.png)
I'm not very green {shamefully hanging my head}...and I think that's more about being lazy than anything else. I have my routine and when I'm at the grocery store, I'm usually on autopilot.Last week, I read Katie's post on green cleaning tips and I realized that I needed to make a change...or at least TRY.
I live in a pretty nice community and we have several fussy stores. Last year, my Ralphs changed into a Ralphs Fresh Fare in order to compete with the giant Whole Foods down the way and the even closer Traders and Sprouts Market. As a result, they have oodles and oodles of natural products.
My sister-in-law is a greenie, so on the way to the market on Saturday, I gave her a call. I was out of laundry detergent, so I decided to make my first attempt and buying an ecologically-friendly product. I've heard of Seventh Generation, but that's all I could name...she recommended a product called ECOVER and sure enough, Ralphs had it, so I snapped it up!
Now, I'm sure there are fabulous reasons why people buy this product... my reason, however, was that I was shamed into it, but my reason for buying it next time will be: it smells pretty and got my clothes nice and clean, plus it's made for high efficiency washers. YAY! You might roll your eyes at how non-environmental I am, but hey, it's a start, right?!
So,
I'm curious to know what you think about the green wave. Are you militant, more casual about it, or do you still litter? AND, more importantly, if you're a greenie and have some quick and easy tips for the lazy housekeeper in me, I'd LOVE to know what else I can do to become more environmentally responsible!!!
6 comments:
I'm always looking for the greener option for cleaning products, especially with a 10-month old. I wouldn't say militant (I'm cheap and don't always buy the organic foods!), but with products (cleaning, shampoo, etc.) I always buy the eco-friendly stuff.
Method brand has a popular granite cleaner, and their other products have always worked well for me. They're at Target and available more and more everywhere. Mrs. Meyer's also has awesome (and very nice smelling) cleaning products. I use Ecover dish detergent (no dishwasher, boo!) and I love it! I also use a lot of Seventh Generation (laundry detergent, diapers, etc.).
I would just start reading labels...compare them with your new green products. That's how I got started. The moms over at The Daily Green - Ask An Organic Mom also have really great advice and can let you know what to look out for. :) Good luck!!!
Irony = I'm about to do a giveaway and review of Green Cleaning Products. :)
Oh my gosh! Soooo awesome. We use ecover, too. Love love love it. After a couple of months, if you go back to traditional stuff, you'll notice a huge difference. For me, one huge thing was my skin breaking out in hives. Ewww. That pretty much did it for me.
Way to go.
Katie
Kudos to you on taking a step onto the 'green' path! I don't buy much organic food - apples, if I can find them. Organic food isn't super easy to come by here and it's pretty darn expensive when you do find it. But, I don't use chemical cleaners anymore. My 'green' journey began before I had ever even heard the term 'green'. It's been a slow but steady progression. My son had horrible asthma and when we found out about it and discovered that chemicals really exacerbate it - well, it was time to get educated and make a change. We slowly started incorporating methods that were feasible for us to do. It's made the process very painless and has created a lifestyle we'll forever stick with. This past year we finally became entirely chemical free. My son has had an issue with asthma in a really long time. This is also the first Spring that he hasn't gotten sick due to allergies. I don't think it's a coincidence. I use a lot of vinegar (it's truly a miracle worker) but I don't have granite either. There is a great book, "Clean Home, Green Home" you might want to check out. But start with what works for you and build from there. If you don't do things that really work with your lifestyle - they won't stick.
Good luck!
Pam
Welcome to the greeny world! I am pretty much highly supportive of anything green. I will admit that I do not use all "green" cleaning products, but I am pretty proud that we do other things around the house. Ex: use compact fluorescent light bulbs, use cloth bags when grocery shopping, recycle, and the biggie....get our electric energy from wind power. I blogged about green tips on my blog around Earth Day. If you go to my blog and click on the green living tab you will see a couple of posts!
BTW...my favorite grocery store ever was our Ralphs Fresh Fare up in PV. I was just dreaming about it the other day. I know that sounds weird, but it had an ocean view from the parking lot!
people think i am "green" all the time when a lot of what i do is because it is cheaper! cheaper to make it yourself or do it yourself than buy the "convenience". like cloth diapers for instance - or a garden...the more you can do the less you consume...benefits both your pockets and the earth!
Post a Comment