No I'm not talking about turning into Kermit the Frog. I'm talking about being more environmentally friendly. We've been thinking about it for awhile now and have started taking steps toward becoming a more green household.
All those Wal*Mart commercials have got me thinking about what I can do to help the environment. No I'm not going to be shopping more at Wally World which I know was their aim but it has got me taking steps to change the way we do things.
We have taken the obvious steps like buying an HE washer and an energy star compliant dryer. Plus I wash all my laundry in cold water. We swapped out all the old light bulbs with more energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. No I don't pay for electricity because I live in military housing but that still doesn't give me the right to waste energy. We recycle everything that we can including plastics which they don't pick up at the curb, we have to haul them to the recycling center. Is it a hassle? Yes, but it's better then throwing it away.
Now on to our next step which is replacing our current household cleaning products with more environmentally friendly products. We've decided to go with 7th Generations products. They have a wonderful selection of products and they are fairly easy to get a hold of. Our commissary on base carries some stuff. Plus Albertsons, Smiths, and Walgreens are suppose to carry their products.....I still need to check these stores. We got around 12 inches of snow so I'm trying not to go out as much as possible. When it snows here the stupid people come out. It's like they've forgotten how to drive in snow. But I digress....add in that Amazon carries 7th Generations products in bulk and it qualifies for Super Saver shipping.
So first up for us was to try is the laundry detergent. We buy liquid but they also make a powder. It hypo-allergenic and comes in Free and Clear or Eucalyptus Lavender. We got the Eucalyptus Lavender which doesn't seem to bother Bree's sensitive skin. I've been running some tests and so far it's done very well. It's gotten the dirt out of all of Kaity's clothes without having to pre-treat. Left the clothes with a light clean smell and the biggest bonus no static cling at all. I didn't use fabric softener and I didn't use dryer sheets and there was no static at all and the clothes were soft. For all you military families: This laundry detergent does not contain optical brighteners which means its safe to use on ABUs.
Since the laundry detergent was a hit we will be trying other products. Our household just wants to do their part. Shawn is all for this as much as me. I'll try not to flood the blog with tons of "Green" posts. Let me know if you're interested in hearing more about the products we try and I'd love to hear about any green tips you may have. Leave a comment or send me an email!
More knitting content tomorrow! I'm just about done with the first sock I started the other day.
Apr 21, 2008
Going Green
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Okay, is it wrong that I thought the most exciting part of this post was the 12 inches of snow? :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those who still hasn't bought into the whole "green" philosophy, but we do use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs - buy mainly because of the cost savings.
I'd be interested in hearing which products work. I'm always a little skeptical, so if you try them first....
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to read this post! I think a lot people in housing think free electricity means use as much as possible because you're not paying. I didn't realized 7th Generation made a scent-free detergent. Is it good with HE washers? Hanscom AFB sells some of that companies products so I'll have to check for it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've been making my own cleaners and laundry detergent for quite some time now. I get a lot of my recipes from TipNut.com. Just a few ingredients--Borax, washing soda, fels naptha soap, citric acid, baking soda, and apple cider vinager clean the entire house with minimal environmental impact.
ReplyDelete12 inches of snow???? really?
ReplyDeleteand keep me posted on what you use that works- always good info to have!
what are ABU's and why are optical brightners bad for them??
What a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing - and on a most appropriate day!
ReplyDeleteYAY! This is a great way to take care of your family. I have to second the baking soda, vinegar, and homemade laundry detergent. Just think of all the toxic chemicals you are taking out of your house by moving to green cleaners! It's really amazing. AND these are great habits to teach your kids. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteWe've been using 7th generation and it's pretty darn decent stuff. yay for greenies! :)
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about laundry detergent without optical brighteners means it's gentle on knitted socks. Tide really faded a couple pair of my Yarn Pirate socks and one pair of Cider Moon socks, so now I bought an environmentally friendly detergent at Costco called Wintree that doesn't have optical brighteners.
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