Handcrafts & All Things Green

This Month From Rachel: Nature, What's Cooking, Going Green, and News

2008-08-01T13:31:00.000-05:00

Getting to Know Nature in my Backyard

It's a little hard to fully enjoy nature when you are hounded by swarms of mosquitoes. Other than staying inside or outrunning them, how do you avoid being a walking mosquito bite?

What's Cooking in My Kitchen-Combining Cheap and Healthy

Quick Breads for Quick Breakfast- A healthy alternative to bad breakfast food
Yes, my hands are purple- It's Mulberry Time!
At last, the secret is revealed - The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Summer is wild fruit foraging time

Going Green at My House

New square milk jug designs - more efficient to ship, but some folks can't figure out how to pour them
Bookworms unite, with a green theme
I share my secret formula for cheap natural face powder

A Touch of the News- Weekly

Interesting Stuff Out There

Check out the video 'This Lawn is Your Lawn' about the modern day victory garden

Great Anti-Plastic Bag Slideshow

2008-07-14T09:39:00.004-05:00

With the bad economy and the crazy-busy-running-around it's easy to forget certain things. Like how bad plastic bags really are.

I have found it hard lately to remember to bring my reusable bags to the store. Plastic bags are just so convenient aren't they.

Check out this slideshow. I know will remember the pictures the next time the bagger goes overboard with the plastic bags.

This Month From Rachel: Nature, What's Cooking, Going Green, and News

2008-06-20T09:55:00.005-05:00

Getting to Know Nature in my Backyard

The Lily of the Valley outside my window was so intoxicating it took over my brain and made me look up more about it.
A really good book inspires me to slow down and look closer at the flora and fauna of my beautiful state.
On vacation in the north woods I encountered some interesting wildlife.

What's Cooking in My Kitchen-Combining Cheap and Healthy

More tips on how to eat less meat.
Eating bananas and going green may not work. Sad because I love bananas!
From pickled to stir fry- interesting ways to serve radishes from the garden.

Going Green at My House

I have a lot of excuses why I haven't yet recycled the broken printer in my trunk.
Fast food is toxic- not just to your health, but to forests in the southern US.

A Touch of the News- Weekly

50 Ways to Help the Planet

2008-06-10T11:13:00.002-05:00

From clothing company Wire&Twine, this list of ways we can change to help the planet is simple, cute, and easy to share. (Click the graphic below for facts and tips)

Less Waste: The 3 R's- Reduce

2008-06-03T10:00:00.002-05:00

Our Motivation:
The average person in the U.S. consumes and wastes (literally) tons each year.

As humans, we have a desire to consume. After meeting our basic needs, we try to satisfy our desire for what we think we need by buying more stuff. In the U.S. (for the average middle-class person) we have it pretty good compared to a lot of places around the world. Our basic needs are satisfied, so we allow our 'wants' to consume our thoughts and wallets. This consumption is spurred on by the slick loud ads everywhere we look and social pressure to have 'the latest'.

We would like to curb our consumption. This will not only save us money, but we will send less to landfills and reduce the depletion of natural resources. Here's what we've done so far.

Urban Sister & Small Town Sister:
We have both found that just by avoiding certain things and places, we can significantly reduce the desire to buy things. We avoid malls, Big Box supermarkets (This sadly even includes Target, which is one of the less evil of the Big Boxes, in our opinion), and we don't have cable television. By avoiding these things you can stop feeling that frantic push to Buy More! Buy More!

Who needs the added stress of being told that everything they own is just not good enough? The mall stores tell you what you should wear, the supermarkets what to eat just by their huge markdowns, and the skinny rich women on TV tell you that you're not beautiful unless you buy their eye cream. We are controlled by something much larger than us: Consumerism.

It's not as powerful as it seems though, and by turning off the commercials and ignoring the ads, you can decide for yourself what you really, truly needed. And as it turns out...it's not so much.

Urban Sister: Don't get me wrong, I'm not your perfect consumer by any means. I still like to get new things, and shiny ads still sometimes hook me...but by looking at my consumption habits in a new way, I am able to control my purchases much more easily. I think about whether an item is really worth the money, and whether purchasing it will make me an ethical consumer or an irresponsible one.

Small Town Sister: I also try to refocus my 'wanting energy' into 'working energy' and figure out what underlying problem or need I'm trying to fulfill. I still buy things, but I try to think long and hard before forking over my hard earned cash. If it will truly make my life better, and I can justify the item, then I find out if I can borrow it, rent it, or buy it used. I make sure it is good quality and will last a long time.

How We Reduce Our Consumption:

In the Kitchen

No Plastic: Avoid anything packaged in plastic, which just ends up in the trash, and sometimes can't be recycled. Buy things in reusable containers, like glass jars, or wrapped in paper, which is more easily recycled.

Urban Sister- Glass jars are great to bring back to use in the bulk food section!

Small Town Sister- I try to buy things in bulk and store everything in different sized canning jars. I try to avoid disposable products (see Paper Towels and Reducing Plastic)

No Big Box Groceries: Stay away from the Big Box supermarkets so you don't get duped into buying 10 frozen pizzas for $10 - which is much worse for your health than any benefits to the wallet!

Urban Sister- Instead, I stop at my local co-op on my way home from work every few days so I only buy what I need at the time, and nothing more.

Small Town Sister- I don't have as many choices for where I can shop, but I shop at the smaller grocery stores even though it's a little more expensive. I also have a strict budget and shopping list to help avoid the bad stuff.

No Overly Processed Food: It's bad for your health, costs a lot, and tends to come with lots of packaging.

Urban Sister- Since I don't cook or bake much for myself, I try to visit locally owned restaurants that use organic, fresh ingredients. I also make it a point to order something that will keep well as leftovers, making sure nothing goes to waste.

Small Town Sister- I enjoy making healthy homemade food. I'm learning old fashioned methods and adding my own twists and shortcuts (see Yogurt, Bread, and Popcorn).

In the Bathroom

Less Makeup:

Urban Sister- I've vowed to not replenish most of my make-up supply once it runs out and, for the items I just can't live without, to look for natural alternatives.

Small Town Sister- I don't use much makeup beyond a little powder and mascara. (We of the fair skin are a little attached to certain things!) I would like to find a more natural or even homemade concealer and powder.

Homemade/Natural Products:

Urban Sister- I make my own hair and skin care products out of ingredients like coconut oil, oatmeal, and baking soda, or buy handmade products like olive oil soap, which are better for my body, cost a lot less, and don't buy in to the brands with the big ads.

Small Town Sister- I also make my own natural hair care and skin care products (and also house cleaning products!) out of a few ingredients I can buy in bulk and store in reusable containers. (I'm still working on deodorant and lotions)

Bulk Paper Products: Buy big packages of double roll toilet paper and big boxes of tissues.

Urban Sister- In a one-person household, I don't go through that many of these products, so I buy individual rolls of toilet paper wrapped in paper to cut down on plastic waste.

Small Town Sister- I can buy recycled but I just don't see myself consuming less of these items

In the Home

Buy Used: Only buy clothes, furniture, and household items at second-hand stores. (Sometimes though, new is necessary - as in mattresses and underwear.)

Urban Sister- Why pay more for brand new? Shopping at second-hand stores is cheaper and you'll find much more interesting items - it's almost like a treasure hunt!

Small Town Sister- I don't bother with the latest trends, and try to find classic well-made items.

No Junk Mail: Sign up for every Do Not Mail option available and get your news online.

Urban Sister- I sign up for e-mail updates instead of paper catalogs, and I recycle any junk mail that does make it into my mailbox.

Small Town Sister- I have yet to persuade credit card companies to stop sending junk and I still need to stop delivery for the free local papers. I do feed junk mail to my composting worms!

Laundry Room: Buy concentrated detergent and use less and stop using dryer sheets.

Urban Sister- You can cut down on laundry loads by wearing everything more than just once before washing - except for underwear, of course! Wait until you have a full load before washing. (I'm also planning on trying to wash clothes in the bathtub and then line dry...if it works out, it could be a much cheaper alternative to coin-operated machines.)

Small Town Sister- I'm experimenting using half detergent, half Borax, so far it works great. I've heard dryer balls work but I have yet to find them in the stores nearby.

Bottom Line:
Small Town Sister- According to my Greendex score (46) I am just slightly better than the average American (44.9) and less than the average Canadian (48.5) or European (48.5-50). I have a way to go yet. There are still things that I take for granted as normal that are wasteful and unnecessary.

Urban Sister- My Greendex score was a 48, which is a little better than the average American, but I would still like to reach a much higher score someday. The actual actions of reducing consumption aren't difficult, but sometimes making the extra effort can be. It's best to accomplish these kinds of goals one step at at time - changing your entire lifestyle can be daunting!

What 'Sustainable Living' Means To Us

2008-05-23T16:09:00.001-05:00

Last week we introduced our Sustainable Living Challenge. This week we thought we would give a better picture of what that means to us.

Definition

Sustainable: able to be maintained at a certain rate or level

Ecology: conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources

Root of the word "Sustainable" = sustain

Sustain = maintain/continue/uphold; nourish/support.

From Latin sub - tenere = 'hold' + 'from below'

What Sustainable Living means to us:
Living your life in a manner that is beneficial instead of harmful to your body, your community, and the earth.

To "sustain" means to uphold and maintain a certain balance, and in this case means maintaining the natural ecological balance between the earth and its inhabitants. Right now, we are tipping the scales of our relationship with the earth with our over-consumption of natural resources, which is leading to global warming, species extinction, water contamination, and more problems.

Balance: The only way that this can be made right again is if humans alter their lifestyles to reduce individual consumption – consumption of gasoline, plastics, paper products, toxic chemicals, etc. By reducing the amount of stuff that we consume, we are reducing our "ecological footprint" on the earth.

It's also what we consume
Which would you rather lather on your skin?

Cocamidopropyl betaine (5 out of 10 hazard score) and Dmdm hydantoin (9 out of 10 hazard score) - both of which are found in your common brand name liquid hand soap.

Handmade soap made from only natural ingredients like olive oil or hemp- which is better for your skin (and doesn't cause cancer!), doesn't contaminate groundwater and can support local artisan businesses.

Body, community, earth.

Long-Term Sustainability
While every change you make helps, it takes more than changing your behavior for a day, or a week, or even a year. If more people can live sustainably, we can meet our needs and live satisfying lives without compromising the well-being of the future inhabitants of the earth.

Watch for our updates and see our progress as we move towards a sustainable life.

This Week From Rachel:

2008-05-23T09:56:00.001-05:00

Getting to Know Nature in my Backyard

Check out this Super Suet Recipe for Backyard Birds.
Guess who love suet? My friend the Flicker.
Did you miss International Migratory Bird Day? See some cute warblers and more in the Photo Tour of my camping and hiking adventures at Devil's Lake this spring.

What's Cooking in My Kitchen-Combining Cheap and Healthy

No we're not going vegetarian, we're just trying to save money and the environment by eating less meat with the Protein Plan.
I have a 'duh moment' when I find out you can microwave popcorn in an ordinary paper bag.
Eating weeds is the ultimate revenge, with this Garlic Mustard Pesto Pasta Recipe.
I take Banana Bread to a whole new level by recycling more than brown bananas.
Learn about all the good stuff in vegetables, and how to get the most nutrition.

Going Green at My House

I celebrated Compost Awareness Week by writing about how composting is cool.
I'm not feeling so guilty about using my older appliances, after learning more about the costs and benefits of replacing them, and how to use them more efficiently.

A Touch of the News- Weekly

Palm oil, pesticide tracking, green cleaners, and your good bacteria

Slowing down, the dangerous nail polish and weedkillers, and green companies

Green paint, beer prices, and organic milk

Using Less Synthetic Chemicals: Hair Care

2008-05-16T14:07:00.000-05:00

Our Motivation:
Hair care products you find in the store:

Cost too much for what they actually do
Contain potential toxins that go down the drain
Contain ingredients that are harsh on your skin
Take energy and water to produce
Use too much packaging and plastic
Create a cycle of overuse and dependency on products and showering

See this post on shampoo for more details.

Urban Sister:

What I Tried- I started the natural hair care experiment by trying Dr. Bronner's castile soap on my hair, but I couldn't get it to lather enough to work very well and I ended up having to mix it with a little normal shampoo. I then tried a handmade olive oil based soap that suds up very nicely. It cleaned well but didn't dry my hair out, and I found that I hardly needed any conditioner. My hair retained some of its natural oils, which meant that any natural waves in my hair were enhanced and even held their curl better throughout the day.

What I Liked- I'm going to stick with the handmade olive oil soap -- it cleans well without over-drying, and it's easy to find some that are locally made! I may have to add a drop of shampoo, or use baking soda as a cleanser, every few days to control any extra oiliness, but hopefully after enough time I will have to use it less and less.

Dyeing- I'd like to try some natural hair dyeing techniques for all future hair coloring. I know chamomile will lighten my hair, and I plan on researching henna and other natural dyes for going darker.

Small Town Sister:

What I Tried- After swearing off store bought shampoos (except for emergencies) I tried all kinds of different natural cleaners: castile soap, baking soda, and hemp soap. My hair has run the range of dry and frizzy to greasy to clean and shiny while I weaned myself off the shampoo and found what works for my hair.

What I Liked- My favorite has been the hemp soap bar which I can buy pretty inexpensively from a small local soap shop. It smells nice, cleans well, and is in a convenient form. My second favorite, which I still use periodically to deep clean, is the baking soda scrub followed by a vinegar and chamomile tea rinse.

Natural Coloring- I am also trying to stop dyeing my hair, so I have a spray bottle of chamomile tea that I apply before going out in the sun. Supposedly chamomile lightens blond hair. It works slow but I'm starting to see a difference, my roots are less noticeable.

Brushing- Most natural hair care regimes include brushing thoroughly with a natural bristle brush to distribute the oils. I found an inexpensive wood handled boar bristle brush at the store and gave it a whirl. It's a nice concept, but my hair is so thick it really doesn't do much for me. I have to use my plastic bristle brush to get through it. Maybe there is something a little more sturdy out there?

Other Options to Try:

Natural Alternatives to hair gel and hair spray
More Natural Coloring
Better Natural Bristle Brush

Bottom Line:
Natural hair products do work, but it is a slow process if you have been using conventional products. Everyone's hair and scalp is different, but there are many options available to try. For us, baking soda combined with a vinegar rinse is good for super deep cleaning, but natural soaps are best for everyday.

Look for natural biodegradable ingredients, soaps that are locally made, and products without tons of packaging. Also, get used to washing your hair less often. You will not only be doing your head a favor, but you will saving some green while being green!

Introducing: Our Sustainable Living Challenge

2008-05-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

This year, Sarah and I have been working on (and just now getting organized) our personal plans to become more sustainable. We will be reporting our progress here as we go.

Sign up for updates by entering your email in the top left corner (be sure to watch for an email confirmation in your inbox!).

Basic Goals of the Sustainable Living Challenge:

Be Healthy
Maintain an Efficient and Sustainable Home
Benefit the Environment
Save Money
Support Community
Live a Simple & Enjoyable Life
Encourage and Inspire others

We made goals based on our different situations, but we challenge you to come up with your own Sustainable Living Challenge. Feel free to add comments to the posts online, or email us and we can add your comments or suggestions.

This Week From Sarah: Sustainable Apartment Living & Green Architecture

2008-05-16T14:03:00.001-05:00

Green Architecture
For any readers out there who have noticed that I haven't been devoting much time lately to my bookbinding, my Etsy shop, and other crafting, I thought I'd give a little update on what I have been doing. Ever since I graduated with my undergrad degree in architecture last year, I have been working with a small group of friends and fellow architecture graduates on a couple different design projects.
Read more here.

Sustainable Apartment Living
For renters, it is sometimes hard to live as sustainably as you would like, since some landlords and apartment buildings aren't very green-living friendly. Many landlords are usually more concerned with the cheapest materials, repairs, or upgrades rather than the most earth-friendly. These and other obstacles can make green-living, especially in an urban area, frustrating for many and nearly impossible for some. Read about the great sustainable-living friendly apartment I've just moved into here.

This Week from Rachel: Animals, Vegetables & Recyling

2008-05-02T11:36:00.009-05:00

Cheap Calories- Expensive Nutrition

With all the talk of rising food costs, I was interested to see this post Our Cheap, Cheap Food about a report released on Industrial Farm Animal Production.

We spend a lower percent of our income on food than other countries. We spend less and eat more than we did 3o years ago. These trends are because of efficiencies in industrial food production by growing monocultures, using fertilizers, and big factory farming. It is also because of our unchecked use of natural resources...MORE

New Word of the Day: Biobigotry

I learned a new word today- biobigotry:
According to the article Noble Eagles, Nasty Pigeons, Biased Humans from the New York Times, biobigotry is
"...the dislike we direct toward creatures that live outdoors and generally mind their own business, but that behave in ways we find rude, irritating, selfish or contemptible."
Squirrels, starlings, sparrows, weeds...
We spend so much time cursing the 'evil' plants and animals, when forgetting that we were the ones that created the environment that they find so attractive. We degrade the habitats for the plants and animals we do like...MORE

Brand of Paper Towels is Not the Issue

I saw a product review of recycled paper towels on Grist today. After reading it, I wondered why they were focusing on the brand of paper product. They did say in parenthesis that "a dishcloth or cellulose sponge may be the greenest choice of all", but I think they should have made more of that and compared the paper towels to reusable towels, which would have passed every test they tried.
Why spend a premium for recycled paper towels that get thrown away after barely being used? Cloth Towels are stronger, longer lasting, reusable, easy to use, inexpensive, and very multipurpose.
Eco-friendly tips from my kitchen

Thrifty Shopping

Why Shop Secondhand?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...
Impulse Control...
The Hunt...
Thrifty shopping is the way to go! Don't be embarrassed when someone asks where you found that wonderful item, be proud of your thriftiness. Hopefully it will spread and catch on, and more people will shop smarter. Find a Store Near You

Recipe: Gentle Face Cleanser for Sensitive Skin

If itchy-red-bumpy skin sounds familiar, you might be in the same boat I am. I have very sensitive skin, and it definitely lets me know when it doesn't like something.

After a particularly bad flare-up earlier this year, where anything I put on my face (cheap or expensive) irritated my skin, I went on a quest for something gentle and natural (and not too expensive of course).

I found a recipe for a natural cleanser for sensitive skin made with baking soda and oatmeal. I happened to have both ingredients in my kitchen, so I tried it, and it really worked great! It smells good and feels really nice and gentle on my skin...MORE

Vegetable Gardening: It Really Is Worth the Work!

I sit here on a Monday morning- tired, sunburned, and sore. I have a long weekend preparing the vegetable garden behind me, and a lot of long weekends tending it ahead. Then, I spotted this article in the New York Times by my favorite author, Michael Pollan. Now I feel great, it is all worth it. I'm doing something! If everyone did one thing, like grow their own food, imagine how much it would change in the world.
This article is a must read! Why Bother? The Green Issue - New York Times

A Touch of the News

Fertilizer shortages
Tyson Foods ordered to suspend ads for "Antibiotic-Free Chicken"
Dr. Bronner's accuses competitors of false advertising
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Tree-lined streets create lower rates of asthma in kids
Nalgene Stop Using Plastic made from polycarbonate

Earth-friendly Living & Crafting: Forum Report #2

2008-04-24T19:50:00.001-05:00

Plastic Grocery Bags: Part 2

In the last report from the popular Etsy Forum thread Earth-friendly Living & Crafting, I talked about the importance of using reusable bags instead of plastic. But what should you do with all those bags that you still have stuffed into a closet or cupboard? Or with the bags that you have to get when you forget your reusables? Here are some creative ideas...

If you're a knitter or crocheter, turn the bags into yarn and make a reusable grocery or beach tote, a floor mat or even dishwashing scrubbies. If you're not sure how to get started, you can find a tutorial on how to make the plastic yarn here. There's also a great example of a finished bag made by GranKnit on Etsy here.

Have an iron? Fuse the plastic bags together using wax paper to make a stronger fabric-like sheet of plastic that you can use for just about anything. Make a waterproof wallet, shipping envelopes, baby bibs...you name it! The Etsy Storque posted a great tutorial on how to do the fusing here. For an eco-friendly fashion statement, check out this plastic bag raincoat!

If you can't re-use all those bags yourself, find a local supermarket or other store that has a plastic bag recycling bin. Or see if a Goodwill or other thrift shop near you will take them for their customers.

Using plastic grocery bags to line your waste baskets at home is another great way to re-use. Although if you compost your organic waste (or at least keep it separate from other garbage and recycling), plastic garbage bags aren't all that necessary.

Thanks for reading!

Sarah

Earth-friendly Living Tips: This Week in Plastic News

2008-04-18T09:29:00.002-05:00

Plastics: Adored, Deplored and Ubiquitous - New York Times:

The author agrees we need to use less plastic bags but then asks: "Now tell me this: What am I supposed to line my garbage cans with?"
I also think this statement is true. If you look around, almost everything is plastic.
"We adore plastics for their versatility, lightness, strength and affordability, and it seems we can’t get enough: the United States produced 6.5 billion pounds of raw plastic in December alone, up 2.3 percent from a year earlier. We deplore plastics for being cheap petroleum products and fear we’ll never get rid of them."
The article then goes into what is being done to create non-petroleum based plastics.

Bag Monsters to educate shoppers on evils of plastic bags- Gristmill:

The bag monsters, made of 350 plastic bags (amount an average family of four uses in four months) will be handing out educational material and reusable totes at malls across the country.

The project is sponsored by the cosmetics company Lush, and the bag monsters will be making an appearance at malls in NYC, LA, Carmel, Pasadena, Aspen, Boulder, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Portland, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

U.S. health agency says ubiquitous chemical may harm kiddos- Gristmill:

"A U.S. federal agency has declared that there is "some concern" that chemical bisphenol A can harm the development of children's brains and reproductive systems...
BPA can seep from hard plastic beverage containers, including baby bottles, and was detected in the urine of 93 percent of participants in a recent study. In light of the NTP report, congressional Democrats are asking the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its view that BPA is safe."

See our earlier posts on using less plastic.

This Week-From Rachel: Buying Local, Real Food, Natural Haircare

2008-04-18T09:14:00.006-05:00

How to Buy Local

Meet Your Local Farmer courtesy of Mother Earth News:
"Recent news about the side effects from artificial colorings and preservatives, the decline of nutrients in mass-produced food, and the unappetizing practices of industrial beef production have made the choice crystal clear: Bypass all of that and buy as much food as feasible from local farmers you can get to know and trust. You can go straight to the source and purchase food from a farmer, shop at a farmers market or join a CSA (community supported agriculture)."
Find out how to locate a local farmer... MORE

Eat Real Food Already!

P otential for Harm in Dietary Supplements - New York Times:
Dietary supplements (poorly regulated if at all) including vitamins, herbs, and other supplements, are taken by 70% of adults in the US. Some are good for you, some are not, and some can be toxic you take too many or have a bad combination.
You know, we know these things about plants and animals, I don't know why we consider our health any different.
Examples from the article and MORE

Does Your Hair Care? Part 2

In Part 1 of Does Your Hair Care?, I explored what possibly harmful ingredients are in my current shampoo. I tried out some other brands and did a little research and came to the conclusion that I am concerned about the safety and costs of conventional shampoo.

Homemade and Natural Options: I started looking into homemade options, and found there are many very inexpensive and easy options, and I have most of them in my house already! I posed the question to my Homesteading group and got tons of great information! By far the most popular answer, and the one that inspired the most people to try it was, Baking soda: mixed with water, followed by a vinegar rinse.
After some more research on the subject I found:
Most cleansers you buy in the store are not actually 'soap', they are synthetic detergents with additives, with possibly real soap as an ingredient. MORE

The 'No Poo' Experiment
Baking soda scrub/vinegar rinse users and 'real soap' users inspired many of us to try to give up our addiction to shampoo. Shampoos clean all right, but they clean too well, stripping away our natural oils. Our bodies compensate by making more oil until you can't go more than a day or two without turning into a greasy mess. MORE

So, I'm ready to jump on board, I have my baking soda ready and my vinegar/herbal rinse in a spray bottle. But wait, they say you will go through a couple weeks of withdrawal where your hair will seem really greasy. I'm not sure I can go to work like that, so I did a little more searching and found this advice from The Herbwife's Kitchen.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of Does Your Hair Care? where I will have the results of the baking soda experiment. Will I be a walking greaseball? Will my hair fall out? Will I find the good for you but not expensive solution I have always dreamed of? MORE

Here Comes the Milkman

2008-04-10T23:22:00.002-05:00

One bad plastic habit that is on my list to break is that of buying gallons of milk in plastic jugs, which I do try to recycle but I'd like to use as little plastic as I can, and reducing waste is better than trying to recycle everything. The only plastic-free alternative is to buy milk in glass jars, which I hear tastes a lot better. (The cardboard cartons sometimes use plastic linings and often can't be recycled.) But is it worth the inconvenience of returning all those jugs and paying a higher price for milk that is already so expensive? How much more expensive is it really? I did a little research at my local co-op to find out.

Buying Local:
$3.99 for one gallon, in a plastic jug, of locally produced 1% milk.
This is what I have been buying so far. (I'm pretty sure I could get a brand name gallon for about $3.49 at the Big Box Supermarket, but I don't shop there much anymore and I like to support local farmers when I can.)

Buying Organic:
$6.99 for one gallon, in a plastic jug, of certified organic 1% milk.

Silk Vanilla Soymilk:
$3.79 for a half gallon in a carton.
($7.58 per gallon.)

Buying in Glass:
$3.69 for a half gallon glass jar of locally produced 1% milk, delivered by the farmer's sons.
-$1.50 deposit for returning the jar.
Total: $2.19 for a half gallon, or $4.38 per gallon.

The result? Silk Soymilk is by far the most expensive, with Organic coming in a close second at $3.00 more than the local milk I'm buying now, while milk in glass jars is only 39 cents more per gallon! I admit, I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that the glass jugs weren't as expensive as I thought they might be. Also, those glass jars might come in handy and I may want to keep a few! At only $1.50 each, they might make some pretty nice storage containers.

Earth-friendly Living Tips: Deodorant

2008-04-04T23:48:00.001-05:00

Earth-friendly Living Tips: Deodorant

I have recently begun the daunting task of weaning myself off of all of those convenient, plastic-packaged, store bought beauty products filling up my bathroom...just as soon as my huge bottle of shampoo and bulk-pack bars of soap run out, that is. One of the first switches I made was to natural deodorant. I had previously been under the impression that only a thick white paste of an anti-perspirant would free me from the social horrors of body odor. But I also hated that this white gunk would inevitably end up all over my clothes, and that the aluminum and other potentially toxic chemicals found in these anti-perspirants were soaking into my body every day. Interestingly enough, apparently perspiring is a perfectly normal bodily function which we should not feel forced to suppress, as it provides many benefits to our bodies. The point of a deodorant should instead be to neutralize any odors caused by bacteria, not to just cover it up with heavy perfumes.

So I went to my local natural food co-op and decided to try Kiss My Face's Active Enzyme Deodorant, which is aluminum-free, paraben-free, and artificial fragrance-free. The best part about it is that it is in a hard clear gel form, which means no more white stripes on my black shirts! The bad thing about it is...that it doesn't make me smell very nice. It has a lovely faint lavender scent, but its claim to "neutralize and eliminate odor" isn't holding up so far. I did give it a few weeks to see if my skin just needed to adjust to these "Active Enzymes", but I still am sadly noticing more unpleasant odors than ever before. I don't want to give up on the search for an effective natural deodorant, so perhaps I just need to find the right brand that will work for me. So the search continues...

Sarah

Earth Friendly Living Tips- More Ways to Conserve

2008-04-04T12:28:00.003-05:00

Update- Project: Use Less Plastic

Not too long ago in my post about Reducing my Plastic Use I wondered what I would do for trash bags when I use reusable shopping bags and the flow of plastic bags into my home slows.

I asked and the internet answered with this piece from Grist.
Their advice- Make less trash, use less bags, and talk to your city and waste disposal company and see what they have to say on the subject.

Give Us a Nudge Towards Green

Great article today in the NYTimes- Are We Ready to Track Carbon Footprints? (Published March 25, 2008) I got really excited because it just makes so much sense. Marketers know how to get consumers to behave a certain way, so why can't we apply that to convince consumers to be greener?
They found that associating behavior with actual costs (like conserving energy), comparing behavior with social norms, and just giving people a nudge in the right direction, could do quite a bit towards decreasing our carbon output.
So, lets get some marketing people on this! I hope to see more of this soon!

Bathroom Cleaner Reviews

The Grist's product reviews are not scientific, but usually interesting. I found this one on Green-cleaning supplies for the bathroom, where they found the cheap old fashioned ingredients work better than the ones that you can buy.

Green cleaning supplies can be a better alternative to conventional cleaning supplies, which contain ingredients toxic to you and the environment (see this fact sheet). While the Grist review suggests Borax, most people don't realize what you can do with things you probably already have in your cabinets. They are cheap, safe, and they work.

My bathroom cleaning arsenal contains a box of baking soda, a spray bottle of vinegar water, and Dr. Bronner's Castille soap (multipurpose in the bathroom, more on that later!) See My List of Bathroom Cleaning Supplies
You don't really need a pantry-full of expensive cleaning supplies, all you need is some good old fashioned ingredients and a little elbow grease. You can breathe a little easier knowing you aren't spraying irritants in your air or dumping toxins down the drain.

Update- How to Recycle CFL's

My CFLs are still going strong, looking good, and my electric bill has gone down. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm not complaining.
I found some more information on CFLs at Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs – A Tale From Dust to Dust
If you're still not convinced, see this data from the article:
"If a CFL bulb lasts for longer than 50hrs, then the total life cycle energy consumption of the CFL will be lower than that of an incandescent bulb even though they are more complicated to make."

This Week-From Rachel

2008-04-04T12:11:00.003-05:00

Pesticides Bad! Some Scientific Support

'Landscape Pesticide Use: Hidden Risks'
Dr. Claire Gervais, a family physician and President of Madison, WI's Healthy Lawn Team, gave a presentation on . Her handout is available online, and it contains summaries of multiple studies on the effects of pesticides on health, and online resources.

Study links Parkinson's disease to long-term pesticide exposure

'Did Your Shopping List Kill a Songbird'
"...Migratory birds, modern-day canaries in the coal mine, reveal an environmental problem hidden to consumers. Testing by the United States Food and Drug Administration shows that fruits and vegetables imported from Latin America are three times as likely to violate Environmental Protection Agency standards for pesticide residues as the same foods grown in the United States.

Help for Springtime Skin

Spring cleaning, gardening, home improvement projects, a long winter- all have the ability to turn your hands dry, cracked, and painfully red.

A member of my Homesteading group recently started a discussion on the best things to use for Springtime hands. Here are some of the most popular, from people who really put their hands to work in Spring... MORE

Does Your Hair Care? Part 1

I am in the market for a new shampoo.

I have had success with what I thought was a 'good' brand, recommended by a stylist (before I started cutting my own hair!) but it is a bit expensive, and not easy to get. What is the difference between cheap and expensive shampoo? I need something that is good for my hair, not too expensive, and readily available. There has to be something out there right?
First Step: What is in my shampoo? MORE

Stay tuned for Part 2 of 'Does Your Hair Care' when I experiment with the No 'Poo Method.

Earth Hour 2008: Will you be in the dark?

2008-03-28T15:20:00.009-05:00

On Saturday, March 29, (that's tomorrow, mark your calendars!) at exactly 8:00 pm local time, people all over the globe will be turning off their lights for an hour to show their support for energy conservation and to raise awareness of global warming. Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the event will begin in New Zealand and work its way around the planet according to global time zones. Individuals, companies, and even cities are all getting in on it. Imagine entire skyscrapers, bridges, neighborhoods - suddenly blinking off.

Why should you participate in Earth Hour? Turning off your lights for just one hour out of the year won't even make a dent in the level of carbon emissions, so what's the point? The point of Earth Hour is to raise global awareness of the connection between energy use and climate change. It will also prove to be a strong statement that will show who is taking action to fight global warming and who isn't. (Read the CNN article Will It Matter? to learn more.)

But what if Earth Hour happened every Saturday? How about every night? What if everyone started dimming their lights an hour earlier at night, or if we ate dinner by candlelight once a week? What if every office building and big box store turned off its lights at night? (Is it really necessary for the inside of a store to be lit up at 3am?) While Earth Hour 2008 may not impact global warming immediately, it can still serve to be an example of how changing our habits can bring about real positive change.

Earth Friendly Living Tips

2008-03-21T09:45:00.005-05:00

Last week we learned about how to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic bags.Thanks Sarah!

This week let's think about paper- how much gets thrown away, and how many trees it takes to make all that paper we use.

One of the biggest wastes of paper is junk mail!
I personally shred and compost my junk mail, but according to ForestEthics, 44% of that mail is thrown away unopened. Here are some more facts about Junk Mail delivered annually in the US:

100 billion pieces
800+ pieces per household
1/3 of all the mail delivered in the world
6.5 million tons of paper
To produce the paper- over 100 million trees, and more greenhouse-gas than 3.7 million cars produce

Help Stop Junk and join the 'Do Not Mail' Campaign
From the makers of 'Do Not Call', we now have 'Do Not Mail'! (From the Gristmill 3/11/08) Sign the petition to help get a 'Do Not Mail Registry' or use their opt-out tool for now.

Nineteen billion catalogs are mailed in the United States each year!
There is also an online service called Catalog Choice developed by the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Ecology Center. Also see the article
Deforest Your Mailbox By Eric Wilson, Published: NY Times- October 18, 2007.

This Week-From Rachel

2008-03-21T04:27:00.003-05:00

I Made Yogurt!

Why would you do that?, you might ask, don't you know they sell it at the grocery store in handy little cups? I know you're also wondering, are you sure that's safe?

Well I'm certainly alive and well, and people all over the world have been fermenting milk into yogurt for thousands of years. The convenience of processed options causes us to forget how possible it is to make things by hand.. MORE

Help Stop Junk - 'Do Not Mail' Campaign

From the makers of 'Do Not Call', we now have 'Do Not Mail'!
I know sometimes it's nice to see something in the mailbox, even if it is junk, but think about the following numbers next time you pull a handful of wasted paper out of your mailbox...MORE

Spend Less and Eat Healthier-Benefits of a Good Grocery List

How to plan your grocery list to avoid impulse purchases
I can get in and out of the grocery store in less than half an hour. I spend almost half of what I used to on weekly groceries and I buy healthy food. What's my secret? I have a good organized system. With just a little planning ahead and a really good list, you too can avoid those little impulse buys that can add up to have big effect on your budget and your waistline...MORE

If you're not tired of reading yet, here's more!

Kitchen Meditation/St Patrick's Day Pudding
Project: Use less Plastic
Big Organic
Pesticide Residues in our Food (and Milk!)

This Week - From Sarah

2008-03-14T21:01:00.008-05:00

Here's the latest from RedWickerBag Design's blog:

What I'm All About...
Ever since I took up bookbinding as a side project, I have become hooked on strange and interesting papers with unique textures, vintage patterns, and rich colors. One paper that I am currently working with is called Ellie Pooh Paper, which is made from 75% elephant dung and 25% recycled rice paper, and is helping preserve the elephant population in Sri Lanka. I know, I know...everyone's first reaction is the same: "Elephant what?" Yes, elephant dung. And yes, I know what that means: elephant poop. I also know what your first question will be: "Why would anyone make paper out of poop?! And how?!" I'll explain...
MORE...

My First Commissioned Book
I recently finished my first commissioned book. Click here to see it in my Etsy shop. A friend of mine came to me and asked me to make a custom journal for him, which was exciting for the both of us, since he got to pick out exactly what he wanted it to look like, and I got to work on my first custom design.
MORE...

Earth-friendly Living & Crafting: Forum Report #1

2008-03-14T20:48:00.007-05:00

Plastic Grocery Bags

One green-living movement that has been picking up steam these days is to bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. I've seen handmade canvas totes, bags of heavy-duty plastic that last longer, and even the logo-printed kind that some stores are selling next to the check-out counter. This week I'll be talking about why plastic bags are so bad for our environment and our economy, as well as the many benefits of using reusable bags. Next week I'll share some creative tips on what to do with all those plastic bags that you already have lying around.

The prevalence of plastic today has become an ever-growing problem. It's almost impossible to buy anything that is not either made from plastic or wrapped in plastic packaging. Rachel has some good posts on A Touch of the Past about using less plastic in her life, and I enjoy reading this woman's blog as well about her quest to live plastic-free for an entire year! It's a daunting challenge, one that I'm sure would require a lot of will power and patience.

We've all seen those sad pictures of animals with plastic rings caught around their necks, and we've all seen roadways littered with bottles, bags, and other plastic junk. And if you haven't seen the news story about the island of plastic trash larger than Texas that's floating in the Pacific Ocean, you can find a lengthy and enlightening, though somewhat disturbing, article here. While plastic grocery bags are not the only plastic products adding to the problem, they do make a pretty hefty contribution. It's estimated that one million plastic bags are consumed worldwide every minute. And since all those bags can't decompose, they have to go somewhere, right?

Even ignoring all the environmental impacts, there are major economic benefits as well to using reusable grocery bags. If Americans stopped using plastic bags at the grocery store for one year, we would save 12 million barrels of oil that would have been used to make those bags, and retailers would save $4 billion. What could we do with an extra $4 billion dollars floating around in the economy?

So where can you find some of these eco-friendly reusable bags? Most large grocery stores sell their own for only a couple dollars, and you can also find inexpensive and sturdy canvas totes that smaller shops print their name on. You can even make your own out of old clothing or other fabric. Or, if you want to support other crafters, check out my recommendations that I've found on Etsy:

Kootsac: Reusable bulk food bags made from ripstop nylon.
Remarket: Reusable mesh produce bags.
Fashion Green T Bags: Shopping totes made from recycled t-shirts
Weather and Noise: Canvas totes printed with "I Exercise Ethical Consumerism"

Thanks for reading!
Sarah

This Week-From Rachel

2008-03-08T12:53:00.005-06:00

New Online Photo Gallery

I am proud to announce my new photo gallery online- where you can order different sized prints of my photos, and other items made with my photos...

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is still here?

Most studies since the MSG scare found that that it has no effect on most people if used in normal concentrations (In 1995 the FDA cleared MSG as a health risk), but MSG still has a stigma attached to the name. It is still there in our food, but with a different name...

Clearing the Clutter- in the Kitchen

I wrote this article after hearing about a new book, 'Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?', about how clutter in the home can be detrimental to our health. While some of it may be hype for another fad diet, I believe there is some truth to the idea that having a disorganized kitchen can make it difficult to eat healthy...

Thanks for reading, have a great weekend! It's going to be another cold one here in Wisconsin, hopefully spring will come someday...
Rachel
www.touchofpast.com

Earth Friendly Living Tips

2008-03-07T14:04:00.005-06:00

Top 10 Simple Ways to be Green' at the Office

Last year, instead of business as usual', we looked at ways we could be more earth friendly. Many green options are also more efficient or save money over time, which is always good for business.

1. Carpool- If you can ride together to work you will use less fuel and also get to know your coworkers. Think of all the time you will have to think of new green ideas while you're riding to and from work together!

2. Reuse and Recycle paper- Buy recycled paper, print on the back sides of faxes or other paper you would normally toss, make notepads from half sheets, and of course recycle all paper products.

3. Recycle in the break room- Provide bins for recyclables and encourage people to use reusable containers if they bring their lunches.

4. Save Water- Make sure your faucets and toilets are running efficiently, fix any leaks or drips and use newer energy efficient models.

5. Turn off lights- Offices or rooms that are not occupied do not always need to be lit up. If you have windows, natural light can be much more pleasant than bright office lights.

MORE...