green updates

I seem to have several green issues on my mind as well as some updates to share. I figured it might be good to put them all together in one big, newsy post.
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This weekend we will be camping for the second time this year. We love camping here in Northern California. Except this trip will be a little different, as campfires are not permitted at the state park we're going to due to the high risk of wildfires. California has had its share of terrible fires lately and the risk is too high. Some wonder about the connection to Global Warming.
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I want to be honest and admit that while I am trying to use the clothesline, I am not using it as much as I should. Now that we're back in our routines after our trip the laundry is piling up. Sometimes it isn't the best time to hang clothes outside (uh, nighttime). I have lots of room for improvement here. One of my kids also complained that his clothes that were dried outside weren't soft enough (he is very sensitive to textures and how things feel). I was hoping he wouldn't notice. Drat.
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While I am very good at sorting our waste (tons of recycling and compost) I notice we still have a fair amount going into the trash. We have a 32 gallon trash can and it is about 3/4 full each week. That seems like a lot to me. I am very mindful about throwing things away, but I really need to take a better look at how we can reduce overall.
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I am frantically trying to figure out how we can use less electricity as I am analyzing our usage. One tip that hasn't worked for us is keeping the water heater at a low temperature. Our heater is pretty new (about 6 years old) but we have to keep it on the highest setting to get hot water. Awful, I know. It's something about the way our house plumbing is. The water heater is down in the garage, 2 levels below the kitchen and also at least 20 feet farther west than the kitchen sink. Fact is, if I turn down the water heater even one notch we don't get hot water. This is something I need to look into for sure.
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This week I had a green cleaning service come help clean my house. It was a big treat (expensive). They brought their own "safe" cleaners and did a good job. I felt that while they marketed their services as being green, it didn't really go beyond their product selection. For instance, they put all the trash and recycling and compost together in one bag. It was a one time thing, but eye opening. Green is a big word.
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I do have some really great news (though it is probably old news). The moth spray I was so upset and concerned about was canceled last month. Looks like a political fiasco to me, but I am so glad that the cities around us won't be sprayed with pesticide. The effort to stop the spray is a wonderful example of how grassroots efforts and speaking up can really make a difference.
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I finally finished Omnivore's Dilemma and am now almost done with the follow-up, In Defense of Food. The books are enlightening and substantiate my inclinations away from processed foods. Pollan also gives a good perspective on how what we eat effects the planet, etc. Next up will be Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, as recommended by Pauline.

Finally, here's something I plan to look into soon. I loved this post about dangers of playground sand on Enviromom, but almost wish I had never read it. Of course I'm glad to be informed, but in some ways I wish I could go on naively enjoying the sand. Sometimes it is overwhelming focusing on all the environmental problems and dangers. But I do believe it is better to know the facts and then decide if you are concerned or not rather than to blindly believe all is perfect.

That is the point of my blog, after all.