as bathroom trash bags, take my lunch to work in, etc. I also really like using reusable food containers for left overs and even reuse my plastic zip-lock bags when I can. HAPPY EARTH DAY!

We have an organic fruit and veggie garden in the works for this year. Next spring we will be planting a dozen fruit trees and hopefully some berry bushes as well. Also, we buy things as unprocessed as possible which, among other things, means less packaging going to a landfill. And we are composting! Wow, I guess we are doing more that I thought :-)

I am plaaning on continuing with my CSA this summer.

We do what we can, but are trying to do better about buying locally. We use cloth diapers, we recycle, and do other energy saving things w/lights and heat in our house.

We’ve stopped drinking bottled water and fill up our eco-friendly camelbacks now. We feel great about the change!

We recycle everything we possibly can. We grow as much food as we can, and cook and bake as much from scratch as possible, reducing the amount of pre-packaged stuff that we buy. Not only is it more healthy, but saves on packaging materials.

Things I’m working on improving is really being diligent about seeking local produce and products whenever possible. I am also hoping to reduce paper consumption at work by doing as much electronically as possible.

thanks for the chance to win annie! happy earth day :) I make sure to recyle anything that can be recyled. I also store left overs in glass bowls and dishes instead of buying plastic. I also love brining my own re-usable shopping bags to the supermarket!

Happy Earth Day! I’m working on the hygiene and cleaning products we use and trying to keep our home and bodies as chemical free as possible.

Having grown up in Santa Barbara, where the first earth Day was celebrated I too think this is a pretty awesome holiday. I have reduced the amount of waste in our lunches, no smaller packages of applesauce for our daughter or plastic bags or AL foil. I want to reduce it even further and make my own fruit leather (instead of fruit snacks or buying single servings of fruit leather with all the wasteful packaging). Wish me luck with that endeavor! Thank you.

I come from an incredibly earth conscious family. I don’t know life without turning off the water when brushing my teeth, recycling everything possible, walking to the grocery store with my reusable bags (DC charges 5 cents a bag if you don’t)! I use a reusable cup for my morning coffee. I love supporting local farmers, bakeries (when I of course don’t bake my own items) and stores in my area. I buy recycled paper/plastic products and limit the use of them. When I feel I don’t do enough for Mother Earth I watch amazing people like my mother who has always enjoyed gardening. She grows most of her own vegetables, bought organic long before it was a fad and taught me to truly respect this planet. I have an amazing friend who uses the umbrellas people discard on the street to create fabulous rain coats for dogs. For those of you in the Scranton/Wilkes Barre, PA area – my relatives own Everything Natural. They buy local on EVERYTHING they can and really focus on the community and our planet. I think Earth Day was chosen wisely, just look around you at the vibrant spring colors! Sometimes I forgot that a lot of people still treat our planet like a dumpster and I’m thrilled to read all of these comments from your readers!

I’m always trying to recycle more and be more diligent about only using electricity when I need it – no lights on if it’s light enough outside.

I make all my daughter’s baby food–as previous person said, saves on packaging and is so much fun to do! We also recycle quite a bit and I try to remember my reusable bags when I shop.

We have really started ramping up our recycling at home. We barely fill a trash bag a week at our house. Most of what comes out of the house goes straight to the recycling bins at church. We also have found great ways to reuse many things. (Did you know those large coffee containers with handles are perfect for screwing to the garage wall and storing screws, nuts, and bolts?) We also have started buying more things locally – not only produce and meats, but also gifts and clothes. We love our small town and patronize the local owned businesses as much as possible.

We have tried to do quite a few things lately. First up, we cloth diapered our babe for his first year. Then we eliminated paper towels and napkins by buying cloth napkins and bar mops. A little extra washing, but a lot less waste! Great giveaway! Thanks!

I love the bright colors of these bags! This year we moved into a new house and are planning on building a compost bin. It will fit snuggly behind our shed and will be perfect for reducing our waste. Less waste and free compost? Yes please!

I try to reuse things like cards that I receive from others, tupperware for lunches, and support local produce by participating in a CSA every year. I would love those Rume bags! Thanks for the oppportunity!

Thank you for the local info on recycling. We have Republic Trash service and they charge an arm and a leg for everything, including recycling. That would be one thing I would love to change.

I live in the Indianapolis Area so this produce service sounds amazing!! Quicker grocery trips and no cost difference? SIGN ME UP! =)

I have also switched from pre-packaged food products to creating/making my own. I can’t STAND bottled salad dressing (it completely annoys me to go to a restaurant and I’m served pre-packaged salad dressing…it literally takes seconds to make!)…fresher is SO MUCH BETTER :)

I use reusable bags at the grocery store whenever possible and if I forget them in the car or at home, I use paper. Instead of using multiple plastic spoons at work, I have one spoon that I use and wash daily. In our house, we’ve switched from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent.

Keep up the awesome recipes, my boyfriend and I love them!!

In my home, we do a lot of recycling as far as paper, cans and glasses. We also always use our resueable shopping bags whenever possible. We have a nice garden in the summer (since weather in Indy in the winter is unbaearable) which helps us use lots of fresh produce, YUM! It would be AWESOME to win the Green Bean Giveaway, I have been wanting to try a service like this for a while.

I need to use less plastic water bottles and find a reusable bottle for water!

I have eliminated tons of wasteful packaging by using PlanetBox stainless steel compartmentalized lunchboxes for my kids’ lunches. I also have switched to stainless sippy cups and glass containers for leftovers. Organic milk and meats. Small steps that add up and make a difference! Searching the comments for more tips.

My husband and I reduce our carbon footprint by recycling, carpooling, buying local, and use reusable shopping bags for everything!

We have been trying to recycle more- (our area is not required to recycle ) In the summer I shop at the local farmers market for all of my produce. I am going to try and remember my REUSEABLE bags every time I go to the store not just the places that make you pay for the bags. Planting some trees this weekend.

We have starting recycling everything we can, buying products in bulk to cut down on packaging and using rechargable batteries. We would like to start composting and are planning on buying rain barrels very soon.

We do so many things including eating a lot of organic foods but most recently started doing green lawn care and using vinegar for most household cleaning.

I shop at stores that are devoted to lessening their impact and avoid processed foods (for health and environmental benefits!). My most recent attempt has been switching my cleaning products over to natural cleaning products.

Super cute bags! Thanks for the giveaway and HAPPY EARTH DAY!

I’ve made both my kiddos baby food from scratch using locally grown organic fruits and veggies. I cloth diaper. I use the brown bags I still have in my pantry to wrap presents (::Sings:: brown paper packages tied up with string. . . ) We are members of a CSA and hopefully soon will be purchasing eggs, beef and chicken from a local organic farm. These changes have been so easy and painless (and CHEAP!) I just love loving the earth too!

Wishing I lived in Indy…that service sounds wonderful!
Among other things,I make Organic baby food for my baby. I also grow much of my own produce in the summers and fall. I use reusable grocery bags, recycle and my husband works for a green energy company. We try very hard to live a green lifestyle and encourage others to do so as well.

I try to eliminate as much extra packaging/waste as possible (buying in bulk, using reusable water bottles for water/juice, drinking my coffee at the coffee shop or bringing my own to-go cup) living in Bozeman, MT it also is fairly easy to ride my bike most places to reduce the carbon footprint as well as buying local as often as possible, of course recycling as much as possible. I try to use reusable grocery bags, but the brands i’ve tried don’t seem to last as long as yours! i’ve had great luck with the large, very unpackable, mesh bags i bought from street markets in Mexico.

We always recycle our paper, plastic, cardboard and glass. I also recycle my magazines by giving them to friends to read and encouraging them to do the same before we put them in the recycle bin as well :)

This year, my husband and I bought out first home; it sits on quite a a big lot for our area and the yard needs a lot of TLC. Rather than take the easy road and using TruGreen, ChemLawn, or another company that uses nasty pesticides and other things to get lawns looking great, we’ve hired a local, family-owned business who does everything completely naturally to get our yard looking great! It might take a little longer than usual, but I’ll be worry-free knowing that our two dogs, and our daughter (who’s due in June) will be able to run and play in the yard without anything harmful (save for maybe the occasional rock or twig) underfoot … and paw. :) Great giveaway! Happy Earth Day!

We have just started using dish towels instead of paper towels, this also saves money. I have also just started making my laundry detergent so no more plastic detergent jugs. We are getting ready to plant a large garden and will be trying canning, can’t wait to try it. :) We also read the newspaper online.

I use recyclable bags to do my grocery shopping & other shopping as well. I also bring a travel mug & water bottle to work so that I don’t have to use the paper cups there. I recycle like crazy too!

We’ve been using recyclable grocery bags for about a year now. When I do have to use a plastic bag, I try and use it 2 to 3 times before I bring it back to the store to recycle it.
Since I live in Washington, D.C, I order from Washington Green Grocer (https://www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com) on a bi-weekly basis to get fresh locally grown produce.

Our main efforts are toward recycling. All possible paper, bottles, cans etc. If I am traveling and don’t see recycle bins, I drag every thing home with me.

Also, we compost all veggie trimmings, peels, etc.

Try to reuse, use up, repurpose, etc. Sometimes more successful than others.

Enjoy your blog. thanks.

oops I forgot… I also buy diapers and things in bulk to avoid extra waste. I plan to go out once with several items on my list of places to go, to avoid going out a few times and hopefully save gas. A great one that is also cost effective is I save all gift bags to reuse. From my wedding and baby showers two years ago I am still using gift bags to give gifts to others!

I’ve recently started taking my own reusable bags to the grocery and I’ve been a long time recycler. I do miss the grocery bags for lining my trash cans but I can deal witht that :)

I am trying to be more Earth-friendly by using reusable grocery bags, and walking to the grocery store. I am really interested in the Green BEAN delivery, I’ll definitely be looking into that!

Happy Earth Day! My family’s improvements for the year include exclusive reuseable shopping bag usage, limiting the amount of items I buy from Amazon that I could easily grab when out on another trip (I found that with my free shipping from there I was buying too much stuff that created unnecssary packaging), passing along all our magazines to friends and family once we read them for another ‘life’ to them before they get recycled, and we are going to be purchasing our first whole cow this summer from a local farm to ensure our beef is grass fed and not packaged excessively (and to cut down on trips to the store for meat). Small steps, but everyone helps to preserve our natural resources. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

Happy Earth Day! Instead of throwing away plastic produce bags from the market, we save them and use them to pick up…you-know-what…when we walk our dog!

We joined a brand new CSA this season, and it requires participants to volunteer. We’re very excited about not only getting locally grown produce for 20+ weeks, but about helping to grow it ourselves! Our town purchased the land in an agreement to keep the old farm as open space instead of selling to developers. How wonderful is that?!

I have joined a CSA with a friend and I hope to be able to switch to buying strictly organic/local meat and eggs. Its cost prohibitive, but I also want to lessen the amount of meat I eat to make it affordable.

This past year, I’ve been eating more vegetarian meals each week. When it is time for some meat, I try to buy all of my beef, chicken, and eggs (in addition to veggies) from our local farmer’s market. Also, we drink tap water instead of bottled water. And I try to walk to the grocery store about once a week instead of driving–it limits what I can buy a bit, but it’s so environmentally friendly!

I use reusable shopping bags, make my own broth, and look for foods/items with minimal packaging. I also buy in bulk (less packaging) and freeze for later. I freezer cook so that I have quick meals on hand and am not tempted to eat out or eat packaged meals.

Those bags are so cute!

Happy Earth Day! Our family is really working on the planet in our kitchen. We just joined a CSA to buy local. I’m making all of our son’s babyfood to be healthier and get rid of all the waste. We’ve cut down on our meat consumption. Next step: We are looking into buying a yogurt maker so we stop getting those plastic cups. Have a great day. Hope the weather is nice in your area so you can go out and enjoy the planet!

We try not to let anything go to waste, which sometimes makes for creative meals! We also try to use reusable bags for grocery shopping, and reuse or recycle those plastic bags or containers that we do end up with.

I always recyle everything. It’s just become second nature to me to do this. We also installed low flow adapters to all our faucets in the house to conserve water.

Annie – My husband and I have started to really do more for the environment. We have started a composting area for our yard and food waste. We are in the process of switching to energy efficient light bulbs. We started to recycle more than we used to and we are shopping as much as we can at our local farmers market. We live in St. Louis, MO. Happy Earth Day! Tracy

Happy Earth Day all!! We try to have a ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mindset in our household. We do the normal stuff like having the big recycle bin outside where we toss our newspapers, cardboard, etc. Also, this year I have gone through my closet and tried to repurpose my ‘old’ clothes. I’ve made a few updates to shirts and holey jeans and I’m working on a new purse!

First of all Annie, I ADORE your blog. It is just amazing and I can’t wait to try out all the fun cupcakes, cookies and every other food on here.
The way that I help the earth is by recycling everything that I can, using paper grocery bags to put my fresh baked cookies on to cool (something my mom did too), buying organic and locally, using cloth shopping bags, and using green cleaners as much as possible. Thanks for the opportunity to win an awesome product. I can’t believe how you much still do with a toddler and a newborn.

Ooh, Ooh!! These bags look like a great way to be sure the typical “my reusable bags are in my car” travesty doesn’t happen again! Thanks for a great post, I too love Earth Day!!

I have started recycling more and using re-useable bags

This year, we’ve been trying to conserve more water. Like, we don’t just waste water while waiting for it to heat up. I catch the cold water in a bucket and dump it in my washing machine for when I do laundry. My family has also been eating more organic fruits and veggies. And one last thing that I’m proud of is that when I run to the local grocery store, now, I literally run there. I don’t hop in the car and drive a mile (unless it is raining). I either hop on my bike and go, or I walk. All these changes helped Earth and myself. I do laundry more regularly :), which my husband loves. We eat a lot of yummy veggies, and we have stopped eating meat for all but 2 meals a week and it has made us all feel better. And running and biking feels great. I’ve lost weight and feel like I’m not the stereotypical fat American couch potato. As if saving the planet wasn’t enough, a lot of green decisions can help you save yourself!

Every spring we have planted more of our own fruits and veggies. I use natural methods for preventing bugs from eating the produce before we do. Like eggshells and coffee grounds to deter snails and slugs.

Hi Annie, I would like to win the bags, as I am trying to cut the carbon footprint of my business. There are many different ways I have done this. 1) I am carpooling with local business to supply companies. We each shop for each other every week. We all save on gas, and trucking expenses. I try and buy as much product as possible from local farmers and vendors. Any product left over, is donated to a local food bank. ( I own a bakery) When deciding to open a bakery in my hometown it was a huge leap of faith, but one of the biggest reasons, was I am able to walk to work everyday. Hope this is enough to win me the bags!!

This year my husband and I have committed ourselves to recycling pretty much everything possible. We’ve also been trying to incorporate as many local/ organic fruits, meats and veggies into our diet that our budget can allow. It helps that we live so close to a fantastic farmer’s market!! Those grocery bags would be perfect for my trips to the market :)

We recycle paper, cardboard, plastic and metal. We have made a compost for our flowerbeds. We use tupperware instead of throwaway bags. ANd most importantly, we are teaching these values to our children.

We started a compost pile last year and are joining our first CSA this year. I also use reusable grocery bags and recycle paper. I also use reusable water bottles. I’m excited because I just got a fuel-efficient car and can stack my errands to all be done at once while using less gas at the same time! I’m an Indy reader and would love the Green B.E.A.N. delivery!

A few things we have recently been trying to do are: not have them bag things that don’t need a bag…milk, juice, produce already in a bag…and we are starting to do better at recycling other things.

My fiance and I are doing a local CSA this year and we also shop local for all our food. We buy from a local butcher, a local fishmonger, and our favorite local organic market. My family and I have also planted a large veggie garden to be more sustainable! And I always have my reusable bags with me :)

We’ve always been big on recycling and using Nalgene bottles instead of buying bottled water. But once our son was born last summer, we really amped up our earth saving efforts. Our little guy is in cloth diapers (and I can’t tell you how much I LOVE them!). I also make all of his baby food, mostly organic and local when I can. This year I am looking into doing a CSA for the first time (since I don’t think we have anything like Green BEAN in the DC area), and I’m also looking into a local butcher.

One small change I would like to make is to use reusable bags at more stores. I use them faithfully at the grocery store but would like to use them at other places so I don’t bring home so many plastic bags. I need some cute ones though so I hope I win one of the sets you are giving away!

You will love the cloth diapers! I swear by FuzziBunz and BumGenuis brands :)

I am also working on using more earth friendly foods, and getting away from prepackaged ones. It also has great health benefits!

Last year, my husband started a non-profit similar to KIB in South Bend. We’ve been participating in area events that are raising awareness of the small changes that people can make to positively impact the environment. For our family, this has included decreasing our meat consumption, going down to one car (trial run), and I just ordered cloth diapers for our newest little one. It’s actually been really fun to make these changes and I’m looking forward to the warmer weather so we can do more outside! :)

Also, how cool is this?? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OV55XM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gidgoegre-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000OV55XM

I’ve been trying to recycle my plastic bags constantly and trying to print less papers!

What a great giveaway! I’m entering for the shopping bags. My help to our planet is using a canvas bag instead of plastic for grocery store trips and I also subscribe to local produce delivery service for the DC area. :)
Thanks!

I LOVE the RuMe bags. I’ve been trying to find cute (and sturdy) bags to bring with me to the grocery store/farmers market and haven’t been able to find anything. My goal is actually to start BYOBags to the store as well as working harder on recycling.

We’ve been gradually making changes to live more sustainably. This year’s change will be switching to cloth diapers.

I always being reusable bags to the grocery store and recycle our plastic, glass, alumninum and paper products and packaging. All this recycling helps cut down on our weekly trash!

I buy organics when available, try to recycle everything that can be recycled, and I reuse paper bags whenI go to the grocery store.

We got rid of our car nearly four years ago and have walked/biked/taken the bus and train since then. We just purchased ‘the family car,’ aka a Madsen cargo bike, and I am so excited to put many miles on that bike with my daughter! Car-free living – it can be fancy, too :)

I’m using cloth diapers and wipes for our second baby. Not only will it save us money but it will greatly cut down on our trash output. I got so sick of seeing how many diapers went into the trash with our first!

Hello! Around my house, we use only fabric shopping bags. We also eschew Walmarts and the like in favor of locally-owned shops. We figure that putting our money back into the local economy is the best way to aid (in a small way) in economic recovery. We rarely purchase packaged foods, as I prefer to make as much as I can from scratch. I’m with Pollan on this one: if my great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food, we probably shouldn’t be eating it. And, if I’m not in a hurry to get something done, I’ll take the bus. :)

My husband and I just bought our first home, and are very excited to have started composting! Not only does less waste get put into the landfills, but it produces rich fertilizer for our garden. This one small thing makes a HUGE difference!

I have a bag by my desk at the office and everyone brings me their water bottles to recycle. =)

Use homemade cleaning products… my goal for 2011!!

I have decided to sell my car next month and rely only on public transportation. This is a huge step, seeing as having a car has always meant “freedom” to me. But, I am ready to experience the freedom that comes with connecting more with the environment by walking and biking, feeling the breeze through my hair and the sun on my face!

I received three reusable bags (similar to the ones in this giveaway) as a gift a few years ago. I use them for groceries, as my purse, an impromptu diaper bag, etc. I love them and would love to have three more to cut back on a need for paper bags for large commissary trips. The paper bags that I do get are recycled into cards. I’ve been sewing collaged cards with fabric scraps, old thread, old prints, paper bags, tissue paper, etc. I got started back when I was having baby showers and I wanted to make my own thank you’s. I just saw a great idea in a magazine to use fabric for wrapping paper…that’s my next project. My husband and I also have been using cloth diapers and wipes for our new baby and I love them, they even work great on the go with the use of a wet bag! Thanks for putting on a great giveaway…it’s awesome reading other posts and getting more green ideas!

I now take the train into work everyday. We also recycle our newspapers by taking them to the Humane Society. It’s a win for everyone.

I’m certainly not as green as some of the other commenters, but I’m going back and taking notes on what I should be doing.

The smallest chance I’ve made that I think will have a good long-term impact is to not use plastic baggies for lunch anymore. Instead, I pack anything that could go in a bag in a tupperware container, so it 1) won’t get smashed, 2) won’t result in me throwing away two plastic bays every day. The only downside is that I need to buy a new lunchbox because the tupperwares don’t fit well in mine, so I look silly carrying around a lunchbox and two more containers. =)

I have been using reuseable grocery bags for over a year now and never leave home without them! Its too easy not to! LOVE a variety of them for different purposes and sizes! PLUS I use my camelback bottles at the gym instead of buying bottled water! HAPPY EARTH DAY!

I have switched to CFL’s and we are using mostly reusable bags for grocery shopping (Still a few short to use all reuseable). We have also planted an apple and orange tree and a large garden of veggies so that we don’t need to use non-local stuff as much.

My husband and I reuse our plastic grocery bags for more groceries until they become holey. We also use those bags as trash can liners in our home. We use cloth napkins instead of paper. Since we are students and use lots of notebook and copy paper, we find recycle all of our printed paper, which is made convenient through a campus recycling service. We don’t buy pre-packaged beverages, which only produce more waste. Our changes are simple enough that we don’t have to make extra time in our busy lives to be good to our planet.

We have been buying a lot more of our food at a local co-op, thus getting more local/organic foods. We are also hitting up the bulk bins a lot instead of buying canned foods.

I’ve been starting small the last few months – trying my best to buy only what we need – I feel that wasting food is one of the worst things and hurts the earth too! I try to make my own bread, buns and cakes as much as possible, reuse shopping bags and recycle the ones we have (I always forget to bring the few reusable bags I have), buying organic eggs, cooking as much fresh food as possible and not packaged.

I have stopped using plastic bags and plastic water bottles this year. I am so excited to have the local Hudson Valley farmers start to sell their products again, on streets, fairs and stores. Farmers markets rejoice!

We cloth diaper all 3 kids in my house and we use reuseable water bottles!
babyfickas at gmail dot com

I teach at a school where we were recently named “Kansas Green School” of the year. At our school we have incorporated composting and recycling into our everyday lives. As a result, I have started recycling and composting at home too. It is so fun to see my recycling bin vs. my trash can at the end of the week. We usually have 3x’s more in the recycle bin!

I’ve eliminated disposable plastics, I only use heavy duty tupperware for my food, snacks and half-used cheese. It seals better and I’m not throwing away plastic bags.

I also compost my kitchen waste, which in turn I use in my vegetable garden.

We recycle, compost, and buy organic food whenever possible. We also use eco-friendly kitchen and cleaning products, and re-use as much as possible.

My husband and I live on an Air Force base where recycling is pretty big. We make sure to always recycle everything we can. We also try to always get paper bags at the commissary (our grocery store) instead of plastic. And my husband rides his bike to work when the weather allows, instead of driving and putting emissions in the air. We definitely try to keep the planet healthy!
Also, we’re an hour from Indy so we’d consider the gift card too, although the bags have my attention even more!

Happy Earth Day! I’ve started going (walking!) to the farm markets to buy my local fresh produce there instead of buying from the grocery store where it’s coming from the other side of the country or world.

Wow girl… you are a genius with royal icing. :)

This year I, too, am trying to buy most of my produce locally. I plan on hitting farmers markets whenever I can (luckily there’s one just up the street from my apartment!). I’d love to start buying more local and sustainable meat, but it’s not something we can fit into our budget right now. Maybe next year for that one! But I figure every little step in the right direction helps, so I’ll start with my produce and work my way up from there.

I’d love to win some of the those bags… so cute!

Happy Earth Day! I go to a college that supports sustainability in the construction of our buildings and serves local and organic food in the cafeteria!

I love to recycle. Here in Houston, I have to pay to recycle, but I’m such a firm believer in it that I gladly pay. I am also in love with my compost bin. So between recycling and composting, I have very little garbage. And when I pull that gorgeous, black gold out of my compost and spread it on my garden beds, it’s like Christmas morning! I love your blog! Thanks for all the great recipes!!

I use reusable grocery bags at the store and we participate in our local recycling and food waste composte programs! Happy Earth Day!

We walk to the grocery store on nice days and use our own bags at the store. I also try my best to buy local produce and we recycle everything! We let our daughter use the paper we recycle for art projects and when printing things for our own use, we’ll print on the backside of other paper. It’s the little things, right?

We recycle everything and I have even begun channeling some of my grandmother’s Depression era frugality by rinsing out Ziploc freezer bags!

I love those bags! I’ve worn all mine out over the years. :{ Our big change this year (we usually focus on one big change a year) is to plant an organic garden. We have planted before but this year we are going to the next level and using seeds from seed savers. :)

I’ve recently changed to ‘green’ cleaning products. Love them!

I am definitely trying to shop local and organic as often as possible. I am so excited for warmer weather because that means Farmer’s Markets! It makes me so happy to buy produce from the farmers that picked it that morning!

Those bags are so cute!

We recycle and dry our clothes outside. We drive one car and always use reusable bags. This summer i am working at a farm for a CSA share. I know there is a lot more to come!

We compost and recycle. We live in SF and it is actually required now for every household but we were already composting for a while . It’s actually kind of funny because we company comes over they always ask what goes where. It’s really not bad once you start and the feeling you get from knowing you are doing such a great thing is awesome!

This year I started using a lot less paper products – napkins, paper towels, plates, etc.. Instead we use towels, cloth napkins, etc.

We don’t buy plastic bottles for water–only filtered water in safe, reusable bottles

We started recycling about a year ago and are now teaching our little one about how its done. We hope to be able to put in a more efficient water heater in the next couple of months. Thanks

I have been trying to buy more eco friendly cleaning supplies. I’d love to win these bags! Thanks!

I’ve started using more natural cleaners in place of those with chemicals. I also try to walk whenever possible rather than driving – also saves money on gas!

We cloth diaper, compost, recycle and try to buy gently used items when possible to eliminate packaging waste (which drives me especially crazy when it comes to baby/kid toys).

I always make sure to recycle, and I use a nalgene bottle instead of getting bottled water. I love using reusable bags; I just forget to take them with me a lot of the time! These bags are so adorable!

We began recycling cans, plastic, cardboard, glass, etc. about 6 months ago and it’s amazing how much less trash we have! Not to mention how good it feels to do the right thing. These bags are a great idea! One more way to help Mother Earth!!

When I bring my lunch to work, I use a retro Orange Crush lunch box with a reusable sandwich box and other tupperware containers. This way I don’t have to waste brown paper sacks or sandwich bags. I also have a reusable water bottle on my desk at work that I try to fill several times each day!

I have eliminated almost all plastic bags from my preschooler’s lunch box. We now use a reusable one-piece container that is sectioned off. Super easy for me to put his lunch together, easy for him to open/close. WAY less trash!!

We are members of a CSA, use cloth diapers, make our own baby food, buy mostly whole foods and avoid packaged/processed foods, and are about to start composting!

In about a week and a half we are going to be moving. We’re moving to a place that has a walkscore of 95. I plan to walk to get groceries, go to the post office/library/bank/etc. I also plan to use the free city bus to get to work and back. And once we get settled we plan to sell our second car. :)

I’ve been a member of a CSA for three years. My goal this year is to actually eat the (seemingly never ending) supply of lettuce they give me instead of foisting it off on my salad loving neighbors.

I always try to use reusable water bottles and not the plastic ones.

I recycle when I can and use reusable bags.

I’ve been trying to get into the habit of riding my bike to school and work whenever possible.

I have been making an increased effort to buy more locally grown products. I also try to use reusable bags as much as possible!

One thing I’ve already been doing is using reusable shopping bags instead of plastic.

Something I need to change is buying more local and organic foods.

Happy Earth Day! We have been using a local food co-op to get all of our fruits and veggies called Bountiful Baskets – it sounds like its similar to what you have in Indy. We absolutely love it and its so nice to get the variety and utilize some of the veggies that I wouldn’t normally purchase at the store.

I’ve also been making my own laundry detergent, it sounds weird but it really cuts down on all of the packaging waste and it saves a ton of money – plus it works better than any brand I’ve ever bought! :)

We use reusable grocery bags and our own mugs and cold drink cups (the starbucks double insulated cold cups are the best)! We also compost. And the newest thing is that we have a timer on our TV to turn off after 100 minutes for when the kids walk off and leave it on.

We use cloth in place of paper whenever we can: towels, napkins, bags, diapers, etc.

I have started recycling most of our plastic, paper, etc. that we use on a daily basis in our home. I have also been trying to slowly cut out the pre-packaged and processed foods from our diet. I’ve started using essential oils in place of some cleaners with chemicals that I previously used, as well.

I reuse my plastic grocery bags.

We buy all our produce from local farmers. I’d love to win these bags!

Thanks for the opportunity to win! I currently reuse plastic bags I get from the store as trash bags and packing material. I tend to save and reuse plastic containers for crafting, and cardboard boxes for building play forts – I have a toddler who loves forts :) I also make baby food instead of buying it in the store, and I recently joined a food co-op to help save on packaging.

We only use reusable bags now am in the process of building a rain barell. I’m located in Indy and would love to try Green Bean , that might be the push I need get my husband on board :)

Since moving to Austin I’ve made a lot of changes in how I live to help save our planet. I now recycle absolutely everything I can (it’s amazing how my recycling bins always fill up before my trash), and use lights/AC/heat only when I absolutely need it. I’ve also started buying more local/in season fruits and vegetables, and I’ve limited the amount of meat I eat to 3 meals per week (and any meat I do buy I make sure it’s from local small farms).

Happy Earth Day!!!

Oh, we’ve made many changes recently. I have a rain water barrel to use for my garden. We moved a bin to the back door of the kitchen so that we can just put recyclables there and are recycling more. I made ALL of my daughter’s purees up until 1 year when she turned to eating real food so no waste there. We buy produce though something similar to your program. And we don’t buy bottled water. Oh, and I just bought my second reusable grocery bag, and a few more definitely wouldn’t hurt.

I try to recycle as many items as possible including the plastic grocery bags and water bottles. It has really cut down on my trash :)

I use a Pur pitcher at home to fill up my reusable water bottle to take to work everyday. I also try to buy local foods when available. And I have a stainless steel coffee cup that got me free coffee today at Starbucks! :)

Happy Earth Day! One way I have started to be a better citizen of Earth is to make my own cleaning solutions using natural products such as baking soda, lemon, vinegar and peppermint oils. It really does get the job done and is so much safer for the environment.

I also recycle paper and plastic, and reuse glassware. :)

I am going to hang my clothes outside to dry, instead of using a dryer.

We rarely buy bottled water anymore, we use purified water from our fridge. We try to recycle as much as possible, and I shop at the local farmers market as much as possible in season for all our produce.
I would love a new set of bags, mine are a mess!

PS, I made your chocolate sugar cookies today with my daughter and decorated them for Easter. She LOVED them. She said they “are the best cookies in the whole wide world!”

I use cloth diapers for my toddler and made all her baby food. We also try to skip as much pre-packaged food as possible. And we try our best to reuse as much as possible. We use hand me down clothes for our toddler too!

I’ve always tried really hard to not be wasteful in all senses of the word, but recently I’ve made quite a few changes that might be viewed as ‘extreme’. To me, it’s not just about refusing and reducing for the environment, but also about what we are putting in our bodies – the two things go hand it hand.

1) I bring all of my own bags everywhere. If I don’t have a bag with me or the item I want is already wrapped in plastic (like the spinach I wanted at the market yesterday). I won’t purchase it. I can find it another time or somewhere else plastic free.
2) I purchase all of my food from the local farmer’s market or from the bulk section of the grocery store and I bring my own containers. Local, quality food, and no plastic bags or containers, including milk, eggs, butter, and ice cream. It’s amazing how much ‘food’ in a grocery store comes wrapped in plastic and then stuffed in a cardboard box. My boyfriend thinks he’s doing great things for the environment because he recycles all the cardboard. I try to get him to see that he shouldn’t be buying it in the first place because it’s not even real food. Plus, It is so important to me to know that any animal products I consume were produced with respect to the environment, the farm workers, and the animals and local is the only way to ensure that. Just because it’s organic, doesn’t mean the item wasn’t shipped (with fossil fuels) for 3000 miles or that the animals were treated well. It’s so sad to me how much lying there is in our food industry.
3) I make my own deodorant and toothpaste.
4) I absolutely always 100% of the time have a metal water bottle with me. If not, I go thirsty.
5) I compost everything possible.

Surprisingly, I found was to make this lifestyle inexpensive as well – really important for this thirty and unemployed girl!

My biggest quest has been to cut down on the car usage. Hopefully now that MN winter is over (I think….) I can get back to biking more.

I ALWAYS make sure we have the reusable bags when we grocery shop, and we are about to start recycling plastic, paper and aluminum..it only recently became available to do where I live!

Earth Day is my favorite too! I’m from Indy and have switched to greener cleaning products and I’ve been shopping the local farmers markets since last summer! I love going every Saturday and trying out all the different markets like downtown and Broad Ripple!

I would love to have a set of those bags!
I don’t buy bottled water anymore. I walk or ride my bike to as many places as I can instead of drive. I buy locally produced food. And we recycle everything we can!

I am working on plans for this years garden and of course always recycle and/or reuse when possible. We have also recently adopted 5 chickens, so less styrofom packages and also my own little composters!

My husband and I have actually started a recycling “business” for our apartment complex. When we moved here, there was no recycling available, so we found a place that recycles, and now we pick up people’s recycling once a week and take it to the recycling center. So far we only have 1 customer (plus ourselves) -but we’re hoping the bug will catch on!

I’d love to be able to compost and make a rain barrel. We are also really trying to upcycle more.

My husband and I started a compost pile in our garden! By doing this we’ve significantly reduced the amount of garbage we have each week. We already recycled plastic, paper and glass, but it’s so nice to have a specific place for all the veggie scraps we have.

We’ve stopped buying paper towels and are using white terry cloth towels for everything in the kitchen.

Started using baking soda and vinegar for cleaning.

Buying less processed food, making more from scratch with wholesome ingredients, buying more organic, locally grown produce.

Happy Earth Day! I think it is super important to understand how lucky we are with the world around us and what we can do to make it better. We also do as little prepackaged food as possible and we are big recyclers! These are just a few of the changes we have made. :-)

This year I’ve conquered my fear of gardening. We have a tiny backyard that’s 90% shade, but we built a step system and are growing herbs and ground veggies in it, as well as tomatoes up the sides. I love it because we have it set up so we water the top and it flows down to the bottom, not wasting a drop of water. And the compost bin we set up last fall is now 1/2 full of awesome dirt that we used – no purchasing soils at all!!

We recycle, use reusable grocery bags, and cloth diaper.

We recently purchased a Brita pitcher and it’s been the best thing since sliced bread. We love it. No more plastic bottles building up in the house. Also, I’m happy it’s getting warmer out so I can hit the farmer’s markets this summer and stay away from the produce section at the grocery store, as much as possible. Happy Earth Day!

It’s the little things that count, right? I, luckily, live in a city with a good public transportation system, so take it as much as possible. I take my reusable water bottle and own bags with me everywhere. This is such a great giveaway! Happy Earth Day to you.

First off Love your Blog, great many of the recipes have graced our table with great reviews. Thank you.

Now on to going green in the food department. I buy our eggs, flour sugar, spices and fruit and vegetables and once in a while milk and butter at our Local Amish Community store. They are fresh, fantastic, and buying in bulk is so much cheaper, so my trips to the grocery store have dwindled way down, so am saving gas, and money what could be better. I started Making my own breads, I have not bought canned goods and or packaged goods in over 6 months, and we can really tell the difference.

Keep up the good work on your blog and the fantastic recipes.

Sue Mikesell, Iowa

I would love these cute bags as addition to the odd ones we’ve collected over time. This year, we are beginning to can products that we grow in our yard and are using our composter more. I’m also hoping to start using all natural cleaners, including laundry soap.

I wish we had a local butcher-sounds like such a great way to get all your meats. And I have been using reusable bags for a while now too(although these bags look much better than my bags!).

I love reusable bags and recycling. Lately I’ve been thinking of the little things, like making sure we’re not wasting energy by leaving lights/appliances on, or running the water too long. If everyone were to focus on the little things, it could make a big difference!

We are doing something similar here. Joined our first CSA! I’m so excited for summer. We also plan on walking the 1.5 miles to the Farmer’s Market every week for fresh produce and some meat. Would love some new bags to tote home our goods!!

Living in San Francisco makes it easy to be green; mandatory composting and recycling and no plastic bags in grocery stores! For me, my weakness is coffee cups. I never seem to have my reusable one with me when I’m craving a cup on the go, so…my earth day resolution is to carry it with me more, but if I forget and need a cup on the go, I’m going to take a little time to enjoy that coffee in the cafe and use a ceramic mug. No more disposable coffee cups for me!
My other resolution is to start buying in bulk more to reduce all the packaging we throw away.
I also belong to a CSA and it’s the best thing I ever did! Love it!

I take my reusable bags to the grocery store, and if I am buying just a few items I carry them out rather than using a plastic bag. One change I plan to make in the future is to start using reusable bags for my produce as well. I also plan to join a CSA this spring :)

We travel with our reusable water bottles. We fill them up once we get through security at the airport (or at the gas station from the fountain soda machine water setting). We save money and bottles and I never have to feel guilty. The next big thing for me will be trying to make more of my own cleaning supplies. I’ve seen so many great posts from Martha Stewart and others about how to make high quality cleaning products that are safer than those you can purchase. :)

We already do a lot, but something I would like to start doing is composting. It would make so much sense, both in hopefully being able to go to a smaller garbage can, plus helping our garden. But for some reason, it seems so much harder to me in a neighborhood than it did growing up in the country!

We recycle, use reusable bags, use reusable lunch containers, and we’re working on cutting out bottled water etc.

I recycle everything I can. Our apartment complex doesn’t have recycle pickup so every week I take our bins down to a center. It’s more work than it should be but totally worth it!

I love your local produce box idea from Green B.E.A.N. Still trying to convice my husband that something like that is a good idea. We do still buy local when we can during the months that stuff is being grown locally.
Love the butcher shop idea too. Almost have hubby on board for that and after watching Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution I’d almost prefer getting meat from a local butcher where I can hope their practices are not like what Jaime has shown on the show. Chemicals in the ground meat makes me cringe!
Anyhow, we’ve been doing reusable grocery sacks for some time now. Need a few more though because the ones from the local stores are cheap and falling apart. We do have a handful of handmade ones off Etsy that are holding up nicely. This summer will be our 3rd and hopefully best summer planting our own garden. First summer was a bust and we got one nasty yellow crooked neck squash and some so-so butternut. Nothing else grew. Last year we did a lot better but beans, peas and carrots still did not produce and tomatos didn’t do well either but did get a handful to use. Got some great elephant garlic, corn, pumpkin and butternut. The lettuces would have been okay had hubby thinned it out when he was supposed to. It did not grow right due to the lack of thinning. I also think had we not spent 8-days in the hospital with our son after he was born in early July that the garden would have faired better. My mom watered the front lawn but didn’t touch the garden. We have also been cloth diapering since last spring. Started trying stuff out on our daughter and have been cloth diapering our son.

I recycle as much as possible. I would love to win a set of these cute bags :)

I am also a huge fan of earth day! Am so excited to see Indianapolis so green today, too :)

Things I’ve done this year to go green:

1. Recycle! Sometimes this is a pain to have to sort through everything and make the weekly drop off but finally have labeled recycling bins next to the trash that make it easier and less likely for others to throw recycle-ables in the trash.

2. Meatless Mondays. I don’t eat a lot of meat to begin with but making Monday a designated “no-meat” day has definitely made us more conscious when we do chose to have meat.

3. Learning about the food industry. I’ve read Omnivore’s Dilemma (Michael Pollan) and Food Matter’s (Mark Bittman) to learn more about our food industry. Both books were great and I highly recommend them to any foodie out there :)

Goals for this next year:

1. Buy Local. I’ve been making some effort to do this during this past year but would like to do more. Green B.E.A.N. Delivery looks like an awesome place to start!

2. Grow More. I have a few small herbs that I grow at home but would love to expand this summer.

Thanks for the great earth day post, Annie! Mark me as an Indianapolis resident who would prefer the Green B.E.A.N. gift card. And Happy Earth Day!

Try not to use bottled water, use reusable produce bags and grocery sacks, and recycling. I am trying to do better with my recycling!

Recently our area started doing combined recycling. Since we jumped on the wagon our family has gone from 3 large garbage cans a week to 1. We have also started recycling plastic grocery bags. Many local stores take them, so I place them in my truck and whenever I am at the grocery store or Target I drop them off…it’s so much better than seeing them in trees!

I have been cloth diapering baby #2 for about 2.5 months now. Double bonus of saving the planet 1 diaper at a time and saving me lots of money (especially with #2 using the dipes that #1 used!!)

I am also trying to buy more local organic produce and foods. Also I want to start taking my reusable bags to stores that I haven’t in the past, I used to always just only take them to grocery stores not clothing, etc stores.

I recycle everything I can – paper, metal, green waste from grass and yard care. I have a compost bin for kitchen scraps. I also shop with reusable grocery bags – but I would love a chance to win a new one!

My trusty Nalgene water bottle, lots and lots of tupperware instead of ziplock bags, cloth grocery bags and eating less meat!

We’ve started recycling and don’t buy bottled water anymore. And we always try to remember our reusable bags when we go to the store, although we could use more for the days we make large purchases! We’ve been using reusable bags for a while, but we started recycling when my husband bought a Prius and we were inspired by that to be more environment-conscious ;)

reuse “Baggies” recycle, organic cleaning products, buy items in bulk

After hearing on the news this morning about the possibility of gas going up to $6 a gallon by summer, I resolved today to use less gas! That means less running around, and using the AC as little as possible.

Happy Earth Day! We are using reusable bags at the store, but with groceries we never have enough. I would love 3 more bags! I hope to go all reusable soon! We are also trying to go more natural with cleaners and solutions around the house.

I’ve been using resuable grocery bags for years now, and have my recyclables picked by a separate company than the one that picks up the garbage (which is contracted by the city I live in). I also plan on switching to organic milk, now that there’s a fat-free organic version of DHA-added milk. Oh, and I wash and reuse my reclosable plastic bags as long as possible.

Most of my changes have been started recently. I make my own baby food to prevent the waste of plastic containers. I also have just started using the re-usable bags at the grocery, I only have two though and could definitely use more so that I dont need any plastic bags at all. Then in a few weeks I will start up my vegetable garden for the summer.

I have only used my reuseable bags at the grocery stores for the past 6 years. I love all the other new tips and ideas. Hi from sunny San Diego!

I’ve recently begun walking/running everywhere. I’m putting less polution in the air by using my car less, and I get to enjoy the bonus of a workout!

I have been (for the past year or so) using reusable bags when I get groceries. I love using them and would love some new ones!

My mom taught me at an early age the importance of recycling and not being wasteful. Now, at 30, I practically panic if I need to run into a store and don’t have a re-usable shopping bag or if I have to through cardboard in the garbage (instead of the recycling bin) because it has grease or food-matter on it. I *think* it’s a good thing that I’m this anal about it, but I believe so strongly that EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS. If everybody did a little, it would accomplish a lot.

Let’s see, what changes have we made??? We use reusable grocery bags, installed low flow toilets, use a HE washer and dryer, use the low energy light bulbs, and we cloth diaper our 5 week old! I also buy local produce when available. We’re trying to incorporate more changes to our lifestyle all the time!

We love our mother earth! She is so good to us. I started a large organic garden on our land last year. It was a success and I can’t wait to harvest even more delicious produce this year to feed my family!

I believe my mom is single-handedly waging a war on waste, and she raised me that way her entire life. I think this must be why people consider me to be so environmentally conscientious (seriously, I actually got voted that in high school!), but to me it is just normal behavior. I know there are lots of ways I can improve, so I’m working that out on my own. But there are simple steps we can all take to at least help the environment in small ways that can add up. I love reusable shopping bags and use them *almost* all the time. I wish more people did because not only do most stores give you a 5cent credit(per bag) for doing so, but you can also earn extra “rewards points” for some store which means you’ll get more coupons from them as your points add up.
Filtering your own water is also so simple and cost effective.

Those bags are SO much more beautiful than the ugly free reusable bags I’ve been collecting!

I’ve committed to buying organic and locally–I live in Southern California so there’s NO excuse not to, since so much of the country’s produce is grown within driving distance of me. I’ve recently discovered a co-op just a few blocks from my house (I know, I know–but it’s in a direction I never go!) and it’s the only place I go now for produce unless it’s Sunday, then it’s farmers market time!

We always take a bag for trash when we go for walks or bike rides, plant a garden every spring, we have also been extra carefull about our water usage while washing our hands, showering, brushing our teath, etc. All of these things are so easy to do and great for kids to learn early. All of the small things really add up. Happy Earth Day all!!! Enjoy.

Hi Annie! Thank you for the chance to win :) This year I’ve:
- joined a CSA
- done a lot of research about sustainable meat/diet
- make sure to always use up everything in the fridge
- always bring my own filtered water when i’m out (except for seltzer… my favorite little splurge!)

I Have planted a garden and do lots of farmers market shopping!

We have some reusable grocery bags that we take to go shopping. If I happen to forget, the plastic bags from the store are used to line garbage bins around the house.

Love your site & Earth day! I’m in Indy and would love to try Green Bean! My Earth Day resolution is to stop buying pre-packaged pizzas and use the dough recipe I found that my family just loved! So much healthier & we all had fun punching the dough! Happy Earth Day!

I have been thinking of way to reduce my carbon footprint. Instead of driving to work, I take public transportation. I’ve also stopped carrying plastic water bottles around with me and bought myself a cute little nalgene bottle :)

Teaching my kids about recycling, gardening, composting, not wasting water, etc. Teach them while they’re young, and that’s what they’ll grow up doing!

I always keep reusable bags in my car so I remember to bring them in to the grocery store (I would to win those cute bags!), and I bring my own reusable travel mug when I go to coffee shops. Another bonus: It keeps my coffee hot much longer than the paper ones. Also, ever since moving to a city with curbside recycling, I’ve noticed I have much less actual trash each week.

It is so wonderful that you have taken Earth Day and sort of gave it new meaning! I like that you use it to make changes as oppossed to New Year’s, which always feels so forced. We do our best to think about things in an environmentally-friendly way. But I’ll admit, it is my 7 year old daughter who keeps the rest of our butts in gear! She’s always tossing things in the recycling bin and yelling at us for leaving lights on or taking long showers.

Annie, this is so inspiring!!!! I’m going to take a page from your book and make a change for Earth Day! :)

I got a stainless steel waterbottle so I could stop buying bottled.

I love those RuMe grocery bags! I usually use reusable shopping bags when I go to the grocery store..but they’re not as pretty as those! I also try to make a trip to the local farmer’s market to buy my produce, and bring water with me everyday in a reusable container.

I’ve been recycling just about anything I can for some time now. I also do my best to avoid food packaging. Checkers at the grocery stores think I’m quite the pain since I never bag my produce. Can’t deal with all the plastic. I’m quite proud of my sons, who this year have joined their school’s Green Team, an club encouraging environmental awareness and good practice in their school. My husband and I will be building a garage, and plan on powering it with solar panels! I’m psyched!

I have started to recycle this year, our town doesn’t do curb recycling but we have bins and we take the stuff to the recycle center on Sunday afternoon. It amazes me how this has cut down on the garbage that we have, it is so much less( more than half) we probably don’t fill a half of trash can to put at the curb. I wished we would have started this a long time ago…..

Happy Earth Day! I have been taking reusable bags to the grocery stores to minimize the amount of plastic bags wasted. We also recycle all our trash! I live in the Southern part of Indiana (Columbus, IN), so I don’t know if I qualify for the Green B.E.A.N. giveaway or not…

I’d love the re-usable bags! This is something our household does pretty well, but we can always use more bags!
We also get a CSA box delivered!

I am going to grow my own vegetables this summer (if it ever gets here!)

This year I planted my first garden. I am nervous about keeping up with it, but am so excited to eat veggies I grew! We also recycle and try to buy local organic foods.

Happy Earth day! Today I am actually planting a tree, japanese maple tree, in my back yard and am starting a compost pile!

We’ve really come a long way with recycling since getting married almost 3 years ago, and this past year we began using reusable grocery bags. I absolutely love them and hate the few times we have forgotten them.

We are also looking into a compost box for the backyard. I’m really excited about that!

We go green by using reusable shopping bags. Would love to win some new ones!

I am terrible about recycling, so I am trying to be more conscious of that lately — especially regarding ziplock bags. It pains me to throw those out!

I made a couple reusable shopping bags, but could use a few more… As it stands I still end up taking home a couple plastic each trip… I’ve also started growing a few vegetables on my own. =)

I love those shopping bags! I’m going to try using cloth napkins instead of paper napkings….I think we are pretty good at everything else.

Going green is my goal…little by little. We do a lot or recycling in our house and reusing. Very little is thrown away!

I keep to organic gardening practices, and make sure that I know where my food comes from (and wouldn’t it be lovely to carry it all around in some RuMe reusable bags) :)

I just watched “Bag it” a few days ago. Perfect for Earth day! So with that in mind I plan to minimize the amount of plastics in my house. I never realized how much I have…

Happy Earth Day! Our family loves recycling and even re-use well made containers for other projects. (Oatmeal containers make the greatest toys!) I’m also looking forward to beginning a compost pile in the near future! btw, love your blog. I love your perfectionism…I’m glad I’m not the only one :o)

I’ve been doing a CSA box for about 2 months and can’t say enough wonderful things about it! Also, my husband and I sold our second car so I walk to work now. So wonderful all around -both for me and for the environment.

Those bags are so cute!

This will be my third season using a CSA for most of our produce. I love it! We can also buy organic, hormone-free, humanely- and locally-raised meats through the CSA buying program. I compost my kitchen scraps, use reusable products as much as possible and take public transportation to work. I have cut down on the amount of processed food we consume and try to take full advantage of foods in season, including freezing what I can for winter.

I have just finished writing lesson for a “green” planner so I’m excited that I’ve been able to share lesson plans with teachers who can inspire students of all ages to save the Earth and its precious resources!

I started by using re-usable grocery bags but they are getting pretty “ratty”. Sure would like to replace them!!

I’m an Indy resident and would love the chance to give Green Bean Delivery a try! My Earth Day resolutions: buy local, start using reusable grocery bags. I’ve made a few, and they are cute and I love them, but somehow I forget to throw them in my car when I’m on my way to the store.

I have started using the reusable shopping bags. I also stopped buying waterbottles and bought a brita water filter and some camel back water bottles to refil everyday. I would recycle but you have to drive 20 minutes to the recycle place because they do not pick it up where i live! :( Love those bags and would love to add it to my few I have!

I have started using a reusable cup at work and stopped using Styrofoam ones. I hope to have a small herb garden this year, we’ll see if the deer stay out of it. We wait as long as possible to turn our AC on and this past winter found that we can be comfortable with our thermostat at 68.

I too take my own bag to the grocery store. I have started a compost bin to help reduce our waste & to provide compost for our garden, also new this year.

I use reusable bags when grocery shopping! But mine are dying, so I’d love a new one. :)

Those RuMe bags look great! I’ve started using reusable bags from Trader Joe’s and while those bags are great and hold a lot, they don’t fold up like the RuMe bags do so they take up a lot of space in my house. I’d love to try the RuMe bags.

Recently I’ve been looking into raising a few urban chickens in my backyard. Besides having chickens as cute pets and receiving their fresh eggs, having your own chickens means reducing fuel and electricity that would’ve been used for egg transportation and storage from the factories. Chickens also eat table scraps that would otherwise be thrown out, plus they provide manure for garden fertilizer or your compost! I’m hoping to be able to add a few feathery friends to my family this year!

We’ve been recycling for a while, but just recently started buying things in bulk to save on packing material waste. We’re also limiting our water consumption by watering the lawn less and only in the early morning hours so that it’s as efficient as possible!

We try to bring reusable bags when we go to the store, but the ones I have are in rough shape. I would love a new set.
In the winter we keep our thermostat at 65 during the day and 58-60 at night. It can get a little chilly, but nothing blankets and a couple large dogs (my “little” heat machines) can’t fix.

I use reusable bags to go shopping and stopped buying bottled water a few years ago. Love my water filter on the faucet!

I just signed up for a CSA share–our first time! Very excited for next weeks delivery! Trying to do my part to eat locally :)

We’re part of a CSA for the first time this year, so we’ll be eating more local produce, along with some veggies that we hope to grow in our garden! Plus, we pack our lunches for work in reusable containers to eliminate waste. Oh, and can’t forget about taking water in Nalgenes rather than buying bottled, and using reusable bags at the grocery store!

I have been paying more bills online to decrease paper usage and save money on stamps. Additionally, I have stopped buying and using paper plates. Every little bit helps, right? Thanks Annie!

I use re-useable shopping bags for groceries and shopping purchases and I just started using a re-useable water bottle.

I have started using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins at home to save on the waste.

BTW, when I couldn’t leave a comment, I just tried a different browser. Firefox worked, Safari didn’t. In case anybody else has a problem.

We recycle at our house – paper, cardboard, glass and plastic. We have a large plastic trash can we fill with all of our recyclables and then my hubby takes it when it starts getting full.

I’d also like to start a vegetable garden this spring/summer. My mom had a large one when we were kids and I remember picking tomatoes and green beans out of the garden. There’s just something that tastes different about a fresh tomato out of your garden.

I’m an Indy resident and would love the opportunity to try out Green Bean Delivery! :::Fingers crossed:::: :)

We’ve gone as paperless in my classroom and use remote response devices instead! We keep the lights 1/2 off whenever we can. I also use reusable shopping bags and a reusable water bottle.

Happy Earth Day and Happy Easter Weekend. I love your recipes (so do my children). This year I’m focusing on buying from local growers. I also want to recycle and reuse more this year. The RuMe bags look and sound wonderful. My two old cloth bags have been used so much the bottoms are about to fall out. LOL

Happy Earth Day! I stopped using plastic water bottles and just bring my one water bottle to work everyday

about a year ago I bought plastic silverware to keep at work…now I bring it all home and wash and reuse it until they break; I recycle anything I can and have even brought my empty glass jucice bottles with me from my fave bagel store because they don’t recycle…and I can at home! Great giveaways-thanks!!

I recycle as much as possible and as an elementary teacher I work hard to instill in my students the importance of recycling, reducing, and reusing!

I have switched over from plastic bags in the last few months. I use recyclable bags only! So I would love to add some more to my collection! I also never buy or drink bottled water – what a waste of plastic and money!

Happy Earth Day Annie! We do all we can to lower our carbon footprint. This summer we’re having a shredding and recycle party for our clients. At home we’ve switched to cfc lightbulbs, built and use a three part compost bin, turned down the heat and up the a/c, recycle like crazy and about anything else we can do. We shop the Broad Ripple and Binford farmers markets practically on a weekly basis. Kincaid’s is wonderful for meat. I’ve been going there since Mom took me as an infant :-)We’ve also joined a CSA out of your hometown – Life Farms. This is our third year being a part of a CSA and I’ve found it to be VERY cost effective. We got our first share today and I’m anxious to work with the kale, beets, greens, rapini and other goodies they included. Although sometimes it doesn’t feel like we’re doing enough, I am mindful of the fact that everything everyone does does indeed make a difference! Thank you so much for highlighting Earth Day. With your readership, it really does make a big difference.

My biggest goal is to eat food in it’s natural state, and buy organic when possible. I also try to avoid prepackaged foods and try to recycle paper and plastics. This summer I’ve bought a share in my local CSA for 20 weeks of local, naturally grown food (starts in 2 weeks–yipee!). Looking at buying a share in a farm for grass-fed beef for the fall.

I am in the Indianapolis area and would LOVE to try the Green B.E.A.N Delivery. We have done a lot to be more green this year….we are trying to cut out all HFCS, I made my own fruit snacks, and now we are working on planting our own little garden.

We recycle and decided to use cloth diapers when our baby comes in November!

For about two months now, I’ve reduced the amount of meat I take it to about once a week, and I’ve stopped buying canned fish (because of depleting oceans) or fish from the market and just use the fish my dad catches. I try to buy organic in everything I can. In the coming months, when school isn’t in control of my life, I plan on using my farmer’s market more often, and when I move I want to grow tomato plants and herbs.

So proud of you for making these changes! It’s all about the small steps! I am in love with reusable bags, I probably have too many already, but these look so sturdy with the handles built into the fabric instead of an attached handle. These would make such a great addition to my back seat!

My family is very focused on recycling. We’re trying to lessen our trash and increase the amount that we recycle. One example of a simple change I’ve made was to pack lunches with reusable containers instead of buying all prepackaged stuff.

I’m not in the Indy area, but I heard that the Green B.E.A.N Delivery is thinking of expanding closer to me in the Fort Wayne area, which will be a happy day :)

I use reusable water bottles and plastic containers for food storage (instead of plastic bags).

I take my reusable bags to the grocery store and especially Target(instant savings). I love shopping at our local Farmer’s Market.

well,I stay away from paper products like paper plates,plastic fork,spoons as much as possible.

Annie this is wonderful that you have given a post to this important subject. So many now realize that we leave carbon footprints and too many plastic bottles and such along the way. For years I would help to clean up different areas in the Seattle area, we then would use the trashed that was picked up for educating those that eat processed foods. Everything we buy and eat is organic, all locally grown during season. We have a remarkable Market here: Poulsbo Market that goes to where the produce and meats are raised and grown and brings only the best to its store, they are doing it year round. I was just in the process of doing a write-up/review on this market. Your offer has come at the right time, having used the cloth bags for years mine have finally worn out and was in the process of ‘thinking about getting new ones.’ Those at the markets and such where I shop I think they are starting to feel sorry for me, they joked the last time they would have to line it with a plastic bag next time, they know I would not want to use the plastic bag and hoping I get new bags before my next shopping trip….RaeDi

I LOVE THE COOKIES, YOU ARE SO CREATIVE….

Reduce.. reuse… and recycle. I have really focused on reducing what we use and make choices to buy things that are more permanent / disposable.

I use reusable bags, pack lunches in reusable containers, and grow our own veggies&herbs

I have started tgo composte

Annie…I moved to Bloomington a few years ago from a very small town south. We are able to now recycle regularly and do small things like no more paper products used in the house. I would love to be entered in the Indy giveaway. My husband works in Indy! I love your blog and actually work with one of your old classmates Nina.

I’m currently trying to eliminate all non-natural cleaners and would love to see a post on this or maybe that’s not something you would do on a cooking blog :) I always use re-usable bags, but mine from Trader Joe’s are falling apart. We are now trying to buy organic and plan to start shopping at the farmer’s markets this summer!

We ask for paper bags at the grocery store, we plant at least one new tree every year, and we try not to fill up our gas tank in the heat of the day.

I am a huge fan of shopping at Goodwill and other resale shops… not only for myself and my 5 kids but also for our three Grandkids. When I am finished with something that still has use… off it goes to Goodwill. My favorite hobby is recycling pieces of furniture that I have rescued form the curb or yard sale and paint/ refinish or re-purpose them fur use in our home or as gifts. I recently showed a friend how to change a treasure from the curb into a beautiful buffet for her home.

I re-use my same water bottle instead of buying plastic water bottles and I recycle :)

We are recycling and we also just stopped buying plastic water bottles!

I am switching to using only my reusable mugs when I go get coffee! If I don’t have my mug, I don’t buy my java. It’s saving the earth, and my budget!

I have been using Cloth diapers, it was a little adjustment but now that I am use to them it is no big deal :)

Usually my effort to help the planet involves recycling plastic bottles and things like that, but this time I have decided that I’m going to completely eliminate using those. I finally bought a reusable plastic water bottle that I will use, and I also want to stop using paper plates and paper towels and stick to using regular dishes and dish towels :) Basically anything that can be washed and used again!

I have decided (well awhile ago I did) to cloth diaper our new baby coming next month. that’s my biggest thing I’m doing to help the Earth :). I also tonight in the spirt of Earth Day FINALLY dug out all my reusable Target bags to keep in my car — I always forget them, so I finally found them all in our storage cart and put them in our trunk. No more excuses!

We bring our own water bottles when we leave the house, so that when we go to the Farmers Market and get tea, it is poured into our own bottles. We also bring reusable bags everywhere we go so we don’t have to ask for plastic bags.

I always use my Bobble water bottle, and we never use paper towels or paper napkins anymore…and of course my reusable shopping bags go with me wherever I go!!

We are big on planting trees.

My family recycles and composts in addition to other earth friendly measurers like turning off lights and repairing leaky faucets.

My husband, daughter, and I all carpool to work/school each day, create arts and crafts with leftover materials/containers, and use plant-derived cleaning products.

I have been researching on the internet about making my own cleaning products and using them successfully. My goal this month is to stop using plastic water bottles (so handy) and use the reusable bottles. These bags look awesome. Thanks for the giveaway.

What a fun giveaway! We do a lot of the standard stuff – recycle as much as we can, use reusable grocery bags, and don’t drink bottled water. We also use reusable produce bags and biodegradable garbage bags. We use freecycle to get ride of usable items we don’t want anymore and to get gently used items we need. I take home recycling from work. Recently MH and I started switching over to ecofriendly cleaning products and I couldn’t be happier. Vinegar is my new best friend!

In my house we recycle everything, use the new energy saving light bulbs.

I try to be as “green” as possible, but I really want to compost. I also want to build or buy a rain barrel!

I love your recipes and this blog. My partner and I are traveling around the country in a travel trailer. We are very conscious of leaving as small a footprint as possible so we:
1. have solar panels on our trailer and try to use the solar batteries before we use other power sources.
2. shop locally, like Rouse’s Market and C.J.’s who are local venders in the Bay St. Louis and New Orleans area of the Gulf. Both sell products they create from local farmers. CJ even makes her own sausages, pastas, salads and cuts the meat as you stand there! Her bodine is the best!
3. decrease the amount of trash we create by avoiding over-packaged items and donating to local Good Will and Salvation Army sites.

We are also ridding ourselves of as many possessions as possible utilizing downloadable library services, all bills paid online, ordering medications to be delivered quarterly rather than monthly, etc.

Loving the green of spring as we made our way from the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of Lake Ontario!

I am trying to buy more organic produce and purchasing more local/seasonal ingredients…..can be very hard living in a rural area, but doing my best.

I am a RN, I pick up recyclables at my patients homes, and drop at recycling locations around the San Diego area. Most of my patients are too sick to do it themselves! Super cute bags!!

To keep recycling top of mind, I purchased a garbage can which sits next to my trash can. It’s right there so no excuses; I havce to empty it at least two times a week. I also unplug appliances not in use and moved to a reusable water bottle instead of plastic.

What a great way to celebrate Earth Day! I am pregnant with our second child and we are going to use cloth diapers this time. We’ll decide on a system that works best for us once the little one is born, all-in-ones or separate covers and diapers. Thanks again!

For our family conserving our earth is very important and I am sure there are ways that we could improve. I am always bringing my own bags to stores, we recycle more then we have garbage and I am looking into shares now for produce and such. thank you for all your wonderful ideas!!

Happy Earth Day and Happy Easter.

Thanks for the give-away! We recently starting recycling when we moved to a new area that offers it with trash pick-up. It has been an easy change to make, one that we will keep up with long after we move away from this area.

I bought a Silpat to reduce/eliminate my parchment paper and foil use. I like it so much better!

I am carpooling to work now!

I am planting my own garden. Nice to know nothing BAD is sprayed on it.

I’m carpooling to work in order to cut down on both gas prices and fuel emissions. :)

I study at Starbucks frequently and use their coffee grounds, that would be thrown away, to improve the soil of my garden. While this is a little change, if everyone has their own way to improve our planet it will make a big difference!

I started my Earth Day resolutions early and have started to buy as much organic produce as I can afford. My next goal is to buy local. I’ve started buying grass-fed beef, natural chicken and cage free eggs. Having a one year old daughter, I’ve made sure the milk I buy is hormone free and try to balance local with store bought. I would love those bags pictured above since that is the one thing I haven’t switched over to yet when grocery shopping. I keep looking for something sturdy!

We recycle, and I encourage others to recycle at my workplace as well. I would love to compost, and will as soon as we live in a house and not an apartment complex, we’ll start. :)

We joined a CSA and I think that’s been a big step forward for us.

I am local – west side of Indy. Would love to try Green B.E.A.N., I have seen their vans in our area. I carry the reusable grocery bags and I reuse glass jars like crazy, for all sorts of things. An empty spaghetti sauce jar is great for left-over soups.

I’ve been using my aluminum bottle for the past month and I love it. I also walk more. If a place is within 2 miles of my home I hike it.

I have been using my waterbottle and filling it instead of purchasing plastic. I used cloth diapers for my last baby this past year. And I try and remember to unplug any item we are not using to conserve energy. ie. coffe maker, radios.

We belong to a CSA that allows customization. I choose exactly what we will use. Our local town has just started a small Farmer’s Market and I have been trying to support that also. We continue to pack lunches in reusable containers and try to remember our shopping bags every time…try to remember. The key is to get them back into the car after unloading after each trip!

I use reusable grocery bags and a reusable water bottle. Nothing original I guess!

I will aim to buy all veggies and fruits from local sources, such as farmers markets and CSAs!

I took an Environmental Science class this year and it educated me a lot about our planet and what we do to it. I’ve started using travel mugs instead of water bottles, unplugging electronics, recycling, all the little things that add up!

I’m doing the same thing you’re doing. I no longer buy salad dressing and very rarely do I buy anything packaged. I am very much a from scratch cook. Not fancy just good. :)

I love that you’ve done this post! And I’m really excited to say we just recently began composting as part of a municipal composting community! Going green is just one more fun adventure in the kitchen.

we haev began to use just re-useable bags for shopping! my girlfriend always talks about those foldable bags, but had never actually bought them for herself, and uses trader joe’s bags that are big and bulky. hoping i can win these for her!

I’m planning on working harder at recycling!

Just started my first ever composting this week!!! Hoping to put all those food scraps back into beautiful Mother Earth! Love those bags!

We’ve switched to cloth diapers. Today we participated in : http://greatclothdiaperchange.com/ – Guiness World Record Cloth Diaper Changing Challenge! A tree was planted for every participant.

I have quit buying water in plastic bottles and have been using a reusable one. We have cut back on the number of prepackaged items we buy, and are planting a garden this summer to grow our own organic produce. Thanks for the chance to win!

What a great idea, Annie! I’m a columnist for my university’s paper and my contribution to Earth Day was to write a top five column of ways to conserve. I try to be humorous in my writing so that it resonates more in people, especially college students, and in this column especially it was successful! :) As for changes I’ve been trying to implement in my own life, I’m mostly focusing on changing from plastic bags to reusable ones. It’s difficult sometimes but I feel better when I do. :)

I am planning to start walking to work with my son–I teach at the same school he attends. Not only will it be good for the environment, it will be good for our relationships!!! A good talk to go with a good walk!

A couple of weeks ago I bought my first bike as an adult. I plan on using it for most of my smaller trips in town.

I watched Food Inc. and it changed the way I think about eating meat, and the impact that the farming practices in the U.S have on the environment. When I can’t find humanely raised, non-factory farmed meat, I just don’t eat it!

I LOVE Green B.E.A.N. delivery! We live in Ohio & have been using them since December, I just can’t tell enough people about them! My sister & sis in law use them too & love the service also. Green Bean is fantastic!
I also use reusable shopping bags, mine look old & tired. Some new ones would fit it great & I could retire the old ones to hold recycling items in the garage.

Thanks Annie! Love your blog!

I reduced my carbon footprint by switching to a vegan diet. (I confess — I was inspired by Oprah to experiment for a week. I really like how I felt and it’s been 3 months now and going strong!)

I use reusable bags at the grocery store and use glass for food storage at home. We also have a small garden.

We use recyclable bags, drive a Prius, and have solar panels – in Louisiana. I get funny looks every day.

I have two kids, we pack a LOT of snacks. This year I am committed to using Tupperware and reusable cloth snack bags instead of plastic baggies or individual portions packaging whenever possible.

I’m switching from paper napkins to cloth and will cut back on the amount of paper plates we use.

For the past year I have changed the manner in which i purchase
food. I’ve cut out most processed foods and only by fresh foods. Most fruits and vegetables are bought from local farms through our local farmer’s market co-ops. My health has improved tremedously.

We do a lot of recycling already, but with 3 teenage girls in the house I am committed to making sure that they take shorter showers and turn off electronics and lights when they are not in use.

We recycle and we also always bring our own reusable bags when shopping.

I am ditching my car and taking public transportation as soon as I graduate!

I just had a baby in December and we’ve been using cloth diapers, homemade cloth wipes and diaper solution in part because we didn’t want to contribute unnecessarily to landfills. Gotta take care of Mother Earth, she’s all we’ve got!
Would be thrilled to win the reuseable bags!

I LOVE reuseable bags :) And I’d love to win some. I’ve stopped using plastic bags, though sometimes I just NEED a plastic bag…it is quite the dilema!

I’ve become much more green after becoming a parent. We’ve started only using organic/chemical free cleaners, we cloth diaper and line dry, we use cloth napkins and towels, we use cloth bags, we recycle, garden and are starting to compost. There’s a few more things we do but that’s all I can think of now :)

I do lots of things! I always bring my reusable bags to the grocery store, for one example.

My new years resolution/go green goal was to no longer buy individual water bottles or get take out coffee cups when possible. I try to always fill my water bottle before I leave home, and to keep a clean travel mug in the car. I’ve not been 100% successful, but I’m getting better.

Also, bringing your own bags seems to be a new concept to the cashiers at stores near me. They are not always friendly about it, but I try and shmoose them…some are loosing their “attitude” about it :)

I wish we had that type of produce delivery service here…

To become more earth friendly, we started recycling! I also try to take fast showers, since it would save a lot of water. We are also starting our first garden. Trying to go more organic, where we live there are no farmers market, but growing our own is much better and more exciting..Happy earth day!

Those are nice bags! In our house we recycle as much as we can. We use our own bags @ the market. I think the best thing we do is involve the kids, because they are our future.

I’ve already been using re-useable grocery bags and have been looking into using the GreenBean service. I think they are new to the Cincy area so I would love to try it out with a gift certificate.