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Are you green?
So I've been wondering how EF people are in reality.
Last year DH and I had a discussion about "green lifestyles". It stemmed from a discussion about future children and cloth diapering. I always planned on doing so but had never discussed it with him. I was surprised when he agreed with me and said that it would be something he would definitely want to do.
Anyways, it really opened my eyes to how many people are more green than you think. Of course there are the easily visible things such as using canvas shopping bags. But I've been so shocked, and pleased at how easy it is to do more.
We've been making small steps, less paper towels, more cloth, no plastic, but my biggest thing lately is that we're transitioning all of our household cleaners out. Which got me stressing about the other chemicals we use. If I'm so worried about household chemicals, shouldn't there be other options for the stuff I put on my body? Well apparently there are other options. So I cut myself off cold turkey from traditional shampoo and facial cleansers. I'm all about the olive oil and baking soda now.
My point is... am I crazy? I feel like I kind of am, but part of me is hoping that there are other closeted greeners that are weirdos just like me.
Re: Are you green?
We try....but we totally Fail at it compared to you Jaye! haha
Tell me about the olive oil and baking soda? Im interested!
I totally fail at being green. Sadly, most of it is a convienence thing. For whatever reason, I think it's easier to grab other things like shampoo or household cleaners than make my own. I have several friends who make their own laundry detergent. It's ridiculously cheap but I'm far to lazy to do that. I do want to be better in the coming months. I'd rather not have a house full of chemicals with a brand new baby.
ETA: I don't think you're crazy at all. There are so many reasons for ditching the store bought and making your own products. I can only imagine how much money I'd save if I stopped buying all the cleaning products I do, and just picked up things like ammonia, vinegar, and baking soda.
I actually feel like I'm turning in to a hippie...it's kinda freaking me out.
But I'm moreso freaking out about all of the essential oils that are in chemical cleaners that our cats livers can't process. That sent me through the roof with worry, and spawned a whole new mind frame.
Anyways...
There is such a thing as washing your face with oil. I know weird eh? But it totally works, and I'm in love with it. From my research, the common way is to combine different oils, the main ones being castor and olive oil. Well I haven't gotten around to picking up any castor, so I've been going straight olive, but it's working great. My skin is so soft and looks so much brighter. You basically massage the oil into your face and then apply a hot wash cloth to steam out your pores. The heat dissolves the oil and your skin is left super nice.
Then I've been washing my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar. I pour a BS/water solution onto my roots, massage, rinse and then pour a vinegar/water solution on and rinse (this is a conditioner). I don't use the vinegar everyday, actually my hair works well with just the BS. But the idea is that you train your body to not produce as much oils (regular shampoos actually make your hair oilier and you get addicted to using it) so you don't need to wash constantly. So far I've gotten down from needing to shampoo everyday, to only using my solution every two days.
I suck at recycling. I use the fact that we're at an apt for an excuse. I really want to recycle more. Hopefully if we get into a house soon I can make that happen.
Hm, I try, but I'm not totally green. I did set up a recycling program at my work. And I usually only use reusable grocery bags. I use natural light instead of artificials ones whenever possible.
Like one pp said, I like the convenience of store-bought products like shampoo and cleaners. I understand you wanting to be green for your cats' health, though! I just saw a post on MM the other day about how you can use vinegar and baking soda on so many of your normal household cleaning projects (cleaning windows, fabric softener, carpets). If you didn't see that post, you could probably go back a few pages and find it. It was titled something like "Top 10 MM Cleaning" or something.
Nope, I don't think you are crazy at all. I'm the same way.
I use traditional shampoo and conditioner bc the other ones that are natural dont' work as good but I don't use traditional lotion or sun screen. I make sure it's natural or pretty damn close to it.
I believe that's why there are so many people with cancer, becuase of the stuff they put on their bodies.
I also eat turkey with no additives, sulfates or nitrates or hot dogs or anything with nitrates for that matter. (I try at least lol)
I think I'm a nut though. haha
I also plan on using cloth diapers as well and changing to all natural hair dye so I can continue to dye my hair when I'm pregnant.
my kid is still alive, lol. no but really you are allowed to, they just advise you to wait till after 1st tri normally
cloth diapers make me happy.
I can't do the cloth diapers, I'm sorry. Someone posted on D&R the other day about Family Cloth, and I nearly threw up in my mouth. That's just too much for me.
As for being green, I totally fail. But I can understand the point about chemical cleaners, and babies. That's probably something I'll explore further when the time comes.
We are definitely trying to be more green (me moreso than DH but he's catching on)
We are planning on CD'ing
We also use cloth wipes to clean
we use baking soda/vinegar for most of our cleaning
Our scour scrub and laundry detergent are from http://www.jennysimplyclean.com
I need to make the switch to canvas bags but haven't gotten to it yet. But we reuse all of our plastic ones for lunches as well. So that makes me feel a little bit better.
I'm sure there are more but I can't think of it right now.
ETA and we recycle!
We are also plannin on using glass bottles for the LO
And most likely I'll make cloth wipes for LO's bum/face
Family Cloth...now that's something I could never do. Not only that but DH would definitely start thinking I was a crazy woman if I ever suggested it.
This.
We recycle a lot of stuff (usually more than we throw out - depending on the week).
That's really about it. I too fail due to convenience. And I have zero desire to cloth diaper. I just can't. I dry heave at cat puke and cleaning out the litter box. I've gotten good with the poopy diapers, but washing them? I just can't.
A really great green cleaner is Holy Cow. It is super cheap and you can get it at WalMart, Walgreens, or Albertson's. I started using this product when we had our son and I went green. I am a huge advocate of knowing what chemicals are in your products. You would be amazed. You can see how the products that you are using are rated on.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1
http://www.ewg.org/
I know a lot of people who have done it while pregnant but I, personally, can't do it. What ever you put on or in your body will effect your child, some time in life, I believe.
I will also be using glass bottles for our LO one day and we recycle even being in an apt. complex. We just have to take a special trip to drop it off.
PS
I found some really nice microfiber macine washable cleaning cloths at the dollar store.
well then sorry i'm so terrible!
I'm not saying you are terrible at all. lol I, personally, just can't do it! I'm not saying you're a bad person at all!!! I'm sure you are a wonderful wonderful mother! I'm just a paranoid freak about getting cancer or even my child getting it.
I was admitted at 33 weeks due to kidney issues, and I was on morphine for 5 days. I had to have a tube inserted into my kidney through my back muscle and leave it there till after I had the baby. They gave me like 15 xrays while I was in the hospital, no joke. And they had to inject this dye crap into me. I was sooooooo worried and crying the whole time that he was going to be all deformed with cancer. So far so good I guess but that was something out of my control. They were supposed to knock me out for the tube but since I was pregnant they couldn't, so I was awake for the procedure with very little pain meds
. I was seriously freaking out, but I guess all of his organs and everything were formed. It was either that or kidney failure! So I told them to fix it, lol.
We are kinda green I guess...
We recycle lots. I try to buy used stuff (love me some garage sale deals). Love that Holy Cow stuff! Or the whole baking soda thing is amazing--I worked on the Queen of Clean's TV show and it is surprising how you can clean naturally!
DH is a little green, so we don't CD. We also buy bottled water too often, trying to stop that now. I'd also like to try composting, but I haven't quite gotten there...
Real Estate side note--I had some clients that had urban chickens (chickens will eat anything I guess) and their house wouldn't sell and they couldn't believe it was the chickens--I found it amusing
Wow, that's scary!!! Like you said, that was WAY out of your control but I understand why you were so worried! I would have been too!!! And now you have an adorable little boy. :-)
I am a tad green, but only with canvas bags, which I forget half the time, and we recycle! I love recycling! I did see that Bull S**t show with Penn and Teller, however, how when your recycling is picked up, it doesn't go to recycle heaven as I would hope, and get remade into other products; their stats showed more than half of what we "recycle" goes to the landfills anyway.
IDK, I think I have to try the Holy Cow now and other greener options!
Good on you Jaye for using BS and Vinegar solutions for your hair, and olive oil for your skin! I might give that a whirl! And, I've never heard of Family Cloth, I'm terrified to look it up on google now! LOL!
Trying to figure out other ways to be green! If I lived in a different climate, I would compost for sure! We have a gravel yard, no gardening here. I did use those Purex washer and dryer cloths, not sure if that is green, but it saves on liquid detergent, too pricey though for constant washing and drying.