Green Living

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I buy organic when possible, use honey for face wash, I try to use cloth bags for the grocery store.

While I like Whole Foods and Trader Joes, I try to buy local if at all possible. We live in PA and there are very few stores who carry local produce. Wegemans is the exception to this.
 
We garden from spring through early winter, and have about 200 sq.ft. of intensive garden space on our 1/4 acre lot. I planted five apple trees in the back during Rogation, have two huge compost piles, recycle, eat a lot of rice and beans, hunt, fish, and my latest deal is “alternative lawn mowing.” I got a scythe at a flea market, and use it to mow my lawn. The tall cut grass gets tossed onto the compost heap, and I end up with a rough-looking, but trimmed, back yard. Try mowing your lawn manually, get a good work out, and learn what the “true costs” of keeping that “arnold palmer look” is.
 
meeshy said:
A farm sounds like the idyllic life to me… how wonderful that must have been for your kids. Are you still living on the farm?

A question: is chicken manure safe to use on food plants? I’ve heard people say they use it on their grass, but I didn’t know about crops.

Peace,
Meeshy
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Yes, you can use chicken manure. Just make sure to age it, because it has a lot of nitrogen which will burn tender plants. Whew, How’s that for a run-on sentence? LOL! Goat and rabbit poop do amazing things for the soil, too. In my area, I deal with heavy, clay soil. The manure made it so soft. My plants grew better than they ever did with Miracle Grow.

I recycle, compost, use herbal remedies, and use cloth women’s products. I tried gardening. Living in the desert, the water use became a problem. I also tried cloth diapers, but severe PPD made even washing diapers a nighmare.
 
We use cloth diapers on our baby 😉

And we use ecological breastfeeding/lactation amenorhea for child spacing which has resulted in me not having a cycle for 3.5 years–no need for “women’s products” 🙂

I find it interesting that many “secular” environmentalists would die at the thought of not recycling (or having more than 1-2 children :rolleyes: ), but they think nothing of using hormonal birth control and peeing all those extra hormones right into our water supply!
 
I’ve breastfed all three kids. We also garden (though this year all I’ve managed is tomato plants) and freeze or can; we’re looking into a rain collecting irrigation system. We have a front loading washing machine that has cut our water bill by about $10 a month and I use a laundry line.
 
I have found that www.drugstore.com has TONS of organic or natural products, both for home, body, pets, and babies! Just click on the “Natural” button and you can browse by product type or brand type.

I love Burt’s Bees. Even though it’s not organic, most of the time their products are 90%-99% natural, plant ingredients.

I like ordering the products online because we only have one natural/organic store here in town, and often they don’t carry what I want.

I agree that organic food is expensive, but I’ve noticed more supermarkets carrying it lately, and the prices seem to be falling. I’m on a really limited budget, but I try to only eat organic. It can be tough, but we usually do pretty well. (It’s just me and my son). I have read that even if you only switch to organic milk, you’re making a huge difference to the environment and your body. I forgot the doctor’s name, but a pediatrician wrote a list of 12 organic food changes you can make that impact the environment greatly. I’ll try to look it up and provide the link in another post.

If you can’t find organic produce in your area, here’s a guide to the most and least pesticide-contaminated conventional fruits and vegetables. Please scroll down the page to see the full list: foodnews.org/

For those with kids, definitely consider switching to organic apple juice if your kids drink it, because it’s the second-most pesticide laden crop in America, after peaches.

Love this thread and all your suggestions!

Peace,
Meeshy
 
Here is the pediatrian’s list I mentioned. His name is Dr. Greene, and apparently he’s well-known and respected, both in the pediatric community and the “organic” community.

He lists the top 10 organic food choices for the health of our families and our planet.

drgreene.com/555560.html

Peace,
 
This thread touches on one of my favorite topics. Here’s a few of the things we’ve done:
  1. Use compact fluorescent lightbulbs wherever possible. They use about a quarter of the electricity consumed by standard bulbs.
  2. Recycle - our city has two drop-off recycling centers, so to avoid using extra gas, I load up the back of my Saturn VUE with our recycling bins and make a stop on the way to the grocery store.
  3. Use petroleum-free household and personal care products as much as possible. For hosuecleaning, Seventh Generation makes some outstanding products, including a chlorine-free dishwasher detergent that’s scented with essential oils of lemon and green apple, and they add a pleasant scent to the kitchen while the machine is running. For personal care, we’ve replaced all shower soaps with JASON Naturals shower gel, which is also scented with essential oils, including lavender, apricot, aloe and tea tree oil. Our very sensitive 7-year old daughter can now take a bubble bath with no, ummmm, irritation.
  4. Combine errands into one trip to reduce fuel consumption, especially in winter.
  5. Buy organic any time the price isn’t too unreasonable, or when our budget can handle it.
  6. Keep the cars maintained - change the oil every 3000 miles, and ensure that the tires are filled to the recommended pressure level. This increases fuel economy.
  7. Use a digital thermostat to control heating/cooling during times of day you’re not in the house. There’s no need to heat and/or cool an empty house.
 
RWMorris said:
I mentioned in another thread about having been the child of missionaries in Mexico from ages 6 - 13. When we came back I was appalled, and still am, at the gross consumerism I see in Americans. We need to scale back and live simpler lives, giving money to the poor like Jesus said.
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[SIGN]Amen![/SIGN] Totally agree with you!!

On another note, did you also find, when you came back, that Americans are obsessed with germs? I find this to be such a blatant culture difference between our culture and European, Central American, and South American cultures.

The media and huge corporations really push it, too, with all the anti-bacterial this and that. It’s ridiculous.

One reason I think American’s bodies might be less tolerant of things like food-borne illness is that we’re TOO CLEAN.

I’ve seen some extraordinary differences in the way some of my hispanic friends handle and store food. They never seem to have stomach problems, and I haven’t had stomach problems from eating their food, either.

Of course, I’m extremely grateful to have processed, potable water in our country. But in certain other cases, I think it’s better to leave the germs than clean everthing with disinfectant.

Peace,
 
meeshy said:
[SIGN]Amen![/SIGN] Totally agree with you!!

On another note, did you also find, when you came back, that Americans are obsessed with germs? I find this to be such a blatant culture difference between our culture and European, Central American, and South American cultures.

The media and huge corporations really push it, too, with all the anti-bacterial this and that. It’s ridiculous.

One reason I think American’s bodies might be less tolerant of things like food-borne illness is that we’re TOO CLEAN.

I’ve seen some extraordinary differences in the way some of my hispanic friends handle and store food. They never seem to have stomach problems, and I haven’t had stomach problems from eating their food, either.

Of course, I’m extremely grateful to have processed, potable water in our country. But in certain other cases, I think it’s better to leave the germs than clean everthing with disinfectant.

Peace,
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I’ve been all over the world and have never had stomach problems. Of course I might just be blessed, who knows? I too find Americans obsessed with germs and it is market-driven. Antibacterial this, that, and the other. Ridiculous.
When we lived in Mexico, we would filter the water through a cloth and add a couple of drops of bleach to a gallon and shake it really good. Never had a problem.
 
Well, considering that we have to pay $2 PER BAG to throw anything away, you better believe that we recycle like crazy!! 😃

And I’ve found myself living “greener” primarily because of my severe allergies (although I’m happy to help the environment in any way possible). I switched to Lunapads a few months ago (awesome!!) and we’ve been buying more and more organic stuff. I use all green, non-toxic cleaners. (And my allergies are very grateful, lol) 😛

And, as I type this, my dad has driven a few towns over to buy a nice big composting bin, so we can recycle all our leftover veggies and such to fertilize the garden! 👍
Tif
 
TraderTif said:
Well, considering that we have to pay $2 PER BAG to throw anything away, you better believe that we recycle like crazy!! 😃

And I’ve found myself living “greener” primarily because of my severe allergies (although I’m happy to help the environment in any way possible). I switched to Lunapads a few months ago (awesome!!) and we’ve been buying more and more organic stuff. I use all green, non-toxic cleaners. (And my allergies are very grateful, lol) 😛

And, as I type this, my dad has driven a few towns over to buy a nice big composting bin, so we can recycle all our leftover veggies and such to fertilize the garden! 👍
Code: 
Tif
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$2 per bag? Why? I’d buy big bags 😃
 
CatholicSam said:
$2 per bag? Why? I’d buy big bags 😃
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shrug That’s what they charge down at the dump. $2 per bag, up to a certain size (the super big bags are, I think, $4?) You have to buy sheets of stickers, and put a sticker on each bag you throw away. (We don’t have trash service. You haul your own bags down to the local dump.) Plus, you pay $10 a year for a trash permit!

You should see my family, cramming so much trash into 1 bag, we can barely get it out of the car! One of these days we’ll drop it, and it will explode everywhere, I just know it. 😛

But, on the upside, we’ve managed to get down to 1 bag of trash per week. And we’re hoping to trim it even more! (Recyclables are free, and they take newspapers, junk mail, magazines, cardboard, boxboard, glass, and tin. But they only take plastics #1 (clear) and #2 (colored or clear). I really wish they took more plastics!!)
Tif
 
As far as global warming…I love this book
amazon.com/Politically-Incorrect-Global-Warming-Environmentalism/dp/1596985011/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0017129-2462448?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181853409&sr=8-1

As far as what we do…
We recycle. We don’t litter. We conserve as much as possible (a family of can’t afford not to). We’re about to purchase a super fuel efficient car which we can now use since we have children old enough to babysit and don’t always need to take the whole squad with us. In general, we don’t live stupidly or wastefully. We can’t all afford to be Al Gores who’s mansions use 10 times more energy then regular households. We also cannot afford private jets. In fact, I’d have to say your run of the mill, big, Catholic family is far more environmentally friendly than most big name “environmentalists” by necessity. I think my new slogan will be “Save the planet! Have 10 kids1”
 
Just saw something interesting on the National Geographic “Green Guide” website:

In answer to the question whether warming Arctic temperatures can be attributed primarily to greenhouse gases, the following information was given:

According to a study just released in the Journal of Geophysical Research, soot from burning coal, inefficient cook stoves and forest fires is carried up to the Arctic, where it darkens the snow. The dark snow then absorbs sunlight, more so than clean snow, and radiates more heat back into the air. The study’s authors have theorized that this effect has contributed anywhere from 0.5 to 1.5 degrees C of the Arctic’s overall 1.6 degree temperature increase. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is key to stopping warming across the globe, but reducing particulate air pollution is important for the health of the Arctic.

thegreenguide.com/quizzes/global_warming_on_the_brain_
 
meeshy said:
I have found that www.drugstore.com has TONS of organic or natural products, both for home, body, pets, and babies! Just click on the “Natural” button and you can browse by product type or brand type.

I love Burt’s Bees. Even though it’s not organic, most of the time their products are 90%-99% natural, plant ingredients.

I like ordering the products online because we only have one natural/organic store here in town, and often they don’t carry what I want.

I agree that organic food is expensive, but I’ve noticed more supermarkets carrying it lately, and the prices seem to be falling. I’m on a really limited budget, but I try to only eat organic. It can be tough, but we usually do pretty well. (It’s just me and my son). I have read that even if you only switch to organic milk, you’re making a huge difference to the environment and your body. I forgot the doctor’s name, but a pediatrician wrote a list of 12 organic food changes you can make that impact the environment greatly. I’ll try to look it up and provide the link in another post.

If you can’t find organic produce in your area, here’s a guide to the most and least pesticide-contaminated conventional fruits and vegetables. Please scroll down the page to see the full list: foodnews.org/

For those with kids, definitely consider switching to organic apple juice if your kids drink it, because it’s the second-most pesticide laden crop in America, after peaches.

Love this thread and all your suggestions!

Peace,
Meeshy
Click to expand...
Yup, I recently found Drugstore.com. It’s great! They have so many things that I didn’t know existed. I bought JASON Naturals sunscreen, Tom’s of Maine toothpaste (which is awesome) and Natracare organic cotton tampons (good for when I don’t want to fuss with a Lunapad). They shipped really quickly, too. I think I got my order within three days. 👍

I also agree on the Burt’s Bees stuff. The lip balm is the best I’ve found, hands down. As for organic foods, we don’t eat a lot of organics, but we try to buy organic dairy, bread products, and canned tomatoes (I’ve heard that non-organic tomatoes also have a lot of pesticides). I’ll have to keep the apples and peaches in mind, I didn’t know that about the pesticides and those are two of my favorites.
 
I also try to be very careful where I buy organic from, as many of the chain stores that do carry don’t handle it correctly (which for me negates the purpose of buying organic)

Here where we live in PA we also have to buy our own trash bags at 2.75 for large and 2.00 for small. The trash man will pick them up but they can’t weigh more than so many pounds or they won’t take them
 
maria29 said:
Here where we live in PA we also have to buy our own trash bags at 2.75 for large and 2.00 for small. The trash man will pick them up but they can’t weigh more than so many pounds or they won’t take them
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This is really interesting to me. I’m sure the idea is to encourage people to cut down on the trash they throw out. I’m wondering, however, if some people have resorted to dumping on their own, or burning trash?

On average, do you spend about $10 or so per month for the trash bags? And is there an additional monthly removal fee?

Here, our trash fee is added to the monthly water bill. It’s $10 per month for trash removal, and $2 per month for recycling. The city provides the huge trash bins (on wheels) and the recycling bins.

Any ideas on how to either recycle or compost fabric? I sew a lot, and have lots of scrap material. I hate throwing them away, but I’m also worried about the dye, if I were to compost them. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Peace,
 
meeshy said:
This is really interesting to me. I’m sure the idea is to encourage people to cut down on the trash they throw out. I’m wondering, however, if some people have resorted to dumping on their own, or burning trash?

On average, do you spend about $10 or so per month for the trash bags? And is there an additional monthly removal fee?

Here, our trash fee is added to the monthly water bill. It’s $10 per month for trash removal, and $2 per month for recycling. The city provides the huge trash bins (on wheels) and the recycling bins.

Any ideas on how to either recycle or compost fabric? I sew a lot, and have lots of scrap material. I hate throwing them away, but I’m also worried about the dye, if I were to compost them. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Peace,
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There is no additional fee just whatever you pay for the trash bags. I don’t really know anyone who burns their trash, only scraps (wood) As for recycle fabric scraps you could always list it on freecycle, I know many people who are always looking for scraps for quilts.
 
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