Go Green! No that's not a cheer for a team... it's the theme for this week's healthy living challenge. But first, how was last week for everyone? Did you get your Wheaties in? I did a pretty decent job at it. I still can't eat as soon as I get out of bed -- momma NEEDS coffee first. But I did get breakfast in by 9 am every morning. Except for one... that was the one that Ronnie let me sleep in :) So this week I will still be working on it. I want to want to eat, but just don't know if I can be that person. We shall see.
This week the focus is on using greener products in our homes and lives. The research is out there, so I'm not going to get all preachy on you here. I'm just going to say there is a LOT of information available in my area because of our proximity to salmon breeding grounds and wetlands. We have taken some steps to be greener, but mostly because they are also more cost effective than their chemical brothers. Here is what we do:
Laundry: I started using vinegar as a odor neutralizer a LONG time ago (anyone at Osan can attest to how strong the chlorine is at the pool). But the great thing is vinegar is also a fantastic fabric softener. Go figure! Personally, I could never use normal fabric softeners because I'm allergic to the scent of the traditional ones and Holly is just plain allergic to it and their dryer sheet cousins. So, fabric softeners have been out of our lives for many many years. Until I found the vinegar trick. Next time you go to the store, go ahead and price out a gallon of vinegar versus a gallon of fabric softener.
I also was inspired to make my own laundry soap. Seemed pretty easy and very very cost effective. Again, the green offshoot here is washing soda and Borax are very eco-friendly. And I'm getting laundry soap at 10% of my original cost.
Kitchen: I switched to a earth friendly dish soap to replace my Dawn a few weeks ago. I picked up a bottle from our local co-op for $2 (25 ounce bottle). Big thing: I haven't noticed a HUGE difference between the two, plus my earth friendly one is lavender scented (heavenly!). I did put it in my Dawn foaming bottle because I like the foam :)
Now, I also changed out my dishwasher powder to a homemade version. Again, it's all about economics for me: you mix Borax and washing soda with citric acid (ie unflavored lemonade). My new powder does a FANTASTIC job and I use vinegar as a rinse aid.
So those are a few of the things we are doing. What can you do to go greener in your home? Below, I'll post some more info where you can find more information.
Other resources:
Make your own Homemade Solutions: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/homemade-solutions
The
book we're following: http://www.amazon.com/52-Small-Changes-Healthier-ebook/dp/B0056J4ER0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325722556&sr=1-1
Jenn's
blog: http://thewoogies.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20Small%20Changes
