Welcome
to the August 2013
Natural Living Blog Carnival:
Living Sustainably
Living sustainably means different things to different people. I started my journey into sustainable living without really knowing it had a "title." On August 20, 2009, I launched this blog in hopes of educating and encouraging others to live greener and healthier lives. While there were many other environmental blogs out there, I wanted mine to have a common sense approach and a personable tone. I wanted to develop a community of "friends" . . . other folks who cared about their kids, their grandkids, each other, and the Earth, of course. It was my disdain of disposable diapers that prompted me and I wanted a platform to share what I knew about both the environmental impact of disposables and the extraordinary health risks to kids who were wearing them. My cloth diapering (and formerly cloth diapered) daughters joined me in my crusade.
But it wasn't long before I realized it was about a whole lot more than just diapers. Throughout the last four years, I've learned about the dangers of fabric softeners (seriously one of the most, if not THE most, toxic product in our homes), the environmental impact and health risks involved with the fracking industry, the importance of organic farming, the evils of Monsanto, and much, much more! I've made small changes, like unplugging items not in use, disposing of batteries properly, switching over from plastic to glass whenever possible, etc.
And with each step I take toward reducing my carbon footprint, I realize I'm not doing it so much for me. I'm doing it for my grandbabies -- the lovely little Lady Laura, who was the catalyst for this blog, the little Lord Lincoln, and the newest edition to the family, the marvelous little Miss Marley Grace.
While I don't have a lot of money to set aside for my grandchildren, I realize that each piece of laundry I hang on the line, each cloth rag I use instead of a paper towel, each choice I make for eco-friendly products . . . they're all investments in my grandchildren's future. While I try not to get on my high horse, it simply dumbfounds me that people just don't care about the world we're leaving behind to these kids.
Sustainable living? It's living with future generations in mind. It's recycling. And composting. And picking up litter. It's driving less and shopping less and making do with what we have. It's caring. For the Earth. For the future. And for each other.
And that's what Green Grandma's about, too.
What about you? What are you doing to live a more sustainable life?
Visit Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival! Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed:
You are so right. It is about keeping the planet as a healthy place for future generations.
ReplyDeleteIt's all about seeing beyond ourselves and our own selfish nature, isn't it?
DeleteI love what you wrote and how you said it. My Mom has not been a very green role model, so I've been on a journey to "reinvent" myself. I look at it as an opportunity to become the grandparent my kid's kids will love to be around. You're a wonderful inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm humbled. Thank you, Jeannette.
Delete"Living with future generations in mind": I love that! Hopefully many, many generations can enjoy the planet as we know it (actually better than we know it now). Here's to your grandbabies!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteIt is definitely about the future generations. It's a great reason to live sustainably and also why I make sure to instruct my child on the WHY's of what we do so that hopefully they will continue living sustainably.
ReplyDeleteKids learn so much better when the WHYs are explained to them. I've never believed in the "Because I said so," type of parenting. If they understand reasons, they are much more apt to follow through and make good choices.
DeleteYour grand babies are precious! I love what you do for them. We recycle, purchase from green companies and buy organic. It's a journey and I try to improve everyday on it!
ReplyDeleteYes, they are! And you're right -- it is a journey.
DeleteMy reason is for my family and children's health and well being. I too use cloth diapers, and no fabric softeners, and despise Monsanto. Also, on a side note, your grandchildren are adorable!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amber! I think they're adorable, too. Sounds like we're pretty like-minded.
DeleteSo heartfelt! I started blogging just about a month before you, for my daughter. I also want people to think twice about not only what we're leaving behind for our children, but also about how we're teaching them to live their lives.
ReplyDeleteWell, happy almost 4th anniversary to you, Chrystal! Yea, us!
DeleteI love that you're doing this for your grandchildren. And i love that photo of your granddaughter peeking through the tree!
ReplyDeleteThat's one of my all time favorite pictures. For some reason, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland!
DeleteI second love for that first picture of your granddaughter, absolutely adorable! I agree that we have to leave a better place behind for future generations and actually I was recently reflecting on that thought in my own writing. My conclusion is that we must leave a better planet behind but also better children; I think the chain of destruction will only end if we teach our kids to know better than our parents did and to respect the earth.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree on all counts, Nicole. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
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