I now recycle. I have, in fact, placed the recycle bin in the pantry so it is a daily reminder that we are responsible for the planet on which we live. I also conserve water by giving the plastic Lean Cuisine trays and yogurt cartons to Kita to clean out so I don't have to waste valuable time (and natural resources) doing it myself. I also spend a good 10 minutes each day digging through the trash and picking up beer bottles as Brian is not as enthused by my green ways. Some battles are just not worth fight.
We use earth friendly, biodegradable, non-toxic household cleansers. This decisions was mainly made for the sake of the babies. Neither Brian nor I felt good about having a bunch of chemicals lying around to be mistakenly consumed, inhaled, or absorbed. It took a little explaining to get the cleaning lady on board, probably more of a language barrier, though... I switched to Clorox Green Works because they have a great line of products that smell great and aren't harsh at all. I bought them at WalMart and they are REALLY affordable, no more than "regular" cleaners. Because Clorox didn't have any cleaners specifically for wood floors or furniture polish I use Target's Method cleaners for those...a tad bit more expensive. I also use vinegar and water for cleaning all the baby's toys and highchairs and stuff. I've switched to ammonia for stains in the laundry. (If you decide to do this, please don't do what I did and open the jug and take a big whiff...I almost killed myself) I'm probably going to try vinegar for a fabric softener b/c I'm using the Downy free and I'm always up for an experiment.
I don't douse myself with body sprays or perfumes. O.K., except for my Nina Ricci which I only wear for special occasions...it was a gift...and it smells really good... Other than that, it's lavender water for me, which smells pretty good, but has pretty much no lasting aroma. We use California baby products for the kids, for now (they're stupid expensive). There's this great website out there that rates cosmetics and other personal care products on toxicity, or something like that. Check it out, it's really interesting.
Knowing the above information now... I also wear non-aluminum deodorant. To be exact, it's made of liken. Liken may or may not be the green mossy stuff that grows on rocks. That's what Brian told me anyway, so I cannot vouch for the accuracy of that statement. He also likes to tell people I rub patchouli under my pits. So rude. As for the efficacy...on a scale of 1-5 I would rate it about a 3. By that, I mean I don't smell too bad when I finally sit down for a minute after the babies are in bed. Sometimes I have to add a little Dove at the end of the day, which may be defeating the purpose, but oh well. I am trying so give me a little credit. If I had the time to take a daily shower I would probably not have that problem. Not sure I should have admitted that. Have I reminded you lately I have three almost-8-month-olds?
I don't shave my legs. Not really. Just checking if you are really really reading this and not just skimming. I shave them a couple of times per week...see the above shower comment.
I obsessively keep the AC turned to 77 or above in the upstairs, 79 downstairs, and turn it off in our bedroom during the day. I also keep all unnecessary lights, ceiling fans, and small appliances turned off when not in use. This is really more of an electricity bill issue, but whatever. I say I am trying to reduce the need for nuclear power plants or something. I'm pretty sure they have to be bad for us.
We keep our water heaters off to conserve gas. O.K., again not really. To be exact, our water heater appears to be possessed and the pilot light goes out every day. Used to be every couple of days...now it's a daily thing. There appears to be absolutely no reason for this to be happening...which makes it pretty difficult to fix, huh? Because believe me...we have some pretty smart people in our family that can pretty much fix ANYTHING...but not those dang water heaters. Oh yeah, we've also had two plumbers out as well. Nothing. To tell the truth, it was pretty obvious with the first guy he wasn't committed to figuring out the puzzle. The second guy actually tried, but told me before he left..."can't fix what ain't broke". I beg to differ. Something is definitely broke. So, I'm holding out for the ghost theory...or some sort of gas demon. I mean, what else explains BOTH pilot lights going out? I'm just using deductive reasoning, guys.
I use glass instead of plastic as much as possible. Of course, I'm pretty sure I alone have depleted the earth of about 400 trees considering the amount of paper plates we have consumed in the past 4 years. Oops. Look, I'm trying to make it right. No more plastic cups, plastic ware, or paper plates for me. Yeah, me alone. Brian is still using it, but I'm hoping he will see the error of his ways soon. I can live off of one bowl, glass, plate, knife, spoon, and fork per week. Good for me.
I buy organic as much as possible. Oh wait, I buy expensive as much as I can.
We use glass bottles for the babies and I use glass containers to store their food. This may change when they start holding their own bottles and bopping their siblings on the head. We'll see. I have heard a good alternative for plastic bowls are stainless steel or tin. That won't make a lot of noise when chunked across the room. They also make stainless steel sippy cups. They are roughly 4 times the cost of a plastic one. Oh well, so were the bottles. Instead of having 12 bottles I have 3 that we use and 3 stand-by's. It has worked well, I'm used to the washing, and is a lot less clutter on my counters. I don't like clutter.
I make their baby food. It's nowhere near as hard as it sounds. I swear. Of course, I have come up with some pretty strange concoctions, but no one has gotten sick yet. I have had a few funny faces, though. I bought this great book and frequent this great website. Between the two I have felt very informed, prepared, and enlightened. Most of the foods I buy organic, if I can. Clean it, chop it up, and steam it. Puree it with a hand mixer or a blender. Pour it in ice trays, freeze it, put it in baggies, and keep it in the freezer. Easy cheesy. I can control the texture of the food (sort of). Plus, I can do strange things...like Bananacado...and Sweet Potatacado...and Butternutazuchinniapea. They have no idea that I am having so much fun at their expense. Ha Ha. Plus, I get to feed them stuff that looks like this...
We use earth friendly, biodegradable, non-toxic household cleansers. This decisions was mainly made for the sake of the babies. Neither Brian nor I felt good about having a bunch of chemicals lying around to be mistakenly consumed, inhaled, or absorbed. It took a little explaining to get the cleaning lady on board, probably more of a language barrier, though... I switched to Clorox Green Works because they have a great line of products that smell great and aren't harsh at all. I bought them at WalMart and they are REALLY affordable, no more than "regular" cleaners. Because Clorox didn't have any cleaners specifically for wood floors or furniture polish I use Target's Method cleaners for those...a tad bit more expensive. I also use vinegar and water for cleaning all the baby's toys and highchairs and stuff. I've switched to ammonia for stains in the laundry. (If you decide to do this, please don't do what I did and open the jug and take a big whiff...I almost killed myself) I'm probably going to try vinegar for a fabric softener b/c I'm using the Downy free and I'm always up for an experiment.
I don't douse myself with body sprays or perfumes. O.K., except for my Nina Ricci which I only wear for special occasions...it was a gift...and it smells really good... Other than that, it's lavender water for me, which smells pretty good, but has pretty much no lasting aroma. We use California baby products for the kids, for now (they're stupid expensive). There's this great website out there that rates cosmetics and other personal care products on toxicity, or something like that. Check it out, it's really interesting.
Knowing the above information now... I also wear non-aluminum deodorant. To be exact, it's made of liken. Liken may or may not be the green mossy stuff that grows on rocks. That's what Brian told me anyway, so I cannot vouch for the accuracy of that statement. He also likes to tell people I rub patchouli under my pits. So rude. As for the efficacy...on a scale of 1-5 I would rate it about a 3. By that, I mean I don't smell too bad when I finally sit down for a minute after the babies are in bed. Sometimes I have to add a little Dove at the end of the day, which may be defeating the purpose, but oh well. I am trying so give me a little credit. If I had the time to take a daily shower I would probably not have that problem. Not sure I should have admitted that. Have I reminded you lately I have three almost-8-month-olds?
I don't shave my legs. Not really. Just checking if you are really really reading this and not just skimming. I shave them a couple of times per week...see the above shower comment.
I obsessively keep the AC turned to 77 or above in the upstairs, 79 downstairs, and turn it off in our bedroom during the day. I also keep all unnecessary lights, ceiling fans, and small appliances turned off when not in use. This is really more of an electricity bill issue, but whatever. I say I am trying to reduce the need for nuclear power plants or something. I'm pretty sure they have to be bad for us.
We keep our water heaters off to conserve gas. O.K., again not really. To be exact, our water heater appears to be possessed and the pilot light goes out every day. Used to be every couple of days...now it's a daily thing. There appears to be absolutely no reason for this to be happening...which makes it pretty difficult to fix, huh? Because believe me...we have some pretty smart people in our family that can pretty much fix ANYTHING...but not those dang water heaters. Oh yeah, we've also had two plumbers out as well. Nothing. To tell the truth, it was pretty obvious with the first guy he wasn't committed to figuring out the puzzle. The second guy actually tried, but told me before he left..."can't fix what ain't broke". I beg to differ. Something is definitely broke. So, I'm holding out for the ghost theory...or some sort of gas demon. I mean, what else explains BOTH pilot lights going out? I'm just using deductive reasoning, guys.
I use glass instead of plastic as much as possible. Of course, I'm pretty sure I alone have depleted the earth of about 400 trees considering the amount of paper plates we have consumed in the past 4 years. Oops. Look, I'm trying to make it right. No more plastic cups, plastic ware, or paper plates for me. Yeah, me alone. Brian is still using it, but I'm hoping he will see the error of his ways soon. I can live off of one bowl, glass, plate, knife, spoon, and fork per week. Good for me.
I buy organic as much as possible. Oh wait, I buy expensive as much as I can.
We use glass bottles for the babies and I use glass containers to store their food. This may change when they start holding their own bottles and bopping their siblings on the head. We'll see. I have heard a good alternative for plastic bowls are stainless steel or tin. That won't make a lot of noise when chunked across the room. They also make stainless steel sippy cups. They are roughly 4 times the cost of a plastic one. Oh well, so were the bottles. Instead of having 12 bottles I have 3 that we use and 3 stand-by's. It has worked well, I'm used to the washing, and is a lot less clutter on my counters. I don't like clutter.
I make their baby food. It's nowhere near as hard as it sounds. I swear. Of course, I have come up with some pretty strange concoctions, but no one has gotten sick yet. I have had a few funny faces, though. I bought this great book and frequent this great website. Between the two I have felt very informed, prepared, and enlightened. Most of the foods I buy organic, if I can. Clean it, chop it up, and steam it. Puree it with a hand mixer or a blender. Pour it in ice trays, freeze it, put it in baggies, and keep it in the freezer. Easy cheesy. I can control the texture of the food (sort of). Plus, I can do strange things...like Bananacado...and Sweet Potatacado...and Butternutazuchinniapea. They have no idea that I am having so much fun at their expense. Ha Ha. Plus, I get to feed them stuff that looks like this...
3 comments:
i am so on board with u we are doing the same here but sometimes cost does over rule a few choices as GAS is a must lol but yes as much as i can i do organic or natural i love you idea of the ving in wash i might try that will it smell bad?
we are also going to building a house out in rhome in the coming months well as soon as my house sales now that is on the market but with that what we are planing is stuff that is helping mother earth and cost in the long run like steal framing not wood and steal roof that those two will also save on home insurance because it also comes under fire proofing and will cut up to 50% of insurance
we also want to do tankless water heater saves on energy of heating the tanks of water that is not all being used and 2 we have cont hot water if u shop around they cost about the same
we also will use the recyled insulation in the walls u can choice a few differnt ones there are many choices online and they even sale it at home depot and the last thing i can think of right now is the vents in the roof to cool off attic u can get a solor vent to install very easy to already built homes or new ones it is a bit more but one will cover about 2100 sq foot at about 100 dollars it keeps attic at around 85 or so at average they say and when not used they run around 130 or more in there inturn helps keep your home easyer to cool ect
i love seeing what things we can do in these day to help our plant oh yes someone told me to they cancled all mail order books that they could read online also there is also some link not sure that can cut out junk mail and then when paying online they dont get paper bills again just a few ideas
i think one area i need to wk on it they recycle part i am sure that will be my next thing to help out the trees
thanks for the topic i love this subject
GOOD luck with all u do
stephanie
I am a huge fan of the Method and Clorox Geen Works products! Vinegar works great to get the detergent residue off towels (the detergent buildup makes the fibers get stiff and rough).
Good for you that is awesome that you are making a difference to our childrens future Earth!
As for the food making I also loved making mine I learned as they ate more that freezing in muffine tins worked great as well!
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