Little Things - Part 2

My last post was getting too long and I loathe the "wall of text," so I'm breaking this up.

Everyone always says that the little things make a world of difference, over time. I wanted to share some of the little things I've changed about my habits to help the world around me.

-Reusable grocery bags

-Buying cage-free (and or organic) eggs I have a co-worker who has some backyard hens and has offered to barter her eggs for baked goods.

-Membership to local Produce Co-op, Urban Acres. I stumbled upon this Groupon deal in January, and a coworker of mine went halfsies on it with me. Their main store/pickup location is close to the zoo, so it works out quite well. Since joining, I've discovered that I like yam, radish, turnips. I discovered that I do not like beets...yet. I'm still trying to figure out a way to cook them. The co-op price ends up being about $2/lb, which on average is probably a little more than what I would spend on produce in the grocery store. But on the other hand, all the co-op produce is organic, most of it is local, and I am eating a hell of a lot more veggies now than I ever have. Partly because I don't want to waste my hard-earned dollars, but I can also see and feel a difference in my body. It's a win-win.

-The zoo struck an awesome deal with DART, Dallas's transportation system, for discounted rail passes--close to 75% off. A requirement of our house search is to be within 5 minutes of the DART line that runs by the zoo. Right now, between driving to Denton for school, driving to Plano for thesis work, and driving to the Zoo for work work, I am filling up every 5-7 days....and I'm averaging about 36-40mpg. My gas usage will drop dramatically when all is said and done. Cannot wait.

-We bought an HE washing machine. I love it.

Future plans for becoming greener:
-cloth diapers (when the time comes)
-making household cleaners (so much can be disinfected with vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and the sun!)
-GARDENS! RAIN BARRELS! VERMICOMPOSTING! oh, my!