What "Green" Lifestyle Changes Have You Made for the Better?

We started to go green when my daughter came home from k. and told us she must take care of the earth and had a pledge to say and ideas from school. The biggest thing is not using bottled water. The landfills are full of them so we went a bought reuseable water bottles. She makes us laugh when she tells family members about how long it takes for those to breakdown and its not helping the earth. We have also invested in the reuseable bags and I take them grocery shopping. Half price books has a great bag. These bags are great and hold alot more than those plastic ones. We've also changed out lightbulbs as they burn out to the corkscrew ones.

Hiya--I am just finding the time to check old emails, and wanted to see what others said re: your post...like you, I am sorry to see so few responses...

I can't add any tips. But I also---PLEASE don't other posters take offense--felt a little overwhelmed by those lists...like, I can't go without paper...I ALWAYS used to use cloth napkins--I used cloth bibs and diapers...but now that I have a toddler and he's so fast...so yeah, I do use unbleached recycled paper napkins when laundry isn't done.

I guess I have 2 rules that help me:

1. 80-20.

To keep myself from going crazy with guilt, I've made an 80% rule--my goal is to bring reusable bags 100% of the time--but that doesn't happen--but I can live with 80% and not get crazy. Ditto with meat (to not eat). Ditto cloth to paper.

2. My own personal virtue will not save the planet. Good government will.

So, I work to make government as green as possible. I have a law degree and the thing that amazed me the most was that it is the LOCAL government that has a lot of say over environmental policies.

I am an activist with the W PA Sierra Club and I feel really, really good about the political work that we do. I KNOW it makes a difference.

3 yrs ago, the Sierra Club--along with many other environmental groups--began a mercury campaign in response to the Bush Admin's rule softening.

My friends and I held a petition drive and got people to pack meetings----and citizens WERE LEGITIMATELY AFRAID of the mercury levels in W PA--nearly the highest in the nation--and both Churchill Borough and Forest Hills Borough formally asked the DEP to set the toughest standards in the country. That had the effect of 60,000 citizens petitioning. The DEP complied.

That makes me feel when better son my son spills his milk and I haven't done laundry and I have to use an unbleached, recycled paper towel. Not perfect, but 80%.

Anyone interested can check out http://www.alleghenysc.org/ or email me at ____@____.com

Just a quick few...
-extended nursing
-www.paperbackswap.com
-those energy saving lightbulbs
-I only go to local farmer's markets
-reuse bags at the grocery
I know these aren't groundbreaking...but I'm just learning.
Oh, and when I walk my dd I go out with a bag and a dish glove on my right hand and pick up litter in my neighborhood (my Mom used to pay us 10 cents per bag of litter as a child...the concept stayed with me) I must admit, though, people look at you like you are crazy (or a few will come up and commend you).
Btw...how are things with you? :)

Thanks to prior poster for typing so much, so I could C&P, lol :D Some of these are new because of a new baby, some of them have been doing for decades:

~keep veggie garden
~use natural homemade laundry/cleaning soaps - no enzymes or phosphates in the waste waters; re-using containers/bottles/etc
~use aluminum-free deoderants (crystal stick)
~used cloth diapers/wipes and Nature Babycare disposables
~nurse as much as possible
~use energy/ecostar appliances
~we recycle and freecycle
~combine trips to conserve fuel
~buy from local where possible.
~eat holistically, feed our dogs holistically (their treats are homemade, or frozen fruit/veggies, while avoiding danger foods of course)
~use own 'tupperware' for take-out foods
~use totes for shopping

I can't think of anything else right now.

I am going to open my post with a personal point of view or tagline I use.

Green is a colorful little word for Responsibility.

For us being green is not a catchy word it is and has been a way of life. I feel the word "Green" gives taking personal responsibility a catchy trendlike, Big Business marketable attractiveness.

We have sorta always lived in O. extreme or another in this manner but I will list what we do or have done in the past.

We:
~keep an herb garden to O. extreme or another.
~don't nuke our yard or children
~use natural homemade laundry soaps - no enzymes or phosphates in the waste waters.
~used cloth diapers/wipes on all children from 1990 to 2004.
~nursed as much as possible.
~use energy/ecostar appliances
~CFL's since 1998
~Compost most of my life.
~We are a paper free household (buying no ptowels, napkins, TP, feminine products, diapers, garbage bags, furnace filter, etc.
~recycle as much paper as possible, corrigated and paperboard.
~we freecycle for years
~business operates mostly on vintage/rebuilt/recycled equipment.
~I hand address my business envelopes to save on ink, packaging, labels and additional packing.
~buy from local where possible.
there is more, but I need to exit this post for now.