Going Green

Last weekend I was able to take another weekend trip to Wisconsin with Matt's family. I think Wisconsin is definitely growing on me. After last Christmas and driving through the blizzard while sick I wasn't too sure about Wisconsin as a place. But we've spent 2 weekends there this summer/fall and it was pleasant both times. It's actually very pretty in Wisconsin. This past weekend we attended Matt's cousin's wedding and then went a little farther North to the Packers and Cowboys game. We had a lot of fun with Jared and Yvonne at the game (too bad the Packers lost).

Well, lets get to the real point of my post which is going green and not the Packers green, the environmental green. I know that going green is huge right now and I really am trying to do my best to help the environment and I know I could do more. With that in mind let me tell you about something ridiculous I recently saw on TV. I was watching Kimora Lee Simmons Life in the Fab Lane on Style. Yes, I know I was wasting electricity watching it. But, Kimora decided to go to a going green consultant, who knew they existed, and learn what her carbon footprint was. Anyway, she earned a 27 or 28 while most Americans are around a 7.5 (lower scores are better). It was Kimora's efforts to go green that inspired me to write this post.

First Kimora decided to go car shopping. She ended up purchasing a GMC Yukon Hybird and not to replace another car just to add to her collection. That sounds nice but I did a little research and found that it gets about 21 or 22 miles per gallon. My 6 and Matt's 8 year old cars get better gas mileage than that. Then she went out an bought all kinds of "green" products like bamboo sheets to replace the perfectly nice sheets in the HOTEL room she was staying in. And this is where I believe going green has gone ridiculous. It is better to use what you already have and buy nothing made from nothing than to buy something new made of something environmentally friendly. It is still made of something. When stuff wears out she can buy green.

Ok, I'm almost done with this long post. I just want to only buy green when my other stuff has run out. For example, when all the stores started coming out with reusable bags I went through my closets and found 3 or 4 nice reusable bags that I never use. Those are the ones I try, often times with little success, to take to the grocery store. I refuse to buy a new reusable bag. One final thing, I'm not perfect and I don't think about the environment enough. For example, I went to Kohl's this morning and bought a new fall/winter purse that I really didn't need. But, if I'm going green I want to think about if I'm just buying a cool new green product and replacing something I already have that's perfectly fine or if I'm actually helping the environment.