Homemade and Earth Friendly Cleaning Products

What a better way to save money and the environment than to make your very own cleaning products! The ingredients you will need are common household items and most of them come straight from nature!

Things You Will Need

Lemons

Baking Soda

Vinegar

Water

Salt

• Remove rust and debris from copper, solid brass or stainless steel pots and pans. Take half a lemon, dip it in salt and rub the rust off of your cookware.

• Clean your kitchen sink. Squeeze the juice out of three lemons and mix with salt until you get at a paste. Drop some of the paste into the sink and gently scrub the sink with it. Rinse your sink after scrubbing.

  Fight stains on kitchen countertops. Pour some lemon juice on top of the stain. Wait a few minutes while the lemon juice's acid works to break down the stain. Sprinkle a bit of baking soda on top of the stain and scrub the stain away.

• Wipe down shower or glass doors using lemon juice in a spray bottle and a sponge.

• Throw a few pieces of lemon rind down your garbage disposal. Turn on the disposal while running hot water to freshen up the disposal and your kitchen.

• Make an all-purpose cleaner by stirring two tablespoons baking soda and 1/4 cup vinegar in 2 quarts of hot water. Pour this into a spray bottle and use it around the house.

• Deodorize your carpet by sprinkling it with baking soda, letting this sit for at least fifteen minutes and then vacuum it up. Repeat if necessary. Or, sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of your garbage can and in the garbage liner as well to get rid of stinky odors. To better absorb odors and catch any drippings, sprinkle the baking soda on crumpled newspaper and place this in the bottom of the garbage liner.

• Another deodorizing tip is to leave an open box of baking soda at places that tend to have odors such as your fridge, under the kitchen sink and your litter box. Replace this every 2 to 3 months.

• Wash the windows and mirrors with a solution of two tablespoons vinegar and two cups water.

• Add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the dishwater to cut grease and add sparkle to your dishes.

There are hundreds of possibilities! The ones listed above are some of our favorites! Please be sure to test out any of these solutions on a less visible spot before applying to an entire surface. See more great tips at: www.ehow.com

Why buy organic cotton clothing?

Organic cotton production is increasing by more than 15% per year for the last few years.  Why?

A few reasons....

1) People are interested in doing what's right for the environment.  One of those things is buying clothing made of environmentally friendly cotton - organic cotton.  Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture.

2) Organic cotton is widely being embraced by holistic practitioners as having a healing or positive energy, which can benefit people - especially those suffering or recovering from illness.  Many with chemical sensitives are finding organic cotton therapeutic.  Just an FYI - cotton is the most heavily pesticide-intensive crop grown in the United States - and we wear it everyday!

3) Buying organic cotton helps support those organic farmers who choose to follow organic practices, such as avoiding the use of toxins, synthetic fertilizer, harsh chemicals, bleaches and dyes.  Instead, organic farmers rely on natural fertilizers, compost and soil amendments.  Those chemicals are taking a toll on the environment.

Think strongly about buying organic cotton in place of regular cotton.  How can you argue against it??

Earth Day - the eco-friendly holiday!

Earth Day is a week away folks.  Do you know why Earth Day is celebrated all over the world?  Some history according to Wikipedia:

"In September 1969, at a conference in Seattle, Washington, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on the environment. Senator Nelson first proposed the nationwide environmental protest to thrust the environment onto the national agenda.” "It was a gamble," he recalls, "but it worked." Five months before the first April 22 Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the rising tide of environmental events.

"Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems...is being planned for next spring...when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...." Senator Nelson also hired Denis Hayes as the coordinator.

There are lots of ways to celebrate Earth Day.  Some very cool earth day activities on the Earth Day Network site.  Of course planting a tree is at the top of the list.  Think about joining others interested in helping our earth.  There are sure to be local events in your area.  Check them out at the Earth Day Network site at http://ww2.earthday.net/node/80

Happy Earth Day to you and your family!

KC, Hilda, Lily, and Bella

Organic Cotton For Your Baby

According to the Sustainable Cotton Project, about 1/3 of a pound of chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers, process chemicals and dyes) are used to make just one cotton t-shirt!

What a shocking statistic!  And yet, we clothe our children with this chemically treated cotton every single day.

We came across this wonderful website, SafBaby.  Recently, they wrote a lengthy eye-opening piece entitled "Decrease World Poverty, buy organic cotton for your baby".  

Please take some time to read their piece.  Not only is this site and article a great source of information but provides an incredible dose of inspiration!

Remember, children are our future!

New Year - Greener You

Recycle!  Instead of ending up in a landfill your plastic, paper, glass and aluminum can come back to life!

 

ReUse!  Plastic containers, paper, gift bags, wrapping paper, furniture, clothing, EVERYTHING!  Think about how often you can re use or donate any item you are about to throw away.

 

ReDuce!  The amount of stuff you buy…  Ask yourself ONE question.  DO I REALLY NEED THIS?

 

Share your knowledge with your family.  Recycling can be a bit overwhelming for some...   One household recycling is better than none.  Your whole neighborhood would be just EXTRAORDINARY!  Here is a great resource for details on how to recycle.  http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/recycle.htm

an Eco-Friendly Green Christmas

We wish you a greener Christmas!

With holidays right around the corner, wouldn’t it be nice to know that you are doing your part to celebrate in a more eco friendly way?  Here are a few tips to get you started.

 

1.)    Send out Egreeting cards to wish people a happy holiday season.  No paper, no stamps, no post office delivery!  And so creative!  Check out:  www.smilebox.com.  You and your family will absolutely love this! 

 

2.)    Buy locally grown vegetables and fruits for your holiday feasts!  This way you know your delicious meal didn’t travel far.

3.)    Save bows, wrapping paper, ribbon and boxes to use next year!

4.)    Give non material gifts like planting a tree in someone’s name, donate to a noble cause or just spend more time together.

5.)    Beautiful, delicious, thoughtfull and eco friendly!  Check out some cool, eco-friendly gift ideas:          www.greenstuffconnection.com

      www.organicbouquets.com

Happy Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving!

As the holidays near, it's time once again to give thanks for all of the wonderful things we've enjoyed in our lives over the past year. As we give thanks, let's also consider how we can celebrate an Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving!

We won't reinvent the wheel here. There are many who have offered tips and recipes and enjoy the holiday with a bit more "green style".


Our friends at Sierra Club give this Turkey Day advice-

"The Sustainable Consumption Committee (SCC)'s True Cost of Food Campaign makes it clear that our choice of food, now more than ever during the holiday season, affects our earth, our health and what we leave as a legacy to our children and our children's children. Let's pause and think about where the food we eat came from and at what cost to the environment."

To read more from the Sierra Club, click here.



GreenerChoices.org (Consumer Reports Green Report) has some great tips on Greening Up your Holiday Season, including serving:

-Organic meats, vegetables, and fruits
-Fair trade certified coffee, tea and wine
-Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate

Click here for more from Greener Choices.


Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hilda, KC, and Lily