Treehuggin? Tuesday ? Giveaway! WOO HOO!

When you begin to surf the net looking for green products and websites, you immediately begin to recognize certain catch phrases and words. In fact we have heard about going green, living green, thinking green until frankly, the color green isn’t the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word “green“.

My personal favorite:

While I was doing my research for this post (yeah, I actually do read and try to get the facts and not just feed you from my very small bowl of useful knowledge) I figured out pretty quickly that I am really more of a Celadon, than actual true Green. However, I was very happy, when taking the Carbon Footprint quiz at Nature.org, to find I was below the national average for CO2 emissions. I will probably go take it again, because it just doesn’t seem right.  I certainly don’t feel like I am doing that well.

I think what gave me such a great score was our home energy slice of the pie.  Maybe you would find it interesting to take the quiz.

Yeah, I love the idea of leaving things better than I found them, but I fail miserably most of the time.  Likely, because I am not radical enough.   Or at least I don’t see myself as radical.  I think of a radical as being bold and brash and public with their cause or causes.  I suppose I might have been classified as a radical cloth-diapering, co-sleeping, non-vaccinating, breastfeeding,  homeschooling mom.  But I did these things mostly in a quiet personal way.  Sort of.

I did use disposable diapers and cloth diapers.  I hated using disposables at all but time and work load with a large family sometimes made it necessary.  But I loved using cloth and even made some of my own diapers from recycled baby blankets.

We had a crib when we had our first child.  We put stuff in it.  Pretty much everything but the baby.  We moved when he was 8 months old and never put it up again.  We had a couple of bassinets over the years but Jerry built us a cradle and it was big enough that a little one could sleep in it until they were about 18 months old.  But mostly they  slept with us or each other until they wanted their own bed.  I suppose a lot of people would consider that unusual.

We didn’t vaccinate on time.  In fact Hannah, Rachel and Ben were 17, 14 and 10 when we started them. About a month after the second whooping cough vaccination in the series both Rachel and Ben got whooping cough and I have never seen anyone sicker than Rachel was.  I was more than a little agitated at myself for giving in but with them headed to university, I felt I had to.  Or should.

Breastfeeding is maybe my most radical behavior to date.  It wasn’t so much the fact that I exclusively breastfed, it was the length of time.  Both Hannah and Ben were 4+ when they weaned.  Crazy huh?   And the homeschooling thing might have been radical when we started in 1988, but it certainly isn’t anymore.

I suppose I do my small green things fairly privately as well.  Except for the few things I have shared here. And I suppose according to that big old green pie chart, I am not doing too bad.

Anywhoodle, I have a giveaway for you today!  YAY!  This is a great book called Urban Pantry: Tips & Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable & Seasonal Kitchen written by Amy Pennington.  Amy is a food writer, organic gardener, and owner of GoGo Green Gardener, an edible gardening business that builds, plants and tends edible gardens for city folk.  You can learn more about Amy and her work at urbangardenshare.org.  So if you would like to have your name dropped in The Mason Jar, just leave me a comment and say you want to enter to win and hey, if you have a few minutes to spare, share a tip or website or book title with us.  Isn’t the cover beautiful? The inside is chock full of good stuff!  You will love it!

Okay, Happy Tuesday everyone!  See ya’round!

NOTE: Don’t forget about the photo contest!

EDITED TO ADD:

Prince Charles, HRH hosted a PAR-TAY! A BIG GREEN PARTY! Click here to visit the website and read the article.  Some VERY interesting green things! I love the Royal Family.  With all their quirks and controversy.  Prince Charles seems to have always just wanted to live in the country, dig in the dirt and teach sustainability.  Not the hand he was dealt I am afraid.

Image by B. Alter: the Royal Vegetable Garden