Ecominded Mama

Wash clothes in cold water

I haven't been able to find it online this morning, but I read an article in the most recent Oprah magazine about the environment and things we can do to reduce our impact on it. I wish I would have written down the exact quote, but one of the experts said something that really stuck with me: The type of laundry detergent we choose has much less impact on the environment than the temperature of the water we wash the clothes in -- heating water (for laundry or anything else) has a major environmental impact. I washed several loads in cold water yesterday (darks, lights, and whites) and didn't notice a difference in how clean the clothes were. So for me, it's cold water for laundry all the time now. Mom would applaud this one: She always said clothes last longer if they're washed in cold water.

Use less. And then try using even less than that.

My latest environmental strategy was inspired by spots -- spots on my clean laundry. At first I thought they were grease stains, but then I noticed that they were on the backs of shirts and other spots where they couldn't possibly have been in the line of fire of cooking oil. Naturally I turned to the Web to research these mysterious spots, and although I found some conflicting advice, the majority of what I read indicated that I was using too much detergent. I was skeptical, but I ran a few loads using about a quarter less than the recommended amount of detergent and my clothes were perfectly clean (and without mysterious spots!). I decided to try using even less detergent, and once again, my clothes came out clean. Now I'm using about half of the recommended amount of laundry detergent, which means I'm getting twice as many loads out of the box of detergent. I'm also using a quarter of my dryer sheets rather than the whole thing (with no noticeable difference in static). Hooray!

It's been a good lesson to learn. I'm now trying to use less of everything -- less shampoo, lower heat when I'm boiling water (don't forget to use a lid), lower thermostat, less dishwasher soap, etc. If you're hesitant, try using just a little bit less, then try using just a little bit less than that. You'll be amazed, I promise.

Article: 15 Green Must-Haves for Mom

I couldn't resist reading the 15 Green Must-Haves for Mom article when I saw the title, and I wasn't disappointed. The tips are what I think of as basics these days (reusable shopping bags, earth-friendly detergents, etc.), but the article does include a few products I hadn't heard of. I'm especially intrigued by the Earth Machine (tip #8) -- I've wanted to compost for a while, but have been overwhelmed by the different styles of compost bins and couldn't decide which one to buy. I don't know that I'll buy the Earth Machine, but I'm grateful for the reminder that I need to quit dilly-dallying and just buy a compost bin and get to it! 

Back-to-basics cleaning tips from Real Simple

The article isn't live online yet, but Real Simple magazine's April 2009 "Back-to-Basics Cleaning" has 78 tips for cleaning with everyday, natural (depending on which ones you buy) products like salt, lemons, toothpaste, and baking soda. One of my favorites involves lemons: "To bleach stains from tomato soup and other acidic foods on dishwasher-safe items, rub lemon juice on the spots, let dry in a sunny place, then wash as usual." It worked on my tomato-stained rubber spatulas.

Worldofgood.com

I read about worldofgood.com in Lucky magazine, and it has some truly cool stuff at amazing prices... and you can feel good about your purchases, too, because they help small business owners around the world to prosper. The site is affiliated with eBay, but it's driven by the philosophies of World of Good, Inc.:

World of Good is a convenient, trusted place for consumers to shop for thousands of products that positively impact people and the planet. Through our network of retail, wholesale, and online partners, we connect artisans in developing communities around the world with mainstream retail markets.

The site is vast, but I especially like the jewelry, housewares (like these handmade African baskets and this super cool recycled plastic clock), and art, and many of the items are made from recycled materials. Happy browsing! 

Clothing exchange party

A friend of mine told me about a party she went to recently, and I think it's a fantastic idea: A clothing exchange party. Each guest combs her closet for things that she (or he) doesn't like or that don't fit anymore and brings them to the party. The items are organized at the party (pants, sweaters, tops, purses, shoes, etc. -- perhaps in advance of the party if there are a lot of items), and attendees look through and try on anything that appeals to them, then take home what they like. Anything left over is donated to charity. Brilliant!

Ceiling fans in winter

I always thought ceiling fans were mainly for summertime use, keeping areas cool to reduce or eliminate the need for air conditioners. I heard a tip on the radio last week, though, that makes perfect sense: During the summer, set ceiling fan blades to run counterclockwise (to create a cool breeze), but set them to run clockwise during the winter (to move warm air off the ceiling and down into the room). What a simple way to eliminate the problem of heat rising!

Article: 25 Eco-Chic Ideas for Your Home

There are some fun and clever ideas in the article 25 Eco-Chic Ideas for Your Home on WholeLiving.com. My favorites are #14, reusing Altoid tins, and #11, making cloth napkins out of old dress shirts (I've also thought of using pieces from old, ripped flannel sheets to make napkins).

Stila refillable eye shadow compacts

I'm not much of a makeup maven, but I love Stila cosmetics. I was pleasantly surprised to learn recently that many of their eye shadows are sold as pans, without the compact, which means that you can buy one aluminum compact for $2 and refill it endlessly. The compact itself is light but sturdy, and has (I think) a clever magnetic element that keeps it sealed tight. The eye shadows also come without an applicator, which eliminates waste for women who use a brush to apply their eye shadow (if you do want to use a traditional eye shadow applicator, you can snag a few for free at any Sephora).

Herbal Clear Natural Deodorant

I was a little hesitant to try another natural deodorant after my experience last August with the Tom's of Maine one, but my sister (who isn't especially ecominded) convinced me that Herbal Clear Natural Deodorant was a winner. It's aluminum, paraben, and alcohol free, and a super bargain -- it was less than $2 at the grocery store (although it's $3.19 on Amazon). 

I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I have to say that I agree with my sister. Like the Tom's deodorant, it goes on a little goopy, but it dries relatively quickly and I don't have that recurring goopy feeling throughout the day. I won't be convinced that it's a true winner until after we've weathered a sticky, sweltering New York summer together, but I'm at least a winter convert.   

Keep It Green Snow & Ice Melter

It seems like it's been an unusually snowy winter here for us in the northeast -- or at least that I've been doing more sidewalk and driveway shovelling than I have in prior years. We ran out of our ice melter and decided to try a new brand that claims to be eco-friendly (and pet- and landscape-friendly): Keep It Green Snow & Ice Melter. It works great -- as well or better than the conventional ice melter we were using. It was more expensive than the kind we used to buy, but unfortunately I misplaced the receipt and can't remember how much it cost or how much a comparable size container of the conventional brand costs. Amazon sells 8 pound and 40 pound jugs if your local hardware store doesn't stock it.

Minimizing canned goods

My girls are bean lovers -- black, brown, white... they love them all -- so I put them in everything and make at least one pot of chili or bean soup each week. I used to stock up on canned beans every week, sometimes buying 12 cans at a time (more if they were on sale), but I realized recently that I'd save a ton of money by buying a one-pound bag of dried beans for $1.50 and cooking them myself instead of 6 cans of beans for $9 . (I won't go into recipes here, but trust me -- they're super easy to make.) And as with most things, I discovered that saving money and being eco-friendly often go hand-in-hand -- in this instance, I save at least $7 per week ($364 per year!) at the grocery store and I eliminate the need to add 6 cans to my recycling bin.

New uses for unwearable clothes

I'm a firm believer in donating unwanted or ill-fitting clothes to charity (along with anything else that's still usable and in good condition), but some clothes are too stained or have holes or some other problem that makes them not suitable for donating. I used to throw clothes like these away, but recently I've started recycling them, too, by using them as cleaning cloths. My husband's old undershirts are perfect for dusting and general household cleaning -- they aren't too bulky and hold up well. Hmmm, now that I think about it, I should try cutting them up and using them instead of sponges to wash pots and pans!

Scissor sharpening

We are fortunate enough to live in a town with a fantastic farmer's market, and now that it's cold it has moved indoors. We don't buy as many things during the winter markets since there aren't as many fruits and vegetables for sale, but we did take advantage of one winter vendor's services last weekend: the knife sharpener. We bundled up a few knives that we use most often, and at the last second I remembered that my everyday scissors had become frustratingly dull. I was ready to buy a new pair, but I'm so glad I didn't -- sharpening the scissors to brand-new condition only cost $5. It's true that a new pair wouldn't have cost much more than that, but why create more waste and buy more stuff when I don't have to?

Tossing the Ecosponge

I stumbled across the Ecosponge while shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and thought it looked promising (BBB doesn't sell it on their website, but I found it on Ecohousekeeping.com). I paid $5.95 for two sponges, which is significantly more than I'd pay for two disposable sponges, but the fact that they are reusable made it worth the extra money (and had the potential to be a pretty big money saver). 

Unfortunately, I don't like the sponge. First, it doesn't encourage a good lather (perhaps it's too absorbent?), so I felt like I was just washing dishes with water. Second, it wasn't good for scrubbing pots and pans, even after I soaked them in warm water to loosen the food -- it wasn't abrasive enough. Finally, I cut the outer covering of one while washing a knife and the sponge fell apart. I still have my second sponge, but it's currently out of service -- we're back to using disposable sponges.

2009 Eco-Resolutions

Last year was a good one for me, environmentally speaking -- I took a hard look at what changes I could make in my everyday life that would have a positive impact on the environment and I committed to at least try them. Nearly all of them were surprisingly easy to do or only mildly inconvenient; my hope is that the ones that were onerous will some day be made easy by new techniques or technology or a change in my temperament.

Here's what I'm focusing on for 2009:

1. Eat less meat. Reducing the amount of meat I eat has been on my mind since I read Mark Bittman's Rethinking the Meat Guzzler and Putting Meat Back in Its Place articles, but I haven't actively been trying to change my eating habits. I tried to eat vegetarian in college and only lasted a few weeks, so I know I can't give up meat entirely -- but I can eat less. (By the way, Mark Bittman's recently revised How to Cook Everything cookbook is fantastic. His approach is simple, his recipes are manageable, and everything we've made so far has been delicious.)

2. Buy less stuff. We more than tripled our space when we moved out of our tiny apartment and into our suburban house, and one day recently I realized that it was becoming full of stuff. I had to be smart about buying only what we needed when we lived in our apartment and diligent about getting rid of things that were no longer used, but the increased space of our house changed everything. I could hold onto things just in case we might need them, I could buy things because they were on sale, I could allow the mountain of toys to grow. But when I thought about my new habits in environmental terms, I realized that I'd become a mindless consumer -- and being a mindless consumer is wasteful. So for 2009, I'm aiming to buy less. (Another book recommendation: Peter Walsh's It's All Too Much is insightful and offers easy ways to reduce clutter and organize your house and your life, primarily by buying less stuff.)

3. Be even better. And finally, I want to keep learning about my impact on the environment, keep trying to reduce that impact, and continue with this blog so that I don't get lazy.

Healthytoys.org toy rankings

It's Christmas Eve, and those celebrating the holiday tomorrow have probably already bought the toys they're planning to give as gifts. But if you haven't, or will be buying a toy soon, check out the Test My Toy results on Healthytoys.org. The site's users nominated 14 toys for the organization to test for lead, bromine, cadmium, chlorine/PVC, arsenic, and mercury, and the results were released on December 18. Products made in China have been getting a bad rap as of late, but only two of the toys that got a "medium" ranking (meaning they had medium levels of one or more of the chemicals) is produced in China. Even better, only 5 of the 14 toys got a medium ranking -- the other 9 were all low. 

Consolidate errands

I love (truly love) the town we live in, but the limited number and type of stores downtown often means that I have to drive a couple of towns over to a much bigger shopping area when I need anything beyond the basics. During particularly busy weeks, I sometimes found myself driving over two or three times and inevitably I'd still have forgotten something.

So last week I tried something new -- I kept a list throughout the week of what stores I needed to go to and what I needed to buy, and drove to the area just once to knock off all of the errands. I saved on gas, certainly, but the best part was that the list kept me organized and it saved time by eliminating the need to go back and forth. Time is something I can definitely use more of!   

Shop at consignment stores

I'm lucky enough to have two great kids' consignment stores near me, and I've found some fantastic bargains. Today I bought one of my daughters a Lands' End dress similar to this one (currently selling for $45) for $8. It's in perfect condition and looks like it was never worn, and she loves it. It's easy to see the cost savings associated with buying used clothes (particularly for fast-growing kids), but doing so has environmental benefits as well -- it's a perfect "reuse" scenario.

J. R. Watkins Dish Soap

I bought the J. R. Watkins Concentrated Dish Soap (lemon scent) a few weeks back, and as silly as I feel saying this about a dish soap, I absolutely love it. It works really well, produces a nice amount of suds, and smells incredible. The scent sealed the deal for me -- I've bought a few products (natural and conventional) with overpowering and/or unpleasant fragrances, but this dish soap has a fresh, subtle scent that reminds me of, well, a margarita (which makes the chore of doing dishes just a little less onerous). Since it's concentrated, a bottle lasts a long time, which also takes some of the sting out of the price ($5.99 at Target).  

The company's products are eco-friendly as well. I'm always wary when a label describes the product as "natural," since that term has no definitive or regulatory meaning, but their products are plant-based, non-toxic, bio-degradable, dye free, and phosphate free. For a complete list of what their home care products are free of, see the list on their website.