Even the greenest among us face challenges from time to time. I’m progressing in my journey towards a more environmentally and socially responsible life, but I still have a long way to go. I don’t always remember to take my reusable bags into the store and occasionally a cardboard toilet paper roll ends up in the trash instead of in the recycling bin.

Some of what holds me back is my lack of knowledge. There are things I’m unsure about and at times the thought of hunting down all the information seems daunting. I’m learning to reach out, though. Just last week, after officially declaring the end of the sippy cup in my house, I found myself with a bag full of #5 plastics. I hated the thought of throwing them away, but my county doesn’t recycle this particular variety. On a whim, I sent an email to Beth Terry at Fake Plastic Fish, asking for ideas. She told me about Preserve’s Gimme 5 program. They will take #5 plastics and recycle them into other things. Even better, most Whole Foods stores have a collection bin. I contacted the Whole Foods in my area, and sure enough, they have a bin. Problem solved.

Sometimes we don’t have do all the research ourselves, we just have to ask for help.

I’d like to help you.

I’m really interested to know what challenges you face in your attempts to become more “green.” Feel free to write about them in the comments or to contact me directly. I’ll do my best to make your desire to live better an easier thing to do.