Happy Earth Day

I try to be Green. I do, but it's hit and miss. I still have a "but I need the convenience" excuse. I want to use cloth diapers, but I just can't face it. I want to compost, but I think the smell of fermenting matter would make me gag. I try to buy organic local food to avoid the environmental impact of pesticides as well as the fossil fuel necessary to transport my produce from California or Latin America. I can't give up bananas or pineapple.

Today on Earth Day I'm more cognizant of my successes and failures. So here's what I've done right today:

Take Ellie and Matt to Pottery Barn Kids, where they gave out flower seeds and provided an earth day coloring activity

Put energy saver light bulbs in the basement

Watch a Project Runway episode where the designers construct clothing out of recycled products (Stop shaking your head. It counts.)

Used my reusable bags at the grocery store rather than bagging my food in plastic

Recycled three aluminum cans

I was giving myself a pat on the back, until I looked at a sour cream carton and casually threw it in the garbage can rather than take it out to the recycling bin. I was tired of cleaning up the kitchen and, for an instant, decided I didn't have the energy to walk all the way out to the garage. Then, feeling a pang of guilt, I remembered the other snubs I've given the earth today.

The seed packet is still in the car. Will I actually plant it with Ellie and start her on a path to earth-saving? Who knows. My front yard loudly proclaims my gardening failures.

Remember my decision to use reusable bags at the grocery store? After proudly loading the bags in my cart, I surreptitiously grabbed a half dozen of the plastic variety and stuffed them in one of the bags. Those little plastics are invaluable for wrapping diapers that shouldn't be left exposed in the can until garbage day. Yesterday as I changed my third stinker of the day, I found I was out of plastic bags. No way around it, I need that plastic. With a sigh, I realized that my proud display of reusable bags at the checkout was pure vanity. On Earth Day, I wanted my fellow shoppers and my cashier to think I was Green.

Our mailbox was full of the usual junk catalogs and other toss-away envelopes. Sometimes I toss them in the recycling bin in the garage. Today I threw them in the trash, right along with the sour cream container.

Sorry earth. Like I said, I'm hit and miss. So here's a vow to recycle the sour cream container next time. Maybe I'll get those seeds planted. Meanwhile, I can at least enjoy my energy saver bulbs.