Going green with diapers: Part 1

With recent news focusing on the problems with mainstream big brand diapers, many parents are looking for alternatives. Whether you are looking for chemical free options or the best way to reduce your baby's carbon footprint, here is a breakdown of the different types of diapers to try, along with some pros and cons and price breakdowns.

As a new mother myself I know I wanted to find the best option for my family. We started off using the big brand diaper only because, well, we didn't know any better. After becoming more concerned with what I was putting on my child and being a little disappointed in what I considered an under-handed way of introducing a new diaper, I went out and did my research. I looked at what other mothers had recommended, then did price comparisons, and my own on-baby-butt testing.

Going to start up again

I know this blog has been pretty much dead for awhile but life got in the way and I am now able to start posting again. So be on the look out and add this blog to your RSS feeds. Look for a new article later today.

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.

I know it's been quiet

I just wanted to post a real quick note about why there haven't been any articles lately. Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of a move and haven't had the time to get on and post to the blog. I know many of you are looking for some good organic advice and I've been MIA. I promise more updates will be coming in the month of June so keep checking back. In the meantime, I'm going to try and keep at least the daily tips updated for you.

Send me any tips and product reviews you may have.

Product Review - Organic Raw Blue Agave

I know you have seen all the studies on how sugar is bad for you but so is NutraSweet and Splenda. And now you are completely lost and longing for a little sweetness in your coffee. My recommendation, pick up some Organic Raw Blue Agave . This product is a wonderful replacement to regular sugar and those laboratory produced sweeteners.

Wholesome Sweeteners describes their product as "a natural sweetener extracted from the core of the Blue Agave plant. Made from organically grown and processed Weber Azul, Organic Raw Blue Agave offers natural sweetness without the blood sugar spike." Their Organic Raw Blue Agave boasts a Glycemic index of 39 or less, which makes this a good sugar supplement for diabetics or those trying to watch their sugar intake. They also say the Agave in 25% sweeter than sugar, which I can attest to.

I personally find this product great in coffee since that is usually where I get most of my sugar during the day. You can also use it to replace sugar in all your cooking. The Wholesome Sweeteners website gives some recommendations on how to adjust your recipes to include their Organic Raw Blue Agave.

Another great resource on the site is their recipe collection. So not only do they offer some great Fair Trade Certified Organic products, but they offer you fabulous recipes as well.

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.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day to all the inhabitants of this beautiful planet. What are you going to do today to celebrate? Are you going to leave your car at home and walk or ride your bike to work? Perhaps take a walk or hike through a national park? My suggestion, go for that walk. Take a minute or 30 and enjoy this earth and what it has given us and reflect on what you can do to contribute to it and help make it healthy again.

For today's post I'm going to list a few fabulous sites that can help you go green and organic. Take some time to read through them and find some great tips that you can incorporate into your everyday life. These are just a few that I myself reference frequently. If you have a site you love, please send it my way. Also, let us all know what you are going to do to celebrate Earth Day. Leave us a comment.

Organic Consumers Association - This site offers wonderful information on going organic. There are articles about going organic as well as a list of organic products.

Refill Not Landfill - Help make our Earth healthier by committing to the Refill Not Landfill campaign. Stop throwing your plastic bottles on our landfills and reduce your use of plastic bottles.

Care 2 - A wonderful community site with hundreds if not thousands of articles on how you can go green and organic. I have found this site useful for years.

Treehugger - Another site with articles and tips to help you incorporate green living into your everyday life.