Nov 15: three things I do to consume less

Paul and I are not really green. We have friends who are hard core, but we are just really scratching the surface. The main things we do are:
- cloth diapers
- recycle paper, glass and plastics
- reuse items

If we had land we would grow things, but since my summer tomato plant was an abysmal failure, lets stick to the options above.

Cloth Diapers
What is it: I use bum genius one size diapers, washing them in our washing machine. We use rice paper liners to capture the poo, which we flush. We do this load usually every 3 days.
Whose to blame: Oh, I think there is an even level of blame on Tara J and on Wendy W.
Why I do it: The main reason I use cloth diapers is the idea of 18 billion disposable diapers a year breaking down over 450 years into our ground water is unnerving. It means that your kids diapers will be around longer than your kids' kids. It's not a legacy I want to leave. Leave literature, not plastic wrapped poo for archaeologists to pick over.
Price-wise, it is about the same as doing disposables, at least for the first kid. You start saving money as your family grows.
What I could change: Frankly, I'm willing to pay for pocket diapers instead of doing prefolds. Prefolds are so much cheaper but its worth it to me to not have to think about how to get wiggly boy into a prefold with a snappis and cover.

Recycling
What is it:Separating glass, cans, and paper out from our trash and placing it in the recycling bin instead of the trash compactor.
Whose to blame: Emily S got me started when we were roommates in college. I recently got a shot in the arm about it by Robin K and Peter Sh when we were visiting this summer. Good examples people!
Why I do it:It's so blinking easy. When you throw things away they either go in A bin or B bin. I like the idea that some of this stuff can be made into other things. I think about how families use to store things in tins and wood boxes (and tupperware and plastic.) the idea of disposable wrappers is fairly new.
What I could change: I have a confession to make: I don't reuse zip lock bags. And anything that involves a drive to a recycling center is pretty much off my radar. We are guilty of hoarding computers in particular because we know of no good place to recycle them.

Reused items (new to us)
What is it: We don't buy new if we can find it used.
Whose to blame: Oh, this completely falls on Wendy's plate again.
Why I do it: A, its cheaper. B. Most items on craiglist and ebay and even at goodwill are hardly used at all. The community I live in is a consumer community which means a lot of this stuff gets used once and then is passed on. It I buy/get it used, that means one less thing needed to be created out of the limited amount of resources. We only have used cars, used couch, used plates, used toys, used books, etc. I have been liberated of the "ick factor" by using cloth diapers. I now know what it takes to really clean something, so I'm not worried about getting used stuff. We just wash it before we use it.
What I could change:There are still a number of things we buy new for safety and hygene. Occasionally we can't find it used, so I break down and buy it new.