Yanna's Green Living Blog

Just a few facts for those of us who think our small efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle are not enough to make a difference so why even bother. Here's why:

I would love to say that I've been teaching my four year old son a little bit of what I've been blogging about... but I haven't. The good news is he's learning about it at pre-school!

Two days ago he finished his yogurt cup and proudly said "Finished. This is plastic. We recycle plastic." Well, you can just imagine how surprised and elated I was. I've seen all the display boards at school with images of recycling bins and recyclable containers, but I guess I didn't realize how much the kids were actually learning about it all. More importantly, I didn't realize that now is a prime time to teach my son all the concepts we are struggling with now as adults.

Think how easy it will be for him to recycle years from now, when it's already been engrained in him as a routine thing to do! It will be effortless and second nature because that's what he's been doing all his life.

So now I'll let him take stuff to the recycle bin in the garage the same way he throws away his trash. Then we'll move on to reducing waste. We'll slowly tackle little things like using five sheets of paper for coloring and then throwing them away knowing we could use them again... since it wasn't a work of art!

YG

Simmer Down! That's our new collection featuring organic teas from Grassroots Tea Company and Cozy Leaf Tea. 

Don't think this is just for the tea lovers in your life. These gifts are a perfect introduction to the world of artisan teas for anyone!

As promised, we want to help you to stop using those plastic straws that end up being a nuisance to our beaches and wildlife! So all we ask is that you try using a reusable bamboo straw at home and work. Then you'll be surprised how effortlessly you start thinking about refusing plastic straws when you eat out.

(By the way, that look from most waiters/waitresses when you pull out a bamboo straw from your bag is priceless!!)

Get your straw here and use promo code BAMBOO at checkout for free shipping to anywhere in the US.

One of our favorite blogs, Eco Thrifty Living, started a decluttering challenge a few weeks ago. The goal is to sort through all the food items you have at home and see what's good, what needs to be thrown away and what needs to be used soon. It's an inventory check so you waste less... and spend less.

The freezer check was week 3 of the challenge. So what did we find? For starters, there was the 2-year-old pie crust that I bought when a co-worker gave me a really good recipe for raspberry meringue pie. They were cracked and icy so that was a definite throw away. Then there were a few half loaves of sliced bread that I didn't want to waste so I had planned to make bread pudding. I live in denial so I put that on the "use soon" list. Hey... it could happen. I have a really good recipe for bread pudding...

YG