Mother Earth likes it when you foam up, baby.

Sometimes you realize that something is kind of Eco-Friendly after the fact.

Like, after you do it because you are a cheap bastard.

Last year, I decided to really start teaching Braden to wash his hands on his own – meaning that he’d do all steps without my assistance/intervention. Previously, I’d turn on the water, put the soap in his hands, rub them together… you get the drift.

In order to make it easier on him and cheaper on our budget, I decided that a foaming soap dispenser was a good idea. That way he’d have instant lather, instead of having to create it from goopy soap. I figured it would really save on soap, too, since he wouldn’t be sliming his hands excessively if he had the foam.

I was right. It was easier on him not having to create lather. Now, figuring out that he had to have the other hand under the pump when he pressed it down? THAT WAS THE HARD PART. Hah!

By the time he was a pro at it, the dispenser was almost empty. I eyed the bottle of Method Green Tea & Aloe Hand Soap that was up on top of the cabinet where he couldn’t reach it, longingly. But no, I didn’t want him Gooping!

Then it hit me: the stuff in the foaming dispenser really just looked like heavily watered down soap. So I tried it… I put in a small amount of soap and filled the rest of the dispenser up with water.

TOTALLY WORKED. And now we all wash our hands with that soap! We’re using way less soap for hand washing, which is cool and it falls under the “Reduce” category of Eco-Friendliness.

It will also save ya some bucks. They charge way more than they should for the watered down soap in the foam dispensers, so just buy that ONCE and then refill it yourself. And of course, if you choose an Eco-Safer soap like Method, or Lemon-Brite, you’re also treating Mother Earth kind by not dumping chemicals all up on her shiznite.

Do you have an article or post about something “green” that you do in your home, or on Eco-Friendly tips? Please feel free to link to it on the Mr. Linky below.

I used to do this type of post once a month, and it’s called Project Support Beauty in Nature. You can click that link (or the tab on the navigation bar under the website header) to read all about it, how it developed, and see a list of past posts and participants. I have had the project on hiatus for several months while I tried to find the emotional energy to write more again.

I’m happy to say, the project is back up and “airs” the 2nd Monday of every month.

Please feel free to add your “green” link to the Mr. Linky (just below) in this post anytime for the rest of this week.

Potty training can be green, too.

John and I switched Braden to cloth diapers way back in February (Bum Genius 3.0) and our only regret was that we didn’t do it from day one. We are already planning on bringing up our next child in them from the very start. If you click the above link and read, you’ll see that cloth diapering is good for the earth and your wallet. The initial cost is nothing compared to the huge amount you’ll save in the long run.

But does the good stuff have to end during potty training? Must you run out a buy disposable potty training pants to get by?

Heck no. There are cloth training pants out there, people! And I can give you a personal recommendation because we’ve already tried some of them. Braden played around with potty training earlier this year and was doing very well for some time. He has since regressed and decided he’s not interested in full time potty-training anymore, so he’s back in diapers to take the stress off of all of us. We check in with him from time to time, and we know he’ll be ready eventually.


HOWEVER! We ordered “Dri Days Training Pants” from OneStepAhead.com. I was a bit nervous, not sure of what was going to show up or how I’d feel about them, but they are excellent. I was never worried that Braden would be standing in a puddle at any time while he was wearing these – they are incredibly absorbent for little underpants!  At the same time, the absorbent pad is directly in contact with the child’s body, so the child can feel the wetness and learn to respond.  Braden always seemed very comfortable while wearing them.


I was so pleased to find something that we could wash and use over and over again, rather than adding disposable training pants to the landfills out there. They are $9.95 a piece, so not cheap, but if you buy a handful and use them over and over again, you’ll end up spending less than on package after package of the disposable training pants (and use them over with more than one child!) and you can feel good that you’re doing the right thing, which is invaluable, truly.


The linky below is open to anyone who wants to link in any type of “green” post they have written within the past month, or in the next couple of weeks.  Please link in anything you’ve written that’s applicable, and thank you in advance!

PSBN Update

When I started this whole PSBN thing, I was really revved up about making changes in my family’s lifestyle that would result in a better outcome for the earth we live on.  We made the decision to “Go Green(er)” in small steps, consistently, over time.

Some changes require no more than a re-ordering of the way you do things and a little conscious effort.

Other changes require a bit of financial investment. 

We’ve done some of each of those kinds of things.  I have, in fact, planned quite a lot of changes for us over the months to come.  The only reason why we have to spread them out instead of doing them all at once is the cost factor of many of them.

I thought I’d give a running list of some of the changes we’ve made so far.

So far we:

• Went on a Trash Cleanup Walk in our old neighborhood.  I plan on doing this again in our new neighborhood.  Probably in the Fall, when we won’t die of a heatstroke.
• Started recycling our garbage at the curb again. (This was easy for us.  Just one call and a Recycle Dumpster was delivered to us free of charge.  Check with your local trash association to see what you can do.  It never hurts to look into it!)
• Separate out all glass, since they won’t accept it at the curb, and save it to take to the Recycling Center ourselves.  We’ll be making our first trip with a glass load this week.
• Switched from disposable to cloth diapers.  Our only regret has been that we didn’t do cloth from the very beginning.  (We’ve also started hanging these out to dry in the back yard instead of using the machine to dry them. Woot!)
• Conserve previously wasted shower water (cold water at the start goes in a bucket).
• Have gotten back to using more eco-friendly cleaners in our home.
• Started using rechargeable batteries. (haven’t posted about it yet, stayed tuned for future posts!)
• Bring reusable bags with us to the grocery store. (haven’t posted about it yet, stayed tuned for future posts!)
• Have become Energy Misers.  Thermostat, lights, appliance, plugs, you name it!
• Switched over almost 100% of our incandescents for CFLs.  Ongoing project since before PSBN, actually.
• Eat organic when we can… cost influences this greatly.  We mind the list of things that are most important to buy organic.  (haven’t posted about it yet, stayed tuned for future posts!)
• Plan all our errands in groups whenever we can, since we have to drive and burn fuel.  With the price of gas lately, this is a huge money saver now, as well.  I have always really wanted to get a bike with a kiddo seat, but it is really not safe to ride that way around here.

 

Future endeavors:

• Install a clothesline and procure a clothes wringer.
• Purchase and install rain collection barrells. (I want this so badly RIGHT NOW, it makes me twitch, but they’re expensive.)
• Finally purchase one-string produce bags (see where I mentioned them here) to take along with the reusable grocery bags.
• Start composting

 

There’s always more, of course, but those are the big ones I have in mind.  John and I have agreed, it’s like a game now, almost.  It’s fun to think up what we can do next and then meet the challenge.

Currently, we’re working on reducing the amount of toilet paper we use.  We’re in Phase Two of the TP Challenge.  By next month’s PSBN Scheduled Posting on August 11th, I’ll have some results for you and let you know how the whole thing went around here.  I hope some of you are still taking this challenge with us!  It really is a challenge.  Who knew how mindless TP Grabbing on the crapper was?

 

As always, please link to your green articles here today.  (Click through to see Mr. Linky.)  And remember, there’s always more you can do, and it’s always worth it.

 

Could ya think of me when you wee?

When was the last time you really looked at what was in your hand when you’re sitting on the toilet?

If it’s anything but toilet paper, I don’t want to hear about it.

But how MUCH toilet paper are you using?  John and I have agreed that over time, it’s easy to form a bad habit of grabbing way more than you need.  And we’re pretty sure we could stand to use less.

For 4 weeks, we’re going to see how much TP we use.  Then, for the next 4 weeks, we’re going to pay attention to what we “grab out of habit” and reduce it a little each time.

And I’m challenging you ALL to do this with us.  You can think of me every time you sit on the crapper.  What could be more fun?

It’ll be easy: just count up all the TP rolls in the house when you start, and keep track of anything that comes in during that time (TP purchases).  When the first 4 weeks are up, take stock.  The difference is how many rolls you used during the four weeks.

For the second half of the challenge, just make a conscious effort to use a little less than what you would normally “grab out of habit” when you’re using the toilet.  At the end of four weeks, determine the difference between what you had to start with and what you’re left with, again.

With this TP CHallenge we’ll see what just a little change can do to save resources.

Start date for the First Four Weeks is Wednesday, June 11, 2008.  End date is July 8, 2008.

Start date for the Second Four Weeks is July 9, 2008.  End date is August 6, 2008.

The PSBN post for August is scheduled for August 11, 2008.  I would love for you all to take this challenge and then post about it on August 11.  Link in to my post that day and let’s share our results.  It’s really a very easy step to take.  It costs you absolutely no money, and barely any effort. 

 

Are you with me?  Let’s see what a small change in habit can save us.

Money on toilet paper, for sure.  And you know what else?

I really like these thingies:
 

And maybe we can save some of them, if we change our habits indefinitely.  Whatcha think?

Leave me a comment telling me you’re in.

(Mr. Linky is here so you can add links to any PSBN or any type of “Green” posts you’ve done. Thanks!)

If I can’t get enough sleep, I can at least conserve energy elsewhere…

Since we here at The Carroll Household have been working to be kinder to the world we live in, I’ve talked to you about the walk that inspired this, the challenge I issued, our neighborhood clean-up, our switch to cloth diapers, and the cleaners we use around the house.

There are also several easy things you can do to save energy in your home on a day-to-day basis.  Here are some of the things we do…

Adjust the thermostat.  In the winter, we try to keep the thermostat between 64-68.  It’s actually comfortable, and if you feel chilly, you can always warm up with sweaters, blankets, and warm liquids.  Or with, um… fun activities.  

When we’re sleeping (or away from home) we drop the temperature even lower.  At night we can just snuggle up with blankets and each other – which is fun!  And because these drops last 8 hours or more, we save 5-15% on heating costs a year!

And remember, fireplaces might be sexy, but they are generally big, fat energy wasters, so only use them on occasion. 

In the summer, we try to keep the thermostat between 75-78.  Dressing appropriately for the season helps - yes, that means shorts, no matter how much you hate shaving or how badly your white, clammy skin blinds others who live with you.

We also use fans to offset cooling costs (by making us more comfortable with higher thermostat settings).  Ceiling fans and oscillating room fans use far less energy than your Whole-Home Cooling System, and will help it have work less often.  The fans will create a breeze you can feel to make it more comfortable to have the thermostat set at a higher setting.  Make sure you only have them on in rooms where there are people (or you’re wasting money). 

Window fans can also be used when the weather outside accomodates.  If it’s cooler outside than in, use dual fans to pull cool air in one window and push hot air out another.  This works especially well in 2 story homes (pull cool air into downstairs windows and suck hot air out upstairs windows).  Just make sure to turn your HVAC System off.

A really excellent thing we’ve done is to replace incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs.  They use about 75% less energy and last 10 times longer!  They also produce far less heat, which in turn will save you on cooling costs in the summer. 

They do cost more than regular bulbs, but the savings in electricity over time will pay for the bulbs, and then some.  They are available all over the place – so shop around and make notes to find the best price before you buy.  I purchased mine at Walmart, but you can buy them at Target, Lowes, Home Depot, and even online. 

It’s such an easy change to make with such huge energy savings and eco-friendly outcomes that you’d be nuts not to do it.

“What that means is that if every one of 110 million American households bought just one ice-cream-cone bulb [CFL], took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people. One bulb swapped out, enough electricity saved to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads.” -Source: FastCompany.Com

I challenge all of you – if you haven’t already done so – to change at least one of your incandescent bulbs to a CFL.  And the more, the better!

Learn more about CFLs, including how to dispose of them properly.

Another thing we’ve gotten really strict about is use of light - if we don’t really need it, we don’t turn it on.  When we’re done with it, we turn it off. 

We all know that we should turn off the lights when we leave a room, but it’s really easy to get in the bad habit of just walking out.  Remind yourself to hit that switch!  Another bad habit?  Turning on lights you don’t even really need.  If it’s daytime and you have windows, open up the curtains/blinds and use the free sunlight! 

If you really start making a conscious effort, you can get rid of energy waste and reduce your electric bills this way.  And hey, here’s your chance to feel like “real adults!”  Practice barking at your kids/roommates/cat/fish, “Turn off the lights or get a job!”  (Second only to, “Close the refridgerator – what are you trying to do, cool the whole house with it?!”)

Of course, lights aren’t the only things that waste electricity due to our habitual waste behaviors.  How many times have you walked away from a TV or stereo that was on?  Do you stand with the refridgerator door open for unneccesary amounts of time? (See above exclamation.)  Do you leave doors and windows open when the HVAC System is running? (In this case, you’re trying to heat/cool the whole neighborhood, obviously.  *crosses arms, cocks head and raises brow*) 

Again, when you start really tuning in to these types of behavior, you’ll be surprised at the energy you waste, and you’ll be able to start changing those bad habits.

And though it seems petty, unplug things you won’t use for awhile.  If it has a plug and you leave it in the outlet, it will drain electricity whether it’s “on” or not!  It may only be a small amount, but everything adds up over time.  Remember, small steps make a big difference in the long run.  So unplug your phone charger when it’s not in use.  Look around and see if you can spot things you only use on occasion, like maybe a bread maker, juicer or blender.  Unplug!

We’ve had some not too fun times with water heaters, so we’re very aware of them now.  Watch that hot water!  Set your water heater to no higher than 120degrees.  Not only will this prevent scalding accidents (a MUST if you have children), but it will save you money.  Water used in your dishwasher and clothes washing machine doesn’t need to be any hotter than that to disinfect and clean, but if it is, you’re paying extra for it.  So make sure that either you (if you know what you’re doing) or a handyman sets your water heater to no higher than 120.

These are really only a few of the things you can do to save energy at home.  There are many more that can be done. 

Do you think you’ll adopt any of these good habits?

What do you do that I’ve not mentioned here?

Scrubba Dub Dub!

It’s that time o’ the month again… no, not time to whip out your “WOMEN’S PADS!” Rather, it’s time to talk about the positive changes we’re making in our lives that will benefit us and our planet!

I wanted to mention that we are still loving the BumGenius diapers that I talked about in my last PSBN post. They really are great, and not difficult to keep up with at all. Yay for Cloth Booties!

This month, I want to talk about Household Cleaning Products. Yes, I do actually clean house sometimes. SOMETIMES.

This is not so much a change in our lives, but a bit of a review of what we do, and a revitalization for us. What I mean by that is that for years, we have used Melaleuca EcoSense cleaning products.

Here you see the EcoSense All Purpose Spray (Tough ‘N Tender) and Window Cleaner (Clear Power).

They are free of the yuckies and are environmentally friendly. They work well, but, and this might seem dumb, I dislike the smell of them. But like I said, they work well, and that’s the point of a cleaner. Unfortunately, they are relatively expensive. If you become a member, you get a reduced price on the products – but you have to sign an agreement to spend a certain amount each month (if you don’t order, they’ll charge your card and send you the “auto-order”). We got a bit tired of that, especially after Braden was born and $$ got tight, so we cancelled our membership. Luckily (?) we had over-ordered the things we use to satisfy our monthy requirement, so we had product to use for awhile.  (We also used/use their Tub & Tile Cleaner, Bathroom Disinfectant, Heavy Duty Cleaner, and Laundry Cleaning Products.)

But what to do when it runs out?

A little over a month ago, I saw an Ad in a popular parenting magazine for a new line of products from Clorox that are supposed to be “green.” The article made the Clorox Green Works cleaners sound like a good try.

A few weeks later, I spotted them at Walmart and I happily purchased these:

And to cut down on Paper Towel Usage (Less Tree Killing = More Happy Thoughts!), I’m using these:

I used the cleaners that day and that evening to clean things in the kitchen, and I just want to say…

THEY ROCK.

Seriously, I was very happy with the performance of both the All Purpose Spray and the Window Cleaner.
AND – they smell REALLY GOOD. They are made with coconut and lemon essences, and the smell that lingers after you clean is incredibly pleasant.

What’s more, they are not expensive, unlike some other Eco-Friendly Cleaners I’ve seen on the market. At Walmart, they were competitively priced with other name-brand cleaning products. (Generic brands were cheaper.)

I literally, actually feel happy to be cleaning in my kitchen now, and I HATE CLEANING. (Note how low the liquid level is in the All Purpose Cleaner.)

Because I was so happy with the performance of the first two purchases, I also picked up the Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner, Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner, and Natural Dilutable Cleaner (floor mopping, etc).

Our house smells like a fruity, adult beverage. I’m thinking I should start wearing a hula skirt when I mop the floors. And make John buy a ukelele.

In addition to the Green Works cleaners, we have started using an Earth-Friendly dish-washer detergent by Seventh Generation. I have heard really great things about that line, but I’ve always hesitated purchasing anything because it’s quite expensive.

(Seriously, do you know how many times I’ve had their baby-wipes in my hands and ended up putting them back because I just couldn’t take the idea of spending three times as much on them? *cries*)

Anyway, the other stuff we’ve been putting in our dish-washer is Earth-Ugly for sure. So we decided to try it.

I have to admit, I was a bit scared. Luckily, it was all for naught – the stuff works wonderfully. If I can ever get over the sticker shock I may try some of the other Seventh Generation products. (PS: You can sign up at their website and get access to coupons.)

For hand dish-washing, we still use from our surplus supply of EcoSense Lemon Brite.  It works excellently, smells nice, and it’s super Eco-Friendly (no phosphates, all biodegradable).

Incidentally, we also use the Melaleuca Shampoo (haven’t run out yet) and used to use the Melaleuca Body Wash. I have to say that the Body Wash is the thing I miss the most about our membership there! At least I still have The Gold Bar – nice, strong citrus scent.

If you have the means, I actually recommend a Melaleuca membership. The products are pretty sweet.

So, that’s our cleaning arsenal – some Melaleuca EcoSense, Clorox Green Works, and Seventh Generation.

I’ve heard that Method Cleaners work well, too, but we haven’t tried any here yet.  I have used the hand-soap elsewhere, and I liked it.  I was eyeing the Cleaning Wipes the other day, but got a little peeved that I couldn’t find ingredients on the label.  Instead, they just say something smartass like, “Why do they work so well?  Something tells us we shouldn’t be printing our proprietary formula right on our product label.”  Haha.  The ingredients are listed on the website, though.  Maybe I’ll go back for them.

So, peeps, what ”Green” tips and changes do you have to talk about?   Link in!

More info about Project Support Beauty in Nature

Carroll Community Cleanup

The First Installment of Project Support Beauty in Nature! 

For those of you who haven’t read this post or this post, a bit of background.

(but please don’t hesitate to actually click over to them and view the photos they contain)

Back on January 25th, I was feeling like a microwaved poop (smelly, hot, and a bit crusty), so I decided to go for a walk through my neighborhood.  Instead of meeting Mr. Rogers and making a new friend, I kept running into disgusting examples of the way humans befowl the earth with their dreck – litter. 

It made me angry and it made me think a lot about what other people do… and what I do and don’t do.  And what I should be doing.

I decided that evening that my family would go on a “clean-up” walk the next week and pick up litter in our neighborhood, and I challenged everyone else to do something to help Support Beauty in Nature, and blog about it today, or to post about something they already did/do/plan to do.

We went for that walk on January 30th.  It was quite cold, but sunny.  

There was no shortage of crap for us to stick into our bags.

Braden wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, so he pitched in by screaming every time his wagon ride paused briefly. At least he was witnessing us doing something good.

He was, however, a bit annoyed with us by the end of the walk. 

But we’re hoping that by doing these types of things periodically, with him, as he grows, he’ll eventually get the message. 

This Earth is a gift.  We’re squandering it.  There is so much beauty.  We’re covering it in crap.  It doesn’t have to be this way – we can do things like this regularly to help push the reset button, so to speak.  And it DOES make a difference.

Of course, the way you live your daily life will also make a great impact. John and I have recycled in the past, but since moving to TN, had not gotten our recycle on, for various reasons (all of them lame, btw).  This whole thing made me realize that we’ve been lazy buttholes.  We have now purchased extra trash bins for our home so that we can separate out the different recyclable things (glass, paper, aluminum, etc) from the regular trash.  We have also ordered a curbside dumpster so that our recyclables can be picked up by the city.

YAY, RECYCLING! 

If you don’t already recycle, check your local government website and see what programs are available in your area.  It might be way easier than you think!We currently recycle our plastic grocery bags as garbage bags in our house, including diaper garbage, so at least we’re using them more than once.  But I think we can improve on the two behaviors I just mentioned…

First: I’m really interested in getting some reusable grocery bags.  I know that at least one of PSBN’s participants (Julie) is going to talk about those types of bags, so I’m eager to see her post!

Second: I’m actually really interested in learning more about cloth diapers and what my options are.  I’m in the process of researching the different types, and trying to figure out whether the water/energy spent laundering will be worth the reduction in waste that would result from switching. 

Maybe someone did a post on this??? (I know you cloth diapered, Heather! Share the knowledge!)

I’ve been checking out this website. 

Still pondering it all…

But look at this super-cute diaper cover!

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Another cool tip given to me by a reader named Elsie was that she made bags out of tulle for her fruits/veggies so that she wouldn’t have to use those plastic bags at the grocery store anymore!  I LOVED this idea. 

I did a little looking into it and I found these instructions on how to make them.  If you (like me) don’t have a sewing machine you can also buy them here.  I’m getting some – I think they’re fabulous!

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We’re also de-junking our bodies here at The Carroll Household.  We’re going back to the way we used to eat – healthy!  This means we remember to take our vitamins, we eat whole foods (bye-bye loads of processed crizznap!), and drink lots of water. 

Part of this will involve us trying to purchase organic foods when possible.  Unfortunately we can’t afford to buy everything organic, but every little bit helps.  The more organic you eat, the less CRUD you’re putting in your body… and ON THE EARTH!  I also got a tip recently from Laura that switching to organic milk made her feel better, and I thought that was a good idea, so we’re doing that, as well.

Basically, John & I have a new motto: “Less Crud.”  Less Crud in our bodies and on the earth. 

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My heart is bursting with an insanely (childish?) idealistic, wonderfully giddy happiness at making a difference.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to read your posts… to see what you’ve done, and to learn from you all. 

If you’ve written a post, link up below!

If you haven’t posted your story/tips/ideas on how we can Support Beauty in Nature, it’s not too late.  Feel free to do a post anytime this week and come back here to link up. 

Even if you aren’t posting anything – make sure to visit those who do.  See how they make a difference and look for ideas!

I’m off to hug a frickin’ tree!