As we’re rapidly approaching the due date of baby number two around here, we’ve been hauling out all the baby stuff from storage and buying a few last items we need. As we’ve made more trips to the store than normal, I’ve been thinking a lot about buying stuff and how consumerism works against both green living, staying within budget and living simply, principles that I try to live by.
Generally, I think that less is more. When it comes to preparing for a baby, I’ve realized there are so many items that we just don’t need. By avoiding purchasing them, we save money and although we’re not making a positive different in the environment, at least we’re not having a negative effect either. This principle applies to all purchases. If I don’t need it, buying it works against both my budget and my attempt to living an eco-friendly lifestyle.
I could say a lot more about how “need” is a relative term, but rather than get philosophical, I’d like to point you toward a video that is well worth watching. It’s 20 minutes long, but it is worth every minute. It’s called The Story of Stuff. I hope you enjoy it! I know it will make you think.
Using reusable grocery bags instead of getting your items bagged in paper or plastic is one of the simplest eco-friendly choices you can make, and some stores also offer a discount for every reusable bag you use. But how do you get in the habit of remembering to take your bags with you into the store? I’m often asked this question, and my answer is pretty simple.
First, store the bags in your car. I make putting my reusable grocery bags back in the car part of unloading the groceries. I’m not done until the bags are back in the trunk. It only takes a minute, and I never leave my bags at home.
Second, if I make it into the store and realize that I don’t have my bags, I go back out to the car to get them. Once I made the commitment to do this, it wasn’t long before I was in the habit of loading the bags and my daughter into the grocery cart before heading into the store.
That’s it. I don’t have any trouble remembering to take my bags with me to the store now, and, let me tell you, at eight months pregnant, I can’t seem to remember anything else, so if I can do it, so can you!
I have a confession to make. I don’t make eco-friendly choices all the time. In fact, I don’t make 100% eco-friendly choices a lot of the time. I’m a strong believer in my responsiblity to be a good steward of the earth. I want to do my part to keep my family and the planet healthy, but many of my choices don’t appear to reflect those convictions. So why not?
Simply put, the answer is because when making a decision about whether or not to go the environmentally friendly route, I weigh two other primary factors as well: cost and convenience. Sometimes the choice is a no-brainer. Many eco-friendly choices require little extra time and effort and are just as convenient as conventional options, and many end up saving money, if not immediately then in the long run. If that’s the case, the choice is clear, but if it’s not, I weigh all three factors to come up with the best option.
Here’s a few recent examples of when cost and/or convenience have won out:
*Toxic Cleaning Products. We recently moved into a foreclosured house that had been vacant for about 18 months. Needless to say, it needed some heavy-duty cleaning so I asked my mother to bring over her toilet bowl cleaner when she came to help me scrub down the bathrooms. For regular maintenance, a little baking soda sprinkled in the toilet bowl works wonders, but let’s just say this job was past regular maintenance.
*Sayonara Homemade Dishwasher Powder. I also need to confess that I no longer use homemade dishwasher powder. Although it worked well for us at first, after using the powder for a while, the dishes just weren’t coming clean no matter what I tried.
*Free Samples. I reguarly request free samples for products I use. The amount of packaging and energy costs of shipping mean that each sample request takes a toll on the environment, but, in this case, cost and convenience trump eco-friendliness.
*Conventional Groceries. Much of the food we purchase is neither organic nor local. As the budget and time allow, this is one area I’d like to work toward improving.
To be quite honest, the list of non-eco-friendly choices we make as a family goes on and on. We’re always striving to improve, but for now I find balance when I weigh eco-friendliness among other factors and when sometimes the eco-friendly option wins even though it’s the not the most cost-effective and it may require a little more of my time. I think the only way to a sustainable future is to make choices that take the environmental impact into consideration. I hope that as going green becomes mainstream, eco-friendly options will become both more convenient and cost-effective.
What about you? What conventional products do you find it difficult to give up? What non-eco-friendly choices have you made recently?How do you find balance?
Since I’m on vacation this week, instead of a regular Green Space article, I thought I would point you toward Virology’s recent list of 10 eco-friendly blogs to check out. I haven’t checked out all the blogs listed yet, and one that I did check out was way out of my league, but I have enjoyed reading Green Daily. Green Daily recently posted a video here about how to make your bathroom more eco-friendly. Although several of the tips in the video require an initial investment, most of the changes they suggest will end up saving money in the long run while also benefiting the planet.
When making decisions about “going green” I also weigh cost, convenience and health factors. Several times, an eco-friendly choice turns out to be budget-friendly, and eco-friendly choices are almost always health-consious choices as well. Oftentimes, there is a steep learning curve at the beginning of making a green change, but it turns out that many green changes mesh well with a simple lifestyle as well. Many of the tips at Green Daily fit into both the eco-friendly and budget-friendly categories, and you’re sure to find inspiration in several of the blogs on Virology’s list. I encourage you to check them out.
Going green can be overwhelming. There is so much information out there about potential health hazards and disastrous environmental effects caused by the manufacturing, distribution, use and waste of everyday products. Making the switch to products that are more eco-friendly and better for the body may seem like a great idea, but the process of choosing an alternate product is time-consuming and sometimes expensive.
Another problem I have with switching products is that I typically don’t like to be the first to try something new. I’d much rather stick with the tried-and-true than make a switch to a new product that may or may not work. I like to hear the opinions of others before I buy, and typically this isn’t possible when I’m considering choosing unconventional products.
In my research about going green, I have found the following two websites to be especially helpful in making the switch.
The Environmental Working Group website is packed with information, so much so that you could spend a week reading it and still have plenty left to peruse. The feature that I found to be most helpful are the databases in the right hand column. There is a 2009 sunscreen guide and also a cosmetic safety database. Using this landmine of information makes it so much easier to pick products that are safe to use. There is plenty of information on the EWG website about the potential risks in the unregulated health and beauty products most Americans use every day. For example, the EWG found that of the 1,620 sunscreens they tested 3 out of 5 sunscreens either contained hazardous chemicals or don’t sufficiently protect skin from sun damage. I’m grateful this website makes it easy to find products that do work without causing harm.
SafeMama is a blog written by a mom with the help of a team of several mothers who put time and effort into researching and reviewing products. On the sidebar of the website they have several Cheat Sheets that list eco-friendly, healthy alternatives for sunscreen, BPA free bottles, sippy cups and storage options, safer bug repellents and many others. I always check SafeMama after reading about a product on the EWG website because SafeMama may mention information the EWG leaves out, like how pleasant a particular bug spray smells or how easy a certain sunscreen is to apply. SafeMama also hosts giveaways regularly like the current Seventh Generation giveaway. If you are looking for some help going green, I recommend regularly reading SafeMama blog.
One way we’ve kept expenses low since we added a baby to the family two years ago is by buying most of her items used. Buying second hand made sense to us on many levels. For one thing, babies grow and change so quickly that it was easy to find second hand items that looked practically new but cost only a fraction of a new selling price. We realized that buying used was not only a budget-friendly choice but also better for the environment because we were reusing something that had already been manufactured so there were no production or shipping energy costs involved. What we didn’t realize is that our choice to buy used was likely also healthier for our daughter.
According to this Tree Hugger article, “Why Second Hand is Healthier for Your Baby,” second hand items have often lost the dangerous chemicals and emissions associated with new furniture and new clothing. These chemicals are emitted from glues and flame retardants in new furniture and mattresses, and some chemicals are added during standard textile manufacturing and distribution. Because of their faster respiration, faster metabolic rates and larger skin surface to body size ratio, children are at greater risk of harm due to these chemicals.
Sometimes it seems to me that the more I read, the more reasons I find to be freaked out about toxic chemical exposure and all the ill-effects it could have on my child. Sometimes I feel like I am making all the wrong decisions. I don’t want to knowingly expose her to something that is likely going to cause her issues, but I also have to be realistic. Going all-natural and organic takes time, money and effort which any mother could tell you are in short supply. The Tree Hugger article gave me a little peace of mind that when we buy her clothes second hand at least maybe we’re doing one thing right.
(By the way, if you’re looking for a good way to purchase used children’s clothing without spending a lot of time hunting it down, shopping at a consignment sale may be the way to go. You can read more about shopping at consignment sales–which are different from consignment stores–here and here.)
For the past couple of weeks, my husband and I have been working hard in every spare minute we have to get our house ready to sell. I had no idea preparing the house to list would be so much work! We have cleaned almost every square inch of our living space in the course of about a week. The vast majority of cleaning products we’ve used have been homemade and more eco-friendly than commercial cleaning products.
When I first began to contemplate green cleaning I was overwhelmed by the thought of making my own cleaning products, but it’s actually quite simple. In addition, they work really well! Our house is starting to look really good. I encourage you to try green cleaning yourself. Follow the links to view the recipes and cost breakdown for each.
In addition to these recipes, we also use a ton of baking soda. A paste of baking soda and water plus a little elbow grease was all it took to get our oven sparkling and our toilets clean. I always used to avoid cleaning my oven because the harsh fumes of commercial oven cleaners really bothered me. A baking soda scrub is a healthy, cost-effective alternative. Another trick I use is to line the bottom of the oven with foil to catch any spills before they get baked onto the bottom of the oven. This simple solution has saved me a lot of time an effort cleaning the oven. Also, I’ve found that if I add a little dish soap to the Multi-Purpose Cleaner then it does a better job of cutting through grease in the kitchen.
What other homemade cleaner recipes do you use to keep your house sparkling? I’d love to hear. Leave a comment below.
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