My friendship with the environment

M occasionally calls me a hippie tree hugger. My response is, if we don't take care of the Earth for our child, who will? However, there are several things I do that probably increase my carbon footprint, if not wreak (relatively minor) havoc on the environment. Maybe typing it out will shame me into doing better. Here they are:

• Use paper towels instead of the hand dryer in the bathroom: Yes, I know I'm killing trees. But those hand dryers just don't work too well, IMHO.
  
• Use disposable diapers: One word: Convenient. Do I stress about them sitting in a landfill for 1,000 years? Yes. Honestly, when my son goes through up to 10 diapers a day, is that enough for me to convert to cloth? Nope.
  
• Throw the newspaper in the trash: We do have a recycling bin. But I toss these things. Why? Guess it's just habit.

Now to make myself feel better, here are five things I do that help the environment:

• Only buy Energy Star-qualified appliances. I save money as well as energy.
  
• Use an HE washer and dryer. Ditto.
  
• Switch to the swirly lightbulbs. Although they are full of mercury. But they last seven years.
  
• Recycle paper at work.
  
• Recycle bottles and cans.

What green things do you do/don't do?