Go GREEN!

My "greenness" has been steadily increasing lately...
so it got me researching.

some pics from my house today

I use eco-friendly, natural cleaning products such as: dishwashing soap, dishwasher detergent, all purpose cleaner, kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, wood polish, and laundry whitener. We had a reverse osmosis (aka: RO) water filtration system installed when we moved in 4 years ago - so we never buy bottled water. (forgot to take a pic of that) I take reusable bags to the store(um, when I remember them...trying to leave them in the trunk of my car). Escondido city just gave us a big blue recycling trash bin (finally!) so we're starting to sort the trash. It's not much, but it's a start.

What does it mean to go green?
to become actively interested in environmental issues and support environmental causes

What’s the problem?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world’s natural resources were evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had.

The world has a fixed amount of natural resources - some of which are already depleted. So as population growth greatly strains our finite resources, there are fewer resources available. If we intend to leave our children and grandchildren with the same standard of living we have enjoyed, we must preserve the foundation of that standard of living. We save for college educations, orthodontia, and weddings, but what about saving clean air, water, fuel sources and soil for future generations?

Some of the greatest threats to future resources come from things we throw away everyday. Household batteries and electronics often contain dangerous chemicals that may, if sent to a local landfill, leak through the bottom barrier and pollute the groundwater. This can contaminate everything from the soil in which our food grows, to the water which will eventually come out of aquifers and into our tap water. Many of these chemicals cannot be removed from the drinking water supply, nor from the crops that are harvested from contaminated fields. The risks to human health are tremendous.

Throwing away items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.

Did you know...

• For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
• You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
• By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

The more we throw away, the more space we take up in landfills. When a landfill becomes a “landfull”, taxpayers have to build a new one. The less we throw away, the longer our landfills will last. The amount of taxpayer money we save by extending the longevity of our landfills is an important community benefit.

10 Quick Tips for Green Cleaning

1) Use cleaning products made from safe natural and not-toxic ingredients to prevent exposure to the hazardous synthetic chemicals conventional cleaners contain

2) Dust with a damp cloth to ensure that household dust, which collects toxins, is removed from surfaces and not stirred back into the air.

3) Open windows and doors occasionally (even in winter!) to rinse out any air pollutants that have accumulated inside.

4) Don’t use aerosol products. They fill your home with microscopic droplets of whatever is being sprayed. These droplets remain suspended in the air for hours and are easily inhaled.

5) Avoid room deodorizers or other air “freshening” products, which are frequently made from unhealthy chemicals.

6) Don’t use any pesticide products in your home, your yard or garden, or on your pets. Instead, supplement a preventative strategy with natural pest control methods.

7) If you decide to use them, keep conventional cleaners and other chemical products out of your children’s rooms.

8) Use chlorine-free dishwasher detergent. The chlorine in conventional detergents is easily vaporized by hot dishwasher water and then released into your home’s air.

9) Ask guests to remove their shoes when entering your home. That way, they won’t track in pollutants.

10) Buy a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. These special filters trap unhealthy dust particles.

See links under my "Go GREEN" section