In case you haven’t heard (or seen, or sensed), today is EARTH DAY.

It is around this time of the year when we are bombarded with messages about being “green” and how the whole planet will be under water in 50 years. OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration but it is a little scary. Here are some things the Ishida’s are doing to be green.

• Recycle as much as we can – Thankfully we live in a city that is very supportive of recycling.
• Compost (Although not as much as we should)
• We only have one car – and plan to keep it that way for as long as possible. AND it’s a very small car. But we will soon to discover how cozy it will be with two car seats. Hmmm.
• Kei rides his bike to work most days (about 5 miles) or catches the bus – largely owing to the fact that we only have one car. Unfotunately I have to drive a little further to work but I am trying to work from home a lot more to save gas (and time).
• We are trying to use sustainable materials with our house renovation as much as our funds will allow – using reclaimed gym floors for the “new” hardwoods and seriously considering a new tankless water heater that uses less energy. It will be more expensive now but will save money in the long run – another bonus.
• We drink from water bottles A LOT – no plastic bottles for us. And of course now we use stainless steel bottles thanks to the scary news about plastic leeching. We spent about $70 to replace our Nalgene bottles with stainless steel alternatives.
• We have organic, locally grown fruit and veg food delivered every two weeks. I just love that we are supporting local farmers and the fruit and veg they send is the stuff in season which helps keep the price down.
• We have switched all of our lightbulbs over so we are using less energy to light the house. And I am very good at turning lights off when I am not in the room (my Dad drilled that into me as I was growing up).

A couple of things that I struggle with and wish I could do differently:

• Disposable diapers – for a full time working mum the alternative is just too difficult to contemplate. Instead I will focus on potty training to get my kids out of diapers as soon as I can. (wish me luck!)
• Facial Tissues – I just HATE handkerchiefs. They are so disgusting and I can’t get past the gross factor to use them. Just can’t.

So I feel like I am reducing my footprint a little and they say it’s the small things right?

And because a post isn’t a post without a picture – I leave you with a little bit of nature that has been preserved in the heart of the Portland. This is one of favourite places to hike – mainly because it’s flat and easy and there’s a lot of wildlife to observe.

Happy Earth Day.