Monday, March 30, 2009

Seattle Green Festival

I spent a few hours this weekend with my kids at the Seattle Green Festival and we learned some interesting things...

* You can turn elephant dung into paper. My kids found the "Do you want some free poo?" question as we walked by both disgusting and intriguing!
* I live in a very green community based on how many people were there.
* My kids can each fit into a small covered greenhouse. (See right - new spot for timeouts?!?)
* Just about everything can be reused - tradeshow banners become wallets, bicycle tire valves become zipper pulls, yogurt containers become seed planters, garbage becomes art...

* My carbon footprint is higher than the Seattle average, but lower than the national average. Things it was recommended I work on... reducing my heat to 55 degrees at night (brrr!) and driving less. To calculate yours, visit the EPA Carbon Footprint Calculator . There is definitely controversy over the consistency of these calculators, but they certainly can point out areas to improve.

All in all, it was a good way to continue the conversation and find solutions to individual problems. I bought a shower cleaner because I've not been happy with some of the green bathroom cleaner products I've bought at the store. We'll see how this one works. My son was most impressed by the fact that the guy squirted the cleaner in his mouth as a way of proving it was non-toxic! Not sure I'll go that far, but it's nice to know I won't be adding more bleach and other chemicals to the water going down my drain!

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