Seeing Life Through a Greener Lens

The great part about living a greener lifestyle is that you begin to see the world around you in a different way. From the big things like buying a new car, to the glasses my kids use for drinks, I see them completely differently than I did just a few years ago.

When I had my first baby, I registered for all the latest gadgets and gizmos, thinking I needed them all to raise a child “correctly.” By the time I had my second, I realized you don’t need most of it. Just this week we got rid of the rest of the baby items. This isn’t because we’ve ruled out having another, it is because someone else can use them right now, and they aren’t doing any good taking up space in my basement when we don’t plan to have another child any time soon. If we do have another, I’m sure someone will gladly let me take their baby gear off their hands, and what I still need I will find on Craigslist, the thrift store, or a garage sale.

I also realized not too long ago, that I don’t need to buy special plastic cups for my kids to drink from. Yes, their little hands need something smaller than an adult glass to handle safely, but I realized I don’t need to run out to a store and buy something specially made for kids, that is most likely made of plastic.

I started saving any glass jars that we use, and I realized that the empty glass spice jars, empty jelly jars, and empty artichoke jars are the perfect size for little hands to drink from. These cups are heavier than plastic ones, so they don’t get knocked over as easily. And, yes, we have had a few drop to the floor, and none have broken. I keep the caps for the jars, and take them on picnics without spills. When guests come over, they love drinking out of the uniquely shaped jars, and since each is different, they can remember which one they were using. My niece always asks for the honey jar cup.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the details on our new car purchase, and how our greener mentality influenced our choice of vehicles.