going green with Erika

Happy Friday! I have another treat for you...a guest post from Erika of Rouge & Whimsy. Earth Day is on Sunday and I thought it most appropriate to hear from someone who lives in one of the greenest cities in America ((source))

When Beth asked me to write a post about going green, I was stumped. (pun not intended)

You see in Seattle, where I live, being "green" is just a part of the lifestyle. We have combined recycling and composting services weekly. Plastic bags will be illegal within city limits in June. (i.e. you'll have to pay to get them at the store.) Our mayor rides his bike to City Hall.

But I know that this lifestyle isn't true in every city. I know someplaces it's a pain to recycle; you have to sort it and then drive it to the recycling plant yourself.

However, there are few things you can do to go "green."

1. use reusable bags for grocery shopping -- like this cute one from the knotted pineapple
2. buy reusable bags for your lunch-- I love the prints of these from the preppy owl boutique
3. garden! even in an apartment, you can plant veggies in containers and mark them with these!

other green tips:
- turn off lights when you're not in the room & unplug electronics (this can save you money, too)
- use pasta jars, yogurt containers, etc for leftovers, desserts or a future craft project!
- thrift shop when you can instead of buying something brand new
- if you have a green bin for garden clippings that gets picked up weekly, you can add stuff from your kitchen to it like veggie peels, egg shells, food-stained paper or cardboard and coffee grinds.

thanks, Beth, for having me! I hope these are some realistic ways to "go green." :)

you can find me hanging out at rougeandwhimsy.blogspot.com and rougeandwhimsy.etsy.com.

I'm also pretty chatty on twitter as @rougeandwhimsy and on facebook.com/rougeandwhimsy

P.S. Today is the last day to enter the Pen and Paints Giveaway!