eco changes

Because I'm not one for eco-nazism (or any other sort of dogmatism) and I don't think preachiness is the way to convert anyone no matter how passionate or full of truth your cause is, I thought it would be fun to show the ways Philipp and I have decided to green up our everyday lives for the better. I have been learning more and more about the impact standard living has on the environment (not to mention your own health) and ways to lessen our footprint (or should I say, footprints, arrharrr). It has been eye opening as well as inspiring and at times, while focusing on statistics instead of solutions, discouraging. Welcome to our humble abode. We're always learning. We hope you are too.

The first item of business, ladies and gentlemen, are plastics. Plastic makes it possible? For what? Buildup of toxins in the environment, your body and in the alarming rate of overflowing landfills? Its no more plastics for us, whenever possible. I found this cool reusable metal bottle from the website tappening.com


I've also found my dream team of cleaning supplies. Did you know indoor air quality in homes where conventional cleaning products are used creates a toxic cocktail 2-3 times worse than polluted areas outside your home. Regular ole baking soda, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide do wonders and don't turn me into a wheezing, cackling ole hag while bent over the toilet bowl. A few drops of essential oils added into the mix only enlivens the experience. And open those windows!

We're also trying to support more cosmetics that do not include known toxins and carcinogens in their products. Many of the chemicals in our US products have been (or are being legislated to be) banned from Europe. More questions are being raised about so called "safe limits" of noxious chemicals vs. the overall cumulative load on one's body over time. This site provides a wealth of information about the safety of cosmetics and you can even look up products you're currently slathering all over your body for their rated level of toxicity. The government's not doing their job, so its ours to question authority and further challenge it !
We've also went back to drying all our clothes on a rack out in the California sunshine. Its free, so much energy is saved and our clothes smell so nice. Plus it feels really good and old fashioned to be out there hanging clothes on a line/rack.
A passion of mine is baking and cooking. As much as we can afford it, we try to make all of our produce come from a local organic farm. Their stuff is rocking good and I feel its so important to validate the work and craft these small, local organic farms put into tending and cultivating the land instead of raping it. This is the only inheritance we have to hand down. Lets not even discuss how pesticide use on produce is like spraying an apple with Raid, rinsing it off then making a pie out of it.Last, but not least, we come full circle. All the veg, fruit, lovely egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags, etc. go into this pail which is located under our sink. We transfer it a couple times a week to a growing compost pile we have out back. In a few months, this will be the top soil and nutritional supplement for my growing garden project. Living on the Earth is so much fun, working with it is even more fun!