It's so easy being green-when you do a little research first

Anybody who knows me knows I try to be as green as possible in my everyday life. This started as a child. I remember being somewhere between the ages of 10 and 13 and organizing a cleanup of the retention pond in my Orlando neighborhood and posting signs stating "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute." I remember crying after watch Ferngully: The Last Rain forest and abhorring my uncle for clearing ragweed out of the greenbelt behind our house because it was interfering with the natural balance no matter how allergic to it I was. So these days I recycle EVERYTHING, use green cleaning products, buy local and organic whenever possible, we own a Prius, turn off lights, save water, and aspire to have a completely environmentally friendly house someday. Since having a baby I am green with him as well. I use cloth diapers, make my own baby food out of all organic products, and share clothes with our neighbors and buy gently used baby items instead of new off Craigslist or Once Upon A Child. So you would think being green by this point would be second nature and I would know what I was getting into. Not so much.

Since my baby was born, we have had a diaper service. What this entails is once a week we get a delivery of a set number of cloth diapers delivered to our door, they wash them, and return the same number the following week. It was great, but I wondered, how green was I really being when you figure in the emissions from the delivery service? Yes, it was better than throwing out disposable diapers that NEVER biodegrade in the landfill, but with the water use and the driving, could it be greener? The answer was yes, I could wash them myself. My husband and I do "elimination communication," which means we have been toileting our baby since a young age by reading his cues that he needs to go, rather than traditional potty training. At 9 months old, 98% of the time, he poos in the potty so I really was only sending wet diapers to the service. It was not environmentally or fiscally responsible anymore. So, I went to a local baby boutique (we are also about supporting local small businesses) and ordered my own, unbleached (or course) prefold Chinese diapers and cancelled my service. I washed the diapers, sent back my rentals and began. Morning number 1, pajamas and diaper cover soaked, diaper not that wet. Morning number 2, pajamas and diaper cover soaked diaper not that wet. Morning number 3, pajamas and diaper cover soaked diaper not that wet. You get the idea. I wondered, what am I doing wrong?! Thank God for the internet.

So I finally, after many wet clothing items, decided to do a little more research online about washing your own cloth diapers. Turns out I should've researched what to do when you buy the diapers, not just how to clean them. Apparently, unbleached cotton has an oil in it that does not absorb moisture well and you should "wash in VERY hot water at least 5 times before use." Ahhh. It's all making sense now. The website states, "your diapers will eventually be absorbent, we promise." Great. So I spent a day cringing and washing my diapers over and over and over and over and...you get the idea. So things are going better but I still have to double diaper to make it through the night, but I feel good. No more $75/month. No more car emissions. So what if a few pairs of pants get a little wet? We've got plenty from our neighbor's son who got them from a friend's son. It is easy being green, just a lot less frustrating if you know what you are getting into before plunging in head first.