Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!  We are dressed in green, watching the NYC Parade on television and cooking Irish Stew in the crockpot!

While dressing the kids in their green outfits this morning it made me think of how much the word ‘Green‘ has become such a buzz word in our society and thus the beginnings of this post

Changing small things that you do in your regular daily life with your family can not only make your carbon footprint a little smaller it can also save you tons of money in the long run!!

Here are my 5 Simple ways to be more Green with your family on St. Patrick’s Day:

1.  Recycle.  I know this sounds like a no brainer, but how many times do you just toss out that can or box because there is not a recycling bin close to you.  If they don’t have recycle receptacles at work then make an effort to bring your cans & bottles home with you.  If you are a real go getter you could even set up a recycling station at your office for you to take home and recycle!  And don’t forget to teach your kids about recycling!  Reusing their yogurt containers for instance is a great way to get kids involved and for them to learn an important lesson!  Check out this awesome post over at Fingerpaint & Superheros about reusing these containers in your everyday life!

2. Hang Clothes to Dry.  Yet another simple one.  This is the first day this year I have been able to hang my clothes outside on the line to dry (YEA!!) and during the winter we have wooden clothes bars that I use inside to dry clothes.  This is one of those things that is greener obviously by not using your clothes dryer as much and helps save you green in your pocket!  Your gas/electric bill will be smaller from not powering up that clothes dryer and it will save wear and tear on your clothing!  Now there are things that I always dry such as undies, socks and towels.  But other than that hanging clothes out is the way to go!  And what smells & feels better than fresh sheets that have been dried out on the line??

3.  Cloth Diaper.  Ok, I know this is the “Simple Ways to be Green” and I am sure some of you are thinking “there is no way cloth diapering is simple”  But I am telling you it is!!!!  Cloth diapers today are not like the cloth diapers of the past at all.  There are no pins (unless you want them) and there are a ton of different options from pocket style to all in ones (the most like a disposable style diaper) to choose from!  The best part in my opinion is that I never have to worry about running out of diapers and needing to make a trip to the store to buy more!  Look for a post next week about how I do my cloth diapering and how it has saved us so much time and money!

4. Gardening.  This is a great way to involve your children in being green!  Let’s face it, kids love to dig in the dirt, so let’s be productive while they are doing it!  Even if you don’t have the space outside to put into a garden you can always do a small container garden or some herbs on the windowsill or even one of those upside down hanging tomato plants hanging on your porch!  There is something to be said about growing some of your own food and of course it will taste amazing with how fresh it is!  Another great way to get fresh produce if you can’t grow it yourself is to look for a local farmers market.  Support your local farmers and get some great food at the same time!!

5.  Composting.  Hand in hand with gardening comes composting.  What better way to reduce your trash then to find a way to reuse it?  There are many different ways to compost and I would suggest researching and finding the best way for you and your situation.  One of the easiest is to keep a small bucket in your kitchen to dump your scraps in then bring it out to a pile in your yard.  Great ways to get children involved is for them to help you place scraps in the bucket, carry it out to the pile with or for you and help you turn the pile.  Then of course using the compost on your garden.

What other simple ways do you include a more green way of life for your family?

Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick’s Day filled with yummy corned beef and cabbage and plenty of green beer (if that is your thing) 

And here are some more St. Patty’s day pics of my kids, just because they are cute