"Phase It In"

This idea of "Phase It In" is one I heard in a presentation at work. The phrase was coined in reference to a school district that wanted to "Phase Out" pick up trucks for their district fleet and "Phase In" more fuel efficient vehicles that better fit their needs.

This story reminded me of a question a friend asked awhile ago in regards to cleaning products. Her question was whether she should use up the products she had already purchased and Phase In the new, more earth friendly products as needed. I don't know that I ever formally responded to her question, so here is what I think:

It is perfectly fine to Phase It In! My personal belief is that if you are going to throw out cleaning products, laundry detergent, trash bags, paper towels, etc. without using them up first, that is simply counter productive. It's just like the vehicles in the above example, the school district could not financially change out all their vehicles at one time, but it was something that could easily be accomplished as the leases were up on the current trucks.

Some real world examples:

At our house we have started purchasing 100% cotton sheets. Our daughter has organic cotton sheets on her bed, but my husband and I still have the regular cotton sheets. We will replace ours in time as they wear out.

We have also taken this approach with replacing light bulbs. Since our house had previous owners, we have allowed the existing bulbs to burn out before replacing them with more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

So I encourage you to, in any way you see applicable for your own life, to Phase It (Green) In!