Putting the "g" In Green

It seems that the whole "living green" thing has become some sort of a trend. With celebrities riding in Hybrids and the recent media attention on the subject, it's kinda hard to ignore the matter. I'm not exactly "mother earth" or anything, in fact I'm probably the furthest thing from it. However, while switching channels the other day I came across a documentary about "living green" and things that you can do to start doing something for the environment without altering your entire life. One thing I liked and was surprised to learn was environmentally friendly (surprised because I already do it) was reusing the plastic bags you get from groceries to line trashcans or to store things in. It felt good to know that I had been doing something good for the environment without knowing it. The thing that really got my attention however was to learn about how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose - it takes 500 YEARS for a diaper to break down!! That was really disturbing to me, I mean just thinking of how many diapers we go thru per day just in our household is stomach churning!! I could not believe it!! So, just that alone kinda made me feel a little more conscious about my current choice of diapering.

So, I went online and looked up alternative diaper options and was disappointed to find no more than 3 options. There still are not many choices out there. The best economical choice would be cloth diapers, however it is the most inconvenient, for obvious reasons...I mean how do you go out and take care of a poopy diaper?? Or when you travel what do you do with the dirty one?? The other choices are the 7th generation diapers which is a disposable diaper that doesn't have as much plastic and other chemicals etc...The explanation is too long to really elaborate here, but the point is the diaper breaks down easier, but they are pricier than regular disposables. The last choice I thought could be something I'd like to try are the "gdiapers". They are the most convenient and close in price comparison to disposable ones. Still, I would spend about $20 dls a month more on diapers which is not something I would like to do or don't really know if we could really do.

Anyway, the "gdiapers" are basically plastic little pants (see pic above) that use liners, almost like putting a feminine pad in an underwear, and after they get dirty all you do is snap the liner out and flush it. Yes, FLUSH IT!! They are flushable!! That's where the convenient thing comes in. So, they are supposed to be really soft and are flushable --which is an attractive feature-- making them the middle man in a disposable and cloth diaper. A good medium.

Anyway, there is a starter kit for them which includes a manual and two little "g" pants. I think I'm gonna try them but at the same time, what if I can't afford them?? And it will be hard to go back to something I KNOW is bad for the environment - what will I do then?? I know I really wish I hadn't watched that documentary because I hate the choice I have to make. I will check it out and report back to you all about this matter later. Chances are we won't be able to afford this new diaper idea but I will have to really do something about the diapering situation. Ok, this post is way too long to be about diapers, but I had just been thinking about it and pondering the subject for too long that I had to write it down. Anyway, maybe I should think about it like this, at least the new diapers would be cheaper than getting a new Hybrid...