Conservationist

My husband and I like to clarify often that we would not call ourselves environmentalists but rather conservationists. We do have a hybrid car and I am concerned about all the many types of pollution. BUT...Did I think it was ridiculous to have to sign a random frog disclaimer when we bought our house? YES! Do I think it's ridiculous to separate our garbage into compostable, recyclable, and trash? NO!!!

We both believe that not only is it not necessary to be blatantly wasteful, it's rather egotistical.

So the other day, when my husband pointed out to me that ever since we've been cooking from scratch and eating at home, our trash has markedly decreased I was very pleased! What a super, unforeseen side effect of this journey! We were already composting and recycling, so that's not the change.

It has to be in the packaging. Here's what I've noticed:

• Way less plastic bags. I rarely use baggies for my veggies at the store. They have to be washed at home anyways. So why waste a bag.
• Virtually no styrofoam. We are buying meat in larger quantities because we can plan ahead and catch a sale. That means less styrofoam trays. We also rarely eat out, so no more take out containers!
• Our cupboards aren't full of all the snackfoods. Way less packaging there.
• Our compost bin gets a lovely batch of cut fruit & veggies daily.

I'm feeling pretty good about decreasing our waste. Even if it's just a little bit. If everyone did just a little bit, it would add up to a lot!