Eco Living Series
Of House and Home
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
This year is a perfect time to take stock of how green I'm living, and set some personal goals to improve for a greener year. The internet is full of great sites for "greening-up" ones lifestyle. My mission is to think about and talk about what works for me and my family to try and become a living example for change.
As I walked through my charming home built in the 1830's the evidence is clear, eco-friendly is hard to accomplish in such a beautiful old world farmhouse. For instance, the hard wood plank floors get really chilly in the winter and the thirty nine windows are not double-pained glass, so you can only imagine the cost to heat this treasure in the winter. This is a big expense, but somehow being a part of its history is a huge reward for us. Our reality is to make the difference in smaller ways to still feel like we contribute in the preservation of our planet and a healthier lifestyle for our family. I've made a list of things in which I can help to stay eco-minded. To ensure that I succeed, I need to pay close attention to what may be conserved, reused and recycled, buy smarter, use real elbow grease and be willingly mindful in every decision I make.
Home IS where my heart is, and I'll do anything to make it a peaceful and healthy sanctuary for our family.
In my kitchen I've managed to cut down on most harsh chemicals with toxins. The ones labeled with warnings and danger were the first to go. I've started trusting in my grandma's traditional ways, which now seem healthier. For instance, I use lots of vinegar, lemon juice to cut grease, baking soda and borax for scrubbing, microfiber cloths for dusting, dish towels and news paper instead of paper towels for (windows).
Heavy duty canvas bags replaced store plastic shopping ones; I could do better and return the piles of ones I've accumulated. I recently learned that PVC 's are added to most plastic used in homes for food storage and are harmful carcinogens according to the World Health Organization. I no longer use these for storage and will never ever reheat anything in a microwave with them. Microwaves tend to leach the PVC's into the plastic and then into our food. Leftovers can be easily stored in glass containers which can then be used to reheat in and then washed again and again. Leftovers don't tend to last very long in our house anyway – no more than two days – food does not go wasted.
A huge challenge for us is the power gadgets – gadgets we can't seem to live without. For example, the blackberry, cell phones, MP3 players digital cameras, laptop, electric shavers, and remote control rechargers. These little devices make our lives easier and more fun but they are real energy hogs. Why? Because they stay plugged in well after the charge is complete, therefore wasting watts. My goal is to plug them in to surge protectors and after they are fully charged, just flip the switch and problem solved. Simple, smart and mindful - I like that.
I'm talking about simple changes that we can make like turning the light off. This little action can make a huge difference. Yet I find every light in the house on at times and it makes me scream. We used to keep the thermostat at 70 degrees during the winter. By lowering it just 2 degrees, though it may not sound like much, you can knock 6% off your heating bill… and in this house we need it. So now I've learned to layer with a soft, yummy sweater and I feel quite toasty.
As a family, we must consider everything that goes in our landfill and be more mindful of all waste that leaves the home. That includes the bins in bathrooms, tissue paper, qtips, dixi cups, empty shampoo bottles etc. These items need to be emptied in appropriate bins and recycled too. In the past, I would empty the bins in the garbage and be done. Now I'm selective about where recycling items belong. Another consideration where my family can make a difference is in the toilet paper we use. I know my husband is kicking and screaming about this one. For those of you who've tried it, recycled toilet paper can be a bit messy to use which adds to some technical difficulty. Say goodbye in our home to velvety soft two ply brands. I wondered how many trees felled for our bums? Truth is, if everyone in America replaced one roll of non-recycled paper with one roll of recycled, 423,900 trees would be saved. I honestly can do without and be mindful of all those trees being cut for toilet and tissue paper.
I also plan to swap more with friends too, especially the piles of video games and toys from the boys, old clothes and household items that we just aren't enchanted with any longer. So many items in my home can be reused by someone else. Every week I plan to make sure one bag goes out for donations. There are so many people that need.
Again, I am here to voice my opinion on how I can make a difference. I can only hope that with just a few changes, I can feel that I have made mindful choices and become part of the solution and not the problem. It's a good starting point for most. So as I say in all of my blogs, the goal is to become mindful which equal parts of consciousness with what we buy, eat and consume. Local Living is an integral part of this process and I hope it's working for you too.
Let me hear from you. What are you doing to be more "green" and "eco-friendly"? We will all grow and become part of a bigger solution when we share our ideas and work together. And I challenge you to change your focus to one of local living, eco-friendly and living simple.
GBC Style's website
Follow me on Facebook "gbcstyle by gloria"
Twitter @gbcstyle
As I walked through my charming home built in the 1830's the evidence is clear, eco-friendly is hard to accomplish in such a beautiful old world farmhouse. For instance, the hard wood plank floors get really chilly in the winter and the thirty nine windows are not double-pained glass, so you can only imagine the cost to heat this treasure in the winter. This is a big expense, but somehow being a part of its history is a huge reward for us. Our reality is to make the difference in smaller ways to still feel like we contribute in the preservation of our planet and a healthier lifestyle for our family. I've made a list of things in which I can help to stay eco-minded. To ensure that I succeed, I need to pay close attention to what may be conserved, reused and recycled, buy smarter, use real elbow grease and be willingly mindful in every decision I make.
Home IS where my heart is, and I'll do anything to make it a peaceful and healthy sanctuary for our family.
In my kitchen I've managed to cut down on most harsh chemicals with toxins. The ones labeled with warnings and danger were the first to go. I've started trusting in my grandma's traditional ways, which now seem healthier. For instance, I use lots of vinegar, lemon juice to cut grease, baking soda and borax for scrubbing, microfiber cloths for dusting, dish towels and news paper instead of paper towels for (windows).
Heavy duty canvas bags replaced store plastic shopping ones; I could do better and return the piles of ones I've accumulated. I recently learned that PVC 's are added to most plastic used in homes for food storage and are harmful carcinogens according to the World Health Organization. I no longer use these for storage and will never ever reheat anything in a microwave with them. Microwaves tend to leach the PVC's into the plastic and then into our food. Leftovers can be easily stored in glass containers which can then be used to reheat in and then washed again and again. Leftovers don't tend to last very long in our house anyway – no more than two days – food does not go wasted.
A huge challenge for us is the power gadgets – gadgets we can't seem to live without. For example, the blackberry, cell phones, MP3 players digital cameras, laptop, electric shavers, and remote control rechargers. These little devices make our lives easier and more fun but they are real energy hogs. Why? Because they stay plugged in well after the charge is complete, therefore wasting watts. My goal is to plug them in to surge protectors and after they are fully charged, just flip the switch and problem solved. Simple, smart and mindful - I like that.
I'm talking about simple changes that we can make like turning the light off. This little action can make a huge difference. Yet I find every light in the house on at times and it makes me scream. We used to keep the thermostat at 70 degrees during the winter. By lowering it just 2 degrees, though it may not sound like much, you can knock 6% off your heating bill… and in this house we need it. So now I've learned to layer with a soft, yummy sweater and I feel quite toasty.
As a family, we must consider everything that goes in our landfill and be more mindful of all waste that leaves the home. That includes the bins in bathrooms, tissue paper, qtips, dixi cups, empty shampoo bottles etc. These items need to be emptied in appropriate bins and recycled too. In the past, I would empty the bins in the garbage and be done. Now I'm selective about where recycling items belong. Another consideration where my family can make a difference is in the toilet paper we use. I know my husband is kicking and screaming about this one. For those of you who've tried it, recycled toilet paper can be a bit messy to use which adds to some technical difficulty. Say goodbye in our home to velvety soft two ply brands. I wondered how many trees felled for our bums? Truth is, if everyone in America replaced one roll of non-recycled paper with one roll of recycled, 423,900 trees would be saved. I honestly can do without and be mindful of all those trees being cut for toilet and tissue paper.
I also plan to swap more with friends too, especially the piles of video games and toys from the boys, old clothes and household items that we just aren't enchanted with any longer. So many items in my home can be reused by someone else. Every week I plan to make sure one bag goes out for donations. There are so many people that need.
Again, I am here to voice my opinion on how I can make a difference. I can only hope that with just a few changes, I can feel that I have made mindful choices and become part of the solution and not the problem. It's a good starting point for most. So as I say in all of my blogs, the goal is to become mindful which equal parts of consciousness with what we buy, eat and consume. Local Living is an integral part of this process and I hope it's working for you too.
Let me hear from you. What are you doing to be more "green" and "eco-friendly"? We will all grow and become part of a bigger solution when we share our ideas and work together. And I challenge you to change your focus to one of local living, eco-friendly and living simple.
GBC Style's website
Follow me on Facebook "gbcstyle by gloria"
Twitter @gbcstyle
