After recently seeing Al Gore's new movie..."An Inconvenient Truth" we were moved to do something about the way we live and the amount of waste we produce as a family.  We reside in Southern California and have never really been into environmental causes or the like...we've been too busy raising kids and working hard to be concerned with such things as global warming, carbon dioxide, severe weather changes, Antartic ice shelves melting, etc., etc.  Basic recycling was our "contribution" to environmental issues and was convenient since the blue can is picked up by the city, along with the trash every week.  But since this movie, we have been looking into ways to improve the outlook of our children's future (yes, our children's future and I'm not being dramatic!). This is a thought-provoking movie, based on scientific truth and history and I suggest everyone see it (or at least look at the website climatecrisis.com and click on "Science").  The movie provides time-lapsed pictures (over years) of country's and continents and the environmental changes that have taken place...and it's alarming to say the least. (Sidenote: we didn't vote for Al Gore when he ran...so we aren't trying to promote him or the movie).  

The following are simple things (some cost, some are free) we have implemented, or are in the process of implementing into our daily lives as a way to reduce waste and save energy:

1).  Compact flourescent light bulbs (from Home Depot) for every outlet in our home.

2).  Air-conditioning set at 78 and only on when we're home and when the house heats up ..usually after 2:00 pm (we leave our shades, shutters windows and doors closed most of the day to keep the sun out and we've recently replaced all of our outdated aluminum slider windows with energy (Star) efficient windows.  We are in the process of installing ceiling fans in every room (and they are good looking!) to replace the air-conditioning that we used to run almost all day during the summer.  We are now in the habit of rolling the windows down in the car for quick trips....no need to run the air in the car if we're only in it for 5,10,15 minutes.

3).  We are replacing the majority of our large front lawn (and we have a large front and backyard) with native and drought tolerant flowers, plants and SHADE trees (xeriscape).  This should save a lot on our water bill as we will no longer have to water our front lawn every other day (4 times a month will be more than sufficient) and the flowers and plants we are using are beautiful, green and colorful.....yes, you can have xeriscape yard without it looking like a dried up desert! (I've done my research on-line and have met with a local, nursery manager....Mr. Nature Pants, Sandals and Hat...as I refer to him!...I have learned alot from him and all of the on-line resourses).

4).  We are recycling like crazy...we used to only recycle cans and bottles, but we've stepped it up to cardboard boxes, plastic bags from the grocery store (most stores have a place to return these) and any clear plastic or glass containers/jars.

5).  We have donated an old 1985 Jeep Cherokee my husband was driving and found a great deal on a 2004 Kia Rio (it's getting an amazing 32 miles a gallon and is costing about $26.00 to fill!!!! ....we are saving BIG TIME on gasoline as my husband commutes 70 plus, miles on the freeway every day.)  He would carpool with someone, but he leaves at 4:30 a.m. as he recently accepted a Sales Manager position with an ORGANIC produce company (he has worked in conventional foodservice all of his life, but is now earning more money than ever and is helping the environment at the same time.....sorry if  I sound like I'm bragging...just excited!) The Kia is not a luxurious car or fancy by any means....but it's a great commuter car!

6). We are all (including the kids ages 4 and 7) remembering to turn off lights when we're not in the room, turn off the TV when we're not watching, turning off the computer (as soon as I'm done with this!).....and keeping the front porch light off  (I used to think this was a safeguard, but if you think about this...WHY would you need this light on??  Also, I think it sends a signal that we're not home, when we used to leave it on when we left (not to mention a missing car in our driveway!).   We have recently bought a fake camera-security system for all entrances which I think is a better deterent...it is cost about $20.00..cheap!)  You can also leave some BIG dog bowls at your doors to give the impression that you have in-home security :).  We've also won a bid on solar-lighing for the yard through Ebay and got a great deal!

7).  We're trying to run appliances at night when we go to bed (and will eventually upgrade all of our appliances to energy-efficient "Star".

8). We have enrolled in Green Energy which is offered by Department of Water and Power in our area.  This program is about $5.00 more per billing cycle and draws energy from efficient resources (solar mainly).

Okay, that's it for now....just wanted to throw some ideas out there for those of you willing to make minor changes in your lives that will  cummulatively have a major impact on our planet.

 Thanks for reading!