Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Introduction.
Hi GL, I was lurking here and would like to become more "green", especially now that I am having a baby. I want him to grow up knowing the importance of protecting the environment. I figured I'd introduce myself and maybe you have some suggestions how I can improve.
I have been mostly vegan for the past 12 years (vegetarian for 16), we recycle but not as much as we should, I need to get better at remembering to bring bags to the grocery store and use more green cleaners. I do not eat organic because I can't afford it but I would love to start a small veggie garden this year. It's fine to poison myself but baby really doesn't have a choice of what to eat so should get as much organic as possible. I don't really have a yard just a small raised plot behind my house (it's a townhouse). I am ashamed to admit but I have a BS and MS in horticulture but have never been able to grow my own food before. We don't have a hose in the back so it's hard to keep up with watering demands.
Any advice or suggestions of other things I can be doing?
Re: Introduction.
Welcome. I'm fairly new here but the girls here are super knowledgeable and really nice. And it's nice to see another local Nestie - I live in Glenside.
Not to be snarky, but I find it ironic that you say that it's ok to poison yourself but not your baby, when in fact, what conventional foods you are eating now have a direct impact on your baby that is still growing inside of you. You don't have to start out eating everything organic, but focus on the things you eat most of and will have the most impact, like produce that is sprayed with tons of pesticides and herbicides. If you are a vegan, then obviously you don't have to worry about dairy and meat.
You definitely don't need a huge plot of land to grow a garden. There are some gardening tips here in this recent post: http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/49576513.aspx
As for other things you could be doing, start out slowly or you will get overwhelmed. Keep your reusable bags in the car so that they are always with you when you go shopping.
Try creating less waste - I found great resources on this board for reusable sandwich/snack bags - use rags instead of paper towels, recycle, buy things with less packaging to start.
Try switching to non-toxic cleaners, and if you want to go a step further, make your own. Vinegar cleans everything and is much cheaper than regular cleaners.
Compost.
Buy local.
Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions!
#1 12.11.11
#2 10.23.13 EDD
I totally agree, I would have started a veggie garden when I got pregnant if I could. I really should have started one years ago but I guess I didn't want to bring my work home with me. All throughout high school it was my dream to be an organic farmer, I think I just got lost along the way.
Thanks for all the tips! I usually reuse my plastic sandwich bags (when I use them, I usually use tupperwaear) but actual reusable ones would be nice.
Doesn't vinegar smell bad when you use it to clean? I have tons of essential oils, I would love to make a really nice smelling cleaner. Are there any recipes for cleaners that don't have a strong odor that I can "scent"?
Shop local farmer's markets for produce and ask about their spraying habits if you have trouble with your garden.
Vinegar only smells when you first spray it but the scent goes away when it dries. And after using it for awhile, I don't even really notice it anyway. But yes, you can add a few drops of essential oils to your all-purpose vinegar/water mix. See this link for recipes: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-cleaning-spring-cleaning-460303
#1 12.11.11
#2 10.23.13 EDD
Thanks so much.
You may want to get the book Square Foot Gardening. Here's the website: http://www.squarefootgardening.org/whatissfg
Basically, you build a raised garden that's 4' x 4' (you can also make whatever size you want as long as two sides are 4' or less so you can reach into the center). In the book, he gives you samples of what you can plant per square foot so for example, a tomato plant would have its own square foot while carrots would be planted 16 to a square foot. So basically, your entire raised garden is planted with stuff as opposed to a regular row garden where you've got room to walk down the aisles. His argument is that it you can fit much more into a fraction of the space and there is less upkeep. You pull weeds from just the raised bed instead of all the aisles in a row garden. It's also easier to water because it's compact. I'm sick of having so much wasted space for weeds to grow so I'm turning last year's veggie garden area into a native flower garden and I'll try the raised beds instead.
Tired after a long morning of hiking and swimming.
Thanks! I have a few books that I think have similar info (all of which I should know from school but putting it into practice is a whole other story). I have a really large shrub and 3 smaller ones that I need to have removed before I can start anything.
You don't have to buy all your produce at Whole Foods, you can actually find bargins in your local grocery stores or big box stores. For example, we buy all our organic apples at BJs because we can get a 5 pound bag for $7.49. There's also a grocery store near us that sells organic produce for the same price (or pennies more) as the same produce being sold that has used chemicals. We also have going bad racks at the grocery store where a lot of organic produce/meats/cheeses end up for super cheap. These things also go on sale and checking out local farmers is another great option.
I'd really recommend starting to phase out the chemicals in your house and replacing them with non-toxic chemicals. You can clean with things like baking soda, vinegar, salt, castile soap and washing soda. It's super cheap and very easy to make most of these household cleaners. I use this website:
http://goodwifeinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/go-green-green-cleaning.html
For organic I buy what is on sale, what is in the dirty dozen and what is the same price of cheaper than non organic. We also have a garden in the summer so that helps!
My biggest advice is to just take a look at your life and what your impact is then determine what you want to change. Start small and don't beat yourself up for falling back into your old routine (especially when the baby comes). Just do what you can every day!