Be a part of the Treehood

A new week brings a new challenge.

Paper is often consumed more for convenience than necessity. Much of our paper products are still not made from recycled paper. To reduce your use of paper and the costs of it, reduce your paper towel and napkin consumption.

Buy some cloth napkins and use these for meals. They can be stored at the table or in the kitchen and can be used many times before needing a wash. We have a set with our initials written on the tag with a Sharpie. So we know who's is who's at each meal.

Also, you can cut up old, worn-out clothes into rags to use to clean instead of paper towels. Again, once they are soiled, you can throw them in the washer with other towels and napkins without wasting paper.

*These tips came from It's Easy Being Green, by Crissy Trask.
P.S. "Treehood" is a trademark owned by my wife, Aimee. (not really)

Welcome to my new blog.

You don't have to consider yourself an environmentalist to do these things. You don't have to consider yourself a frugal person. You don't even have to like change.

I'm going to try and challenge us to do things that save us money, help the environment, conserve resources, and hopefully enjoy ourselves and this wonderful country and planet.
This won't be a place for politics or negative thoughts. This will be a blog for hope and positive change, no matter what you believe.

*Disclaimer: The ideas and challenges are not original thoughts. I have yet to make any breakthroughs on green living(hopefully someday soon). The ideas come from many books and online sources and I will try to quote the unique ones, but many will be very basic and simple, there would just be too many sources to name.

1st Challenge:

Go Meatless for one dinner a week.

I'm not asking anyone to be a vegetarian. God knows I'm not. The truth is, though, is that eating fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and grains are almost always less stressful on the environment than the meat you buy at the store. I won't go in to details, and I have the utmost respect for animal farming. But maybe the quantity we consume could be cut back slightly. This is especially true with red meats.

The other side this can be beneficial to your wallet. Have you paid attention how much we pay for our meat at the store? Wow. Compare that to some vegetables and an egg. Yes, I am not counting eggs in this challenge. So have some fried rice with egg in it if you want. For meal ideas you can go to Meatless Monday.

Another reason to do this, if the planet and your wallet don't matter to ya, is your health. We generally eat way more protein than we need to. When we eat too much protein, our body stores it... as fat. Below is the current daily suggestions of protein/meats from the USDA. I don't know about you all, but I know I reach my 6 ounces by lunch many days, but I'm usually way behind on my grains and fruits. If you haven't been there before, take a second and go to the USDA's site. I suggest visiting also for those who think the pyramid is still the current model used. (It's now a plate! Crazy!)

Daily recommendation*
Children		2-3 years old		2 ounce equivalents**
		4-8 years old		4 ounce equivalents**
Girls		9-13 years old		5 ounce equivalents**
		14-18 years old		5 ounce equivalents**
Boys		9-13 years old		5 ounce equivalents**
		14-18 years old		6 ½ ounce equivalents**
Women		19-30 years old		5 ½ ounce equivalents**
		31-50 years old		5 ounce equivalents**
		51+ years old		5 ounce equivalents**
Men		19-30 years old		6 ½ ounce equivalents**
		31-50 years old		6 ounce equivalents**
		51+ years old		5 ½ ounce equivalents**

Our family has actually been doing this on and off for a few months and are refocusing on making it a priority with our meal planning. I challenge you to do the same and I welcome your comments.