Being Green On A Dime

Greener Produce bags

2010-02-22T16:27:00.004-05:00

Photo from Gazette article here. This article states that the bags were to be available back in November but I have never noticed them in my local Metro grocery until this past week.
Well, I never did get around to making my produce bags and thus used way too many plastic produce bags at the fruiterie and grocery stores. The GUILT!!! Ugh. Well, I can now say good bye to a large portion of my plastic bag consumer guilt because I shelled out $5 and go 5 bags at my local grocery store. I will be buying another set ASAP too because 4 large and one teeny are not enough for our big produce days.

Pluses: They seem sturdily built and were very affordable for the Average green minded Canadian shopper. I used mine today and was well pleased with my purchase. They hold lots of apples and pears. They are machine washable so can go in with the laundry OR you could hand wash very easily in a sink with some soap and tea tree oil to disinfect. They will dry in about 5 seconds. Given the material they are made of, I would recommend air drying to prolong the life of the bags. I'm not sure but perhaps the fabric is made from recycled plastic fiber? If it was I'd feel better about the purchase. I tossed my cardboard package/lable thingy in the recycling before I fully absorbed the details. Will read more next time I grab a pack.

Minuses: Not made of a natural fiber and so not super duper uber green like something made of organic cotton or hemp would be. Smallest bag only good for a singl apple or garlics or something like that.

I am pleased.

Still on the reusable bags fence? Check out some of these findings from a 2008 Manitoban article.

Must See

2009-08-31T12:14:00.002-04:00

If you're still on that environmental fence, making excuses to use chemicals to get the job done faster, better, cheaper, with less work, let me direct you to a series of documentary exposes that will not only make you cringe with disgust but also pry your eyes open to the realities of this chemical age.

This Is Our Planet, This Is Our Earth (Volume 1) is a series of 3 DVDs, 275 minutes in length, that describe environmental problems around the globe and right in your own neighbourhood.
DVD 1: Toxic Trespass
DVD 2: The Fight For True Farming
DVD 3: Bhopal: Search for Justice
Crapshoot: The Gamble with out Wastes

Late Spring

2009-05-28T12:19:00.002-04:00

Its late Spring here at my house. The garden is well and truly off and running and brings me great joy and back pain.
Yet it also brings me a pinch of guilt as well. Why? Well, when a raised bed is first built, it must be filled with a grwoing medium of some kind. In my case its been plastic (YUCK) bags loads of cheap black earth, perlite (last year) and compost. Also, a couple truck loads of "soil" and compost for the front gardens and raised beds in the last year. The running of the hose for new plants and the vegetable beds when the rain barrel runs dry or is not a viable option (there are issues with rain collection and its use on vegetable thanks to the leachates in the water from roofing materials..)Thats a lot of money, water, trash (bags), and exhaust(trucks) usedto create our wee oasis in suburbia.
But then I think of the benefits...the flowers that feed the soul and senses and a few insects as well (damn you sawfly and lily beetles). The fruits and vegetables that will hopefully feed our family (come on little seeds...grow). As time passes the costs will diminish..each harvest will bring us closer to balance between costs and benefits. As time passes the two composters (more money) will help turn garbage to black gold for the gardens. The new plants of last year have settled into their places and don't need the extra water from last year so much and the rain barrel will keep up with them in theory.
Today although the weather is not lovely I walked my garden path to see what was up out front: The FRAGRANT white irises that came with our back yard and have been divided and moved around are coming into bloom. The lilacs of the neighborhood are spreading their aroma as well, the baptisia that I moved last year is starting to bloom and its so gloriously BLUE! The soapwort groundcover is covered in teensy pink blossoms, the catmint with glorious violet little spires, the creeping speedwell has true blue wee flowers that I adore. Columbines of all the shade I planted are blooming and showing off and the rhododendrons and Magnolia are at the end of their show. I wander the path admiring the flowers, thanking those who have finished and anticipating who is next and wondering if I need still a few to fill in any blank spaces of time....
Another source of garden joy today: My alpine strawberry plants literally just arrived by post. What a great showery day project this will be, planting them into their awaiting bed and letting the rain showers do most of the watering in. I'm off to grab the organic fruit and veggies fertiliser, compost, and my box of beauties to get them into their new home, may they live long and prosper.

I Love TipNut

2009-04-29T17:35:00.002-04:00

LOVE LOVE LOVE that website. You want to know a way to do something domestic? Its probably there, and probably several ways to do something that you never even thought of.

Since Geeta did a segment on Be Green (see sidebar for link) about plastic bags and their impact, I have been trying lots harder to remember my reusable grocery sacks,. I have A LOT of them but manage to forget them at home or in the car or don't bring enough. Argh.
But Geeta brought up a thought that I really hadn't dwelled on. PRODUCE BAGS! We use our handy dandy good for the earth bags but what do we put in them? Plastic produce bags. DOH! (head smack moment) She featured a brand of reusable produce bags and also shared an idea she uses....she repurposes pillow cases for produce.
I have a dandy fabric in my stash that was earmarked about 7 years ago for an apron. It will now becom drawstring topped sacks for produce. BUT if i didn't have this I would totally use THIS idea. Repurposing sheer curtains from the thrift shop !! Bloody brilliant I say. I found the link on Tip Nut (see sidebar) under "35 reusable grocery bag ideas". There are plans for sewn, knit, and crochetted bags.
Do your part to reduce plastic waste NOW! And have fun while you are at it!

How Green Does My Garden Grow?

2009-04-24T15:58:00.002-04:00

I think I am a pretty "green" gardener after all these years. The two store bought insecticides I use are Insectigone and a Neem Oil spray and these are for problem pests like lily beetles and sawfly larvae ( I also hand pick the bugs but they just don't get the hint!). For slugs and snails I use coffee.
Today was the day to pot up mt tomato seedlings. I had started the seeds in a repurposed container. You know those plastic case jobbies that a rotisserie chicken comes in from the supermarket? The ones with a black bottom and clear top? AWESOME for starting small amounts of seeds! Fill with appropriate potting mix, plant the packet of seeds (or less) water and pop that cover on...VOILA miniature greenhouse conditions and no extra cash out of pocket. As soon as you have sprouts you remove the top. Turn your greenhouse and its contents as often as possible so they don't get too leggy.
So, there are my lovely seedlings at about 3 inches tall or less and they are getting nice true leaves so its time to pot. I took a demi sized wine bottle, some tabloid sized newspaper (hello Journal De Montreal), some tape, and I was ready. I folded my newspaper sheets in half across the width then wrapped them around the bottle, pulled the bottle up a bit by the neck so that I had paper at the bottom to fold over generously, folded said bottom, taped it, and taped the side seam. BOOM there it is. A soda can sized pot . Filled with moistened potting mix, it was ready for planting. In each pottling's soil, I used a chopstick and bored a hole down the center to make the planting hole. It needs to be as deep as your seedling's stems are long from root ball to leaves and wide enough to pop that delicate baby in there without trauma. Now to harvest the strongest seedlings in the flat: I looked the plants over and started selecting the ones that looked the farthest along and strongest. Look for sturdy stems and well developed true leaves. Gently grasping each selection by a seed leaf, I then prised it out of its shallow soils bed with the chopstick, being very careful not to hurt the roots or stem. Then the seedling is guided into its new planting hole with the chopstick while I still gently hold that seed leaf. Burying the stem up to the leaves give the seeedling a chance to make more roots along the stem and thus have a larger feeding network and this will make it stronger. I gently squeezed each pot to tamp the soil around the roots and stem and tamped the top of the soils around the stem as well. Using this method I now have 16 little seedlings on the window sill. I only need 4 for this years garden plans and I have some friends that will take a few more off my hands. If the seedlings get to tall again before its time to plant them out in the beds I will repot them using this same pot type only in a larger form.
Now that my rotisserie green house is empty I planted peppers, which were a gift from a friend otherwise I would have started them sooner. For the peppers I made smaller newpaper pots and planted the seed directly into the soil in them. I put the wee pots into the contatiner and will continue as before. If more than one seed germinates in the mini pots I will pinch off the weakest seedlings leaving the strongest to grow. Nature ain't always pretty, as I always say. Sometimes things have to be disposed of and planting more seeds than plants required is the only sure way to get the number of plants you need since not all seedlings are up to snuff and not all seeds grow.

There are lots of websites and books with green gardening informations like how to make your own pots. Its not always easy to see that you don't need to spend on garden gadgets like window sill green house kits and plastic or peat pots etc. Invest that cash instead into good quality seed and soil.

EARTH DAY COMETH!

2009-04-21T12:42:00.002-04:00

What will you do for our Mother on Her day?

Repurposing

2009-03-30T09:20:00.002-04:00

Do you ever do this? Take something and make it useful in another way rather than go out and buy something new or throw out the repurposed item? I LOVE repurposing but am not highly creative to always think of how to use something. Not this weekend however...I was repurpose Queen of my house.
Saturday was incredible Chez Nous...sunshine and 18 degrees. It was amazing and called for some puttering in the not so snowy yard. Hman started tearing down that ^&^%$ing metal gazebo frame on a cement pad in our back yard. This came with our hoiuse and the canvas cover is no more. The pad and the gazebo are plunked square in the middle of the yard, making navigation tricky by times and making my clothes line useless. This has driven me crazy. I love hanging out our laundry and being lineless for 4 years has been hard. In my excitement at the prospect of line hung laundry, I went out and purchased proper line for it, so that when the mood hits Hman to put it up, its here and ready. Yay.
As he disassembled the metal frame, the roof part was standing on the cement pad, looking very like a tee pee frame since it was folded a bit from its former expanded shape. i didn't think about the fact that those screws could work like hinges, and now that roofy bit will become a bean tee pee for the garden's pole beans FOREVER! Its not going to break anytuime soon like dowelling or bamboo sticks and its very light and easily moved from bed to bed each year. Sweet.
Then we looked at the upright segments and repurposed 4 of them as strong trellises for the viscious untrellised climbing rose in the back yard and for the clematises by the front steps. The older wooden trellises are rotted and breaking. They are made so crappy nowadays and are kinda pricey in my opinion. Voila, my metal trellises are rot proof and not gonna fall apart! I think I will give them a coat of paint before putting them semi-permanently in place.
Another couple of up right supports are becomeing t-poles for reining in the raspberry patch and the fencey bits that were the bottom portion of the frame will be used in various way (blocking old Blossom's escape routes out of the "inescapable" back yard for instance. Hman swears he will not bail her out of doggie jail again.)
Now all we have left to put out by the curb are the parts that the curtains hung from. All else has been repurposed in the yard and garden and if I could think of a way to utilise those last parts, I would. My garden is gonna look awesome!

Sixty Minutes Is All It Takes

2009-03-28T17:10:00.003-04:00

Its March Twenty Eighth and that means tonight starting at 8:30 local time all over the world it is EARTH HOUR!!!!
Turn out the lights and turn on your mind.

BOOK

2009-03-27T12:01:00.001-04:00

I want this book.

The Lazy Environmentalist On A Budget. SWEET!

The Story Of Stuff

2009-03-26T13:17:00.002-04:00

You must watch this video. Its child friendly and about 21 minutes long. Have the whole family watch it amd maybe discuss how your household can make changes.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html I'm sorry for the need to cut and paste but the hyperlink and I just don't seem compatible.

Unstunk

2009-03-26T12:14:00.002-04:00

My family room furniture no longer reeks. I did just what I said I would...suds scrub with a vinegar and water sponging rinse on the arms and the cushion covers went into the washer. Then I sprayed the bejesus out of the furniture with the homemade Febreeze. There was a bit of a vinegary scent lingering but that beats the strange gaggy odour that was there. I didn't use as much Essential oil as the recipe called for so that could be part of the problem there. I used Tea Tree and Lavender oils. That vinegary scent has dissipated from the fabrics and the room smells so much better all around. (Also I took the trash out. The microwave popcorn addicts in this house are gonna have to stop bringing the bags down stairs and tossing them in the trash after because those things really stink up the place.)

Makin' a stink...

2009-03-22T23:27:00.002-04:00

Actually, its my family room sofa thats smelly. Its seen lots of snacks, smelly socks, pets, etc etc etc and is now sporting a funky aroma that I am getting really grossed out by. I could do the usual, empty a bottle of Febreze onto its surfaces, but Febreze makes me nervous (despite its awesome deodorizing properties) and I don't like the smell. Makes me think of Raid. Blech.

So, I have been trawling the innernets for something low impact that I can make myself to destink the old sofa.

Most of the recipes I found called for the use of liquid fabric softener, but that in itself is loaded with ingredients that are known carcinogens, neurotoxins, and make fabrics more flammable. Plus I don't have any.

I have tried baking soda and water and essential oils but that left a nasty residue on my floors and hard surfaces when it dried.

So, this recipe is the one I am going to try next as well as cleaning the cushiom covers and sponging the surfaces with soap suds to try and lift some grime.

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 tsp glycerine
1/2 tsp essential oil of choice

Apparently the glycerine will work to emulsify the mixture so the oils don't just sit on the water and vinegar, separating after shaking or mixing etc. Wish me luck.

Also, many green recipes call for vegetable glycerine but I haven't been able to find any so far and bought plain old glycerine at the drug store instead. Will I go to hippie hell for using that instead?

I vacuumed today

2009-03-19T19:11:00.004-04:00

Hand knit Swiffer cloths from Knittywhipped.

My floor was a nasty mess by the time I vacuumed today. In my defense I will say that my kids have been sick and so I didn't do it sooner. Then again, it needed doin' before the kids took sick. ahem.
I am also a total geek when it comes to household DIY: homemade anything to get the house cleaner etc with less waste and less impact? YEAH! Today on TipNut I found a link to someone's blog...someone who may be geekier'n me. Hard to believe! I know!
She not only knits Swiffer covers for dry dust mopping bare floors BUT she knit two different patterns and compared.
Pattern link for the 'Zoom' dust mop cloth : http://erica.brembos.googlepages.com/KPZoom.pdf
The KnittyWhipped showdown: http://knittywhipped.blogspot.com/2008/03/swiffer-showdown.html

The fiber of choice for dust cloths etc is cotton. I have been thinking though...cotton drags on the floor making the dry mop less slidey and more difficult to use. I saw on another blog that a Swiffer cover maker recommends machine washable wool. its slidey on floors and washable. I think too that the fuzziness would make it catch the dust and hairs better. This is what I am planning to use when I get around to making myself a "Zoom" . Wool producers often have wool "feather" dusters etc for sale. The fiber grips that dusties better in theory so this should work in this instance too, non? Anyone got some dusting science to back me up here?

I loves me some Tip Nut!! I tottally need a dry mop and hand knit cloths for it! Cat hair, BEGONE!

Updates;

2009-03-16T13:58:00.003-04:00

2 loads of dishes done and so far the powder is doing well. Its still early days though. I am only uing one spoonful...I may have been using too much before and also I am pretty sure my rinse agent dispenser in the old machine didn't work right. This stuff also makes a great sink scouring powder if you add some tea tree oil to a tblspoonful. Or not. My disgusting sink was shiney and clean after a scrub with it.

I am pretty sure that I can cut the laundry powder back to one Tbsp per load. Another homemade laundry person uses 2 but she has a top loader (lots more water used to dilute the soap)so I am reasonably sure that one will be suffice for my HE. I have a little voice in my head that doesn't agree but that little voice has a very big "More Is Better!" personality. Hence the size of my ass.

Also, the links that were broken in the Links list, have been fixed or removed as warranted.

Gonna try it again

2009-03-14T17:05:00.002-04:00

I keep blathering about making my own stuffs. i do it because A) I want to try and save some cash and B) I want a product easier on the environment. I also want th damn thing to work.
I am going to try the home made dishwasher powder thing again. I have a different recipe this time that uses a wee amount of dishwashing liquid and citric acid in the mix. If this causes a reisdue like the last mixes I made then I will officially give up and pay through the nose for the eco-kindnessy brands.
Here's what i am gonna try:
equal parts washing soda and baking soda
1/2 part borax
1/4 part salt
1/16th part citric acid and also dish soap OR liquid castile soap (which I am
making using this recipe: 1 cup grated castile (or marseilles), 4 cups water, 2 Tbsp glycerine)

Example: 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup borax, 1/4 cup salt, 1 Tbspoon each citric acid and liquid soap(dish liquid or liquid castile).

This is just an example. I actually will probably try it with less citric acid because that stuff ain't cheap and the bottle is small.

The math on Laundry Powder

2009-03-13T16:37:00.002-04:00

Based on my costs for ingredients and using 2 Tbsp of powder per load, I can make a 25-30 load batch of laundry powder for approxiamately $2.28 plus tax, or .078 cents per load in my front loading washer. Thats pretty good in my books. I decided to start with 2 Tbsp (or 30 grams) per large load and see how the cleaning was, then cut it back until I cannot cut it back anymore and still have clean clothes. The less I use the more value is added to the batch(Can you imagine 60 loads for $2.28???)
Costs: 24 127 gram bars of Ivory Soap (I broke down because of the smell): $10.99
1 3 KG box of Washing Soda: $6.49
1 2 KG box of Borax: $5.49

I grated two bars of soap (254 grams) with the finer blade of my food processor, and then powdered it up with the other ingredients (254 grams of each) until it wasn't going to powder anymore. Because of the soap its a bit of a cakey powder. It reminded me of Ivory Snow that my mom used to buy (smell and texture) I measured everything by weight because its both more accurate and was easier since I have a digital kitchen scale.
My only worry is how it will perform in cold water.

I Have decided

2009-03-13T10:01:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking about a return to haomemade laundry soap for awhile. I used to make a "liquid" form when the kids were younger and in diapers and I had lots of laundry to do, because I needed to squeeze wvery penny until it shrieked for mercy. Eventually I got lazy though when our income improved I started buying laundry detergents again. I know! I'm an idiot!! I didn't realise that with all the unknown ingredients store bought detergents contain, even those marked phosphate free, I was not doing the environment any favours.
I found simple POWDERED versions of laundry soap online and I will share here what I am going to do. Using equal amounts of the following:

Pure Soap Flakes (take bars of pure soap and grate them..voila ..soap flakes..I will use Marseilles soap which is olive oil based)because I have ahuge block of it. Try to choose a soap that doesn't use petroleum products. In the past I used bath sized bars of Ivory and really liked the clean smell of our laundry and it was the least expensive soap I could find. Dial, Dove, etc are not PURE soaps.

Borax: disinfects, deodorizes, helps with stains, softens water...Google it.

Washing Soda:(Sodium CARBONATE...not baking soda) deodorises, softens water, helps with stains.

As always when handling anything caustic, care should be taken to avoid skin contact and inhalation.

Grate the soap by hand or with the grating blade in a food processor. Then in the food processor (if you have one), using the chopping blade, mix all 3 ingredients together until its a fine powder. Be careful not to breathe in any when you open the processor. Store in an airtight container. Amount to use will vary with the hardness of your water so the range is 1 Tbsp to 1/2 cup per wash load. With my front loading HE I will start with 1 Tbsp. This laundry product doesn't suds up so don't keep adding more and more looking for suds. The plus side to this feature is that it will take less water to rinse. I usually use TWO rinses and still can here that crackly soapy noise in my clothes. Obviously I use too much.

Mixing some of this with water can be used as a stain pretreat but using a bar of soap would be pretty easy and effective as well. I swear by The Soap Works laundry bar for stains. http://puresoapworks.com/laundrybar.htm I cut/break the bar and store the unsused pieces in a wee paper sack, keeping one bit out for use. This way the whole bar doesn't get all wet and nasty and wasted. One bar lasts a LONG time this way.

Dishwashering revisited.......

2009-02-18T09:10:00.002-05:00

I tried out that "Attitude" dishwasher liquid detergent and quite honestly it didn't float my boat for long. This product, combined with our elderly dishwasher, didn't make for very clean dishes but it also depended on who loaded the washer and whether the spray arms were clog free.
I switched a long while back to Presidents Choice chlorine and phosphate free dishwasher packets (25 in a pack use one per load) and we are in love. THIS is a greener product that cleans just as well as the nastier products!!! Plus no etching on my glasses etc. it really works very very well. Available in Canada at Loblaws affiliated stores such as Maxi, Superstore etc etc. I pay about $5.99 a pack..this ain't cheap by any stretch BUT I look at it this way.

1) It works GREAT.
2) I am not using "extra" because the portions are premeasured in water soluable packets so less waste. (only handle with dry hands!!)
Love this product for the dishwasher.

We invested in a brand new, more energy efficient (loving the more efficient Smart Wash feature may I say?), leak free dishwasher in January. Oh my stars...this is what REALLY clean dishes look like (if I load the dishwasher). I ran out of the PC dishwasher stuff and bought Biovert tabs ($7.99 for 30ish?) because I didn't have time to go to the Maxi and hit IGA instead. I love love love Biovert Dishwashing (by hand)liquid so I thought, why not try it? Complaint one: TOO MUCH PACKAGING!!! The tabs come in two separate plastic bags, inside a box, and then each little tab is wrapped in plastic. UGH! Pain in the ass supreme. Husband is convinced that they are not as good at getting the dishes clean as the PC brand...I am on the fence so far..there was some egg yolk left on a spatula and some residues but that could ahve been human error. When I load the dishwasher they tend to come out cleaner than when he shoves things in willy nilly.
Opinion pending on this product's efficacy but I hate the extra packaging and the price tag of $7.99.

Greener Beauty....

2009-02-18T08:51:00.004-05:00

Inspired By Geeta Nadkarni!
I don't have overly sensitive skin but as I age it is getting more persnickety. I am using fairly basic non-fancy regime of non fancy products and so far so good. Then I checked these dermatologist recommended products on the Cosmetics Database and they registered as mid range toxic. Better than high range toxicity ratings but still...eeeww. Is clear smooth skin worth cancer or nerve damage etc? I think not.
One thing i have started using is organic Coconut Oil. Yes the stuff you can cook in...comes in a jar..looks like lard...you can buy it in some grocery stores and most health food stores.
This is pure oil from coconuts, not some coconut scented melange of unpronouncable chemicals. It smells divine...sweet and cocnutty. Its pretty solid in the jar, but if you work at it you can gouge some out and it starts to melt very readily in the hand so don't gouge out too much! This stuff is lovely. You can use it all over the body, and even rub it into your scalp for moisturising the scalp and conditioning the hair like a "hot oil" treatment without the heat or for speed, wrap your head in a hot towel for an hour then wash the oil out. I prefer to do it at bedtime and leave it while I sleep.
Homemade body "butters" can be made from simple ingredients that won't poison you or your body. Why pay a fortune for natural based products when you can invest in the ingredients and make your own? Oils such as olive, coconut, jojoba, sweet almond, etc are ALL readily available and can go a loooong way. Pair them up with organic beeswax and you have a pretty much uncented body/hand/lip balm just waiting for you. Add a bit of Vitamin E and/or lavender essential oil as a preservative if you make a larger batch that won't be used up quickly because natural/organic/preservative free oils can go rancid with time. You will end up with an ointment style moisturizer but is that so bad? The more wax you add the stiffer it will set.
Taking care of our skin and hair shouldn't be dangerous to us or the environment and shouldn't break the bank.

Have Not been Green Enough

2009-01-29T10:41:00.002-05:00

I turned the heat up to 19 or 20 in the living room and dining room and didn't set it back for night times because I was sick and tired of being cold. Now our hydro bill was around $800.
Oh dear.

Bio Logs etc

2008-12-05T13:00:00.002-05:00

This winter, Chez Nous, we are going the Eco Wood route for firewood to boost our home heating.
This is a product made from wood processing waste. Essentially its super compacted sawdust that has been compressed into logs and bricks, There is far less moisture in the compressed sawdust than in traditional firewood so it burns hotter and cleaner than regular firewood and doesn't require the cutting down of more trees since it uses prexisting waste. So far I am liking them. No bugs in my house and less dirt though they do shed some sawdust when being taken out of their packaging. The catch quicker with less newspaper and kindling than regular wood and they burn hotter so my woodstove heats a bit faster with fewer logs. We have two types...so called Power Logs and the bigger slower burning Night Logs for sustaining the heat out put of the stove once the Power Logs have heated it up.
The logs contain no petroleum additives like paraffin to bind the sawdust unlike some similar products.

Be Green Link

2008-12-05T12:56:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to an excellent news program segment called Be Green . If you have a true interest in living a more sustainable lifestyle with lower impact on our Mother, you should check out the blog and the video segments!
There are great links and sources in the blog articles. Its excellent and Geeta is succinct, knowledgeable, and personable. If i had more than two thumbs I give them all up for Be Green.

A MUST READ

2008-07-08T12:28:00.001-04:00

The 100-Mile Diet.

Bonus: Written by Canadians.

This ain't cheap BUT

2008-03-18T15:57:00.004-04:00

I have been looking for an alternative dishwasher detergent and finally I have found one that I can live with. Attitude brand dishwasher detergent. Its less expensive than some of the others and a one liter bottle does 26 loads. At $5.99 a pop ( ..thats right FIVE NINETY-NINE!!! ACK!!!!) its not as cheap as the clorine and phosphate laden ones but it is better for the environment and has not been leaving etching on my glasses. Contains tea tree oil and that'll jack up the price of anything.
For the dishes in the sink I have been buying Bio-Vert. They too make a dishwasher liquid but its really liquidy and I think you use twice as much.
A laundry soap I have been loving is Presidents Choice Green 3X concentrated for cold water washing. So far its rockin' my world. A much smaller bottle means less plastic packaging in your recycle bin, a lighter lift for pouring or carrying to a laundrette, takes less space in the cabinets. Less water in the product means that less water was used in production AND you use less product than less concentrated detergents. It meets biodegradable standards and is fragrance and colourant free as well. Its really been doing a great job in my HE washer unlike some other detergents that have left me wanting. Best of all? The Price! ONLY $4.99 for 26 loads (compare that to some bigger bottles and brands). So, to recap: less expensive, effective in cold water saving you money on heating water, wastes less water in production, less packaging for the recycle...its all good.
Stain fighter I love: The laundry bar from The Soapworks. I find this brand in health food stores and bulk food stores like The Bulk Barn chain. These soaps have no packaging and are displayed for purchase in a wooden rack/case. The laundry bar gets out stains that I gave up on! Its works better than fancy schmancy grand name stain removers. One bar lasts a LONG time. I cut mine up into small chunks and only use a chunk at a time so the whole bar doesn't get ooky in the soap dish on the laundry sink. The rest are stored in the paper sack I brought it home in. I'm still on the first chunk and its been a few months. Not bad for less than two bucks.

Dealing with Snow

2007-12-31T12:19:00.000-05:00

Living in Canada, you'd think I wouldn't be all that surprised by the amount of snow we've been getting this year. Well, consider the past couple years when skiing resorts opened late and had to make snow due to lack of the real thing. Seriously. Global warming at it's finest. And the melting polar ice? Yeah.

Getting back on point, this year we've been snowed over by record amounts of the white stuff. Don't get me wrong. I love the stuff and so do my kids. It makes everything look pretty and clean, and actually gets the kids out of the house and away from computer games. There is the down side, though. Getting rid of it, or moving it out of the way enough so you're not forced into hibernation. Good ol' fashioned shovels are losing favour with many people. And really, who can blame them for not wanting to be a statistic of the snow-shovelling induced deaths and heart attacks? The problem lies not only with our increased inactivity but with the alternative modes of snow removal. The snowplows and snow blowers and their putrid exhaust fumes, or toxic emissions if you prefer. Blah. We tell our kids to get outside into the fresh air, but then we fire up one of these "helpful" machines and pollute that air. When are we going to learn?? Maybe if we exercised on a regular basis throughout the year, our hearts wouldn't scream at the injustice and pain inflicted on them during a snow-shovelling session. Maybe our health would improve overall. Yes, all that good-for-you stuff takes time away from sitting in front of the television with a bag of greasy, salty, bad-for-you chips. So. We obviously know better. We just have to be willing to get a grip and actually DO what is better for us. Myself included.

Rant done. Over and out.

Forgot to Mention

2007-11-29T08:55:00.000-05:00

Also on canada AM today was a story on asbestos found in common household products and toys. http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/
There is a CSI fngerprinting kit toy that had asbestos contamination, duct tape, wall spackle...go to the above link to learn more.

Things Have been quiet

2007-11-29T08:32:00.000-05:00

in the Being Green department here at Chez AliP. I still try to clean green with essential oils doing my germ killing but I must admit to slippage with the cold and flu season attacking us with a vengeance. I broke out the forbidden chemical disinfectants but only when alone in the house and only in the bathrooms. We have been "new" virus free now for about a week and a half....whew. I can go back to my less scary methods of cleaning and disinfecting.
Why do we do this? I'm not the only one thats for sure..
Also in the "green" living books, its wintery here now and the heat is on. We didn't order firewood this year since I felt we had enought left for emergencies and super cold spells. Our electricity is produced by hydro plants here and thats a cleaner method than coal fired plants like we had in Nova Scotia. The heat in my home is electric and I have thermostats that have a 'set back' feature so that the heat is automatically turned back at night. the downside is that its light sensitive and on real dark wintter days it doesn't go to the daytime cozy setting of 19 degrees. Unless I tinker with the set back or turn on a bright lamp near the thermostat. Sweaters and slippers are being worn by myself all day since I am pretty sedentary, blankets cuddled into for evening TV or reading by the rest of the family. We save ourselves some coin with the lower temperature setting too.
There was a recent new story on how much cleaner North American are (personal hygiene) compared to some Europeans like Parisians. It was a study on water usage actually and in NA we use a lot more water for bathing and showering where as Parisians use more in meal preparation. Very interesting if you think about it and there is a whole book on the subject which I saw touted on Canada AM last week but now cannot find for all my Google skillz.
Being green: bathe less, wear a sweater, avoid chemicals. I guess thats my message this time. LOL

LEAD

2007-09-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

GET THE LEAD OUT
http://www.usw.ca/program/content/4467.php?lan=en

Noone is safe it seems. Even plastic backed baby bibs that we so blithely buy for drooly babies who grow to gnaw and chew at them are testing positive for lead content. Lunch boxes that we send our kids to school with!
Know what really sad and pathetic? This country prides itself on producing quality safe goods and yet we import cheap dangerous shit from China and poison ourselves anyway.
Pathetic. Be safe and get a test kit.

Recycled crafting etc

2007-06-22T08:21:00.000-04:00

The news today reported on Lights Out...a movement to turn out lights in big cities for a half hour or an hour at night. Lights that really are not necessary like office buildings that are empty, large lit signage for advertising. Basically its a black out to raise awareness for energy consumption reduction. Useless gesture? I don't think so...like any campaign, a hook is needed to catch the attention of the general public. Rome and now London have given it their shots, what about other urban centers? And how much energy is saved by these blackouts? For sure it is not a negligible amount! We are now in the summer season where we may not be heating a building but cooling it so energy demands are still high and often cause stress on electrical supplies. A large reduction in unecessary lighting and the light pollution it causes could be a very good thing. A walk beneath STARS in the central city anyone?
Crafting with recycled stuffs: I am interested in this from a knitting standpoint and have 3 or 4 sweaters waiting for "frogging" meaning waiting to be ripped apart for their yarn yardage. This is an idea that is gaining interest among earth and frugal minded knitters and sometimes you can score a luxury fiber for a pittance at a thrift shop or clearance sale. I would like to do more of this but in using my spare time actually knitting I haven't yet gotten around to the recycling. I guess I will have two stashes: one of new yarns and one of sweaters waiting to be recycled for their yarns. ;oD Could be worse right? http://www.neauveau.com/recycledyarn.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/recycledyarn/?yguid=196305498
http://www.az.com/~andrade/knit/thrifty.html
Here are 3 links to get ya started on recycling yarn for your handy works. Never forget you can recycle old clothes for their fabric to save money on your sewing habit too.

Dishwasher Powder

2007-06-17T23:20:00.000-04:00

(Gratuitous boat shot: Look windpowered travel!!!)

I have been using a homemade version of dishwasher powder for awhile made from a 1:1 ratio of baking soda to Borax. I am unimpressed. I tried adding salt. Still not happy. My glasses are cloudy coated (can scratch it with my fingernail so its not etching) and some dishes just do not come out clean.

I am unhappy with this recipe and so far all the homemade recipes I can find are pretty close to this with perhaps citric acid added.

Thus, the great dishwasher powder experiment of May 2007 came to and ignomious end...with me buying some chlorine free stuff at Zellers on a major sale discount (Amilya's Soapworks). Sweet.

Mother Earth News

2007-05-31T18:00:00.000-04:00

There are folks out there that are thinking along the same lines as I. Imagine my surprise.

Apparently the people at Mother Earth News think that chickens are worth an article to extol their virtues. Quite timely. You can read it in the April/May 2007 issue.

Further to yesterday's entry, one will also find a short article on "The long-term Effect of tillage", among other informative topics.

I really like this magazine. The only draw back? The advertisements featuring tractors, trucks, tiller, and lawnmowers. Not so earth friendly. Surely they could make a greater effort to find more earth friendly, "green" advertisers.

The Right Tool

2007-05-30T14:58:00.000-04:00

When you need to get down to the roots of all evil, namely those of dandelions (among other less than favourite weeds), this weeder is the PERFECT tool for the job. Forget the tiller. The price tag alone might send some for the smelling salts. And it will just sit there if you don't feed it some nasty gasoline. Although it may not need much, did you happened to notice the gas prices lately?? Not only will it pollute worse than a 1980's V8 Cadillac, it'll only cut those nasty roots at their knees, leaving enough to make your life miserable in the future. Did I mention it disturbs, if not outright kills, the garden helpers, such as worms and centipedes to name just a couple? Sure a tiller makes fast work of fluffing up the soil, but does it really? Those nice air pockets the earthworms worked so fervently to make for your plants? Gone. The delicate balance of organic matter that your plants will long for during their life span? Pushed underground where it's out of their reach. (That's probably why so many people still run to stores for chemical fertilizers!)

Alrighty then. Off the soapbox I go. To grab my weeder (which, by the way, cost a lot less than a week's worth of coffee) and put my muscles to work.

You didn't know that weeding burned calories, did you?!

Oh MY!

2007-05-23T09:06:00.000-04:00

I didn't pass the test. Not even close.

Now go take the test yourself. Don't be shocked by the results. At least you'll be sitting down.

My ecological footprint is too big for this planet. Much too HUGE! I would have never thought it. Maybe if the test had been a bit more specific in some areas, such as food... Don't mind me. I am still recovering from the shock of it all. I didn't think the test would judge me so harshly for eating meat and dairy on a regular basis. After all, my husband and oldest son provided most of the meat for the freezer last year: deer and bear. No importing, processing, packaging required. In the summer I grow a decent sized garden, and supplement with locally grown produce where possible. More often than not I bake bread for our family, milk comes from our cow and eggs from our chickens.

I don't fly anywhere anymore, don't ride a motorcycle, and make only one trip per week to town, not quite 30km away. Sometimes, if I am organised, I don't visit town even every other week. Especially if I remember the mobile library schedule that comes to our community.

I will try to lessen my footprint. How about you?

Green Pest Control!

2007-05-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

Doesn't get much greener than this. And not only do you get pest control but fertilizer too! And the bonus eggs... Did I mention the entertainment? Free! The dude in the middle is "Romeo", a polish rooster. Although I have bigger roosters, he's the boss! Just look at him watching over his workers... Hee hee

Anyone can raise a chicken or three in their backyard. They don't need a huge amount of space. Just make sure your yard is fenced or your neighbour (and possibly his dog) will be enjoying a free Sunday dinner (if they're so inclined). And of course check the by-laws governing your property.

Gazette Article Link

2007-05-21T17:28:00.001-04:00

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/saturdayextra/story.html?id=4f5d50c9-003d-46ee-931e-bb3d984e5c36
From this article in Saturday's Gazette, I found out that dishwasher products, unlike laundry and dish liquid for hand washing, are a source of phosphate pollution in our water ways in this country. Blue Green toxic algae anyone?????

Itchy heads etc:

2007-05-18T11:44:00.000-04:00

The women in my family suffer from itchy head syndrome. This is in no way a scientific term. We occassionally come a cross a hair grooming product that causes such annoying head itchiness after even one use, that that brand is forsaken. Occassionally a dandruff problem would have us reaching for prescriptive or drugstore products to soothe the itch and flaking. It would help, for awhile and dry out my hair at least...Viscious cycle no? Question it we didn't very much. Until now (me).
While looking up greener cleaning methods for my home I found out a bit about the toxic substances used in modern grooming and cosmetic products. Scary... and my itchy head question seems to have been answered inadvertantly. Sodium Lauryl and Laureth Sulphates. In almost every soap, bubble bath, shampoo, face wash, moisturisers, lotions, and dish detergent currently on the market no matter how natural or pure the company's claims. Even some in the health food stores have it in the listed ingredients. Holy massive eczema breakouts Batman!
Even in those special MILD soaps that dermatologists sometimes extoll the virtues of for their eczema patients you will find the dreaded SLS-es.
Finding this out sent me straight to the health food shop and healthy stuff department of the local Loblaws. I was planning on maybve making my own shampoos from recipes I had acquired over the years but had not bothered to try. At this point in time I am a bit pressed for time etc so I actually end up buying a shampoo, reasonably priced and in a biggish bottle by the company JASON. They only had one kind so I took it since it seemed to be for my kind of hair anyways. It doesn't suds up all that fantastically , but on the second lather it was better and my hair was clean without being totally stripped (because of its low lather it also rices great...less water used!!). I used no conditioner this time, blew dry and had non-frizzed shiny bouncyish hair. Me happy.
Next day, I took myself to Loblaws and lo and behold they had HEAPS of JASON stuff at lower price than the healthfood store. Body washes and shampoos and conditioners oh my. I grabbed the coordinating conditioner for my shampoo and eyed the other products for future reference. They even have kids stuff which my guys will love. Used the conditioner today with the shampoo but no blow drying . It detangled wonderfully and rinsed fairly well. I am pleased. NO ITCH thus far. Yay!!
I have already called my mom who is the itchiest of all of us and has used and still uses horrid things on her scalp to make it stop. She also suffers from psoriasis so the SLSes are not helping with that little bit of hell. I suggested her next hair products be of the JASON line since she won't remember to look for SLS free on labels (she's old and forgetfullish).
Based on my bit of anecdotal evidence I recommend that you look at your own grooming practices, especially if you suffer from any skin conditions. SLS-es may be an aggravating factor and I recommend switching to SLS free products for your own health and the health of your family. Pick one thats affordable..there are many that are priced out of this family's range and I don't think a clean itchless head should cost a lot.
I'm also test driving the Emu Oil soap by Soap Works. Compared to other emu oil products, its very reasonably priced at less than half of what I paid for a drugstore carried soap that shall remained nameless. This is until I can try rebatching a store bought Marseilles soap(Castile soap) into handmade enriched bars. Experimenting will take place in June before I go on vacation for the summer with my kids, camping. I will keep you all posted.
Please feel free to comment or question! I in no way know everything and can make errors. If you find I have done so please correct me. As always, comment politely please.

Information Need Not Cost a Dime

2007-05-18T08:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks Crazy Aunt Purl. This is a really good source of information. Just for the record, I've never tried this company's products and don't plan on it. Information, however, is free, and the more one knows the better the choices one makes. Hopefully.

More free information. Take stock of the chemicals in your household. Ignorance is bliss. Bliss we can no longer afford. Our health and our planet require us to educate ourselves with the facts. Remember to call your municipal agencies for information on proper disposal of hazardous waste when you switch to greener or less toxic products.

On a lighter note, here is a very simple recipe for a wall cleaner or anything-else cleaner. With kids and animals, I suspect I will be putting it to use often.

I reused a plastic bucket from a dishwasher detergent (didn't have to go and buy one!) and filled it about half full with warm water, about 3L. In it I dissolved about 1/4 cup of borax.

That's it. I found a couple rags made from old towels and showed the kids how to clean their fingerprints off the walls! Granted they weren't overly enthused about it, deciding the floor or windows were more "fun" to clean, but hey... That's more than I bargained for. After they were done cleaning I went around with a clean damp rag and wiped down any residue.

Getting them involved didn't cost anything, showed them that it takes effort to clean and it got them away from the TV. Not to mention it got us working as a family. Win-win.

About bags

2007-05-16T09:24:00.000-04:00

I am all about looking at both sides of the coin.

In response to Ali's post, check this out.

And further to purchasing store bags for reuse, here in Nova Scotia, Sobeys sells their brand of bags for $1.99 each or $5 for 5 if I remember correctly. The bonus is that they will replace them for free if they rip or wear out. Yes, made from recycled materials and recyclable. They are quite sturdy and mine would have lasted much longer if I didn't try to test just how strong they were!

On the other hand, Atlantic Superstore is playing catch up with their own brand of bag. Theirs costs $.99. Plus they offer plastic shopping boxes with handles for $3.99. I guess they got fed up with people bringing in Sobeys bags into their store!

It's a step in the right direction either way.

I'm in the burbs ....

2007-05-15T21:05:00.000-04:00

I was a country mouse but am now a town mouse again. Life is a bit different here. No manure piles, no free ranging chickens... BUT a marked decrease in mileage with my car. Not all changes are bad ones.
I took a quiz on how "green" I am. Apparently the fact that I own a car and a house that I heat (since in Canada we have this wacky thing called winter), eat meat regularly.....we would need 3 1/2 planets if everyone lived like me. Now, Call me crazy but I took it a little personally. I do what I can and while I know there is room for improvements and I am making them , its like its never enough for the environmental activists.
Case in Point: Ontario. They are implementing a long overdue policy to phase out plastic shopping bag use. this is GREAT, but when reports come in from the acivists they are being quoted as thinking it is a weak attempt at best. I think that if we show a little more approval for these things maybe they powers that be would be more willing to make more and more changes that the activists suggest.
Here in Quebec we have great shopping bags available for purchase for about a buck apiece. Each bag can hold about 4 plastic bags worth of groceries, depending on how big stuff is and how much you can lift. My favorites are from the Metro chain of grocery store...they have two sets of handle so you can shoulder the bags which I find way better since I am height challenged. Each bag lasts many trips. Another plus: 5 cent savings per use at grocery store that honor ecologically sound bags. Twenty trips and the bag is paid for.
No reusable bags for sale in your area? Get some made or make them yourself with your mad sewing or crochet skillz. Here is a mesh bag pattern available at Canadian Living's website:
http://www.canadianliving.com/CanadianLiving/client/en/Crafts/DetailNews.asp?idNews=237375&idSM=307
There's also a pattern in Knit 1 magazine's summer issue. Get even more EcoCool and use organic cotton or hemp yarn!!OR recycle old teeshirts by cutting them into strips and knitting or crocheting them into a bag.
Cheap to make or buy, there really is no excuse not to say" No Thanks! I brought my own bags."when they ask "Paper or Plastic?"

Green is Good!

2007-05-15T17:26:00.000-04:00

Hi. My name is Barbara. I live and try to be as green as possible in rural Nova Scotia. On a very small budget. At least I don't have to buy sheep or cow manure to feed my garden. It's free for the taking from my animals (they're quite generous like that!).

This is a picture from last year's garden. A garden that hasn't seen chemicals since we bought the farm over five years ago. Every year I try to go bigger, better, tastier, and greener.
I hope you will join Ali and I on our green journey. Because greener is better.

#1 post

2007-05-15T16:58:00.000-04:00

In this blog I hope to share information on how one can live a greener life without going broke on outrageous prices for "eco friendly" products. When I get the kinks worked out I hope to post often. Visit often and comment politely.