Yucky Evil Items

There are hidden evils in your home emitting yucky fumes that can make your family sick. I could go on and on forever about how this is legal but lets just sum it up to "BIG Business" has their ways and leave it at that. Well, I plan to "out" some of these yucky evil items.

Yucky Evil Item # 1

Your shower curtain. Yes...pause and re-read b/c I really said your shower curtain. Sure, we all know they get a little grimy; but we clean them and they're good right? WRONG! For a more scientific explanations please visit http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-parenting/safe-shower-curtains-55073102. The Daily Green, a favorite of mine, has very useful information. Please, learn about the evils of the shower curtain hanging in your bathroom and research the better choices.

Good Luck!

Gas Guzzlers

Got this tidbit while Twittering: GoingGreenToday Driving: every gallon of Gas you use=20 Pounds of co2: The U.S. avg is 22 mpg for a car.----Ouch!--every mile we drive is 1 lb of co2

I watch the Eco channel and read about how to change our environment, but reading it put this way....I was shocked. I've been in a vehicle all my life. The idea that something I am so accustomed to is so harmful for our Earth and our future seems unreal.

Now the average vehicle gets 22 mpg, but I don't drive the average vehicle. My family owns a Dodge Durango that gets about 15 mpg. Not only does my husband drive the car back and forth to work which is five miles each way but our family does errand runs in that gas guzzler. I just feel so plagued with guilt this moment. Why is it the more I learn the harder this whole "green" business seems?

We can't get rid of our truck, for reasons such as it's almost payed off and it's the perfect size. We need a big vehicle to tote us around and we can't afford the big vehicles that are Eco-friendly. So what is a family like us supposed to do?

In my search for traveling options I ran upon a great article. You can find this article at http://abcnews.go.com/technology/story?id=1718746&page=1. Hopefully, you'll find it as useful as I have. Unfortunately, my non-Eco-friendly vehicle may be with us for awhile but there are ways I can cut my carbon foot print down.

Making one big trip instead of a thousand tiny ones.
If the place is within walking distance then I vow to walk!
If someone hands me a million dollars I will trade in the dodge for a hybrid. LOL. Yeah, right.

For now, doing my best is all I can offer. I truly hope whoever reads this will want to offer the same. Simple changes can save the World.

How "Green" am I?

How "Green" am I? I would love to say that I am a hemp wearing chemical-free using chick, but truth be told on a scale to 1 to 10 I am a 3. It's not easy changing your whole life, but it is doable.

If an Eco-friendly guru walked into my home they could tell I am not totally "green." Sure, I use Eco-friendly products but I have my guilty pleasures, IE: Herbal Essenes shampoo. I recycle but sometimes I throw a can in the trash by accident. I am a mother of two, I am lucky I haven't trashed my keys. I am way to poor to buy all organic groceries. It breaks my heart to feed my children and dog less than wholesome but they have to eat!

So what's a "Green" girl like me supposed to do? I want to be a vital component in saving the Earth but sometimes I am just hopeless. Maybe we all feel this ways, but I have a plan! Sure changing one's habits is hard but if I set a goal and meet it then little by little I will be "Green."

So here are some of my long term goals....

Be off the Grid (meaning use solar energy)
Have a compost
Grow my own food

Some of my short term goals are to....
not use plastic bags
reduce and reuse things I have
find a "Green" product to replace Herbal Essenes

Wish me luck!

Must Read!

Green Goes with Everything by Sloan Barnett

http://greengoeswitheverything.com/10steps.html

1. Start by replacing a bunch of your cleaners (your general spray cleaner, glass cleaner, counter top cleaner, floor and bathroom cleaners) with a natural, nontoxic all-purpose cleaner. You will only need one to do that. Really!

2. Replace your laundry detergent with a natural nontoxic one so the clothes you wear and the sheets you sleep on have no fumes for you to breathe.

3. Go to your bathroom and read the shampoo, makeup and moisturizer labels. Ask yourself, “Do I really need scent in these products?” Take stock of all of your other products and try to replace one a week with a safer, greener choice.

4. Use BPA-free plastic baby bottles and fill them with breast milk or organic formula. Choose powdered formula over canned formula to avoid BPA leaching from the can-lining.

5. Pay attention (without freaking out) to the toys you buy for your kids. Avoid lead paint and soft plastics that contain phthalates.

6. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid processed food. Even better, choose organic and locally grown meats, dairy, fruits, and vegetables.

7. Try to get the plastic containers out of your kitchen and replace them with glass containers.

8. Make a vow to stop buying bottled water—NOW. Instead, buy a water filter pitcher and keep two in your fridge at all times.

9. For cleaner and healthier air, open your windows once a day when the outside temperature is comfortable.

10. When buying new stuff for your home, focus on green products especially mattresses and carpets.

Earth 2100

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7710061

Watched Earth 2100...and WHOO! It was such an eye opener to the future we are leaving our children if we don't act now! We have felt indestructible. We were wrong. Our Earth is strong but even she can't stand up to our destructive ways. We have got to work together to make a change. So how do we do save our Earth?

The answers are not simple. Our countries' leaders have to do a great deal of the leg work. America needs to set the example which means we have to make an example. Start with baby steps. Choose to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Choose cloth over plastic! By doing this we are choosing our children's future on this beautiful Earth. We are weak as a separate entity but as a whole we can undo what we've done wrong.

Obviously the hardest task are letting the government know that we want change and we want it now. A good way to do this is buy letting your money do the talking. Every time you go to the store buy an item that is "Green" or organic. Supply and Demand. Get together with your friends and family and start talking. We need to have more conversations and more education on this issue. We can do it, people. We can make the change, we can save our Earth. Together, we can do anything!

Big Green Help

http://www.biggreenhelp.com/index.jhtml?lang=en_AU# I am really impressed with Nick Jr. They have had many themed episodes about my favorite subject "Going Green." I was watching Yo Gaba Gaba with the boys today and I hearted the cartoon about the sad cloud that was dirtied by smog. Seriously, everyone old or young can gain some knowledge from the biggreenhelp website. Check it out!

How do I let others know?

Yesterday, my kids and I went to Giants. It was your average grocery run. Bee was fussy, Jr was "too" helpful, and I was tired. I could not have expected the impact that yesterday's trip would have on me.

The first isle is dedicated to organic foods. Everyone seems to think that organic only pertains to fruits and veggies but organic isn't that limited. You can even by organic cookies now a days. Well, I double checked my budget and I splurged on organic cereal and organic applesauce. I felt proud to spend the extra two dollars on yummy Eco-conscientious treats. Then I was off to the other isle to buy the more affordable products.

I find myself being very judgemental as I witness others make less than Eco-friendly choices. I wanna poke them and show them that even a broke Naval housewife like myself is buying Earth friendly products. I cringe as I watch haggard mothers buy individual packages when it would be so wonderful for them to buy in bulk. Reusable containers are so cute and personal, anyways. And then my heart bleeds when I get to the cleaner isle. Shouldn't everyone know there are "greener" cleaners available . Vinegar, for example, is not only cheaper but more effective! I wanted to scream at the elderly woman that throws 12 paper towels into the buggy and smiled as she said, "That might last me a month!" Good lord, what does she do with those paper towels? My judgemental self wonders why people are not enlightened like me. Then I remember that it was only a year ago that I too was piling the buggy full of paper towels and hoping it would last the month.

The hardest part of "Going Green" is letting others know what they can do to help save our Earth without sounding like your "Going Nuts." I wanted to march up to the Grandmother and explain the long lasting effects of her paper towel consumption and slip organic treats into the haggard mother's baskets as I passed. I am sure they care about the Earth as much as I do, but I didn't do any of these things because I enjoy shopping and want to continue shopping at Giant. So, what can I do? How can I reach people without seeming like the crazy lady? I just don't know.