Category Archives: Going Green

What Do You Need to Buy to Be Green?

One of the great temptations of trying to go green is to buy all the organic, fair trade, etc. stuff you can to show that you really believe in saving the environment. It feels good, but it’s the wrong answer to the question of what you should buy in order to be green.

shop less

The right answer is: Buy less. Much, much less.

When you need to buy something, then look at what it’s made of, where it comes from, and the conditions under which it was manufactured. Those are great points to consider.

But there is nothing in the least bit green about throwing away the things you have that are perfectly good. It’s somewhat better to send them to a thrift or resale shop so that someone else can use them. Even in sending things on to the thrift shops, you should be thinking about whether or not you need to be replacing them.

I’ll admit it’s fun to look at the beautiful things you can buy now that are environmentally friendly or sustainable. Having such options is a real privilege. Just don’t go overboard.

If it’s not a health hazard, it probably ought to stick around until it really does wear out. That right there is the key to this whole deal.

Some things may be better off replaced, however. Old appliances may use sufficient power that replacing them will be greener than continuing to use them ought to go as your budget permits.

Cleaning supplies are a great target for replacement. I still recommend using up the old nasty chemical ones; you’ve used them this long and it probably won’t hurt you to finish off the various bottles. The chemicals would end up in the landfill, being poured down your drain or given to a less concerned friend anyhow.

There are plenty of green alternatives out there. You can make up a great variety of cleansers just using vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and other safe, common household items. There are a variety of green cleaners out there for you to choose from, such as those made by Method and Seventh Generation.

Going green on anything you use up makes a whole lot of sense.

If you have the room, buying seeds and supplies for your garden can also make a lot of sense. Even just a herb garden can be a nice thought for those of you who are apartment dwellers. It’s a little touch of nature, and control over how some of your food is produced.

Do your best to keep track of the real goal when you’re going green. It’s not about having the best stuff. It’s not showing your green cred by dressing in the latest organic fashions or driving a hot new hybrid. It’s about doing your part to do the least damage possible to the environment.

Is the Cost of Going Green Worth It?

Many people have an image of going green as expensive. Hybrid cars cost more than regular cars. Solar panels are expensive.

Thank goodness there are more ways than that to go green!

One of the most important steps you can take to go green is to simply consume less. Go shopping less. Reuse and repurpose things as they get older. It can’t be expensive if you aren’t spending money on it, except maybe in time.

Some steps may cost a little more at first, such as making the switch from paper napkins and paper towels to cloth varieties of the same things. On the other hand, these can last for years, so you can save quite a bit in the long run. And that’s what you should ideally be thinking about.

Going green in the things you need to buy can save money too, or at least not cost extra. When it comes to cleaning products, for example, there are more and more green products coming out all the time, and many have similar prices to conventional products.

And for those who don’t mind a very small bit of extra time, products such as vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice can work wonders around the house. They’re also quite affordable and often do as well as conventional products. Sometimes you’ll need to put a little extra elbow grease into your scrubbing, but you can still get the job done.

Either of these solutions can keep toxins out of your home. That means that you may feel better, especially if you or anyone in your family has allergies.

Buying organic food is probably one of the most expensive things that you would do on a regular basis. I won’t argue that organic food is more expensive than conventionally grown, but you can offset this somewhat by growing your own. There’s a cost to getting started with a garden, but there are benefits beyond the fresh produce. You get exercise. You get to teach your children about where food comes from. It can be a lot of fun combined with frustration. There are few things as wonderful as fresh picked produce. The stuff in the grocery stores just cannot compete.

Reusable shopping bags are quite popular now. These don’t have to cost a fortune if you don’t mind having a store logo on them. Many grocery stores sell them for just a dollar each. Sure it’s something you wouldn’t have had to buy otherwise, paper and plastic grocery bags being free, but you’re not spending much and cutting waste way down.

Energy efficient light bulbs may also seem expensive, but you need to keep some things in mind. First, that they will save you money over time. They use less energy and last longer. Second, that in many areas you can find them free or discounted by your local power company. I’ve often found them at about $1 per bulb. It’s not a bad deal at all.

Whenever you try something new and green, just be sure that you are indeed going green. Many companies merely claim to be more environmentally friendly, greenwashing their products to appeal to that market. But when you check things out, they’re as bad as the usual stuff.

Husband Has a New Job

You have no idea how relieved I am.

It’s not a great job. It’s not a green job. It’s not something he wants to stick with for more than a few months, ideally. But it’s income. Possibly good income since a part of the pay is based on commission.

But it’s income and health coverage. A chance to get off the COBRA coverage.

Investigating the new coverage, which starts the first day of the first month after the 60 day mark, it looks like I will have to change obstetricians for this baby. At first I was kind of disappointed, but now I’m not… so long as the copays and whatnot aren’t bad.

You see, the research I did on it included taking a better look at the hospital I was going to deliver at. I had been thinking my OB’s insistence on another C-section might have been her personal preference.

But in my research I found out how to look at the hospitals. The one nearest me just doesn’t routinely offer VBAC. But the one I would have to deliver at under the new plan DOES!!

I’ll put up with the extra driving for that chance. I really didn’t want to go the C-section route again. If it’s necessary that’s one thing. But due to a stinking hospital policy? NO!!

The minus is that there are only two OBs in my area to choose from, and only one actually specializes in it. The other is in internal medicine.

Nervous as I am about all this, I’m glad to have the chance to really try for VBAC. And of course I’m grateful for any kind of work that my husband can do. He’s keeping up the job hunt to try to find a career position, but in the meantime, we just need to get by.

And I’m trying not to think about how little time he’ll probably be able to take when baby gets here. Good thing there’s lots of family around.

Moving is Such a Big Decision

I have a great offer from my sister. She’s looking into buying a home, and has invited my family to live with her rent-free in exchange for keeping the house going and helping with her 13 year old daughter.

But it’s in the Bay Area.

Thing is, we just about have to move anyhow. The way things are going for me right now with my home business, we might be able to stick around here,  but maybe not. It’s really hard to say. But the option is to move in with my inlaws. I don’t know how it is for you, but for me, my sister would be significantly easier to live with than my inlaws, even though they’re wonderful people.

Moving itself certainly isn’t the greenest of activities. We did, however, save all of our boxes from our last move. Even loaned a bunch out to my sister when she moved, and they slowly wandered back to us, mostly. So at least we won’t have to buy a lot of moving supplies.

It’s also a great excuse to clean out all the JUNK that just seems to happen. Lots of excess children’s toys and such really need to go to the thrift store.

The most painful part for me is that I almost have our finances under control without moving in with somebody. ALMOST. If it weren’t for the cost of COBRA coverage, I’d have it. My inlaws have very generously been paying that, and I want to get into a situation where we can take that bill back from them.

I’m just waiting to see what my husband decides to do, since this is a big impact on his job hunting.

Fun Watching Family Get It

One of the struggles I’ve faced in going green in my life is with my husband and kids. Differing views on what is worth doing can be challenging.

That makes it so nice as things start to click!

My husband recently bought and installed a simple clothesline. His comment was that it was really too warm to be using the dryer. Last year he wasn’t interested in the idea. He’s now hung various loads out to dry and likes how fast it goes on hot days.

He’s getting it in more areas too. He’s as much a fan of using vinegar for cleaning as I am, I think. He used to complain about the smell. I’ve taught him that a couple drops of lavender oil takes care of that.

Kids are more challenging, although at 6 my daughter is really getting the basic ideas of recycling and cleaning up trash she finds when we go for walks. Both kids will ask which can a particular item goes into when it’s time.

Patience, I’d say, is really the key. You may not get them to do what you want right away, but over time you can get family members to see why you want to recycle, use less energy and so forth.