Category Archives: Eco Friendly Home

Should These Detergent Chemicals Be Banned?

The Sierra Club has asked the EPA to ban various detergent chemicals that have been linked to sex changes in fish. The problem chemicals are nonylphenol ethoxylates, or NPEs. Intersex fish have been documented in southern Great Lakes, the Potomac River watershed and the Southern California coast.

This is why it is important to consider what is in the chemicals you use. I’ve been trying to cut back on chemical cleansers in my home. So many things can be replaced with less toxic or even nontoxic homemade cleansers that do a wonderful job. Fortunately, there are also more environmentally friendly brands appearing in stores as well. Seventh Generation is pretty easy for me to find.

I am glad to see that the EPA has been asked to review the use of some chemicals. Changes aren’t likely to happen easily, but an EPA ban or ruling on where these chemicals could be used would be quite a help. Until then, I’m taking this as a reminder to work on banning these chemicals in my own home.

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Whole Foods Has Podcasts

Have you ever listened to a podcast? I’ve listened to one or two on my computer. My husband has avery basic MP3 player, but I’ve never downloaded anything on it other than music.

But podcasts are gaining in popularity, and you can get some great information on it. It’s kind of neat seeing how companies are starting to take advantage to share information.

This month Whole Foods has a natural skin care podcast. I haven’t done much with natural skin care myself, aside from the occasional aloe for sunburn. But since I rarely use moisturizers or makeup, it’s not a topic I think about a lot. But I have started to think about it more as I get older and notice dry skin more often.

I’ve been working on using more natural products all around. It can be a bit tricky figuring out what works best. I like jojoba oil for my hair, as it is very long and keeping the ends in good condition can take a little extra effort. But I haven’t done much more yet.

The podcasts are on some really useful topics and contain some good information. I can see some advantage in listening, and I may just have to start playing these as I do housework or something.

Consumer Reports Looks at Global Warming

Wish I’d spotted this sooner. Consumer Reports has launched a site called GreenerChoices to help consumers make more environmentally friendly choices.

On the front page today, for example, was a link to a report on nonstick pans. Many people are concerned about the actual safety of these. I like their final advice on them:

Still, it’s sensible to take a few precautions with nonstick cookware. Use ventilation when cooking, don’t put empty pans over very high heat, and toss pans that have started to flake. Flaking can cause uneven heating that might accelerate emissions.

And then there’s my own take, which is that I want to get rid of my nonstick pans as they wear out (I hate getting rid of things I can still use), and replace them with iron pans. I have one iron pan already, and just love it! And it’s not going to wear out or need replacing every few years, which is another problem I have with nonstick pans. Continue reading →

Buying Green Food on a Budget

One of the most basic things you can do for the environment is to buy foods that are produced in environmentally sound ways. Unfortunately, this can be quite expensive and the foods can be hard to find.

The main reason this can seem to be so hard is that people often limit themselves to the grocery stores, where organic foods are priced significantly higher than other foods. But your local grocery store may not be the best choice.

Find a local farmer’s market. Not all of the food there will be organically produced, but you can talk to the people there and find out. As an added environmental benefit, most of the food will be locally grown.

You can also try a food co-op. Joining a co-op means that you will get whatever is grown at the time, rather than choosing what you want, but the produce will be organically and locally grown. These are not available in all communities, but are well worth looking into.

Another solution if you have the room, is to grow some of your own. The wonderful thing about having your own garden is that you choose exactly what goes into it. It’s also a great way to teach children about where food comes from. And of course it is a nice bit of exercise. Continue reading →

Back Home After a Tough Trip

Drove to Sacramento this weekend. My grandmother has been in the hospital for too many reasons, so I and much of the rest of the family picked this weekend to go.

It was quite a trip. Borrowed my mother’s car since it was big enough for the five of us coming from the Southern California area. Yes, a nicely packed car, especially when you consider that two of the children are yet in car seats.

The trip was draining on so many levels. Seeing my grandmother in her current condition was tough, but necessary.

But I was also drained by a lack of sleep. My son was a major cause of that, as he didn’t like traveling, or rather, sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Starting the trip in the early, early morning of course also did not help matters.

Some things were fun, though. If you ever go to Sacramento with young children, check out Fairytale Town. It’s a place that would never be built today. The Crooked Mile is a particularly good example of that. A path I eould estimate as varying between 18-36 inches wide, 1-4 feet above ground, curving, twisting, tilting, up and down. The kids love it, but it could never be built today… no handrails or other safety features.

I’m still tired. So today, while I have some definite work goals in mind, I know I also need to kick back a little and just recover. I could have slept a lot longer this morning if my kids had allowed it.