Have you jumped on the recycling bandwagon? If not, I'm going to suggest a few small & simple changes that we've made and would urge you to start thinking about it.
Goodbye soapy, sudsy, scented bath gel and colorful sponges...
Hello boring bar soap and wash cloth. Most of the fun scented bath gels from T & WM contain a substance, sodium lauryl sulfate, which is an inexpensive foaming agent. What they don't tell you is that it's also used in garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers. One study shows a single drop stays in your body for several days. It can cause improper eye development in children, skin irritation in adults, and the list goes on. Makes me sick to think I used this the entire time I was prego with Brooks. Not going to make that same mistake twice!! The same thing we are using to bathe with everyday in our homes, mechanic shops are using to conduct business???*Actually, bar soap doesn't have to boring, the one I purchased from T smells quite yummy!!
Goodbye plastic bags...You've seen the emails & commercials about how horrible these are for the environment.
Hello fun & colorful recycle bags from T...I keep these in my car and use them at the grocery store, Target, and the mall. I have a fun monogrammed bag that I've also taken to the mall. I take all 5 bags to the grocery store and tell the checker before she starts scanning that I'll be using my bags instead of the plastic ones. They will each hold a lot of groceries and are much more easy to handle.
A few more changes we've made:
- Switched to the energy smart light bulbs...they are a little more expensive, but last a long time
- Signed up for weekly recycling through our trash company...it's $2.50 more a month, but so worth it. They provide a rolling recycle cart like our trash cart and pick it up every two weeks. We have a regular trash can in the kitchen and a "recycle" trash can in the garage.
- www.catalogchoice.org is a website that allows you to sign up to stop receiving all the junk magazines that we all get and immediately throw in the trash.
Do you have any other suggestions or tips? I'd love to hear what your family is doing to save the environment.
10 comments:
This is very inspiring! I still haven't bought those Target bags like I've been meaning to! Good job, Boyer household!
I'm a little concerned now about one of the things I included in your b-day package...I apologize in advance!
We opt out of as many mailings (catalogs, etc.) as we can, just call the company and tell them you'll look at the catalog online if you need something.
We buy bath and body supplies from my friend Amanda at www.faceofthewave.com I love absolutely everything she sells, she makes a great laundry detergent, too. I also use vinegar to clean a lot of things (kills weeds, too, lol).
We eat organic and abx/hormone free as much as possible and try to buy local. www.localharvest.com
I used cloth diapers for the most part, but that's not for everyone ;)
You're doing awesome things!! :-)
We recycle and use the CFL bulbs in our house. I'm trying to make changes little by little.
My major plan is to get those shopping bags from Wal-Mart. I need to do that immediately.
A little inspiration from you and I switched to the cloth bags for grocery shopping about a month ago. We use bar soap, always have. We use green cleaning products as well as vinegar to clean floors and counter tops. We also use the CFL bulbs. I also buy organic whenever possible. I use Arbonne skin care products and make-up. Their products are botanically-based, are not tested on animals, do not include animal by-products and do not have dyes or fragrances in them.
Now, I am going to have to go to the website and get set up to stop receiving all those junk catalogs that I just throw away.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Yeah for you. Thanks for doing all of that - everything helps. After living in WA all this comes naturally to you!!! And you're teaching Brooks to do his part too!
We are up to 4 trash cans - one for trash, one - aluminum, one - plastic, one - glass. I take all those hundreds of catalogs, newspapers, and all other paper products to AH Jr School b/c they have a fundraiser dumpster to recyle paper products(lots of schools have them - check for it in your town). Which I think is a double great thing helping schools and recycling in one stop.
I gave up bodywash sometime ago and that was huge for me b/c I love that delicious foamy bathtime joy :( but I have found some really nice organic bar soaps. My next step is switching all lotions and soaps to orgainc.
I also have the reusable bags - which are so great by the way. I have changed almost all my cleaning products to organic. We use organic dairy products, coffee, and some other food products.
One thing I would strongly encourage everyone to do is invest in some of those super cute reusable water bottles (pottery barn, target, & starbucks have some neat ones) to take on the go. I worry about how many bottle water drinkers there are that forget to recycle them. I really like my reusable bottles in the summer b/c you can put ice in the water so it's cold while I'm on the go.
Thats all of my babbling. I'm really proud of you. Thanks for encouraging others to do their part. T
Great ideas! I had no idea about the body wash...we are going to have to make the switch also! That is horrible:( Inspired by you I too now use reusable plastic bags...they are Great! Also, we have stopped buying H2O bottles and are using fun reusable containers and I love that you can add ice! Sooo much more refreshing!
You need a "change your life" bag! Did you see my post about them?
They are really nifty. I found them at TJMaxx
I really need to invest in some of those bags. I do have a 6-pack slotted one for buying wine, but that's it. I'm checking on getting you more information on sodium lauryl sulfate. I'm pretty sure that most manufacturers are moving to sodium laureth sulfate. I'm checking with Bill at my office. He's one of the top Chemists in the country, so he'll know. Have a great weekend!!
What a great idea for your blog! I know it's always nice to have those little reminders because it's easy to slip into your old bad habits!
Ooh, I'm inspired! I confess I'm pretty bad about all of these things. But I'm getting sick of that. So thanks for the tips!
I like your blog, by the way! Cute pics of Brooks.
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