These days everyone seems to be going green. And even if you really don't care about being green, it's real trendy right now to be environmentally responsible. So some folks are spending lots of money on home renovation and new construction that meets the new green standard. Unfortunately, most of us aren't in a position to spend a whole lot of the green.
So, we do what we can in our house to conserve. We've changed all our light bulbs to the energy-saving kind. We've programmed our thermostat to reduce the temperature at night. We use a rain barrel to capture water for our garden.
And we continously sort our cans, bottles, and boxes to reduce the humongous waste pile for future generations.
I don't know about you, but I'm constantly tripping over cans and cartons, overflow from our main recycling bin. The garbage men take the Wednesday load away and the next day I'm at the neighborhood recycling center to get rid of a few more things. It's an ongoing challenge to keep up with The Recyclables. Yes, sometimes I think there is another family living in our garage!
Kermit the Frog was right. It's not easy being green.
I recently read about this actor's wife (Mrs.Colin Firth) who "went green" for all of the big award shows this season. She was heralded because she "upcycled" or "repurposed" a wedding dress to wear for the Golden Globes by altering it a bit and belting the white lace frock with some black velvet ribbon.
I have to wonder what all the fuss is about ...
Leave it to the rich and famous to come up with new words for what the common classes have been doing for centuries. Where I come from, we call that secondhand. Still do.
Please forgive me for being unimpressed about Mrs. Firth's attempts to wear environmentally-responsible fashion for all of the award shows including the Oscars. Because recycling clothes, material, and other items is nothing new for me or my family.
I have been the proud keeper of a Christening gown that is now fifty years old and has been worn by every child and grandchild in the Frank Cassano clan. In honor of my daughter Kelly's baptism, my sister painstakingly hand-sewed pearl beads along the neckline and sleeves in true "upcycling" fashion. It was also a great honor to lend the dress to my godchild, Allison Cochrane, on the day of her Baptism. My godniece, Jennifer Renda, is expecting a son in May and I will be reverently carrying the dress up North on Easter break in preparation for another joyous baptism.
Who needs a new outfit when we have a Christening gown fit for any little prince or princess? It's an admirable tradition, but equally important is that the tradition allows us to reuse a perfectly-wonderful special occasion dress over and over again.
And have I told you the story about my Communion dress? In true upcycling fashion, my resourceful mother dyed it lavendar. Of course, I was mortified to be wearing my stupid Communion dress again while singing Toyland solo at the Spring chorale concert at Main Street Elementary School. But then something amazing happened after the concert. My mother and I both received what felt like a million compliments about the "repurposed" Communion dress. All of the mothers said they were going home to do the same thing with the Communion dresses sitting in their closets.
My mother was a trendsetter and environmentalist and she didn't even know it!
I could give you countless stories about turning secondhand items into amazing gems. Here's one more:
My mother-in-law is the queen of finding and refinishing the junkiest of furniture pieces. She once gave me the most beat-up, water-damaged and gloomy bedroom furniture I ever laid eyes on. But with Mom T's vision, we "upcycled" the forlorn furniture into a gorgeous honey gold bedroom set. You just can't find furniture like that anymore and I'm grateful to own such fine pieces, while having saved a few trees along the way.
Recently reflecting on all this history, I've come to appreciate "how green" I really am. Chances are you're just as green.
Maybe greener.
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