A Wake Up Call
For those of you receiving this post by email, please make sure to click on the blog link so that you are able to view the video. It is worth it! This post was written as part of Steady Mom’s 30-Minute Blog Challenge.
Janelle from Healthy Child/Healthy World has asked the mom community to help spread the word about a new campaign that they just launched centered on a video called “A Wake-Up Story.” They are trying to WAKE UP as many people as they can to the issue of chemicals in everyday products and encourage them to vote with their dollars in the marketplace and vote with their voices to governments.
Please watch this very short video (it is absolutely gorgeous) and then pass it on to as many people as you can. One by one we can make a difference together.
A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.
Need some ideas for ways to share this very important message? How about…
…your blog
…on Facebook
…on Twitter (”Are you awake? Watch this and you will be. AWakeUpStory.org)
…on YouTube (you can comment on the video and/or share it on your playlist)
…on StumbleUpon (give the website a thumbs up)
…on Digg
…anywhere else you can think of!
Taking Paperless One Step Further
This post is part of the Moms’ 30-Minute Blog Challenge over at Steady Mom.
As I stumbled downstairs this morning to make a pot of coffee in hopes of getting my brain to begin functioning properly, I realized that there was one paperless aspect of our kitchen that I failed to mention in my last post (an amazing thought considering that I hadn’t had my morning coffee yet).
Behold! The reuseable coffee filter!
Your coffee maker may have actually come with one of these, which you immediately ignored and went out to purchase the traditional paper filters. In case you threw yours out, you can buy one of these in the grocery store for less than $10. It is easy to care for- just dump the used grounds in the compost and give the filter a quick rinse. You will save money and the planet before you’ve even had your first cuppa joe each morning.
Once you’ve used it, you’ll wonder why you ever used paper in the first place.
Filed under Cleaning and Organization, Easy Being Green, Saving Green | Comments (8)Cloth in the Kitchen
There is some serious discussion going on over at Simple Mom’s blog. She wrote a really informative post about How to Create a Paperless Kitchen and the comments are continuing to pour in. She obviously struck a chord with many people.
Our family has been paperless for about a year. This does not include toilet paper or kleenex. I will admit that the road has been a bumpy one. My husband has been nice enough to support my endeavors and not complain (too much), but I have noticed that he has tended to clean up messes and do the dishes a lot less than he did before.
I think that is why I loved Simple Mom’s post so much. She hammered in the importance of an organized system. While I did bite the bullet and go paperless, I wasn’t very organized about how I did it. The result is that my husband, children and guests are not quite certain how to go about cleaning up a spill. My parents visited for several weeks this summer and while they were gracious enough to not complain about a lack of a papertowel roll, they did tease me about its absence. “I thought a paper towel holder is like necessary furniture in a kitchen,” my dad quipped. I think the teasing helped cover up their uncertainty about how our kitchen operated.
What I need to remember is that not everyone understands my system and this can cause discomfort (and lack of helpers). I thought I would take a moment to pen my system here (and hopefully give you all some ideas to chew on) and then I’ll get things organized so it is easy to use for everyone. My family will know where everything is, and next time guests come into our home for an extended time, I will let them know how the kitchen runs as well.
1. I have a ton of terry cloths that I use for washing dishes and wiping up spills. I have a plastic bag that hangs at the top of our stairs leading to the basement that holds used cloths. These go into my daily load of laundry. If things go right, nothing has time to get moldy or stinky.
2. I have some old, ugly cloth napkins that are used for greasy stuff like blotting bacon grease. Some of the comments over at Simple Mom’s site also suggested using old newspaper for this job.
3. We use cloth napkins. I used to reserve these for special occasions but I now use them for all meals. Also, a very thoughtful friend now makes them for us for special occasions. Beside our every day cloths, we now have Christmas, Easter and Independence Day as well. She also made some adorable ones for the kids’ school lunches.
4. I use a combination of Norwex and Enjo cloths for window cleaning, spill wipe-ups, and general cleaning. I also have a cool toilet scrubby brush that goes in the washing machine after use. No more disgusting brush full of pee.
My goal is to make the location of the cloths and napkins very accessible for everyone. No more excuses from dear husband.
Filed under Cleaning and Organization, Easy Being Green | Comments (5)Some Post-Halloween Horror
This little ditty was brought to my attention by Rebecca over at The Green Sheeep. I know that we are all a bit freaked out by H1N1 germs, but the chemicals in our homes can be far more dangerous. Use caution, wash hands and surfaces often, but avoid chemical disinfectants. They are dangerous.
Filed under Cleaning and Organization | Comment (0)Being Green; Saving Green
Hmmmm….I’m not sure if you noticed or not, but my last post was sometime in June. I’ve decided not to beat myself up about it - I’ve been enjoying my summer thoroughly and keeping my computer time to the minimal essentials (barely). I’d rather call my time away from My Web of Life a sabbatical of sorts. It sounds so much more important and intellectual than just saying that I’ve been playing hooky.
However, when I saw what the topic was for this month’s APLS Carnival, my spidey senses started tingling and my fingers began to twitch for the feel of the keyboard. I knew that I needed to write. What would bring me back to my little corner of the house with the glowing screen? Two of my favorite topics merged into one great title: Green on the Cheap.
How could I resist that? I love to talk green and baby am I ever cheap!
I must confess that one of my biggest peeves as I struggle through my journey of going green (and it IS a journey and a definite struggle at times) is greenwashing. What is greenwashing? I have two definitions for it:
1. To pass off something that is not really ‘green’ as being ‘green’.
2. To charge WAY too much money for something that is ‘green’, whether it is or not.
Green does not need to be costly and shouldn’t be viewed as some fad that warrents jacked-up prices. I’m not talking about the genuine cost of an organic, fair-trade item. I am talking about gouging by greedy hypocrits. Make sure you do your homework before assuming that a costly product really is the green miracle that it says it is.
Although every once in awhile I come across a product that I just fall in love with and must have despite its hefty pricetag, for the most part I have been working to simplify and pare down to the basics. This has been my biggest source of money savings. I thought I would list out some of my favourite ways of doing this.
Thrift Stores. I have no qualms about purchasing previously worn/used items. I stick with basic thrift stores and avoid consignment boutiques like the plague. Paying more than $20 for something already worn is just absurd to me. I could give a rip about the label name. Although it often takes some sifting, I can usually find good quality clothing for everyone in my family. I still have some items in my closet that I bought 12 years ago. They are classic and I still get comments on them as if they were new.
Cleaning Supplies. This is simple really. I use borax, washing soda, vinegar, baking soda, peppermint soap and essential oils for scent and disinfection. I have also splurged on a few precious microfibre cloths that clean without the use of soap. The 3 brands that I have tried and like are Enjo, Norwex and E-Cloth. I am not dedicated to any particular brand and they all have very different price tags. My favourites are the window cloth and the toilet brush that can go in the washer. Because of my cloths, I really only use the other cleaning supplies for laundry, dishwashing and toilet freshening. Basically, I spend next to nothing to keep my house clean. Now if only I could get somebody to clean it…
Food. This one is really interesting. I spend more money on things like organic produce, but I notice that my grocery bill has remained the same or has even dropped on occasion. My only explanation is that I have been buying less packaged items and have begun to make more from scratch. I will admit that food is my weakest green link. I don’t enjoy spending huge amounts of time in the kitchen and I take a lot of shortcuts (like pre-made pie crust). But for the most part my family is eating healthful, nutritious meals that didn’t come out of a box. My kids go to school with lunches packed in reuseable containers. Paper towels have ceased to exist in our home (much to my parents’ dismay during their last visit)! It is an adjustment at first, but I’ve stopped missing the paper towels and excess cling wrap.
Utilities. I love the days of spring, summer and fall when I can hang the clothes out on the line. We have particularly old appliances in our home so I know the cost savings are significant when I can avoid using the dryer or oven. I have also gotten wiley and have begun using the water from our basement dehumidifier to help fill our washing machine. We also bought a rainbarrel this year and have been able to use that exclusively for any of our plant watering. This is the point where I should be honest and mention that this year I failed to plant any flower baskets and my tomato plants are barely living. However, this is not due to a lack of water on the part of my rainbarrel. Just a smidge of laziness on my part.
Shopping. What is my biggest way to stay green on the cheap? I’ve stopped shopping recreationally. After watching the Story of Stuff, I’ve become more conscious of where products are originating and what their true cost is. I will admit that I have lapses. My recent purchase of a backpack for my daughter was not a green choice. But it was a necessity at the moment. However, part of being green is being honest and conscious of the choices I am making. Basically, I am always working to improve. This year I plan to keep my eyes peeled in the thrift stores for some decent backpacks that I can keep stored in the closet. Hopefully I can avoid a similar purchase in the future and my daughter’s next backback will be both greener and cheaper.
Filed under Blog Carnivals, Cleaning and Organization, Easy Being Green, Saving Green | Comments (5)
