It's Easy Being a Green Mama

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans,” John Lennon sang.   Mamas like me feel like this all the time.

The challenge I gave myself in my last post was to use half a tank, max for one week.  I was doing good with it until my husband’s car broke down.  So, I drove him to and from work for over a week, me and all three kids.  When I didn’t need the car, he took it where he needed to go.  In a way, I guess he saved gas, because his car didn’t go anywhere for that time.   When he finally got his car back, it was such a relief.

GREEN DRIVING?

This car crisis really made me think about our family’s dependence on the car to get around.  Bhu Srinivasan in an interview on the 1A, pointed out that in most of the world, the average person doesn’t own a car.  There are some pockets in the United States, like New York City, where car ownership isn’t a necessity, but around here, it would be hard. We’re spread out, and mass transportation isn’t a big part of the infrastructure.

Besides spending money on car maintenance, insurance and fuel, I would love to no longer drive a car.  There are several solutions to reduce driving: bus or train, walk or ride bikes; and car pooling.  Except for a train, I definitely need to explore these things.  I kind of have been car pooling to school a few times.

ROAD TRIP

I did have a mini-road trip: I drove two hours to see Jack Johnson in concert.  For me, this was a really big deal because I haven’t been to a real concert in years. Despite coming home just a few hours before I had to get up and the rain pouring down for a good part of the concert, I had the best time!  Besides the music, there was a tent where Jack’s organization, All at Once, was promoting its campaign.  There was a game you could play, which educated concert goers about getting rid of single use plastics.

CHALLENGE

I’m definitely going to be driving less, but I decided to work on Jack’s tips for a less plastic life.  I decided to go with Number 9: Clean up your soap situation.   To be specific, this week I’m going to clean up my house cleaning.  So tune in next week to see how I do.  Will I save money?  Will I be more environmentally friendly?  Will I be able to keep my challenge?