Our...or at least MY...Goals!

About 3 years ago, a coworker mentioned that her daughter was using cloth diapers. I thought, "How insane!" but something inside of me was intrigued. So I researched it. And researched it. And researched it some more. Then I thought, "Why not?" That's how it started for us. DH has not been quite as ecstatic as I've been about all the changes, but he's been right there with me and is ever supportive! Seriously, he's THE best (but don't tell him I said so! hehe).

Over the course of the past three years, we've gone from being a very ungreen standard-American-diet-eating, paper-towel-using, trash-can-filling, plastic-buying family to being a lot more concious of our impact on the earth. I'm not saying that we're green now; we still have a long ways to go and probably always will, but I like to think that every little bit helps.

Here are some things we've instituted already:
*cloth diapers for both kids from birth
*cloth wipes for diaper changes, nose wipes, etc.
*cloth dish towels and unpaper towels
*all homemade baby food
*exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months and then extended breastfeeding past 1 year
*mama cloth
*buying organic/non GMO/pesticide and chemical free foods whenever possible
*buying in large quantities/bulk to reduce packaging/shipping/fuel/cost
*replacing kitchen plastics with glass or stainless steel
*buying secondhand from Craigslist, Goodwill, thrift stores, and yardsales
*buying directly from farmers at the Farmer's Market or through CSAs
*avoiding processed foods as much as possible
*eating out less
*cooking from scratch as much as possible
*trying to follow a more vegetarian / vegan / raw / whole foods lifestyle
*making my own cleaners
*no pooing (replacing shampoo with baking soda and apple cider vinegar)
*researching products we use more thoroughly to see if there are greener alternatives
*reading ingredient labels carefully
*reusable grocery and produce bags
*making nut milks instead of drinking cow's milk (this is a new one)
*green smoothies
*dehydrating my own fruits
*stainless steel water bottles
*bought secondhand food grade buckets for bulk food storage and cleaned out extra closet for this purpose

And here are some of my goals:
*learn more about soaking and sprouting nuts/seeds for eating
*learn more about Raw/Whole Foods diet
*continue to incorporate more raw, whole foods, veggie, and vegan recipes
*learn more about dairy-free yogurt making
*learn more about fermenting foods to make probiotics and healthy bacteria
*learn more about dehydrating living foods
*try new homemade cleaner recipes for dishwasher detergent, etc.
*green-ify my kids toys and clothing as much as possible
*reduce household clutter
*get a secondhand freezer for the garage to store bulk purchases
*get a Food Saver to help with storing bulk purchases
*make bulk food purchases through local coops to save money/fuel/shipping
*buy more local foods and materials
*spend less time online and more time with kids!!
*more green art/craft supplies

How are YOU green?