The Everyday Environmentalist's Guide to Being Gorgeously Green
On Tuesday, February 16, I had the pleasure of meeting with and speaking to a women's group about how they can make changes to live a greener lifestyle. First, I want to express my sincere thanks to all the wonderful ladies who allowed me to share my passion and secondly, I want to fulfill my promise to them by continuing our "green" conversation.
What Does It Mean to Be "Green"?
Simply said, it means being mindful of and proactive toward choices that make all of our lives and the planet healthy, safe, and happy. Consider what you put INTO your body, what you put ON your body, and what you put IN and AROUND your environment.
How Do I Start Making Changes?
Start small - with one thing at a time. You are less likely to be overwhelmed and more likely to be successful.
Where Do I Start?
Start with one room in your house and work your way through each room. You'll start finding connections throughout your home, so by the time you're ready to tackle the last room in your house, there will be little greening to do!
The Master Bedroom
Bedding - Consider organic cotton, wool, bamboo, and linen . However, wool can be tricky as you may not be able to find out how the sheep are treated, and therefore, if the wool is removed without causing harm to the animal.
Pillows - There are lots of fabulous pillow options from wool fiber and buckwheat hull, to natural shredded rubber and kapok, which is a great alternative to down pillows. Compare organic pillow options to see which one is best for you.
Books to Read - Learn about where your food comes from, how to become an "urban" farmer, and how big agribusiness is making us fat and ruining the environment. I know, this sounds depressing. But if you want to be empowered to be healthy, green, and "in the know," you have to do your homework, right?
Farm City - The Education of an Urban Farmer, by Novella Carpenter
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto and The Omnivore's Dilemma both by Michael Pollan
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
Mattresses - Look for wool or natural rubber mattresses. Natural fibers will "breathe" better, keeping you warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Plus, you won't be surrounding yourself with nasty chemicals, such as those used in fire retardants.
Room Fresheners - The best room fresheners are not the ones you plug in; there are no regulations for what ingredients are in "fragrances." Think of using fresh flowers, lemon squeezed into a bowl of water, a light spray of lavender - think natural.
PJs - What you put on your body to sleep is as important as what you sleep on. Clothing manufacturers often use formaldehyde on clothing so they will remain stiff and wrinkle free in stores. And you remember what formaldehyde is used for, don't you? Think back to your biology class and the frog in the jar. Organic cotton, wool, natural linen, hemp, and bamboo are better options for sleepwear.
Furniture - Vintage and gently-used wood furniture is an excellent green option for bedroom furniture. If you have to buy new, look for sustainably forested woods with low or no VOC finishes.
Here's to wishing you sweet dreams in your eco-friendly boudoir!
Looking forward...
Greening Your Bathrooms - tips for eco-friendly products, greener cleaners, and water conservation
"Behind the Scenes" - the 411 on spa treatments, body products, and our everyday beauty practices
The Kids' Rooms - from toys to clothing, ideas for our little eco-warriors in the making
The Heart of the Home - while the kitchen may be where everyone in your family congregates, is it the safest, healthiest place in your home?
Relaxin' and Entertaining - simple ideas for eco-fying your furniture, fireplaces, and techno-gadgets
Greener Gardens & Yards - end your use of pesticides and herbicides and learn about salt-water based pool filtration systems
The Handy (Wo)man - looking to update your home? Consider earth-friendly building products and installation practices that will help you and your family breathe easier
Well the New Year has come and gone, and while many people make traditional New Year's resolutions - lose weight, get a new job, find a hobby, get organized - how many people consider making MAJOR lifestyle changes?
For most people, it just may be too overwhelming to consider turning totally "green" all at once, but making one significant change each month will result in a year of Green Renewal. But where should one start? Following are some tips on what kinds of green changes you can make now - this month, in fact!
January - Well this month just sneaked by us, so consider it your freebie!
February - Go to Cosmetics Database, created by the Environmental Working Group, and review all of the products you put on and in your body. If your lotions, shampoos, soaps, make-up and toothpaste score a 3 or above, find an alternative product.
Now don't go and throw your toxic products in the trash or wash them down the sink - if they aren't good for you, then they certainly aren't good for the environment and the marine life on the other end of the drainage pipes! Instead, take your unused or partially used products to your local Household Hazardous Waste facility. It's VERY easy to look up on the Internet. For those of you who live in Contra Costa County - I've done the work for you!
March - Now that you are no longer washing your hair and brushing your teeth with engine degreaser (sodium laureth sulfate), it's time to consider what you eat and drink on a daily basis. Yes, organic is a lot more money than conventional foods, but the benefits from eating organic far outweigh the costs you will incur in your long-term health care.
Become a localvore - a person who only eats locally-grown foods. That means not eating watermelon from Mexico or bananas from Ecuador in the middle of winter and waiting until those delicious foods are available in your area (or as local as possible).
Support eateries that use organic and local ingredients
Stop buying and consuming processed foods that contain nitrates, partially hydrogenated or fractionated oils, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial food coloring (think "FD & C Red No. 3, for example). If you can't pronounce the ingredient or it isn't a word you are familiar with, don't eat it! Foods that contain any of the aforementioned ingredients are actually non-foods in my mind - they have NO health benefits whatsoever and actually have quite a few negative effects, like exposure to cancer-causing agents (carcinogens), increase in behavioral/learning disabilities in children, and, in case you haven't noticed, obesity - statistics now say that more than 60% of the population in the United States is overweight and 30% is obese.
Consider reducing or eliminating most animal products from your diet.
April - Grow an organic garden! Depending on your climate, you can start seeds earlier - in February and March - and transfer them into the ground when all signs of frost disappear. Make sure to purchase ORGANIC seeds. Most conventional seeds are produced by Monsanto, a company that genetically modifies the seeds so that the plants you grow are virtually sterile and will not produce seeds that will germinate the next year.
Don't use chemical pesticides and herbicides! Pesticides and herbicides are full of toxins that cause major harm to our body systems, our environment, and have a huge effect on children. Read What's On My Food to learn about how pesticides affect you.
Use natural options for keeping the pests and weeds out of your garden
Stop your "pest" control service. While the space suit that your pest guy wears may be protecting him from the harmful chemicals he sprays in and around your home and yard, your children and pets are the most susceptible to negative health effects related to the dangerous chemicals you have on your property. I know what you are thinking - you don't want ants in your house. Ants come into your house for food and water - if they have food and water in your yard, they will leave your indoor areas alone! Insects are SUPPOSED to be in your yard; in fact, a sign of a healthy food web is having a wide variety of insects, worms, birds, etc. in your yard.
May - Make a compost bin. Or, if you don't see yourself as the handy type, there are many options available on the market. One word of caution - do you really want to be putting your compost scraps in a plastic bin that heats up in the summer sun? (Hint: hot plastic releases toxic chemicals). Find a local handy-person to craft you a custom compost bin out of wood scraps (not treated, of course), chicken wire, or whatever natural materials appeal to you. Learning how to compost is fun and easy and the result is the addition of important nutrients to your soil. (The ants will like the compost bin, so keep the bin away from your house.)
June - The weather is getting nicer...can you ride your bike more often? Walk the kids to school? Combine your shopping trips to reduce the amount you drive? Consider how you can drive less, use your fuel more efficiently, and decrease your carbon footprint. Check out your car's fuel economy to see how your vehicle impacts the environment and your pocket book.
July - Shift from using plastic to natural materialsfor food storage, toys, home products - anything that you currently use in plastic should be considered.
Store your food in glass jars - you can buy them virtually anywhere, or just use left-over jars from pickles and spaghetti sauce, for example.
Send "waste-free" lunches to school and work. You can buy kits on the Internet for a reasonable price, or just make a bag out of scrap fabric (that way you can wash the bag each week), and order stainless steel contains online. Voila! Your own, personally-styled lunch bag.
Stop using the single-use plastic water bottles - most of them do NOT make it into recycling and there is no evidence that the water is any cleaner. In fact, lots of reports note that the water in plastic bottles is actually WORSE than tap water because there is no governing body to require testing, unlike public water. So, bring a canteen or other stainless steel water bottle. You can buy them at grocery stores now.
Use cloth bags at the grocery store for your fruits and vegetables. They are fabulous because you can wash them over and over. Many natural food stores have the bags right there in your produce section! (You have to buy the bags, of course. But again, you could make your own.) I use organic cotton muslin bagsand they work great!
Don't "reuse" plastic bags to pick up after your pooch because the plastic bags end up in the ground. Instead, use a biodegradable bag made out of corn that will decompose back into the soil. If you do acquire a plastic bag, get it into recycling fast. I'm not a fan of storing anything in plastic bags, so just opt for not getting them at all.
Don't buy plastic toys! Doyour kids really need those whiz-bag things made overseas? Do you REALLY know that the toys are free of BPA, phthalates, and lead? The ONLY plastic toys I would condone (to date) are made by Green Toys, which is a California-based company. And what do we do with all the plastic toys out there? I know, every one says "donate the toys" or "give them to a friend," but that is only passing the buck. EVENTUALLY the toys will have to go to toy heaven - but where is that? You can try donating to Toy Lab, or check with your local waste facility to see if they accept toys marked with a recycling symbol. Also, some waste facilities have a downcycling program (downcycling is when materials are made into other materials, often of lesser quality and not always recyclable, like plastic deck lumber and park benches).
August - Spend your summer vacation outdoors in nature! Helping your children create a connection with Mother Nature and The Great Outdoors may have a variety of positive benefits, from increased exercise and greater respect for the environment to more focused attention in school and lower incidence of behavioral and mental conditions. Plus, it's just plain fun! But consider your carbon footprint when visiting your favorite natural spot - driving across the country in a gas-guzzling SUV is not the best idea - instead, consider renting a hybrid for the trip, or joining another family and carpooling in the vehicle that has the best mileage and least environmental impact.
September - Ah, the onset of a new school year (if your children are on the traditional calendar.) A new school year means school supplies and clothes, because goodness knows your children have lost their backpack, lunch bag, and supplies from last year, and have grown out of their pants and long shirts from the previous fall. Do not despair, there are economical "green" choices out there!
Order your school supplies from the "green apple" part of the Red Apple School Supply- you can get virtually all your school needs online, and feel good about the earth-friendly products you are purchasing.
Shop at gently-used children's clothing stores to find staples like pants, jackets, and sweaters/sweatshirts. I swear by them for purchasing pants for my rough and tumble boy!
For clothing you cannot or do not wish to purchase "gently used," such as underwear and shirts, buy organic. Yes, it may cost you a near fortune, but your child won't be putting chemical-laden cotton shirts to her skin, your ground water and soil will be clean, and you'll be supporting organic farming. Try online fashions from some of my favorite stores like Hanna Anderssen, GreenEdge Kids (best site for boys' fashions), Speesees, Kate Quinn Organics, and Sarah Waldo.
If you are in the San Ramon Valley, try Olive Boutique - you'll find fantastic ladies' fashions, from fancy to kickin' it. Mens' fashions are a bit trickier, but you CAN find them if you search the web. My most favorite is Nau, a company driven to produce sustainable fabrics. Their designs are very edgy and hip, too.
October - Don't give in to the holiday consumer craze - make your childrens' costumes, borrow one from a friend, or buy a gently-used one. And the candy? Look for organic lollipops and candy that won't send your child, and all the neighborhood children, into orbit. I'm referring to the manic energy kids get after consuming highly processed treats - and then the melt-down aftermath that arrives shortly thereafter.
November - Baby it's cold outside! I know your house is cold, but I'm going to tell you what my mother told me growing up....PUT ON A SWEATER! Really, keep your thermostat turned to 68 degrees or lower and check to make sure you have weather stripping around doors and windows.
If you've been a good little Earth Warrior, I know you've been drying your clothing on a line all summer. Now is not the time to falter! I admit, I use the dryer more often in winter than I would like, but you can still hang your clothes to dry indoors in winter and not end up with mildew-smelling duds.
Try hanging your clothes to dry on the top of door jambs, on a shower curtain rod, or even on the railing at the top of the staircase - the higher up you can get to your ceiling, the faster your clothing will dry - heat rises, remember? Alternatively, you can buy an inexpensive rolling rack that you can take down or set up each week. This is my methodology, and while not so lovely to have the rack up in my dining room all winter (we don't use the space very often so the rack is out of the way), at least the rack is on wheels, so I can quickly roll it away when friends or guests stop by. And of course, it folds down, should you need to hide it entirely for a period of time (not too long now, you've got wet clothes to air dry!)
December - Giving meaning gifts that are green does not have to be a chore. If you absolutely feel the need to give material gifts, consider using 100% recycled paper to wrap the gifts (and reuse the paper when done opening the gifts!). Consider home-made gifts...they are thoughtful, fun, and economical, and can be a source of great family stories. (What was that sculpture-thingy Aunt Margaret made last Christmas???)
Other gift ideas are paying for classes, giving gift certificates to restaurants, or going on vacation with family or friends. Two of my favorite gifts are donating your time to a local charity and buying acres of land for a land trust or other earth-friendly programs in the name of a loved one. I often "buy acres" for friends and family through Conservation International - it makes me feel like I am doing something good for the earth and that I value the person enough to protect the world in which my loved one lives.
Like any New Year's resolution, you are bound to have your ups and downs - and perhaps moments when you think about giving it all up and going back to the "old you," but the reality is that all these ideas are totally doable without disrupting your quest for fun, leisure, luxury, relaxation, entertainment, or ease of day-to-day living. And the bottom line is, by doing all these things for yourself, you actually are having a major positive impact on the lives of others too. Now, isn't that a win-win situation?
Best of luck in your Green Renewal endeavors! And feel free to email or comment if you have questions or ideas to share.
My favorite: Inhabit Living
