I had this conversation with one of my clients yesterday, and it wasn’t the first time:
“Vanessa, I picked up some more house cleaning supplies this week. We are ‘going green.’ ”
I knew exactly what she was talking about. It’s the lingo of many Vermonters; highly conscientious environmentally friendly people. There is so much talk about “going green” and recycling and the environment. We’ve tried to do our best to protect the environment and though are efforts as of now are small, we believe it makes a difference. A few things you can do to get started:
1) Reusable Bags. You know the scenario: plastic bags full of plastic bags. We all have these collections growing in our pantries or behind closed cupboards. For only one buck or two, you can pick up reusable shopping bags at most grocery stores. Most food markets will deduct a few cent off your total receipt, for each grocery sack you bring in and use to bag up your purchases. Just start declining plastic bags and use paper bags until you buy your reusable bag. I love my Trader Joe’s reusable bag because has a round base that holds a lot o’ loot! It’s great for a trip to the beach or on a picnic. Super study, super cute! Here is a site to help you start shopping.
2) You can’t help but notice the blue recycling crates lining the curbs of Vermont streets. Our Blue Crate: We have one and it fills up fast. Vermont will accept almost anything that can be recycled and we do our fair share of filling the large recycling dumpster with our recyclable trash. Most communities have recycling programs. I hope you’re participating in this operation that makes a difference. Keep America Beautiful!
3) Chemical free detergents, soaps, cleaners, etc. So many of my clients buy these products. They work equally as well as the “normal” products that burn your hands, are highly flammable or make you cough because they are so toxic. If you have to wear gloves, the product isn’t safe. For starters, here are some companies that sell natural cleaners: Method, Mrs. Meyers, Clorox, Seventh Generation and Ecos, just to name a few.
Clorox has come out with a new line called GREEN WORKS. (Is just me or do you, too, associate Clorox with Bleach? I think it was that a bad move when the big wigs at Clorox decided to put they’re logo on the front of these bottles! Because of that association and label branding, I am more inclined to buy another brand, but whatever, the new Greenworks products work well and are affordable!)
4) Energy efficient light bulbs. This is a no-brainer, these bulbs last forever! I have yet to replace an energy efficient light bulb.
5) Buy Used! Craig’s List. (A centralized network of online communities, featuring free classified advertisements (with jobs, internships, housing, for sale/barter/wanted, services, community, gigs, resume, and pets categories) and forums on various topics.) We love Craig’s list! Check out Free Sharing! (A website for free recycling of your unwanted items. )
6) Stainless Steel and Hard Water Bottles. We don’t buy cases of plastic water bottles. Instead, we just refill our bottles with water. Use a Britta filter if you have nasty faucet water. KleenKanteen sells stainless steel bottles and Nalgene sells hard plastic bottles. Check out their “OTG” bottle! (Rick’s favorite for green drinks. More on green drinks later!)
7) Compost your food scraps. If you have your own yard, this is a brilliant way to reduce the amount of wast you send to the landfills. In the process, you create free, healthy fertilizer for your garden! I have a client that keeps a trash bin with a lid on her back porch. It’s filled with moldy tortillas, carrot shavings, old bread, egg shell and wilted cabbage. When it fills up, she takes it out the garden and dumps it.
Read these articles to help you get started!
Rick + Vanessa + Bridgette + August 