Olivia

> >My question would be: do you know the name of the
> > plant outside you fron door? Could you describe it
> > now without going and looking at it? Does is shelter
> > any animals? Does it have flowers.


Well, I don't know its exact name. It is some kind of bush that is often
planted in subdivisions. However, it does have small, red berries in the
fall which the birds like to eat (they picked it clean). It has small
leaves and provides a nice shelter for the finches while they visit the
birdfeeder in the front yard. There are also two lovely evergreens in the
front yard that have become condos for the chickadees and house finches!

"What are you doing for the World?"

I love this topic because I have so far to go and would love to learn more
from others. I will check out some of the sites mentioned on this list. I
guess our homeschooling would be first on the list. We do recycle, but I
would like to compost and haven't yet. Last year I focused on modifying our
food intake. I went through all the food cabinets and cleaned out
everything that didn't fit a more natural diet. There were a lot of canned
goods and mixes that we never used, so, as long as they were still fresh,
we gave them to a food pantry. We started buying organic whenever possible
and began shopping at a Whole Foods store almost exclusively. I have been
trying to improve my son's eating habits, but he still won't eat fruits or
many vegetables. :-( I am still trying. I gradually switched to organic
versions of staple items. We also visited a naturopath for our seasonal
allergies instead of using OTC medications and steroids (as the allergist
recommended). Now I am trying to work on finding non-chemical alternatives
for personal care and household products. For my birthday, I replaced my
small number of old cosmetics with healthier versions. Soaps and shampoos
were easy to change, but some of the household products still need
replacement; I need a good dishwasher detergent that cleans well and hasn't
any phosphates. (I am not yet ready to give up the dishwasher altogether.)
We are doing much better at reducing paper usage and waste. This all seems
so little and more aimed at our family. Other than giving to charities and
giving away old clothing, we don't do any other community service. This
needs to be addressed. I still can't give up driving the car because
everything we do these days is 30 minutes from home (especially all the
homeschooling activities). We have reduced our consumer activities, or at
least are working on being more mindful of what we buy and where. Christmas
gifts for my husband's family included a donation to the non-profit place
where my SIL works, movie tickets, restaurant gift certificates, and a
piece of pottery made by a local artist.

The hardest part of changing family habits is convincing DS that he doesn't
need that Burger King toy or that it can be fun to do something that
doesn't involve electronics! Kids are hit hard by commercialism. Here's the
dichotomy of our life: our car has two bumper stickers on the back; one
says "Be Green" (we got it from the organic food store), and the other says
NASCAR racing (my son loves car racing). How do you reconcile wanting to
live in a more earth-friendly way when other family members like things
that are resource-intensive (cars, electronic gadgets) and not
nature-friendly? I wish we had started making these changes before my son
was born. I guess I wasn't that far-sighted.

Happy Holidays!
Olivia