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About 6-8 months ago, I wrote a post about how I noticed some pretty tremendous water wasting happening ay the YMCA showers (where I shower every morning). Some women would turn on and leave showers to "heat up" that need no heating up, some women would shower in one and let their bathing suit "shower" under another head.....just stuff where I thought "I can't keep watching this happen and not do something about it". So I asked a woman (very nicely, I thought) if she would turn off the shower she was using for her bathing suit because we were in a drought and it was wasting water. She looked at me funny, then laughed and kept the 2 showers going. I thought sarcastically "that went well" and then thought "I really don't want to get into any more of a confrontation while naked with another naked woman in the community shower area".

So I wrote a letter to the Director of Operations at the Y and asked if they could post signs requesting that people conserve water. Within a few days, nice big lamenated signs were up in every  corner of the shower area. I was so impressed with the YMCA for taking my request and acting so quickly. As the months have gone by, the signs began to fall off the shower walls (or maybe the 2-shower-head-lady took them down one by one : ) Either way, I asked the Operations Director a few weeks ago if she could put up those signs again and she did one better...she ordered permanent acryllic signs for the shower areas and they are up today. They look great!!!

All of this is just to say that if you ever feel like you should speak up about something but think you won't be listened to or you may get laughed at, I am saying that ...well , you may get laughed at (lady in the shower) but you may also be surprised to find that (especially on a local level) people are very responsive in general to ideas and positive changes.

I get lazy though and see things that need changing and think about them and think about them and never end up saying something.

So here is my challenge to myself  for local things I have thought about for a long time that need changing and haven't acted on them but will now.  

#1 Ask Trader Joes to look at alternatives to their double bagging system. I know they say that they do it because the handles fall off but then they should purchase bags  with handles that don't fall off or bags with no handles (like they had in the "old" days...TJ's is so good about rewarding people who bring their own bags and reminding shoppers before they enter the store "Did you remember your bags?"....The double bagging system seems to me to be counter to their otherwise eco-minded, anti-bag-ness (is that a word?)

 #2 Ask Safeway to display their reusable bags that are for sale by the check out lanes (seems logical right?). The last  ten times I have been to Safeway, the reusable bag display has been hidden in obscure back corners of the store where people either won't see it at all or will see it AFTER they have realized they forgot their bags and so selected plastic/ paper.

#3 Ask the YMCA to start using something other than Styrofoam for their complmentary coffee they give out in the a.m. It's really nice they give out coffee (God bless them for that) but the Styrofoam has got to go. I will also ask them to make a little sign that requests that members please bring their own mug.

I will keep you updated on the feedback / changes if any, I find after sending these letters. 

Here is my "Green Corner " contribution to my son' s schools newsletter this month. I know it's  an easy one but I still see so MANY plastic bags being used at the store, I thought I would remind us all of the importance of BYOB. Last month the Green Corner was on the environmental benefits of hanging laundry to dry  instead of using the dryer and the month before that , it was about composting. I should have posted those too but forgot to. Noah's school is out for the summer after this month but I am taking over the newsletter responsibility next year and will post all of my Green Corners for any of you who want to use the same tips for your school newsletters. It's an easy way to get the word out about simple changes we can all make and about GreenMommy.org too.

Paper or Plastic? Neither, please. Did you know that we use 8 percent of the world's oil supply to produce plastic, including BILLIONS of plastic bags each year? Not only is this a huge waste of resources, it results in lots of unnecessary long term landfill (each bag is projected to take nearly 500 years to decompose). It takes 14 million trees to produce the 10 BILLION paper grocery bags used every year by Americans. To help preserve our planet's resources and create a healthier environment for our children, try bringing your own reusable bags with you when shopping. (TIP: Leave a supply of reusable bags in the car to make it easier to remember)

In a perfect world we would always have our reusable bags with us, but sometimes that's not the case and I'm happy to see Oliver's and Pacific Market are using Hippo Saks brand plastic bags.  They are made of 100% post industrial recycled resin.  And of course after you use them, you can bring them back to the grocery store to be recycled.  (Or for Emily to find when she digs through the bins!)  

Here's their web site if you want to read about it:

Hippo Sak