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Why You Should Consider Going Natural
For those of you who, at this
moment, have your brain in another part of your anatomy besides above
the shoulder, I am talking about cleaning, not being stark naked so
everyone put your clothes back on. Pleeeeeaaase!!!!
In my world, which is sometimes a very scary place to be, Green
is not about using chemicals that may or may not be toxic...might not be
harmful to the environment, then again, could be.....Safe for humans?
Not too sure.
"Green" is lifestyle.
It's about
Using products that are all natural, as well as organic. Not just
non-toxic, chemical free. When you add water to any of these use steam
distilled (your tap water carries chemicals unless you are on well and
even then the spill off from farmland will show up in your water). Spend
a little more and get the naturally distilled vinegar. When buying your
essential oils, go organic, it's about $1-$2 more per bottle. When
buying paper products (this includes vacuum bags), if they are white
don't buy them...they have been bleached.
Following the 4 r's... Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, and Refuse
If you don't compost large scale yourself, find a company that does for
your used vacuum bags and if you feel compelled to use paper towels when
cleaing
When buying your product from a local company, ask them if they do
anything to support environmental awareness in your community.
Check the manufacturers website to see what they do to support EA. If
you have no choice but to use a product that has chemicals or is just
non toxic try to financially support a company who is contributing money
to EA or has a plan in action for future projects to limit the amount of
chemicals they produce. I do this for any plastic items I have to
purchase, buckets, bottles, handles, scrubbies, etc
Knowing you have no choice but to own a vehicle, go to something
smaller...a 4 cyl instead of a 6....a 6 instead of an 8. Don't go over
the speed limit (for me that is sometimes hard to do on the highway) as
you use more gas. Same as making sure your tires are not over inflated
or under. Don't try to fill your gas tank right up to the very top, it
turns to vapour and adds to the ozone problem we have.
Not using paper towels when cleaning, rags do the same job (cotton)
Not turning on the dryer to clean your rags, if you have a clothes line
to hang them on
Leaving the taps turned off when cleaning, except to put water in your
bucket.
Learning to leave the wrappings behind. For example, when purchasing a
new vacuum, take it out of the box at the store. Leave them with the
responsibility of discarding all the plastic , styrofroam etc. If their
costs for disposal continues to rise they might put pressure on the
manufacturers to ship in recycable materials.
Think about how many local business owners you could help by supporting
them instead of the Walmarts, Sams, and Costcos of the world. Remember
you too, are a small business amongst some giants. It may cost you a
little bit more but Man, you will never get the kind of service they
offer at the big stores. Does the greeter at Walmart call you by name
each time you visit. Can you call in your order and have it ready for
you, receipt and all, when you are in a hurry. I don't know about you
but I don't think I have ever hear of an employee of Sam's walking
through the store with a customers list in hand, doing their shopping.
This is just a little taste of what I do, there is more but it gives you
an idea of what the word GREEN means. I would hate to go into what I do
at home but like I said before it is a lifestyle choice.
"By living GREEN you seek to reduce your negative impact on the planet
in small, everyday ways, It means treating all resources as precious;
living with natrue instead of trying to subdue it. It means being energy
efficient, lessening your use of petroleum products, and conserving
water. Most of all, it's a mindful way of living, trying to make every
choice a green choice."
exerpt from the book Green Clean by Linda Mason Hunter & Mikki Halpen
As defined by the "Green Consumer"
A green product is one that
Is not dangerous to the health of people or animals
Does not cause damage to the environment during manufacture, use, or
disposal
Does not consume a disproporationate amount of energy and other
resources during manufacture, use, or disposal
Does not cause unnecessary waste, due either to excessive packaging or
to a short useful life
Does not involve the unnecessary use of or cruelty to animals
Does not use materials derived from threatened species or environments
I hope this sheds a little light on the green ns natural issue. |
