Ever So Earthy Elsa

I think I knew I was turning earthy when I approached the t-ball coach's wife and said, "The person who brings the snack doesn't really need to bring bottled waters for the whole team too. I mean, all the kids bring their own water so that's really just a waste, don'tcha think?" And then there's the fact that I like to go turn off all the TVs that aren't being used on the treadmills at the Y.

So I guess I'm a little bit earthy, somewhat granola, a tiny bit crunchy. I may talk freely about my love of throwing things away but I still don't consider myself wasteful. I cause less waste by not buying unnecessary things in the first place.

But I can only claim to be a tiny bit crunchy because there are some things that I'm still soggy on.

Here's a little scale of my crunchiness: 1= Earth abuser, 5= BFFs with Al Gore/Ed Beagley Jr.

Cloth diapering: 5 
When someone catches a glimpse of Gus' cloth diaper I get big time crunchy cred. They assume I also compost, eat exclusively organic and have bamboo floors (none of which I do).

Cleaning: 2
I use way too many paper towels, Clorox wipes and chemical-laden cleaning products. I give myself a 2 rather than a 1, though, because I do have my new environmentally friendly cloths and mop so I'm moving in the right direction.

Recyling: 4 
Our recycling bin runneth over. Most of the time if it meets the criteria I recycle it. But there are those times where I just can't bring myself to clean out another yogurt cup and I throw it in the--I'm sorry, earth!--trash can. When that happens, I have a major case of what I call "recy-guilt."

Eating: 3
I buy organic produce if it's on the EWG's dirty dozen list. And acronyms like "EWG" just roll off my keyboard. I also try to avoid foods with things like Red 40, Yellow 5, high fructose corn syrup and artificially sweetened. There are plenty of other ingredients in my pantry that I cannot pronounce.

Sunblock: 2
My buddies at the EWG just came out with sunblock ratings. I'm on a mission to find ones that won't slowly kill us but won't kill our wallets. But currently I've got sprays (a no-no apparently) as well as lotions with some questionable ingredients that I'm slathering on the kids.

Water: 3
I take way too long showers but I do comply with the current water restrictions (only watering the lawn once a week). Oh, and I cut off the water while brushing my teeth and while loading the dishwasher.

Paper: 4
I try not to print very much and if I print something I don't end up needing, I save it and use the back for scratch paper. I also make Leo color on the back of all his papers rather than using another piece of paper. He now knows that's because we are "saving trees."

Modern Medicine: 1 
Now here is where I am okay with my low rating. My opinions on this aren't really earth abusing anyway, they just differ from the other crunchy folks. I tend to think that someone who graduated high enough in their college class to get into medical school and then spent four grueling years studying and training, followed by two more years of a residency probably knows more about what's right for my family medically than the crunchy mom on Facebook. So if they say my kid needs shots, give 'em the shots. If they say my baby and I are safer with a c-section, let's do it that way. I don't question these people as much as some of the other tree huggers do.

But I bet when our pediatrician sees Gus' cloth diaper she thinks, "Oh, great! We got another shot skipper in here!"

Nope. Don't worry, Doc. I'm just a cafeteria cruncher. I like to pick and choose. Now why area all these lights on? And do you really need that paper on the examining table? And come on, can't you reuse those throat cultures?

And then I drive away in my non-hybrid mid-size SUV.