Apr 21, 2010 | Green Living, Uncategorized
Some early Earth Day 2010 resolutions (because the kids are outside playing and I have to take advantage of it!):
I will really try to:
- Remember the bags in the back of my trunk EVERY time I go into a store. (I forget 1/2 the time.)
- Don’t buy the kids junk for lunchboxes that are individually wrapped anymore (even if they are organic.) This includes juices and milk. Check out these cute lunchboxes!
- Frequent close local businesses and restaurants, not chains.
- Try and eat out only twice a month. (This means planning my meals better.)
- Buy things that are only necessary, and first shop thrift stores or farmer’s market– then make sure I’m buying things that are local first, and have the least packaging possible.
I think I can manage that.
Some other easy steps to make every day Earth Day:
- Recycle! (There isn’t much you can’t anymore!)
- Compost if you don’t already. It’s easier than you think! We even have a separate worm farm that my hubby made out of some small plastic shoe boxes and scraps of wood! They love coffee grounds and junk mail!
- Think about your schedule and make trips that combine errands so you don’t waste gas. Carpool or share trips if you can!
- Make your own cleaners. They work better, are cheaper, and won’t hurt your health or the earth!
- When giving gifts, use reusable packaging (a pretty scarf, nice tote, etc.) Also, think about what you’re giving and why.
- Don’t buy new things unless you have to. Think “Do I REALLY need this?” Trade things with friends! Use Freecycle to give and get goodies. (We use this often- have even had an old garage taken down to be reused with it! No labor or cost to us!)
Mainly, just BE AWARE.
Aware of how what you are doing will impact the earth, (What garbage will this make? What is it made from? Is it toxic?)
Aware of what you really need, (Do I need this?)
Aware of how what you do effects others. (Who made this?)
We might try and check out our local Earth Day celebrations this year. Hope you have a great day!
Feb 1, 2010 | Green Living, In-Edibles, Recipes
I just found this recipe for Natural Deodorant on this site.
I am so excited to try it as I know it will save bundles and I will know what’s in it!
You use your own empty stick deodorant containers (washed out.) I found a site once where you can order these new, but can’t find it now. If you know of it please let me know!
Natural Deodorant
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup baking soda
10 drops essential oil(they recommend tea tree or lavender)
Mix it all together(takes about 2 seconds)
you can use it just like that-dust it on as a powder
OR if you want to put it in a stick form you add
2-3 tbs coconut oil
you find it in the baking aisle by the shortening (also good as a skin cream and lip balm)
Once you have it all mixed up you pack it into an old, empty stick deoderant container.
Let “cure” about 24 hours for it to hold together properly when you apply it.
*Another recipe is HERE. (They say to use 1 part baking soda to 6 parts corn starch.)
Jan 25, 2010 | Green Living, In-Edibles, Uncategorized
Tub Scrub (I love this!)
In a mixing bowl pour about equal amounts of baking soda and borax.
(Maybe 2 cups each?)
Pour in some True Lemon powder (you can use True Orange or Lime also!)
just enough to scent the mix.
To use: Wet bathtub or sink. Sprinkle tub scrub in tub. Watch the fun! It bubbles when it gets wet!
Scrub and watch the sparkles! This smells yummy too.
Glass & General Purpose Cleaner
Both of these are subjective recipes too. (Sorry!)
I have some spray bottles I bought at Sam’s Club in a three pack.
I fill one up about two inches with vinegar (disinfectant,) then add about an inch of rubbing alcohol (disinfectant and makes it dry faster,) then add a few drops of tea tree oil and fill the rest to the line with water. To make it more of a general cleaner I add a tablespoon of Borax and let dissolve (makes icky stuff come off counters better.) To be just a glass cleaner you can actually use all vinegar, but I like the mix of the alcohol and vinegar- just think it works better.
This works great on almost every surface (except nice wood.)
Hope you like these as much as I do! If you have some good ones to share please comment!
Jan 21, 2010 | Green Living, In-Edibles, Recipes, Uncategorized
This is a great recipe for playdough!
4 cups of flour
1 cup salt
4 cups water
4 Tablespoons oil
1/2 cup of cream of tartar (I get my from Penzey’s.com- much cheaper!)
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low/med. heat until dough is completely
formed and no longer sticky. Allow to cool a bit before putting in a bag or tight container to store.
*You can add food coloring, kool-aid (for smell and color,) I usually put True Lemon in it to give it a nice scent. This recipe lasts a LONG time (as long as your kids put it away!)
Dec 23, 2009 | Green Living, In-Edibles, Recipes
I am going to try this recipe for liquid dishwashing soap from naturemoms.com.
I have tried MANY recipes for natural dishwashing soap, and not had good results.
Hope that this one works!
Natural Dishwasher Soap Recipe
1/2 CUP LIQUID CASTILLE SOAP *do NOT use regular liquid soap!*
1/2 CUP WATER
1 TEASPOON FRESH LEMON JUICE
3 DROPS OF TEA TREE EXTRACT
1/2 CUP WHITE VINEGAR
COMBINE WATER AND LIQUID CASTILLE SOAP. STIR.
ADD LEMON JUICE, TEA TREE EXTRACT AND VINEGAR.
STIR UNTIL EVENLY BLENDED.
STORE IN A SQUIRT TOP BOTTLE.
USE 2 TABLESPOONS PER DISHWASHER LOAD.
CAUTION! DO NOT USE REGULAR SOAP IN PLACE OF CASTILLE, UNLESS IT IS LOW SUDSING SOAP….. OTHERWISE, YOUR DISHWASHER WILL OVERFLOW!I’ll let you know!
Dec 7, 2009 | Green Living, Uncategorized
How can I green up MY holidays?
- Don’t wrap gifts, or use a scarf, pretty re-usable bag (my sis-in-law used pretty reusable shopping bags last year -such a neat idea!)
- If you do wrap use paper over (like your grandma did!)
- Send e-cards!
- If you are like me and love to get “real” mail this one time a year then use recycled cards or re-use last year’s cards by cutting off the fronts. I read a neat tip on Suite101 that said to write your note on a slip of scrap paper or sticky note so the card-receiver can reuse the card next year! Also pare down your card list if you haven’t heard from someone in awhile. I’m still trying to figure out my cards for this year… I think we are going to make paper with junk mail, then make cards with those. We usually do New Year’s Cards to minimize the holiday stress.
- If you exchange gifts buy local or handcraft your own creations (try local folks on Etsy!) I saw an idea where friends who craft get together and swap gifts. I’d love to try this next year!
- Make sure the toys you buy are safe. THIS IS HARD! There are some great sites to verify the toys don’t have nasty chemicals in them (just do a search!) If you buy toys that are made for sale in Europe you will probably be safe as they have stricter laws on bad toys unlike we do in the U.S. (If you have pets remember to check them out too- there is virtually NO regulation on pet toy safety!)
- Better than giving things why not register your family on Heifer Project’s giving site?
You will give a chance for a new future for underprivileged people around the world. Another great choice is Arkansas Rice Depot!
- Buy local foods for your meals. It not only supports local farmers, but makes a smaller carbon print. But, most importantly, it TASTES BETTER! Thanksgiving we managed to get almost our entire meal from local farmers.
- Decorate using fresh items if possible, or recycle your old ones with new ribbons etc.
- Reuse old wrapping paper and cards to make neat new decorations for your home! We are making paper chains with old cards today!
- We always get a fresh tree. I know some people think this is bad, but it’s from a tree farm where they plant new ones every year. In my humble opinion you are supporting local farmers, putting a natural item in your home as opposed to a plastic chemical ridden thing that has been manufactured in China and shipped halfway around the world. Plus we love to go as a family and drink cocoa, ride the tractor, cut the tree… makes for a fun day! (Also they make your house smell so “Christmasy” as the kids say!) I have a great recipe for tree food here on my recipe blog.
Cutting our tree this weekend!Do you have a good idea to green your Christmas? Please let me know and let’s keep the ideas rolling!
