5 Easy Mistakes to Make in the Name of Eco Friendliness
Aug 29, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re trying to be eco friendly. There are a lot of confusing options, and many terms aren’t regulated, so claims of one sort of eco friendliness or another may not mean what you think they mean.
Even the terms “green” or “eco friendly” don’t have significant meanings, although the FTC is looking at how those are used, since so many false and vague claims have been made in those areas. Sometimes the steps you hear to help you be more eco friendly can result in more pollution than what you’re doing right now.
Mistake #1: Buy things you don’t need.
Too often people are prouder of buying something because it said it was eco friendly in one way or another than in actually considering how the product will be eco friendly for them. It’s nice when you buy something produced in an environmentally friendly way, and you’ve done the research to be sure of that, but is the purchase really necessary? Think it over first. The most eco friendly purchase may be the one you don’t make at all.
Mistake #2: Fail to recycle old appliances and electronics.
So you’ve decided it’s time to replace one of your household appliances or electronics. Did your research, found what looks to be an environmentally responsible choice. Now what did you do with the old one?
If you didn’t say send it for recycling, you’ve made a mistake. Many retailers have a take-back program, making recycling pretty easy on your part. The EPA has a Responsible Appliance Disposal program that retailers, local governments and others can participate in.
Computers and other electronics can be more difficult to recycle properly, but it’s not impossible and doesn’t have to be terribly difficult. Many Target locations now have bins to accept old cell phones, MP3 players and so forth. The EPA has a Plug-In to eCycling Campaign, or you can check for electronic waste recycling days set up in your local community.
Mistake #3: Buy what looks eco friendly, without making sure you’ve made the right choice.
Many terms used on product packaging aren’t regulated. They sound good, but unless they have a legal meaning, they may not mean what you think they mean. They may be essentially the same as any other product, just with better eco marketing.
Mistake #4: Prefer recyclable or recycled products to reusable ones.
It’s good to use recycled or recyclable products. Recycling is a big part of being more environmentally friendly, as it keeps waste out of landfills and cuts down on the use of limited resources. But it’s not the biggest part of being environmentally friendly.
Reduce is, but once you’re making the purchase anyhow, reusable trumps recycled or recyclable. Buy reusable water bottles. Reusable shopping bags. Use washrags for cleaning around the house rather than paper towels, even if you’ve bought paper towels made from recycled paper. The same goes for napkins.
Mistake #5: Use pesticides and conventional fertilizers in your garden.
Gardening can be a wonderful, eco friendly activity. It’s also a nice physical activity for you, can make your yard more attractive, and if you plant vegetables or fruits, makes a nice addition to your food supply.
They aren’t so good for the environment if you use conventional pesticides and fertilizers. These can be harmful to the environment, and may leave residues you need to wash off your foods.
You’re better off using natural fertilizers such as compost from the food scraps and yard waste you produce anyhow. Done right, there should be minimal stink from the compost, and you get great soil to use in your garden.
You can also look at safer ways to control pests, such as using ladybugs to control certain other insects, learning about which plants discourage problem insects, and so forth.
Don’t forget the simple things, such as pulling weeds by hand rather than spraying for them. No chemicals needed.
You can buy more environmentally friendly pesticides and fertilizers, but you have to be careful about researching the products you choose.
Tags: eco friendly living tips, eco friendly mistakes, Recycling
Is There Such a Thing As “Safe” Plastics? Are We Sure?
Jul 18, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
I think most parents these days know that there are issues with plastics containing bisphenol-A (BPA). There’s a reason why more and more plastic goods, especially those aimed at children, are being advertised as BPA-free. But is that really enough? Are other types of plastic safer?
The problem with BPA is that it’s estrogenic – that is, it mimics estrogen in the body. You don’t want that, and naturally parents are picky about such things going into the bodies of their children. That’s why there was such a fuss that manufacturers decided to use other plastics which don’t contain BPA.
Does that mean other plastics are safe? Unfortunately, that’s questionable, according to a new study.
It’s a long study, an interesting read if you like that sort of thing, but here’s the basic result: almost all plastics leach chemicals that have estrogenic activity (EA). Some BPA-free products released chemicals with more estrogenic activity than plastics with BPA.
So much for the much-vaunted BPA-free plastics.
Not all of the plastics released chemicals with EA at first, but common uses such as putting them in the microwave or dishwasher increased the release.
What Should Parents Do?
Now of course more study should be done, but heck, folks, you have options other than plastic. Not like we have to serve or save foods in plastic. There are options. Plastic, after all, isn’t that good a deal environmentally speaking anyhow.
You can use glass or stainless steel containers and dishes when possible, for example. You may not be able to avoid plastics in your dishes entirely, but there are options such as Klean Kanteen’s sippy bottle which at least minimizes the use of plastic. It uses some, but they say it’s supposed to be non-leaching and is BPA-free, for what that’s worth. It’s still less plastic than other sippy cups where the drink is held in a plastic cup rather than a stainless steel bottle.
Don’t put any plastic dishes or containers you have in the microwave or dishwasher. It’s the heat that increases the leaching. Use glass or other safe materials in the microwave.
It’s tough to serve young children with breakable dishes, but you do have alternatives. You can buy stainless steel dishes or look for tempered glass dishes, which are significantly stronger than regular glass dishes. Wood is another option, although it may be more difficult to care for.
I get a lot of my glass storage containers from bottles of spaghetti sauce. The shape is a bit awkward, and doesn’t work for everything, but it’s a place to start. There are glass storage containers you can buy if you want more practical shapes.
And on the plus side, if you just can’t give up your plastic yet, leaching does decrease over time. It’s not perfect, and the exposure still happens, but at least the numbers go down.
Plastic toys are good to avoid, but in terms of leaching, the best thing is to not let your kids put plastic toys in their mouth. That won’t stop all exposure, as little hands go in little mouths, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Don’t Panic
Estrogenic compounds may well be worth avoiding, but it’s not something to panic about. Take your time, think about it, and do what’s practical for you. I don’t know if it would work, but if you want to leach out some of the chemicals before exposing your family, you could always expose your plastics to known stressors several times before use. I have no idea how often is enough, so don’t ask. There are sources of BPA exposure beyond the plastics you can choose whether or not to use, so this is mostly a matter of limiting it where you can.
It may also help to remember that there are many risks in life that we can’t control. That’s just the way it is. It’s still a good idea to think about your exposure to chemicals leached from plastic, but it’s not panic-worthy.
Tags: Bisphenol-A, BPA, plastic
Are Dryer Sheets Harmful to Your Family? What Alternatives Do You Have?
Jun 8, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
I know a lot of people who just can’t do laundry without throwing in a dryer sheet. I’ve never had that habit, and when I tried the ones we were given back when we were first married, really couldn’t see what the benefit was. But a lot of people do love them, and use them without considering the potential harm the simple dryer sheet may do to their family.
A big part of this is air quality issues. There’s an article on the National Institutes of Health website that gets into the risks of using scented products indoors, and dryer sheets are one of the topics covered. They give off a variety of VOCs, and there have been cases of children having a seizure after being exposed to dryer sheets. It’s not going to happen to every child, of course, but that’s still pretty serious.
Simply put, there are better ways to help your laundry smell fresh, ways that don’t involve the waste and harsh chemicals of dryer sheets, even the unscented ones.
Line Dry Your Laundry
Hanging your laundry out to dry is one of the best ways to handle the issue. You get that fresh air scent naturally, rather than the imitation some dryer sheets try to give. Not only does line drying
You can still take down slightly damp laundry and give a few minutes in the dryer for those things that tend to come out crunchy when line dried, such as towels and jeans. The crunchiness may not last long once you start using them, so you may choose to skip even that much use of the dryer if you can stand it initially.
Vinegar in the Wash
You can add a half cup of white vinegar to your wash during the last rinse cycle as a natural softener. This can even help your laundry come out softer when you line dry it. Vinegar in the last rinse cycle helps to remove the last of the detergent from your laundry.
Essential Oils
If you truly love the scent given to your laundry by dryer sheets, why not make your own? Pick a favorite essential oil
Aluminum Foil Ball
Another tip for those who use their dryer for their laundry is to add in a ball of aluminum foil. Roll some into a tight, 2-3 inch diameter ball and throw it in the dryer with every load. It will take care of any problems you have with static in your laundry, and should last a long time. A tennis ball may help as well, but they may contain toxic chemicals.
If you prefer the dryer balls you’ve seen advertised elsewhere, go for ones that are PVC free
Eco Friendly Dryer Sheets
If you just can’t give up the dryer sheet habit, at least go for some of the more environmentally friendly options. Mrs. Meyers
You can also buy reusable dryer sheets such as Static Eliminator
As you can see, there are plenty of simple ways to quit using dryer sheets without having to deal with static cling or laundry that doesn’t smell right to you. Make this simple change and you’ve cut one source of VOCs from your home.
Tags: dryer sheets harmful, eco friendly laundry, essential oils, laundry, line dry, toxic, toxic dryer sheets, vinegar
How Do You Keep Reusable Items From Cluttering Your Home?
Jun 6, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
The environmental mantra of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is a great one for cutting down on the waste you create in your life, but it can have its downside if you aren’t careful. You can hit the reuse part of the rule too hard, and have more of a mess in your home than you can deal with. You have to make sure that the things you’re saving for reuse really will be reused. Otherwise it makes more sense to just get rid of them.
This can be difficult. If you’re really going to reuse something, I’m not a fan of getting rid of it just because you can get a new one later. That’s the kind of waste you’re trying to avoid. However, if a new one will naturally come into your life later, such as with jars and other food containers you may enjoy reusing, you should limit how many you save to the quantity you’re likely to need soon.
If it’s something you aren’t likely to need for a long time, make sure you’re storing it well. Clothes that don’t fit should first be looked at in terms of whether or not they’ll still be in style when they do fit again. If they’re a clothing basic, don’t keep them with your other clothes – find a better place to store them where they aren’t taking up space you need right now. Just be realistic about whether or not you’re going to wear them again.
You can always send old clothes to the thrift store so that someone else will get to reuse them if you can’t do so yourself. No one ever said you have to be the one reusing. Just make it possible for someone else to reuse your old things rather than throwing them into the trash.
If your kids are like mine and love using found items for crafts, keep appropriate limits on what they can keep. Don’t let them keep every piece of junk mail, every bit of interesting plastic, every leaf, and so forth. Allow them to keep enough to encourage their creativity, but not so much that the mess challenges your sanity. A good storage container for holding their craft supplies can help you to give them a natural limit. When the container is full, they can’t have more craft supplies until they make room for them.
Keep in mind that you aren’t helping the environment by holding onto things that should be passed on to others who really will reuse them. If you aren’t reusing recyclable products, that’s more new materials that may be used to make products that might have come from the recyclables cluttering your home. Keep that balance, hold onto the things that you really will reuse, and allow the rest to continue in the cycle in the most environmentally friendly way you can.
4 Books to Help You Refashion and Upcycle Your Wardrobe
May 24, 2011 Eco Friendly Home
Bored with your wardrobe and don’t want to spend a lot of money on new clothes? It may be time to work on your sewing skills and transform your old clothes into something new.
I’m looking at this because my oldest daughter wants to learn to sew anyhow, and old clothes seem like a good place to start. I have a gorgeous old Bernina sewing machine and some basic sewing skills, so we’re ready to start.
Keep in mind that you won’t like every project suggested in these books. They may not be your style, but you can still pick up ideas and techniques.
Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters
Got old sweaters? Find out how to make them into something new that you’ll be happy to wear. The book includes 15 free patterns to get you started. Some readers find the projects a bit challenging, so you may prefer to go with projects geared more toward beginners.
Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials
This one isn’t entirely about refashioning – many projects suggest buying new fabrics to go with the what you already have. But it has some great ideas for projects you can do with old clothes too.
What’s really great is that the book discusses how to handle the fabrics and has information about eco-innovators. It’s not just a craft book, it’s something to read when you have a little time on your hands.
Little Green Dresses: 50 Original Patterns for Repurposed Dresses, Tops, Skirts, and More
This book is a great help if you want to learn how to make patters to fit you. It gives you an introduction into how to measure, cut and assemble pattern pieces. She also gives a lot of ideas so you can customize each outfit to your own style.
The one weak point is that some patterns in the book require a lot of fabric, so you may not be able to create them by refashioning older clothes. If you would prefer to do work that is more refashioning than cutting used clothes into flat pieces to start nearly fresh with them, it may not be the book for you.
ReSew: Turn Thrift-Store Finds into Fabulous Designs
Want to learn how to take those thrift store finds that weren’t quite right for you and make them work? This could be the book for you. It proves nicely detailed instructions, including what you need to find for each project.
Tags: clothes, refashioning, upcycling
