I am trying to buy more organic fruits and vegetables (especially the 'dirty dozen') eggs and milk. I don't shower daily, and never run the water while I brush my teeth. I have gotten my husband to eat a lot less meat than he used to, and we eat out a lot less. I make as much stuff at home from scratch, instead of buying over packaged crap at the store. I juice carrots for my husband so that he can actually have a good home made drink to have. Yeah, I would actually have to juice about...60 POUNDS a WEEK for him to have all that he could drink, but at least I try. I am SOOOOOOOOOO far from where I want to be, it isn't even funny but at least I try.
The Dirty Dozen fruits and Vegetables
12 Most Contaminated
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Pears
- Grapes (Imported)
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Avocado
- Sweet Corn (Frozen)
- Pineapples
- Mango
- Asparagus
- Sweet Peas (Frozen)
- Kiwi Fruit
- Bananas
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Papaya
My family has made some great strides in lowering their waste--in NO this list is inclusive, and I'd love for people to add to it!
My mom used to go through literally cases of bottled water each week. She bought a reusable bottle, and gets reusable gallons of water from the store and fills them now. She took a big step, and saved a lot of money and helped the environment.
My aunt uses plastic shopping bags for kitty litter, and doesn't use paper towels. She recycles like a mad woman even though it requires a lot of sorting and having to drive to site in WV.
What do you do to help the environment? Shower less (or even better, with a partner?) Do you take your lunch to work, recycle, use a lot of Tupperware?
I would love to get a discussion started here!!
I use Burt's Bees shampoo, conditioner, and face wash. My hair is softer, shinier, and my face breaks out less. I also use Physician's Formula makeup...not really organic, but it's much better than Cover Girl. Also, baking soda makes a great exfoliant and apple cider vinegar is an awesome toner (also, some people use ACV as a conditioning rinse for their hair).
ReplyDeleteAs for cleaning supplies, I buy white distilled vinegar by the gallons...great for multi-purpose cleaning. I use it on countertops, for mopping, and an additive in the laundry. Baking soda is great for scrubbing out a tub. I switched to natural cleaning products because my cats were getting sick from the Scrubbing Bubbles I used in the tub (they like to play in the tub after we shower) and the chemicals in Swiffer products are known to cause cancer in pets.
Thanks for the comment--I didn't know about swiffer--I will probably never use it again now!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you followed my great hair experiment but I 'wash' it with baking soda diluted in a cup or so of water and then rinse it with ACV, some honey and lemon (mostly cause I hate the smell of vinegar) every once and a while and it makes it look like I just washed it with shampoo without the scalp itch. It didn't solve my chronic dandruff, but it cut it by about 70%.
I have to confess also that I don't wear makeup...cause I'm lazy, but not having any idea what really goes into the stuff makes me not want to wear it ever.
I'm making green changes slowly, one step at a time. If I went all in at once, nothing would stick. So... I'm better about taking my own bags to the grocery store (and using paper bags for the extra stuff); I recycle more; I buy less beef and pork... things like that. Still lots more I could change, but habits take time to learn.
ReplyDeleteFor the record--snopes claims there is no link between swiffer and animal deaths. As soon as I'm done with this pack however, I am done. It's just more healthy to use things like baking soda and vinegar.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp