Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everyone!  As a kid I was totally into saving the environment which led me to major in Environmental Science.  Although I completed my degree, a career never panned out since I actually hate bugs and getting dirty.... I know, I often wonder why I picked that major too but I actually enjoyed the learning part just not the hands on part.  For most of my life, recycling was just second nature but for some reason over the past few years I've been very sporadic when it comes to recycling.  I could give you a million excuses but frankly, none of them are any good.  I just got lazy and lost sight of the bigger picture.  It's terrible and I feel guilty so as an Earth Day present to the one and only Momma Earth, I vow to recycle every week!
I was trying to make myself feel better about the enormous footprint I'm leaving on this Earth so I started thinking about the things I do everyday that are "green".  Here's my list of some simple changes that keep Earth a little happier.

• One thing I do is use a mixture of vinegar and water to clean everything!  I've been doing this since I was pregnant because I started to realize how many toxic chemicals I was using just to clean.  Vinegar is a disinfectant and it's really cheap! A win-win!  
• This sounds so simple, but if you ask my husband it was hard for me to train myself to do:  turn off lights!  I love a well lit home and hate to walk down a dark hall.  The problem is that I would prefer to leave a light on in every room.  I have learned to shut them off and am proud to say that during the day I use sunlight and rarely turn a light on!
• I gave up on dryer sheets.  If you do a google search, you'll find lots of sites that tell you how toxic they are.  I could drive myself crazy and analyze all the ingredients but I look at it this way:  everything is made from something, this something may be toxic so do I really need it?  I decided I didn't really need dryer sheets so now I use dryer balls and I honestly don't miss them.

I know this is a short list but at least I have tried to make some changes.  I try to be conscious of what I bring into my home because everything is loaded with chemicals.  What types of things do you do to help the environment and keep your home healthier?