This is the last post on reduce-reuse-recycle. I'd love to know how all of you did this year -- what habits stuck and what behaviors you're still trying to change.
I know for me personally: My cyclamen found new pots and doing fine, my gifts went out in tins or with reusable tags; my brother and mother's packages were assembled in the same boxes they sent to me (Dec); we went light on the foil and carried a lot of necessary kitchen supplies to Florida instead of buying what we needed once we were there (Nov); I rehung some old shelves in the garage, and although line-drying the towels didn't work, it's fine for tea towels and kitchen linens (Oct); I cannot remember the last time I nuked a frozen meal, my Sigg water bottles go everywhere, and I'm re-using the same plastic baggie for my daily allotment of Kettle chips (see this post); my wonderful husband has hopped on the Tupperware lunch wagon (Jul) and the hardware cloth did save my pumpkins from a summer suntan; I use the water from the shower-warmup to keep my plants happy and hydrated, and the only items in the house that have corn syrup now are the ones we bought before June 1 -- we've even managed to avoid corn chips and popcorn since then (Jun); although the porch demolition didn't take place for another three months after my May vow, we did indeed recycle the materials the porch was made of -- it's just too bad the person who was supposed to pick up our bushes flaked (thanks, Craigslist!) and they ended up dying within a week after our hasty re-planting (May); I have the water bottles and I do use 'em, although I can always do better (Apr); I haven't had a Lean Cusine since early March, and my little cloches did protect my spinach seedlings -- the only March setback was with those sweaters, which I am still trying to reuse somehow (Mar); I haven't used a Swiffer since February (and unloaded the sweeper at a yard sale) and have been refreshing and revitalizing the soil in my containers all year (Feb); and in an amusing call-back to the January post ... I have not had a single Diet Coke since June 20, and I have not had any caffeine at all since June 23. It is sort of amazing how that changed the amount of litter/recyclables I was generating, so it just goes to show ... you can reduce anywhere.
Also, inspired by you all, I have been using fewer paper towels in cleaning and fewer wet wipes; my sponges and tea towels are getting more use and re-use. I'm a tote-bag-totin' fool, and most of the time, I'm telling the cashier, "I don't need a bag for that [book/gift card/ bottle I can slip in my purse]." I'm planning to keep the R-R-R credo alive and going in 2008.
Now tell me about you: what did you do this year? What stuck? What would you like to try next?
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