Archive for the 'Green Living' Category

When you’re researching different aspects of living green, it’s easy to “want it all”. The problem with wanting it all, is that it’s very hard on your bank account! Everyone has to prioritize and decide what the most important changes are….and what will affect their health the most. With that said, I wish that I would have focused on our water sooner!

Water quality is something that I thought about, but I didn’t ever make it a priority. But it kept coming up. I kept reading…researching…learning. And finally decided to do something about it. We drink SO much water in our family…we couldn’t just keep ignoring the quality.

I know that there are varying opinions on whether or not tap water is safe. I’m not going to debate that here. Some areas are much better than others…but I am sure we’ve all heard about the stuff that CAN be in tap water (drugs, bacteria, etc). I just wanted yummy and safe filtered water for my family. So instead of debating the pros and cons of each systems, I will just tell you what we decided to buy. We were primarily deciding between a reverse osmosis system and the Berkey.

For years, we have used the Brita or PUR filters. I really didn’t like storing water in plastic…and they do not filter flouride. After A LOT of research, we decided to go with the Berkey water system. We chose the “Big Berkey” and ordered it from More Than Alive. Why did we choose the Berkey?

• It filters out a lot of yucky stuff. This is the filter used in 3rd world countries and can technically be used to filter water out of the gutter (although I wouldn’t recommend it!).
• It doesn’t require under counter installation, electricity or water pressure.
• It’s portable. We wanted a system we could take with us when we traveled or if we moved.
• The filters only need to be replaced every 3000 gallons (which equates to about every 2 years for us).
• It filters out flouride (this is a hot topic…please Google it if you’re interested)
• It doesn’t waste as much water as a reverse osmosis system.
• It’s made of stainless steel and not plastic (although they do offer a BPA-free plastic option).

We’ve had the Berkey for about 6 weeks now and we love it. Our water used to taste and smell horribly like chlorine and now it’s yummy. Matt did have to build a stand for it so that it sat a bit higher than the counter (in order to dispense it)…but other than that, it’s great. I think if I had to go back and do it over…I would probably buy the Royal (one size larger). We usually only have to fill it up once a day if it’s just us…but when we have guests, etc. it would be nice to have a larger capacity unit.

Someday, I would love to have a “whole house filtration” system…but for now, the Berkey works perfect for us. In addition to the drinking water, we also ordered a Culligan filtered shower head. Our bodies take in A LOT of water/chlorine when showering/bathing…and chlorine fumes are not happy for your body at all. I didn’t want by babies bathing in that! When Bella takes a bath, we just fill the tub with the shower head to ensure she is bathing in pure water.

So there you have it…water filtration fun!

When we were in San Francisco, I picked up the May 2008 edition of Common Ground magazine and found this interesting list of stats compiled by Jenny Rough. I found them really interesting and in some cases quite crazy (like the 2nd one!). They will make you think.

1.4 million
Americans who suffer from hoarding or clutter.

80
Percentage of things Americans own that they never use.

300 Million
Number of shoes thrown into landfills in the U.S. each year (donate them to www.giveshoes.org instead).

11
Percentage of retired personal computers that were recycled in 2001 (visit www.techsoup.com for info on donating computer hardware).

75
Percent of employed people of recycle at home (yet only 49 percent recycle at work).

5
Number of items needed for “zen-cleansing” (baking soda, borax, lemon, salt, and white vinegar).

25
Percent more headaches experienced by pregnant women who use air fresheners and aerosol cans at home.

92 Billion
Number of plastic bags grocery stores and pharmacies go through each year (San Francisco was the first U.S. city to ban large grocery stores and pharmacies from using them).

Sources: treehugger.com, soles4souls.org, techsoup.org, Rastad USA survey, The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing, New Scientist, Newsweek.

Your skin is an organ. It sucks up every little bit of lotion and lather you put on it…and it goes straight into your blood stream. For those of you who haven’t made the change to “healthy” soaps, lotions, lip balms, etc…please re-think your choice. I just cannot urge you enough to make these changes! It might be hard to switch out an item you’ve been using since Jr. High…but you just can’t afford to continue using these products. Why? The U.S. has a beauty industry that is largely unregulated. Don’t believe it? Check out “Not Just a Pretty Face” by Stacy Malkan. Here is a snippet from the book:

Lead in lipstick? 1,4 dioxane in baby soap? Coal tar in shampoo? How is this possible?Simple. The $35 billion cosmetics industry is so powerful that they’ve kept themselves unregulated for decades.Not one cosmetic product has to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration before hitting the market. Incredible? Consider this:

• The European Union has banned more than 1,100 chemicals from cosmetics. The United States has banned just 10.
• Only 11% of chemicals used in cosmetics in the US have been assessed for health and safety – leaving a staggering 89% with unknown or undisclosed effects.
• More than 70% of all personal care products may contain phthalates, which are linked to birth defects and infertility.
• Many baby soaps are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical 1,4 dioxane.

Go to Skin Deep before you purchase anything. Don’t assume that just because it’s on the shelf at the Target and it has a really cool “organic looking” package that it’s good for you and your children. Packaging is meant to be mesmerizing…they want you to buy their products. But don’t be fooled. Be a label reader! Look past the pretty bottle and really examine what you are buying.

I was looking for something tonight on the site and came across a few of these “favorites”. They might not be your favorites after you read on…

Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon Anti-Bacterial Soap

Suave Men’s Shampoo

Blixtex Lip Balm

Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo

Do your research and choose items that have very few ingredients and that you can pronounce. That will narrow it down to just a few lines of products…so now your choices are much easier! Go for Aubrey Organics, or a line of locally homemade items (one of my favorites is Prairieland Herbs…check out their Cheek Gloss!). Better yet…learn how to make your own products and you’ll save money too!

Photo credit: Auntie P/Flickr Creative Commons

Have you been wanting to “green” your home, but didn’t know where to start?

Let me help you!

Oprah recently featured the Get Clean line on her “favorites” show…and because of that, Shaklee is offering the “Get Clean Starter Kit” at a huge discount (33%) until Friday, November 30. AND…by ordering the kit (or anything 50pv or higher) you will also receive a lifetime Shaklee membership, giving you a 15% discount on all future purchases (also a special that ends on Nov. 30).

I know that many of you have inquired about the Get Clean line…and this is a great chance to try it out. This is such an EASY way to green your home…the kit format makes it so simple and there is no getting confused at what you need to buy. I am LOVING all of the items in this kit…we use them on the road and have been so happy. Some of my favorite items:

*Fresh Laundry Concentrate: It smells so great and works MUCH better than other natural detergents I’ve tried.
*Nature Bright Laundry Booster: Gets out stains and stinky stuff…great for soaking, carpets, and more!
*Hand Wash Concentrate: I cut onions and garlic a lot and this works really, really good at getting the stink out!
*Basic H Organic Wipes: Oh Basic H wipes…how do I love thee? Let me count the ways These are AWESOME. For those of you who still aren’t at 100% cloth in your homes…check out these all purpose wipes that are safe to use everywhere.
*Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste: I’ve never smelled a scouring powder so delicious.

These are just a few of my faves…but you really have to try them to believe it. Everything has a 100% guarantee…so check it out! And of course…by purchasing Shaklee items, you’re supporting the Live Lightly Tour as well. This special offer ends on Friday (today!!)…so you have until midnight to take advantage of it.

Click here to order the Get Clean Special Edition Starter Kit…and don’t forget to tell your friends!! Our goal is to turn 10 households green TODAY…will you help?

(cross-posted on Live Lightly)

Some thoughts I’ve had lately about these 3 little words.

REDUCE:
Reducing our consumption (and not just recycling after we consume) is one of the most important things we can do to make a difference. It takes self-control, but once you start to work on mastering your consumer-driven desires, it gets easier.

We’ve been living in the RV just over 2 weeks, and I am keenly aware of my obsession with reducing. If there is something that is not serving an immediate purpose, it’s gone. Nothing is safe! We’ve done two more downsizing sessions since we moved in. The first one consisted of mostly clothes and the second of household items. It feels so good to see open space in my cupboards and to have room to move my clothes around in the closet.

I am also very aware of what is coming into the RV. Even when we lived in the apartment, if I brought some new stuff home, I could just toss it in the closet and deal with it later. Now, I have to deal with it immediately, because if I put it on the couch, where will we sit?! I rarely even have the desire to go to stores, or garage sales anymore…because I know that if I end up finding something I “need”, I will have to come back and find a place for it. Which, when everything already has a place and there is not a lot of empty space, is a little difficult. So I am content to make do with what I already have and when a need arises, I am better able to determine if it is truly a need.

REUSE:
I love Klean Kanteens. We all have our own and we use them everyday, all day. In fact, most of the time, we don’t even use cups at meals…just our water bottles! Because we can just re-fill over and over without washing, it reduces the number of dishes. This is a good thing. I take it with me everywhere and I will fill it up at random drinking fountains and in public restrooms. When we go to somewhere to eat…for example, Subway, I take it and fill it up with their water instead of taking their disposable cup.

Bottled water is super popular among RV’ers because many people don’t trust their tank water. We have a Pur water filter on the faucet and as long as we filled up our tank from a tested source…we drink it. But if you have access to safe filtered tap water at home and on the town…drink it! Well, unless you live in Iowa which probably has the most contaminated water in the nation from all of the pig farms (check out this map!). The tap water/bottled water scandals have been all over the news lately. Here are some interesting tidbits on the topic from Colin at No Impact Man.

There are many coffeeshops switching to biodegradable cups in an effort to be more earth-friendly. I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my favorite spots in Bozeman put out a recycling bin for all of their plastic cups. But even though it’s a step in the right direction…it doesn’t solve the problem…the waste is still there. On my last trip to the Ecopolitan in Minneapolis, I was excited to see that they were requiring the purchase of a glass jar when you bought a smoothie to-go. You had to pay $1 for the jar/cup and you could either keep it, or bring it back in for a credit. It’s ideas like this that need to stick…they may seem radical to the general public, but until we start to realize how much disposable junk we use everyday, the landfills will just continue to grow.

RECYCLE:
It’s been a little more difficult to recycle while traveling, because I’m never sure where the next drop-off site will be. But it’s working good so far. Whenever I am flattening a box or washing out a can to recycle…I am usually thinking “did I really need that in the first place?”. And the answer most often is no. Again, along the lines of REDUCING before even getting to this step, I want to buy products with less packaging, boxes, plastic, etc. on them. If you must buy something in plastic, try to remember to check the recycle number BEFORE you buy it. I’m always annoyed when I get something home and realize that it’s a #5 plastic, which is not recycled in a lot of areas.

I’m soooo far from perfect in all of these areas…but try hard to be mindful of my actions and how they effect others, and if I mess up…I just start fresh the next day.

What are some of your own thoughts about these 3 little words?

All or nothing. That’s me. If I am passionate and excited about something, I jump in and do it without looking back. But even with my personality as it is, the journey that I am on has taken time. All of the changes in my life did not happen overnight. I took one step at a time and eventually it came to equal big changes.

I thought it would be fun and encouraging to hear about everyone’s journey toward simpler and/or green living. You can write your story in the comments, or write your own blog entry and just leave a comment with the link. I’ll kick it off with my own story.

In 2002, I was in Barnes and Noble and came across Mothering Magazine. I was enthralled with everything they said and was excited to get home and check out their online forums. Once I got there, I was hooked. I spent hours on there researching and learning and getting excited about “natural living”. This was still two years before I was pregnant with Bella…but I loved reading in the cloth diaper forum I knew, even then, that I would use cloth, that I wanted a midwife and homebirth, and that I loved those cool slings. Most of my reading focused on attachment parenting, and natural baby products. I continued to explore all of these things and when I had Bella, I was finally able to put my natural parenting/birth ideas into action. Once I started down that path…I became increasingly more interested in using natural beauty & cleaning products. Research led to more research…and like my friends and I always say, “it’s a slippery slope!”.

In the Fall of 2004, I was getting increasingly frustrated because we just couldn’t afford organic meat. But, I didn’t want to buy non-organic meat. So, I just stopped buying meat altogether…and that was the beginning of my vegetarianism. My initial motivator soon morphed into other things, like being appalled at the way animals were treated at factory farms, the pollution from conventional farms, the studies showing how much healthier your body was by consuming less meat. At that same time, I just happened to run into a mom at the farmer’s market who had just had a homebirth, was a vegetarian and had all of the same interests as I did. We hit it off and she was kind of my vegetarian “mentor”. Denise and I are still close friends today, even though we live far apart! Matt was and always has been supportive of my decision. We don’t have meat at home, but he regularly eat meats when we are out. I will occasionally buy him some organic turkey breast or organic beef jerky as a treat at home. I’m very blessed to have a flexible husband who loves my cooking. He says as long as he’s full…that’s all that matters! Eventually, I went fully vegan (no eggs, dairy or any animal product)…although I am not now. And I had a short stint where I ate 100% raw food.

When I started hanging around online with vegans and vegetarians…I learned about so many other things. Most vegetarians tend to be activist minded, thinking kind of people. They are questioning the norm…making a decision to go against the flow. I started to question everything that I thought was “normal” and I made sure that what I was doing aligned with my values. My interest in living a more earth-friendly lifestyle is rooted in my faith. I believe that those who follow Jesus should be the most outspoken environmentalists there are! Christians talk so much about being good stewards of their money, their time, or their body…but being a good steward of the earth He has entrusted to us is just as important. God cannot be pleased when he sees excessive waste, excessive chemicals being poured out into the waters, and excessively nonchalant attitudes among His people. You don’t have to be a radical tree hugger to take care of creation. It’s just part of stewardship.

In the Summer of 2005, we were staying in a hotel for 4 weeks for business. We had a small suite that had a bedroom and a little kitchen. I realized while we were there that I was EXTREMELY HAPPY living in a smaller space. I liked knowing where Bella was at all times without searching. I liked that cleaning up only took a few minutes instead of an entire afternoon. It just clicked. Matt and I talked about that for a long time and when we returned from our trip, we decided to sell our house (that we had just purchased a few months before)…and downsize everything. We spent entire weekends cleaning out our basement, selling things on eBay and Craigslist. Slowly, we came out from under our self-imposed weight of possessions. In that time, we also had a strict budget and paid off all of our consumer debt (credit cards, cars, etc). It took one year…but by the end of that year, we had paid the debt, sold our house, and moved into a smaller apartment. It was during that time that I discovered the Compact and also many blogs that were discussing simpler/greener living. I loved the freedom I felt in giving things away, helping others, and feeling the wonderful “light” feeling that comes with getting rid of things that you don’t need. The group of friends I had in Des Moines were also instrumental in my journey…so many wonderful, thoughtful mamas, encouraging each other to make slow changes.

The jobs that we had during that time (working for my family) were great for the pocketbook, but not so great for keeping sanity. We made the hard decision to resign, move to Bozeman, MT and seek out a slower pace of life. It’s been a great time of reflection, rejuvenation, and searching out what God has for our lives.

Before we sold our house, we had purchased a gorgeous VW Westy and we had planned on traveling the country in it. Circumstances arose and we ended up selling it before we moved to Bozeman…but the traveling lifestyle was still calling to us. We were always talking about how we wished that we would have just done it. We decided to follow our hearts. What is the worst that could happen by pursuing our dreams? Failure? No big deal…at least we can say we tried! And in the end, we’ll have no regrets.

So, here we are today. We know that God has called us to downsize once again and travel…at least for awhile. He has graciously opened doors and provided wonderful opportunities for us to share our passion about living small and sustainably and sharing our love of Christ. We have dreams of starting our own ministry in the next couple of years, recruiting other young families, and traveling around the U.S…stopping at different camps to do work projects (1-2 months at a time). Matt would love to start doing work related to his true passion, which is leading worship. We hope to incorporate that into our traveling ministry.

So, that’s the story. We have taken one step at a time; sometimes they are baby steps…sometimes they are huge leaps of faith. But wherever the road leads, we know that God has our future planned, they are good plans…full of hope!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11

I picked up the Sunday edition of the New York Times a few months ago and I was hooked. The stories are diverse and
the writing is superb. Of course, I am an information junkie…so others who read it might not be so easily enthralled I thrive on learning new and exciting things. My heart literally races as I read facts that have never entered my thoughts before (disclaimer: nearly all traditional media outlets are owned by huge conglomerates and are biased…so always read with a critical eye!).

The article that jumped out and called to me was “Buying into the Green Movement”. I laughed out loud as I read the introductory paragraph:

“Here’s one popular vision for saving the planet: Roll out from under the sumptuous hemp-fiber sheets on your bed in the morning and pull ona pair of $245 organic cotton Levi’s and an Armani biodegradable knit shirt.

Stroll from the bedroom in your eco-McMansion, with it’s photovoltaic solar panels, into the kitchen remodeled with reclaimed lumber. Enter the 3-car garage lighted by energy-sipping fluorescent bulbs and slip behind the wheel of your $104,000 Lexus Hybrid.

Drive to the airport, where you settle in for an 8,000 mile flight–careful to buy carbon offsets beforehand–and spend a week driving golf balls made from compacted fish food at an eco-resort in the Maldives.”

The article goes on to say that even though there are so many eco-friendly products for you to buy…buying them does NOT necessarily make the earth more happy. You are still consuming. When you consume, those resources have to come from somewhere. Is it more earth-friendly to keep your non-organic, yet still comfortable cotton sheets until they wear out, or to buy brand new organic cotton sheets? When you buy the new sheets, cotton needs to be harvested and shipped to a manufacturer. The manufacturer makes the sheets which requires electricity, water, and numberless other items. Then the sheets are shipped in (most likely) a gas-guzzling semi (oh wait…maybe it’s a biodiesel semi ).

Basically, what they are saying is that the “green consumerism movement” is not so green after all. When you buy a lot of new things to be more “green”…you could be adding to the problem. However, in my opinion, there is an exception when you are buying something that is health related AND it’s more green. For example…should I just continue using my Nalgene bottles when there is evidence that they aren’t good for your body? No…you should run as fast as you can and buy some stainless steel water bottles. Or, should I just continue to use up my nasty chemical cleaners or use natural cleaners right away? My choice would be to get rid of them immediately (or donate them to someone or some place who hasn’t seen the eco-light yet ) Should you throw out all of your old clothes and only buy organic, natural fiber clothing? Probably not. Everyone will have a different opinion on what is right for them…just be mindful of your own choices.

Back to the article:

Paul Hawken, an author and longtime environmental activist, said the current boom in earth-friendly products offers a false promise. “Green consumerism is an oxymoronic phrase,” he said. He blamed the news media and marketers for turning environmentalism into fashion and distracting from serious issues.

“We turn toward the consumption part because that’s where the money is,” Mr. Hawken said. “We tend not to look at the ‘less’ part. So you get these anomalies like 10,000-foot ‘green’ homes being built by a hedge fund manager in Aspen. Or ‘green’ fashion shows. Fashion is the deliberate inculcation of obsolescence.”

He added: “The fruit at Whole Foods in winter, flown in from Chile on a 747 — it’s a complete joke. The idea that we should have raspberries in January, it doesn’t matter if they’re organic. It’s diabolically stupid.”

Basically, you just want to use common sense. Make the right choice for yourself and your family, but don’t do it just to be trendy. Just because it says it’s “eco-friendly” on the package doesn’t mean it meets your own personal standards. Just because it’s at your local coop doesn’t mean the food didn’t come from overseas. Be diligent in educating yourself about what exactly you are purchasing. Where did it come from? Who made it? Why do I need this?

When it comes to celebrities touting green lifestyles, etc…I want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. It’s a given that there are many companies and individuals who will use the green movement to make money (greenwashing), get their name out there, etc. And there are a lot of people who will say how those people aren’t “green enough” or they have other motives. I say…who cares?! Whether they have pure motives or not, they are still spreading the word about living greener and lighter on the earth. Even if one person is inspired to make a change in their lifestyle, all of those little changes will add up to big change.

A perfect example of this is the Live Earth event that happened on 07/07/07. If you haven’t heard about it…this event was a worldwide concert spotlighting green living and fighting global warming. Yes, there were celebrities. Yes, they will probably sell more albums because they performed at Live Earth. BUT…think of all of the concert-goers who heard the message of living greener who may have never even thought about it before! Just for that single fact, it was a wonderful event.

How green are you? Are you light green? Dark green? Sage green? Who cares. That’s silly It’s not a change that you make overnight…you make little changes, one at a time. Let’s not judge anyone on how green they are compared to anyone else. Let’s just make our own changes and encourage others in their journey as well.

Summer is the perfect time to eat outside and create community. I love eating with friends…and eating OUTSIDE with friends is even better. However, summertime is notorious for creating mounds and mounds of party trash. My friend, Rebecca, is throwing a “Stop Global Warming” Party this month. What a great way to create awareness and have fun! I encourage all of you to throw your own “Earth Party”! Here are a few things you could incorporate:

• Encourage party-goers to ride their bikes, walk, or carpool.
• Have everyone bring their own non-disposable plates, cups (or water bottles) and utensils.
• Have speakers from local environmental groups (Rebecca has the Sierra Club Student Coalition coming to hers)
• Make it a vegetarian potluck…meat production is a huge problem for the environment!
• Serve organic, raw fruits and veggies
• Have a tree planting ceremony
• Send invites by email to avoid paper trash

Have a great time at your Earth Parties…I’d love to hear how they go!

A few things that have been on my little “eco-mind”:

Radius Toothbrush
I recently bought a Radius toothbrush with a replaceable head. It’s not only super comfy to brush with and easy to hold, it’s earth-friendly! I love the handle. I also like that they are a company that thinks about environmental issues.

Bag Lady
I was recently in Best Buy and as I was checking out, the cashier put one ONE TINY item into a big plastic bag. I immediately said “Oh…I’ll just carry that without the bag…thanks!”. We completed the transaction and left the store. Matt turned to me after we left and said, “she just threw that bag in the trash!”. Hmmmmmm. I have seen this happen more than one time, not just in Best Buy. Maybe they have a policy that says bags can only be pulled out for use one time?  It’s a little maddening. Perhaps I should have said “no thanks, you can save that for the next customer”. Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon?

Earth-Friendly
There was recently an article in the Des Moines register that talked about how you could throw a more earth-friendly party. They recommended using recycled paper plates and biodegradable plastic utensils. While this is a BETTER option…why use disposables at all? Summer is party-time…a great way to make a difference is to avoid all of the disposable party goods. Your trash can will thank you for it.

GREEN!
There has been such a HUGE focus on “green” this and “green” that in the media. While it can get a little overwhelming sometimes, I do think it’s a good thing. Even though it’s turning “trendy”…it’s increasing awareness, and that can only be a good thing. So the next time you get sick of hearing about Wal-Mart being “green”…just think about all of the minds being opening…even if it’s just a little bit.

Wheeeee! Have a great weekend!

Hello friends!
I’ve been gone a long time…but I’m back with a really exciting announcement! Matt, Bella, and I are going on tour! We have recently purchased an RV that will run on straight vegetable oil, and we are going to travel around the U.S. for the next year.

Wait a minute! Did you say veggie oil?! Yes. FREE waste vegetable oil…the same kind that your eggroll was fried in for lunch. Pumped straight from behind your local Thai/Chinese/Fast Food restaurant into our tank (filtered of course). I am writing this post from Springfield, MO, home of Golden Fuel Systems. Golden Fuel Systems converts any diesel engine to run on veggie oil…and we are so excited to be a part of this alternative fuel movement.

BUT…I NEED YOUR HELP! We have a rough route mapped out…but we want to base our travels on YOU! I would love to come and meet you face to face…and also have you assist us in finding green/sustainable/alternative fairs, coops, and other educational opportunities in your local areas. We are going to be looking for companies/organizations to sponsor our educational tour as well.

While we are on the road, we will still need to make some money to live. I am going to be scheduling photo shoots in each area that we stop in. For those of you that could assist in getting the word out in your town…I will give you a significant discount on your own photos. You can see some of my portrait sessions here. I will also be available to help you simplify, downsize, and/or decorate your homes! Matt will assist by doing any handiwork/painting around your house.

If you are interested in adding your town to our tour…please contact me immediately and we’ll start talking details! We are planning to leave in late August/early September.

We just launched our new website today with many more details of what I have just shared… and we will be detailing the entire journey on that site. Check it out here: http://www.livelightlytour.com

Wheeeeeee! We are so excited to hit the road!