Going green and coming of age...

My cousin and I were talking (at the impromptu yard sale, which was a relative success - it bought Tom his birthday dinner and the week's gas, if nothing else) about the various changes we've made in our lives recently, especially in regards to the environment. Now, I'm not a liberal, tree-hugging type. I'm basically a Libertarian, very quiet about my political beliefs, but mainly they consist of the government staying out of my (and everyone else's) life. But lately, I've been getting greener and greener. And allow me to be my most controversial ever and say that I don't believe in global warming - well, more that I don't believe man is responsible for it. I believe that it's just a natural part of the Earth's cycles. But recycling, being conscious of my energy use and basically living a green lifestyle isn't about global warming - at least not to me, and not to the real vocal "green" types if they were smart too. Regardless of what's going on with the Earth's temperature, using our resources wisely just makes sense.

My cousin's mother (FTR, my mom's sister) told her that she went through the same "green" (although probably not by that name back then) thing when she was in her early 30s. So now I'm wondering if this is a coming of age that is related to my early 30s or the social environment in which she spent her early 30s (that would have been the mid-80s) and the one in which I'm spending mine. I think it might be more that society in general was more environmentally aware in both of these times, but who knows?

All of this leads to me considering cloth diapering my little V. I wanted to have it all in place before she was born, but as it turned out, everyone gave us diapers (what else do you give a fourth baby and third girl - and not even one born in a different season?). So once she either uses or outgrows the gift diapers, I'm going green. So I've been researching like crazy and asking anyone who might know anything about it. Now I'm getting ready to take the plunge. I'll let you know how it goes.