"How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before beginning to improve the world." -Anne Frank

I am working a graveyard again and I had a rather strong cup of coffee, so the combo of boredom and caffeine kicked my brain into over drive ...
I was thinking about this toaster that I almost bought today. I finally decided not to make the purchase because my toaster, dingy and dull in luster, still toasts bread like I expect it to do. I ultimately opted out of buying the new appliance in a small effort to get out of the cycle of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal of stuff that is killing our planet.
Americans make up 5% of the world's population but we extract, consume and dispose of enough stuff for 30%. I blame the perception of obsolescence. We perceive to need new toasters but really we do not. We buy new shoes simply because the style changed from a skinny heal to a wedge. We buy new computer screens because they made a flat one and it looks cool. We buy new cell phones because the newer model does 987 new things that most of us will never use to its full capacity but it is the latest and greatest so we better buy it. We buy new I-pods because they came out with one that is 1/2 a centimeter smaller. We throw things out that are perfectly good. This is the culture we live in. Even the idea of going green is becoming trendy. I saw a bunch of merchandise from clothing to electronics that have sayings like I love my planet or I recycle. How about not buying a new shirt that says I recycle and go to your local thrift store and actually recycle by buying a perfectly good, slightly used shirt that will cover your back just the same. It is not as trendy but far more affective.

I decided to go and buy five cloth diapers. Even if I only use one cloth diaper a day, by the time my beloved Chandler decides to poop in a toilet, I will have kept close to 1000 diapers out of the dump, and saved about $300. So to the four people that read my blog, if you share my views about healing mother earth and want to be part of the solution, here are some simple ideas ...

1. Use canvas bags for shopping
2. Gardening
3. Buy those curly light bulbs
4. Carpool
5. Start a compost ... this long ass link is one of my favorite in home compost kits for an affordable price ... http://www.gaiam.com/product/eco-home-outdoor/household/kitchen/all+food+recycling+compost+kit+with+bokashi.do
6. Reuse
7. Replace only when prudent
8. Buy used. Buy local.
9. Switch your electricity to renewable, reusable energy (I did this, its really easy just get on line) ... http://www.utahpower.net/Article/Article22009.html
10. Don't buy toasters unless yours is broken.
11. And of course, recycle ... here is a link to get curbside recycling at your home ... http://www.sanitation.slco.org/#recycle
12. Opt for paperless billing whenever possible.
13. Unplug your appliances. They use energy even when off.

Irony: All this coming from a person who drives an SUV that gets 17 miles to the gallon.
Hey, I am going to clean baby poop out of a rag at least once a day for the next three years, give me some slack.