It’s the little things in life, the small moments, that when added up make the story of us. One of my favorite quotes is “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives” by Annie Dillard. I find this refreshing because in my life I have control over how I choose to react to each moment.
And so it goes without saying that when we break down the bigger picture into smaller chunks, it’s all more manageable. This is how I look at being a “green” mom. I am not able to change the pesticides or pollution or greenwashing in my everyday life but I am able to choose what I buy and what I eat and listen to and think about. There is a beauty in knowing I can do small things to make a big impact in my life as well as my children’s lives.
One of my favorite green websites is Practically Green because they dispense no-nonsense actions and advice that make living a sustainable and greener life that much easier. Now they have continued to provide their advice in a mobile app called One Small Act (it’s free to download on iTunes or the Practically Green website).
Practically Green partnered up with NBC’s Green is Universal initiative and created this app that makes it easy, fun and rewarding to make a difference by doing small things in your daily life to make a big impact. The app allows users to set goals, track their progress and celebrate achievements with friends and by planting a virtual garden.
Here are some of the One Small Act actions you can do to make a difference:
– Run dishwasher only when full
– Reduce showers to 5 minutes or less
– Recycle plastic
– Use reusable shopping bags
– Turn off faucet while brushing teeth
– Buy local produce seasonally
Pretty easy, right? Once you click on an action in the list, you are given the chance to mark it as complete, given a green tip and told why this action is green. And if you are up to it, you can share this goal once you have completed it; it’s meant to encourage you to share with your friends to get a little friendly competition or just to encourage others to join in.
So making things easy is what it is all about. We’ve only got small moments and as the app astutely points out: “you don’t have to do a lot to do a lot.” Check it out and let me know what you think!
Green Parenting is published every Friday.
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