Going Green – Tips for living a healthier lifestyle for you and the environment., all natural products for baby, nursing, pregancy, baby gear, cloth diapers, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Going Green – Tips for living a healthier lifestyle for you and the environment.

I spent a lot of time – too much time really - trying to decide on what to post for my first blog for Nature’s Baby Basket. I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t just focus on one thing – they are all so important with their own merits. To get us thinking about the things we can do to reduce our impact on the environment, I’ve compiled a list of tips, some of which will be examined more closely in other blogs.

Some things on this list you may not be able to do because of lack of time, space, or resources available. Perhaps you are already doing all or most of them. Perhaps you are doing some environmentally conscious things that are not on this list. I invite you to email us with your ideas – perhaps I can research it and focus on it for a future blog post – and if you allow me to, I’ll give you the credit!

In any case, I am challenging myself and I ask you to do the same. We are still making changes in our household to switch to some of the things listed here. Know this; ANY effort you put forth and each change that you make WILL make an impact. You’ll feel better about what you are doing for the environment and your family, I promise!

We’ve heard many of these things before – through the media, through books, through plain common sense. But hey, it doesn’t hurt to hear a little reminder now and then!

Part 1 – Outside & Out & About

The number ONE: Recycle, recycle, recycle! Why does cardboard need to go to the landfill when in many cases there is a recycling depot at your local shopping center? This goes for plastic milk jugs, cans, glass, and plastic grocery bags. We are so lucky here in Calgary – starting in April 2009, we are getting curb-side recycling through the city. They are providing a large bin for each single family dwelling (and ‘plexes”) that will take plastics, glass, cans, cardboard and paper away – no sorting! Check with your municipality for recycling options available to you.

Take public transit to work or carpool, if you can:

The bus or train is going to travel the same route anyway. Save on parking fees too!

For your lunches and the kids’ school lunches, put snacks and sandwiches in reusable containers or Ziploc baggies, bring home, wash and reuse. Save money on wasteful plastic cling-wrap. Also, buy snacks in bulk and try to cut out individualized wrapped portion foods. Less wrappers = less garbage!

Invest in a stainless steel water bottle in place of disposable water bottles: Yes, plastic bottles can be recycled and you can get money back at your local bottle depot for returning the “empties”, but it takes energy and resources to make the bottles, package them, brand them, and deliver them to your local grocer. Check out the Otterbottle, 500ml or 750ml stainless steel water bottles in stylish designs! A portion of proceeds go to the David Suzuki Foundation. Does it get any greener than that?

Grow your own garden: Plant staples like potatoes, carrots, onions, lettuce, green beans and peas. Vegetables always taste sweeter and fresher from your own garden, you know where they came from, and it won’t cost you much but seeds, gardening tools, and some time to weed and harvest. What it will save you is money and having to think about chemicals having been sprayed on your food. This is a great way to teach your children appreciation for how things grow, and the value of self-sustainability. We have also had success with our picky eater – he doesn’t need any coaching on eating veggies fresh from the garden!

Get a composter and use it! Anything that will rot can be composted. Instead of throwing out or garburating potato peelings and other kitchen waste, turn it into compost that will later nourish your vegetable or flower garden with the perfect soil! Place the composter in the back of your garden or yard, not beside the back deck where you will be relaxing on weekends or after work! Contact your municipality for information on where to pick one up, or check out your local hardware or garden stores. If you are in Calgary, you can pick up a composter through the city’s “Clean & Green Initiatives”. For more information, click here.

Get a rain barrel! Use the water run-off from your roof and divert it to a rain barrel for watering your vegetable and flower gardens. Plants enjoy natural rainwater compared to tap-water, and you’ll save money on your water bill! Contact your municipality for information on where to pick one up, or check out your local hardware or garden stores. If you are in Calgary, you can pick up a rain barrel through the city’s “Clean & Green Initiatives”. For more information, click here.

Grasscycling: Leave your grass clippings on the lawn when you mow it! The breakdown of the clippings fertilizes your lawn, prevents moisture from evaporating from the soil, and reduces yard waste going into our landfills!

Water your lawns and gardens wisely: Use a sprinkler timer (or invest in a sprinkler system) to water your lawn and gardens first thing in the morning, before the sun rises. Running sprinklers during the day is a waste for the environment and your water bill, as much of the water just evaporates to give little benefit to your grass and plants.

Part 2 - Inside Your Home

Use Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Hydrogen Peroxide for cleaning! Do you find that your conventional cleaning products are giving you headaches and making your nose and eyes burn? Well, there’s a reason for that – they are full..of..chemicals! Harmful fumes to your pets, children, and you. Try a greener way to clean! Spray a vinegar/water mix on mirrors, countertops, stoves, etc. Use vinegar straight on stubborn messes. Use baking soda as an abrasive scrub for bathtubs and grout. Replace that expensive toilet bowl cleaner with vinegar! Use vinegar in place of fabric softener! These are just a few, check out more at:

http://www.vinegartips.com/cleaning/

http://www.thegreenguide.com/home-garden/cleaning/diy-cleaners

Choose environmentally friendlier laundry cleaners: Do you really need your clothes to smell like fake flower perfumes? Do you really need detergents that contain optical brighteners that cause build-up on your clothes and towels? Do you have any idea how much “filler” is contained in mainstream laundry detergents to make you think “more is better”? Try harmful additive and fragrance free cleansers, like Claudia’s Choices (made in Canada!) or completely natural cleansers like Soapnuts! I have mostly converted us to Claudia's and Soap Nuts, but my husband just can't get enough of that "Apple Mango Tango" for his clothes! I'm workin' on him!

Wash your floors without chemicals, but with the power of steam! Pick yourself up a floor steam cleaner and be amazed at how clean your floor becomes and how much you get to save your back, with steam and microfiber pads. A cost output in the beginning, but you’ll save money down the road by not buying floor cleansers, and your pets and children will thank you!

Air Fresheners: Did you know that “plug-in” and commercial spray air fresheners are releasing toxic chemicals into the air of your home? This is the air your family and pets are inhaling. http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/fall07AirFreshener.html

Want a fresher smelling home? Open the windows and let the real fresh air in (yes, even in winter for 10 minutes – it will clear out the stale air). Cut open a lemon. Make vinegar ice cubes and grind them up in your garburator to freshen it and sharpen the blades. Mix a spray bottle with water and a few drops of essential oil, such as lavender, orange, or eucalyptus. Spray linens and the air with natural freshness!

Try some great recipes at: http://www.recipezaar.com/Essential-Oil-Room-Air-Freshener-Spray-Recipe-92820

Cut out the antibacterial soaps: Studies have shown that plain old soap and water is just as good, and the main active ingredient in antibacterial soaps can actually cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotic drugs.

http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/fall08SoapRisks.html

Reduce the paper products in your home: Use real plates instead of paper plates. Clean up messes with cloths and rags instead of paper towels. Go “old school” and use a hanky on that tender nose instead of paper tissues. The environment and your pocket book will thank you! We’re still working on the tissue thing…

Cloth Diaper! Wash reusable diapers instead of buying disposables. I can go on and on here about how cloth diapers are better for your baby and the environment compared to the single use, paper and plastic disposables. The main points include:

-It is estimated that hundreds of years will pass before disposable diapers break down in a landfill. Plus, unless you are dumping solids into the toilet before putting the disposable in the garbage, you are sending human sewage to the landfill. Sewage belongs at the sewage treatment plant to get…treated!

-In the long run, disposable diapers will cost more than cloth. If you are good to your cloth diapers, they will last through multiple babies too! Use ‘em and pass “em on!

-Do you trust that wrapping your baby’s bottom in a bleached paper and plastic product is not irritating that sensitive skin? So many people, myself included, report that diaper rash has been eliminated when cloth is used instead of disposables.

-Some critics argue that the water used to clean reusable diapers wastes water. BUT, let’s think about how much water it takes to create disposable diapers. Pulp and paper mills are located along rivers because they need so much water for processing.

-Think also about the amount of natural resources it takes to manufacture single-use diapers! From the cutting down of trees, petroleum products for the plastics, and fuel used for transportation from raw materials, to factories, to the grocery store, and to your home!

Lights off please! And any other unused electrical appliances for that matter! Many items, such as TVs, DVD players, coffee-makers, and office electronics use “stand-by” power; power used when an appliance is turned off, but still plugged in. So if you are going away for the weekend, or don’t use an item that often (spare bedroom TV?) unplug it to save resources and shave your power bill!

http://standby.lbl.gov/summary-chart.html

Put on a cozy sweater: In winter, most of us want to come home to a nice toasty house and well, be comfortable. Examine your comfort threshold and see if you can turn the thermostat down a few notches. I admit, this is something I am working on, because I love the heat. If you have a programmable thermostat and a fairly scheduled out-of-the-home routine, then put your home on a schedule too!