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"We do it for Miss Environmental, here". This is the nickname my brother in law gave me on our last visit, when he dutifully put his dinner scraps into a compost bucket and his beer can into a blue recycling bag. I was simultaneously pleased to have earned such a name, and a little confused as to how I earned it. I mean, I don't go around hugging trees (at least not when anyone is around), my house is not solar powered nor does it have bamboo floors, I don't even drive a hybrid car. But his comment made me think about what I do to have inadvertently inspired him. I have come to the conclusion that it is the little things I do each day that add up to making a difference, and I'm so happy that he noticed.

I am adament about recycling. It's so easy - you can put recyclables into a garbage bag or into a blue bag - there is no more effort to use the blue bag. Biodegradables go into a bucket for my compost bin to make fertile soil for my garden.

Lights, radios, and the tv are turned off when we leave a room, and all our lights have compact flourescent bulbs. Yes, they cost more when we put them in, but now they cost less to use and will last a long, long time. All electronics are unplugged when not in use - count the little clocks in your home. Do you really need that many? Each little light is sucking electricity.

I use my toaster oven instead of the big oven when I'm cooking something small for the kids.

My laundry is washed in cold water and hung outside to dry. I use natural, biodegradable dishsoap, laundry detergent, floor cleaner, and fabric softener. I wash my windows and sinks with vinegar.

My groceries come home in canvas bags that I picked up at a yard sale. The bonus with these is that I can use them to carry things wherever I go without toting a tacky-looking plastic grocery bag!

At family barbeques or large gatherings, we use reusable plastic dishes and cutlery. Yes, it's a little more work to wash them up, but some of the best gossip happens over a sink full of suds!

I never, ever idle my car. If I am in a drive-thru lineup, I turn the car off between each move. If your car idles for more than ten seconds, it is burning more gas than it would take to restart it.

I always buy local produce, bakery products, and meat. This may be a challenge for those living in a city, but if you are able to eat locally, the quality is so much better, and your food hasn't been languishing in a delivery truck traveling halfway around the world.

I never use pesticides in my yard or gardens. Fine salt or Borax take care of ant nests, and a spritz of dishsoap and water will dispatch most garden pests. Weeding the garden is good exercise, and I consider dandelions to be pretty yellow flowers, for free.

The heat in the house is kept at a comfortable level, and is turned down at night and when nobody is home.

I do not let the water run when brushing my teeth, my dishwasher is not allowed to run until it is absolutely full, and there is a brick in my toilet tank to reduce the amount of water being flushed.

I know this isn't for everyone, but I even have a few pet chickens in my backyard who provide my family with fresh eggs that aren't full of antibiotics and chemicals.

I have come to realize that it is actually quite easy for a family to live "green". All of these things are done in my home without thought or extra effort, and together they make a big difference to our planet. And to my budget! Someday when I can afford it, I would love to have a hybrid car, and maybe install some solar panels on my house, but for now, I will contuinue my quest to be the best "Miss Environmental" I can be!

Learn more about this author, Sheri Bertaux.
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