Category Archives: Going Green

Do You Really Need All the Gadgets?

I admit it. It’s nice having all the gadgets around the house that make life just a little bit simpler. But have you ever given thought to which ones you really need? Ever thought about how much money you can save by not buying them? By not using the ones that require electricity?

Not all gadgets do, of course.

Electric can openers are one gadget I find to be pretty unnecessary. Cans aren’t that hard to open. I can see where you might want some help if you have hand or wrist issues, such as carpal tunnel, but otherwise?

Electric mixers are another thing I don’t see as necessary very often. They’re great for some uses, but most days if I need to mix something, a spoon or whisk works just fine. Although my kids do grumble if it’s a treat and there aren’t any beaters to lick when I make a treat.

Out in the yard, leaf blowers just horrify me. Such a waste of fuel, not to mention loud! Get a broom, start sweeping. Just like hanging clothes out on the clothesline, it’s good exercise as well as good for the environment.

All that said, yes, I love my breadmaker, which certainly counts as a gadget. Ditto my rice maker, which frees me from having to time rice cooked on the stove so carefully. I could get along without them, but they do legitimately make my life easier. The breadmaker in particular means that I am willing to make bread at home, which I probably wouldn’t try (aside from banana bread and zucchini bread) without it.

And that’s because some gadgets are good. It’s hard to determine where you should balance between the energy efficiency of a specialized gadget and using more power. You have an oven most likely, but that doesn’t mean a toaster isn’t a better choice for making toast. Takes a lot more power to heat the oven. However, so did making the toaster.

So how do you decide? What’s a worthwhile gadget? What’s unnecessary?

What to Do for Earth Day?

Today is Earth Day. These days I find it to be an interesting combination between environmental concern and consumerism. So many companies take the opportunity to greenwash.

That’s not to say there aren’t good things to buy for Earth Day. If there’s a truly green change you’re wanting to make it’s a good time to do it.

For example, you might choose to use more energy efficient lightbulbs, such as CFLs. You might change laundry detergents. You might switch from a gas powered lawn mower to a push mower. You might buy a composter and start composting. You might switch to a low flow showerhead.

You get the idea. Just be sure that you’re really making an environmentally sound choice, not falling for greenwashing. There’s a lot of that out there.

If you’re living a generally green life already, you may feel like there’s not much to be done to improve your home, at least not within your current budget. That’s fine. There’s plenty more you can do.

There are Earth Day events in most communities. Some will be today, others on the weekend. Last year, for example, my family and I attended an event where people were able to help plant trees in an area that had burned in a wildfire. Our kids were too tired that day to help, but they enjoyed the educational parts of the event and a short hike through the nature reserve.

You can also encourage people you know to get more involved. One day doesn’t do much for the planet, but if you can use it to get people who aren’t thinking about the environment to consider it more, you could help with the problem. These things take time, after all.

Healthy Child Healthy World Review

I was recently contacted by a publicist for Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home to see if I would like to review the book. What could I say except “yes”? Talk about a pet topic of mine!

They very kindly sent me out a copy to read, and I recently finished it. I very much so enjoyed the read.

The book is separated into sections of related things you can do, such as preparing for baby, natural body care, pet care and so forth. Each section has a range of tips on how you can do these things in a way that is better for your family and the environment.

Of course, some of the things suggested I do already, but there were some good ideas I hadn’t thought of either.

One of the things I really appreciated was the suggestion in the book that you do not need to try to do everything right away. You can work your way through the things you are ready for and make progress at your own pace. I think that’s a very important thing to remember. Going green doesn’t have to be an instant or frustrating solution.

It also got me thinking about things I hadn’t before, such as how lead gets into soil around older homes. We’re renting a home that I believe is of an age to have such a problem, so I know it is potentially relevant. As a renter I don’t know that I can do much about it aside from being aware of the potential for a problem. It’s a topic my husband and I have discussed before, because he didn’t see why kids would chew on paint chips, and now I can explain to him how it really works. See page 164 if you need to know.

The section on food (chapter 3) is one I think I need to bring up with a friend of mine who I had been discussing organic produce with the other day. She wasn’t sure what she needed to buy organic versus conventional to avoid pesticides (page 36). I’ve seen the same list online, but it’s nice to have a physical copy of the list.

There’s a great section at the back of the book on Healthy Resources. You can find out where to learn more on your favorite topics or learn about some of the products they recommend.

Of course, every parent reading this will have their own favorite sections, depending on what they need to learn. I do strongly recommend you get this book. Check your library if it’s not in the budget, but with all the resources it provides, you’re probably going to want to buy your own copy to keep referring back to.

Are You Being Water Wise?

Here in southern California we’re facing some pretty serious water issues. The water supply is pretty low, and they’re talking about restrictions this summer. But since many people in the area have been working hard to conserve already there’s a bit of a challenge in making sure that they aren’t punishing people who have already cut back and just can’t cut back more.

But even if that isn’t a problem in your area just now, cutting back is a good idea. The website Be Water Wise was created by the Southern California Metropolitan Water District, and the stats are for this area, but some of the water saving advice is good anywhere.

These are some of my favorite tips and how we implement them:

1. Water the lawns less.

Our front lawn gets very little water. It’s kind of unattractive, but I’ve come to see really green lawns as a luxury we really can’t afford. I’d love to see native plants replace the front lawn.

Our back lawn gets somewhat more water for the simple reason that it’s a pleasant place for the children to play. That’s important too. But it is not the lush green of a heavily watered lawn. It gets just enough to keep going, and that’s it.

2. Shorter/combined showers, low flow showerheads.

Shorter and combined showers can save a lot of money. Combined showers can also cause water waste, so you do have to think about what it is you’re doing in there, if you get my drift. Two people in a shower can use less than two showering separately if they make that choice.

The fact that my 4 year old likes to come and play in the shower ensures that things move pretty quickly for my husband and I.

I also keep my showers shorter by thinking about how often my hair really needs washing. That’s a personal preference, but you may be surprised at how you can train your hair to need a different level of care. Make changes slowly and you may be able to decrease how often you wash your own.

Similarly, my kids still choose to bathe together. I keep expecting my daughter to get modest any time now, but so far that hasn’t happened. For now we just enjoy the fact that we have to run only one bath for the two older kids. We don’t run it deep most times, so it won’t be the worst thing when they choose to separate.

Low flow showerheads are also a great idea. I actually don’t know if the normal settings on our current shower head are low flow or not (I suspect not), but I do know that the mist setting is good enough for showering with for the most part.

3. Capture water that would otherwise be wasted.

We have a bit of an unusual situation in our home. The water comes into the house in such a way that the kitchen sink gets steaming hot water coming out at first during warm weather. I mean that literally. It’s painful to the touch.

Rather than waste that water when we need cold water, we catch it in an old gallon jug. It is then used for watering plants.

It’s not much water, but I figure the gallons add up.

I’m still working on convincing my husband to capture water from heating the shower. That’s a bit tougher, as it’s more inconvenient. Harder to get the water to plants, plus a bucket would be underfoot. But the amount of water would be more significant.

4. Generally avoid bad water habits.

Some of the water saving tips we read about I’ve never had to worry about because they describe habits I haven’t had.

I’ve never tended to run water while brushing my teeth, for example. Never done that, never seen the point.

Same for washing down walkways and driveways with water instead of a broom. Honestly I don’t clean them off often anyhow, but I just can’t see using water to do that. Sweeping isn’t that hard.

What are your favorite water saving habits?

Greener Hair Care

I have long hair. Really long, as in I can sit on the tips if I’m not careful. I’m also very aware of how much it can take to care for this kind of hair, and how damaging certain products can be, not just to my hair, but to the environment.

These are some tips I know work for me. They may not be for everyone, as different hair types will react differently. But the only way to find out is to experiment.

1. Wash hair less often.

I do not wash my hair every time I shower. I absolutely know that I can get away with washing it about twice a week. Possibly less, but my current routine allows me to wash my hair on mornings that I do not need to be rushing out the door to anything. That has pretty much kept me from trying to stretch it further.

With long hair, washing less often offers two advantages. The most obvious is that I use less water, as washing long hair takes time.

It’s also better for long hair, or at least mine, as the natural oils get stripped out less often.

2. Limit which parts of the hair get shampoo and conditioner.

I read about this a couple of years ago, and it really works for me. Shampoo is for the hair closest to the scalp, not the length of the hair. The length of the hair will be sufficiently cleaned as the shampoo rinses off the hair closer to the scalp.

On the other hand, the hair closer to the scalp has less need of conditioner. That is primarily for the length of the hair, which gets fewer of the natural oils produced in the scalp.

3. Use a boar bristle brush.

You may have read about how women used to brush their hair 100 strokes every day. Know what?

It works wonders if you do that with a boar bristle brush. I do have rather mixed feelings about them, as I’m not sure how the bristles are collected, but I must say they do a marvelous job.

I untangle my hair with a regular brush first. I’ve never had any luck detangling with boar bristle brushes. But once that’s done I go at it with the boar bristle. 100 strokes, all from scalp to the tips of the strands. I can feel the difference when I’m done.

The natural boar bristles collect the oils from near the scalp and spread it along the entire length of the hair. It’s amazingly good for it.

If you buy one, go for quality. No point to buying something you’d have to replace more often than necessary.

4. Jojoba oil or coconut oil for deep conditioning.

If I get too busy to use the boar bristle brush with any regularity, either jojoba oil or coconut oil can work wonders. They’re very light oils, so they won’t weigh hair down to heavily, at least for me.

Depending on my needs, I can apply it as soon as my hair is dry, or put in extra the night before or even just shortly before washing my hair to act as a deep conditioner.

It takes literally drops of jojoba oil. Coconut oil is often a solid, but it takes a very small amount. In either case, you warm it by rubbing it between your hands, then stroking your hands down the length of your hair. I do several strokes, the first ones just of the last few inches, then covering more of the length as I go.

5. Rare use of styling products.

I hardly ever use any hair styling products. Not even hair spray. I use the length of my hair, elastic bands and hair sticks to create a nice variety of hair styles, and for the most part I really don’t need to spray or smear  any chemicals in to keep it in place. This is no doubt a part of why I can get away with washing it less. Nothing added to make it sticky.

Except maybe sticky-fingered hugs from my kids, that is. But we won’t go there right now.

Things I’d like to try

I’m on a tight budget, so I haven’t tried all the green hair care solutions I’d like to. Some are cheap enough, but remembering to do them with 3 kids underfoot, one a young baby, isn’t easy. But in the near future I intend to try:

1. Baking soda and vinegar rinse.

I’ve heard a lot about this, and I really want to give it a try. Hair is washed with baking soda, then rinsed with vinegar. I see a lot of people specify apple cider vinegar, but I don’t know if that matters or if plain white vinegar is good enough. It’s something I just need to research a bit more.

2. Greener shampoos and conditioners.

Most of the ones I’ve seen cost a bit more than I’m willing to budget on shampoo and conditioner just now. I don’t buy the exceedingly cheap stuff now, but what I use is still rather typical stuff you can get at any Target that has been available for years and years. I’m not that loyal to a particular brand or anything either.

But I really want to start working through some of the brands I see listed as better on Skin Deep. Much better all the way around, potentially, for me and the environment. I like that.

What about you? Any products you particularly like? Anything you do with your routine to keep things greener.