let the challenge begin....

Let me start off by telling you what a fantastic time I had today at the Green Expo in Jacksonville. As many of you may remember when I first started this blog I mentioned my desire to switch to cloth diapers. I have not done so to date because I had yet to meet anyone using them and I had so many questions. Well there was a company there today called Baby Blessing Natural Products (www.babyblessingNP.com) and the young lady there was such a wealth of information. She told me everything I needed to know. Well ladies and gentleman I am so happy to report that later this week (when the shipment comes in) I will be the proud owner of cloth diapers. I ordered a package for a very reasonable price and received 15 cloth diapers, inserts, reusable bag for the diaper champ, reusable wash cloths (to replace the baby wipes), among other things as well. They also gave me free shipping. I went ahead and bought a bathing suit/diaper as well. I should receive everything later this week and cannot wait to tell you about how it goes. Below are a few reasons I have chosen to switch to cloth diapers.

CLOTH DIAPERS ARE MUCH FRIENDLIER TO THE EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Do you have any guess as to how long disposable diapers last in the landfill? Estimates range between 100 and 500 years per diaper, so each diaper you put into the landfill is a diaper that future generations will have to deal with in time. Disposable diapers are the third largest source of waste, behind only paper products and food packaging. That’s amazing, considering disposable diapers are one type of product and there are millions of types of paper and food packages. Besides the waste they produce, also consider that the paper, plastic, and chemicals used in those diapers has to go through the manufacturing process, wasting energy again and again, 18 billion times per year.

CLOTH DIAPERS ARE HEALTHIER FOR YOUR BABY
Besides the obvious health implication of minimizing diaper rash your baby will not be exposed to the chemicals present in disposable diapers when they use cloth. Disposable diapers contain both dioxin, a byproduct of the paper manufacturing process, and sodium polyacrylate, the chemical that turns urine into a jelly-like substance. Dioxins have been linked with cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and skin diseases. Long-term effects of the exposure of babies’ reproductive organs to these chemicals 24 hours a day for two to three years has not been determined. In addition, cloth diapers are made from breathable materials, permitting air to circulate to the skin while letting out ammonia, the byproduct of urine breakdown.

green update...

Wow! I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted. I have to say life these days is insane. But dont think for a minute I have stopped caring about the environment. Actually I find myself more passionate about it than ever.

I continue to bring leftovers from my parents restaurant to the pigs and now Marina, our cook and my friend is even saving veggie scraps and bread for my chickens. My chickens are doing great. I have a possible 6 baby chicks on the way that if my calculations are correct should start hatching this weekend. This should be interesting. I continue to collect fresh eggs daily from my other hen which is fantastic. With the new additions on the way I plant to close off a "run" for them. I have some left over wood fence panels that I plan to use for this. This will give them some access to the yard at my leisure without me having to worry about the dogs staying in the house.

Speaking of dogs, most of you know that one of my loves is for animals. I have rescued a total of 6 dogs, 5 still living from various situations. Well that total is now 7 (6 living) as we have a new addition to the family. She is a very sweet dog, boxer mix, who was found in very bad shape when we got her. She had mange and was very sick. The wonderful woman who found her took her to the vet and got her on the way to recovery but then brought her to the humane society because she travels for work and could not keep a dog. The humane society called the next day to tell her she would be put down. The woman went back to get her and needless to say she is now mine. I started out as just a foster home for her but Roxy and Chloe are BFF's and I couldnt stand to tear them apart. She is probably the sweetest dog I have ever had. She is very calm and loving. She has finally put some weight on and you'd never know she had mange. It was hard keeping her separate from everyone while she recovered but now you'd think she's been with us forever. We think she is close to a year old. I promise to post pics soon.

As many of you may know I am on the green committee at work. I have been working to help eliminate all styrofoam cups and plastic plates and utensils. I brought in a bunch of old plates and stuff from my parents restaurant. We are also running a dishwasher at work once a day instead of everyone hand washing their own items. Now keep in mind I work at the Utility dept so there are a couple hundred people coming and going so this is no easy job. But I have to say all is going great. I am also helping to turn scrap paper into small scratch pads.

My biggest accomplishment this month is planting my garden. It is about 20 x 20. It cost me nothing. I had the fence left over and actually used up the last of what I had. The top soil came from a great friend of Rob's who owns a landclearing dump and screens the debris that gets dropped off. So far I have planted peppers, mesclun salad mix, carrots, honeydew and I have tomatoes. I still have tons of room but my aching back said I had to stop. I cant wait to see my veggies grow. I am using no chemicals on my garden. I use my chicken poop as fertilizer. As a matter of fact I have started creating my own concoction I like to call "Poop Water". I disolve chicken poop in a gallon of water and have been watering all my plants with it and they LOVE it! Its been great. I will try to post a picture of my garden very soon.

Hope all is well!!