Being... green?

Peak District, England. Isn't it pretty? :)

Today I find myself thinking of things I would like to do. Simple things like being 'more green'. I have always despised that term. It makes me think of being too much of a hippie, or an environmentalist. I don't get into those kinds of things (Sorry I don't mean to offend), however, I think the term lends itself to something that we should pay more attention to without being too political or crazy. Let me explain :)

 One such thing I would like to is to have a clothes line outside. Not only would this save energy in the summer by taking advantage of the lovely hot weather and bright sunshine, but there is just something refreshing about fresh, clean clothes on the line. Call it old fashioned but I miss seeing it so much in England. They use them everywhere and it made me think how practical it is if you have the right amount of space and sun.

Another said 'being green' idea I brought back from England was the idea of composting. Now this more useful if you have a use of it, like if you have a garden. I'll get to that later. ;) I loved how they saved things like egg shells, fruit and vegetable peels and coffee grounds. I remember as a child I started a compost pile once. It was fun to ask the family to save me things that they normally just threw away. I understand waste more so now that I have grown up. Americans can be so darn wasteful! It truly is saddening sometimes, but this one simple thing of saving to reuse was something that made me think how wonderful and yet simple. It's the little things in life, you know?

I <3 gardens. I think in the past few months or years I have come to this conclusion. Homegrown food is just the way to go and I think there is some comfort and pride in harvesting something you worked so hard to grow. And yes my ever growing love of cooking has also made me love gardens alot more too. Unfortunately our land has never been growing material--this Georgia red clay is truly a curse--but my grandparents have always had a large garden and every summer we come home with bags and bags of fresh tomatoes, corn, peppers, okra, and squash. Someday I wish to have my very own garden choc full of yummy veggies, herbs, and maybe some fruit bushes and trees. The only thing I wish I knew how to do or to explore more is canning. That will definitely be a must!

All this say, getting in touch with what our grandparents and great-grandparents knew about raising food and saving things is something I truly admire and wish to get closer to. After all it means so much more when you cultivate and do these things yourself. I for one think so anyway.