Move the Green Way

If you are planning to move across town or across the country, keeping it "green" can be easy. Moving is always a daunting task and making the extra effort to help the environment while doing so can be confusing.

You know you are going to have to make either multiple trips between locations or hire a large gas guzzling truck to haul all your belongings. Your packing materials will consist of countless cardboard boxes, packing paper, tape and bubble wrap. All that waste can really scare someone who strives to make a real effort with the environment. Below are some tips to help ease your worries. Just a few simple ways you can make your move greener.

Having just moved myself, I was able to utilize many of these tips myself. Unfortunately I did not use all of them.

Reuse/Recycle your cardboard boxes
- I personally used this method. We ended up moving ourselves rather than hiring movers and we also were fortunate to have both homes at the same time. To reduce our use of boxes we reused them. First, all of our boxes were borrowed from friends and neighbors. We packed a set of boxes, moved it to our new place, unpacked then went and packed them again. We used less boxes, saved money by not having to buy boxes and got portions of our new home unpacked quickly.

- Once you are done with your boxes ask friends, neighbors and co-workers if they may need them. You never know and it's a great way to reuse.

- If no one has a use for the boxes and you don't want to keep them for later, recycle them. Cardboard boxes are easily recycled and most local areas have drop off locations to take your boxes.

Don't throw that couch in the dumpster
- If you are moving to a smaller dwelling and need to purge some of your clutter, don't just toss it all in a dumpster, donate. There are several organizations you can donate to. Many will take a range of items from small vases to cars. It may require a little research on your part to find a organization that you feel comfortable donating to.

- You can also list your free household items on Craigslist or The Freecycle Network. There are people out there that are not only willing to take your free items but also pick them up. Of course keep yourself safe when contacting people you don't know over the internet.

- Need some extra money for your move? Have a yard sale or sell your items on ebay.

Worried about the truck moving all your possessions not being environmentally friendly? There are several companies out there that strive to help you move green. For some information on these companies, check out Treehugger.com's tips on green moving.

What have you done to make your home more green? Leave a comment to let us know.

Spring Clean Naturally – Kitchen

With spring peaking it's warm weather around the corner, many of us are starting to get the urge to do that annual routine of Spring Cleaning. This article will be the first in a series for Spring Cleaning your house naturally. Today we start in the kitchen.

More great kitchen cleaning tips can also be found in our "Vinegar and how it can be your household friend" article.

Your dishes:

• Reduce your water use while cleaning dishes by shutting off the water if you are not directly using it.


• Save on your energy bill by not drying your dishes with the heat cycle on your dishwasher. Simply run the dishes then open your dishwasher door so your dishes can air dry.


• Another great way to go green in your kitchen is by switching to low phosphate or phosphorus-free dish washing soap. Unfortunately, I can't recommend any because I have not fully tested them in my household.

Your sink and garbage disposal:

• Does your garbage disposal smell? Next time you have an orange or lemon, throw the peels down the drain and turn on the disposal. The peels will help clean and deodorize that nasty smell.


• To clean up hard water stains and soap scum, use white vinegar.


• You can also polish chrome fixtures and appliances with white vinegar.


• To remove rust stains on your sink, use lemon juice on a cloth and pour cream of tartar on the stain. Scrub.


• Baking soda is a great natural cleaner. To clean and shine your sink, pour baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub.

Kitchen counters:

• A solution of 1 part white vinegar and 1 part water is a great everyday cleaner for kitchen counters.


• For stains use a paste of baking soda. Use 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water. Allow it to sit for an hour or two then wipe clean.

Refrigerator:

• Again your solution of 1 part white vinegar and 1 part water can be used to wipe down the refrigerator.

Appliances:

• To clean your coffee maker. Run 1 cup of white vinegar through a normal brew cycle. Follow with two pots of water to rinse the vinegar.


• To clean the grease off your chrome appliances, wipe down with white vinegar.


• To clean your microwave, mix a 1/2 cup vinegar and a 1/2 cup water in a microwave safe container. Then bring it to a boil in the microwave so it steams. Then just wipe down the inside of your microwave.

Many of these cleaning solutions require white vinegar. If you or members of your family can't stand the smell of vinegar, keep in mind that as the vinegar dries the smell will dissipate. You can also dilute the vinegar in water, this will cut down on it's effectiveness on some cleaning situations but will also cut down on the smell.

There are many great commercially made "Green" cleaning products. However, I have not fully tested many of these products and would not want to recommend a product I have not tried myself. In the coming weeks and months we are planning on reviewing some products to help you become better educated on the many "Green" products available. Stay Tuned and please remember to add you comments and recommendations.

Go Organic – Switch Your Milk

If you are looking for just one product to get you well on your way to living an organic life. Start with your milk.

In the United States, the use of rBGH, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is still licensed by the FDA, EPA and Department of Agriculture for the use in dairy cows. rBGH is a genetically engineered, variant of the natural growth hormone Bovine somatotropin. It is used in dairy cows to increase milk production. In both Canada and Europe, rBGH is banned. In many cases this hormone is known to make cows sick. The diseases that these cows suffer from, end up in our milk as well as the antibiotics they are being treated with.

Milk contaminated with rBGH contains high levels of natural growth hormone and is thought to cause breast, colon and prostate cancer.

Genetically engineered milk is not required to be labeled as being derived from rBGH treated cows, so many Americans are not aware that they are at risk for consuming not only high levels of hormones but also pesticides and unnecessary antibiotics.

To learn more about what may be in your milk, pick up the book "What's in Your Milk" by Samuel S. Epstein M.D..

Milk labeled as organic with the USDA Organic seal are produced under strict restrictions including not being allowed to contain antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering, radiation or synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Take the time to read your milk labels and only buy organically produced products. In recent years, those products have become easier to find and prices have come down. Though some organic milk can be a bit more expensive than non-organic, it's worth it.

My family personally likes products made by Horizon Organic. Not only do they produce Organic Milk but also yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, etc. They of course are not the only organic dairy producers out there. It's all a personal taste preference. So look in your dairy aisle and try a few products out. You may enjoy one organic milk over another.

Vinegar and how it can be your household friend

For years I was like many other people when it came to cleaning the house. I used those harsh chemicals that you buy in the store, that say they are the best cleaner for this and that, and every time I would clean, especially the bathrooms I would develop horrific migraines. I always felt that having to open the window while I cleaned was a good sign that these cleaners were probably harmful to me. So I searched for a better solution and I found it, right in my kitchen.

White vinegar is an excellent alternative to using harsh cleaning products. Since it is a mild acid it helps dissolve dirt, grease and soap scum but is still gentle enough to use in everyday cleaning. Now not many people may like the idea of cleaning their entire house with vinegar. I personally happen to love the smell of vinegar (however my husband does not). So for those that don't like it, the smell will dissipate as the vinegar drys.

Here are just a few great tips and ways to use vinegar to help clean your house.

Bathroom

• Soak your shower head in full-strength white vinegar over night to remove soap scum and hard water deposits.


• Shine your chrome fixtures.


• Clean the grout of your shower. Spray full-strength vinegar on the grout and let it sit then scrub with an old tooth brush.


• Use undiluted vinegar to remove mildew and soap scum from your shower and tubs.

Dish Washer & Dishes

• Vinegar can be used to clean up detergent residue. Just run a cup of vinegar through a full cycle every month to keep fresh.


• Use to clean up soap deposits on your sink


• Clean water stains off glassware

Kitchen

• Clean and deodorize the refrigerator by washing the inside with an equal mixture of white vinegar and water.

Laundry

• Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing by spraying full-strength white vinegar on underarm or collar before placing in washing machine.

Microwave

• My other personal favorite is cleaning the microwave. You know how gross that can get. Mix a 1/2 cup vinegar and a 1/2 cup water in a microwave safe container. Then bring it to a boil in the microwave so it steams. Then just wipe down the inside of your microwave.

Pets

• I personally use vinegar every time I clean our rabbits cage. Our rabbit is litter trained and I use it to clean up urine stains. It breaks down the urine like a champ and keeps the litter boxes fresh. Great for cat boxes as well.

Walls

• Vinegar works great to clean of stubborn stains on the walls including crayon without stripping the paint. I typically use full-strength vinegar for this job.

Windows & Mirrors

• Dillute with water and place in a spray bottle to clean windows both inside and out as well as your mirrors.

As there are so many uses for white vinegar, we will start adding them to the site and this post with a "Tip of the Day". Please feel free to submit your tips.

Reduce plastic bottles in our landfills

Sure, the whole bottled water craze has taken most of America by storm. But even though most of these Americans feel they are doing themselves good by buying crates of bottled water, in reality they are adding to their own carbon footprint and our landfills.

I cringe every time I see someone at one of those bulk food stores coming out with a crate of bottled water. I just want to scream. First off, most of that so called "filtered" water, isn't even filtered. Secondly, most if not all of those bottles in that crate won't go into the recycling bin. Not all Americans recycle. They may say they do, and many states have recycling laws, but in reality, our landfills are teaming with plastic bottles from sodas, fruit drinks, and water.

There are simple ways to reduce your use of plastic bottles.

The best way - REUSE!! Of course you won't want to reuse a typical disposable bottle. They are not dishwasher safe and bacteria and germs can gather rather fast on those bottles. Not the most sanitary container to be reusing.

If you are one of the many Americans watching this season of "The Biggest Loser" on NBC, you have most likely heard of the "Refill Not Landfill" campaign in partnership with Brita. This campaign encourages the use of reusable and washable sports water bottles as well as Brita filters. Not only are you reducing those little 20oz plastic bottles in landfills you are actually drinking filtered water, which you know is filtered unlike the water you buy in the store.

Here's my challenge for the month - Don't buy any drinks from your office vending machine and stop yourself before you buy bottled water at the store. If you already own a Brita filter, use it and just refill a glass or a sports bottle. Track how much money you would have spent on vending machine drinks and bottled water. You may be surprised how much you save.

Find out more about bottled water in our landfills at "Refill Not Landfill"