Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. What are you doing to conserve energy and save our Earth?

Here is what we are doing.

The kids are always leaving lights on. Always. I am constantly saying "turn off the light" . This morning as the kids were getting ready for school, I decided to remind them of Earth Day, oh, and by the way "turn off the lights behind you. No matter what room you are in. Unless of course someone else is in that room, using that room" Well, Greg, the boy of many responses and many questions says "Well, that light is in front of me so I can not turn it off" Oh vey! Ok, "If the light is in front of you, behind you, anywhere near you or far from you, when you leave a room turn off the light. Unless of course someone is in that room using that room. Understand?" Blank stare was the response I got. Evelyn gets it though. Let's see how long it lasts.

Now for some other Earth Day tips.

Seems like I am always saying "brush your teeth", "did you wash your hands?" "did you flush the toilet? Go flush the toilet" "You have been in that shower long enough, turn it off NOW"

So, the next time I say "did you flush the toilet" and I get a blank stare, I'll just respond by saying "well, no problem. You saved gallons of water. Great job!"

How about "Did you wash your hands?" Blank stare. "Great job. You just saved a ton of water. And not to mentions hand soap and laundry soap. That's one less towel I have to wash. Hey, why don't' you just wipe your hands real good on your shirt. Yes, the one you used to wipe off your face. And great job saving trees but using your shirt instead of a napkin."

Or, "Did you brush your teeth?" Blank stare. "You are doing such a good job here. You know you really saved a bunch of water by brushing your teeth 2 days ago or by quickly running the tooth brush across your teeth without using any water. You know, you also saved me a bunch of money as I really don't' need to by tooth paste and a lot of tooth brushes. Hey, while you're at it, go ahead and use that shirt and rub it over your teeth to get them nice and shiny white. You already used it to wipe your face and your hands."

Possibly, "Did you shower, today? I think you need a shower, you smell." Blank stare. "I am so proud of you. Way to go for NOT taking a shower today. Not only did you save water, but you also saved me having to by shampoo, conditioner, body wash and whatever other product you drag into the shower to use. And, hey, great idea here. Just wipe down your body with that shirt, you know the one. Keeps me from having to wash yet another towel and saves me money on laundry detergent and the water that has to run through the washing machine. Not to mention the electricity used to run the washer and the dryer and the gas used to dry the clothes. I'm so proud of you my Earth conscience kid"

And another good one, "You know what, when the sprinklers go on across the street. You know the ones that water the hill you are not supposed to play on. The ones that the association maintains and our association fees pay for. Well, go out and run through them. Yes, I know it is reclaimed water. But hey, you won't smell any worse that you already do (sometimes). We are already paying for the water anyways."

So I guess my kids really are Earth conscience and doing their share here. Well, I should say one of them is totally, the other not so much so, but sometimes. One likes to smell, the other doesn't. One, well no other comments, the other one, yes she does really care about keeping herself clean and listening to my pleads.

What are you doing for Earth Day?