Going Green - 365 Days 365 Ways

Day 38 From the Toilet to the Sink from the Sink to the Toilet

Valerie T — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 05:27:00 GMT

My toilet bowl cleaner also cleans my bathroom sink and bathtub. I bought the toilet bowl cleaner, , a few months ago and mentioned to friends that it states on the label that it can be used for cleaning the rest of the bathroom. Their comment was 'gross!' I only used it for the toilet until today when I stopped to think, why was using a chemical, toxin free toilet bowl cleans for all my cleaning needs gross? Is it because we have been conditioned to believe that if it's designed to clean a toilet it's got to be as nasty as the toilet itself to be effective? It might be. All I know is that I love having just one cleaner to do all of the work. It smells good too

Day 35 BYOB

Valerie T — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 19:22:00 GMT

I have an enormous block. I get up to the checkout counter at Traders or Whole Foods and they ask 'paper or plastic' I should say 'neither, I brought my own". Of course, that rarely happens because though I have an assortment of bags, cloth, insulated, a net bag from Spain and one of Ireland's green bags. In Ireland if you don't bring your own bag you have to pay for your paper or plastic bags or buy a green bag (and yes, they are green). In Ireland I never forgot my green bag but I am not as diligent in the USA. Today I collected my bags and put them in a pile on the passenger side of the car and this photo helped a bit as well http://www.planetark.com/campaignspage.cfm/newsid/7/story.htm.

Day 34 Frugal Flushing

Valerie T — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:07:00 GMT

My house is 20 years old and so are my toilets which means we have been using way too much clean drinking water for way too many years flushing toilets.....three toilets. My daughter introduced the classic way to flush frugally when she was a girl scout and at camp learned the little rhyme.....if it's yellow let it mellow and if it's brown flush it down.

That has had some success but enough so I found somesmall river rocks and filled up my tanks with as many of them as I could without interferring with the flushing mechanism.

Finally I found an awesome product called the Frugal Flush. It's designed to close before the toilet tank completely empties during a flush and it has made the most difference yet.

Check out their website http://www.cetsolar.com/toilettummy.htm! They have quite a few goodies besides the frugal flusher. Also check your city water department. I live in Chandler and they offer, for FREE, yes, FREE a low water use kit that includes aerators for your sink faucets, 2 low water use shower head and a bladder to place in your toilet tank to reduce water use. If your city does not offer water conservation measures it's a good time to show your disappointment and write them a letter about ecological responsibility!

Today I replaced my river rocks with a bladder and ordered 25 frugal flushers. I replaced mine and will keep the rest for my remodels and gifts. Happy flushing!

Day 33 Two Tests and a Term Paper

Valerie T — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 22:29:00 GMT

Today was the first day of my green building class at Scottsdale Community College. Our instructor showed us a movie Ecological Design: Inventing the Future. I was a look at our future told from around 1930 into the 80's. Like An Inconvenient Truth it was eye opening. http://www.designoutlaws.com/ Here's a website to check out and I if this interestes you like it does me i plan to learn about Buckminster Fuller who was definitely a genius

Day 32 Out With the Teflon in With the Cast Iron

Valerie T — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:09:00 GMT

I am throwing out my last surviving Teflon pan today because I read that it just takes 2-5 minutes on the stove top for the chemical in it (PFOA) to leach. Plus the Environmental Working Group has an entire, not so positive, section devoted to Teflon so it was time to listen. The reason we haven't gotten rid of our pan is because cast iron was too heavy and we don't seem to know how to fry food in a stainless steel pan. Cooks we are not, I guess. My dilemma is that I don't want to recycle this product and I don't want to send it to the landfill. I'll have to think about this one!

Day 31 Microfibre Cloths - SOLD

Valerie T — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 20:08:00 GMT

I just purchased microfibre cloths for dusting, doing dishes, drying our dogs and washing my floors. I use them for everything. They are chemical free, I no longer buy paper towels so it saves the landfill, they reduce the use of chemicals (no more dusting sprays), they last forever and they are amazing cleaning tools. For my birthday I got a Swiffer Sweeper and since I won't buy the throw away chemical laced pads I just use my microfibre towels and attach them to the Swiffer instead. When I clean windows I just dampen one of the cloths and the smudges come right off.

Day 30 What is IN That Glass?

Valerie T — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 17:51:00 GMT

It's my green drink. I am back to drinking a green drink in the morning before breaksfast and today I will be using lettuce from my container garden. A few months ago I bought some organic seeds and planted them in a few large flower pots I had laying around and soon I had flower pots full of leaf lettuce. We have been getting frost in Arizona and though it doesn't seem to affect the lettuce I cut my last 'crop' this morning and used it in my green drink. Having your own garden is the ultimate in feeding your body because you can put the nutrients in the soil that you want in your lettuce that will eventually find it's way into your body.

Day 29 What is Kefir

Valerie T — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 17:45:00 GMT

When I make fruit smoothies I always add yoghurt which is full of probiotics. Last week at Whole Foods I noticed a product called Kefir so I googled it and this is what I found
Kefir is a cultured, enzyme-rich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your "inner ecosystem." More nutritious and therapeutic than yogurt, it supplies complete protein, essential minerals, and valuable B vitamins
Sounds like yogurt so how is it different? Another google and I found this out

They are both cultured milk products but they contain different types of beneficial bacteria. Yogurt contains transient beneficial bacteria that keep the digestive system clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria that reside there. But kefir can actually colonize the intestinal tract, a feat that yogurt cannot match.
Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt, Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species.
It also contains beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir, which dominate, control and eliminate destructive pathogenic yeasts in the body. They do so by penetrating the mucosal lining where unhealthy yeast and bacteria reside, forming a virtual SWAT team that housecleans and strengthens the intestines. Hence, the body becomes more efficient in resisting such pathogens as E. coli and intestinal parasites.
Kefir's active yeast and bacteria provide more nutritive value than yogurt by helping digest the foods that you eat and by keeping the colon environment clean and healthy.
Because the curd size of kefir is smaller than yogurt, it is also easier to digest, which makes it a particularly excellent, nutritious food for babies, invalids and the elderly, as well as a remedy for digestive disorders.

So today I bought some and made a great fruit smoothie with it.

Day 28 You do What with Your Old Sidewalk?

Valerie T — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 17:23:00 GMT

We had to remove the old patio from the home we are remodeling because it was lifting. Last year the resulting pile would have been garbage but today it's URBANITE! We carried, hauled and carried again a trailer full of patio chunks to our family home to make a border for our gardens. The rest we will use as a border for a garden at the remodel.

Urbanite I thought was a cute name that was the concoction of our Arizona permaculture group but it's actually in the encyclopedia as An alternate definition of Urbanite in the United Statedis a humorous description of recycled concrete, typically from old sidewalks or other flat concrete slabs removed during construction. Not so sure why it's humorous because it's definitely versatile. Use it for patios, wall, and borders to name a few examples.

Day 20 Having a Ball

Valerie T — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:07:00 GMT

It's January 3rd and I have an Amazon gift certificate I plan to spend today. I already know what I want. The city of Chandler uses chlorine to clean up our water supply. I know this because during certain time of the year I can smell it when I run my bath water or flush the toilet. So, I purchased 2 chlorine balls so we can take a bath without soaking chlorine into our skin. Thinking about buying a ball yourself? Here is a great site that might answer any questions you may have

http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/shower-bath-filter.htm

Day 19 I am Hooked on Freecycle.com

Valerie T — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:18:00 GMT

Greenhabbers is busily remodeling a home. Normally we use Stardust Builders http://www.stardustbuilding.org/ to recycle the carpeting, cabinets, mirrors etc. that is the result of demolition but Stardust was not taking some of the items we had so we had to come up with another plan. We decided to try Freecycle and love it! We were able to help 3 families down on their luck with almost new carpeting, a kitchen sink and countertops, paint, tile, bathroom mirrors and appliances. Two of the families mentioned that they went to Startdust but couldn't afford the prices. Freecycle is the best way to give we have found to date - check it out at http://Freecycle.com.

Day 18 To Resolve or Not to Resolve

Valerie T — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 05:00:00 GMT

I am pretty anal about MAKING new years resolutions! End of story because every year it ends with the making part. Someone told me years ago 'If it's important you'd start it immediately' and so this year I decided to stop fixing me and just observe. What is important to me? Do any of my habits get in the way of what's important? If so do I want to change them?.
One essential element in Permaculture is observation. Before you plant a tree or build a building observe how nature will affect it and how it will affect nature. So this year I plan to take that principle and observe my life. When I was working on my permaculture design for my yard I discovered that I had much more respect for my small yard and excitement about what I could do in such a small space. I am hoping that observation in place of a list of resolutions will make 2007 a special year of insight and discovery!

Day 13 A Micro-Green Movement

Valerie T — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:14:00 GMT

My microwave died and came back as a kitchen timer! Well, sort of. It did die but the timer still works so I still use it for that. I never wanted a microwave but I eventually gave into the pressure of buy something to get something free.

I bought my first microwave because it came with a free Comodore 64 'computer'! The microwave outlasted the 'computer' by decades and I was hooked on the convenience.

Now I am microwaveless and it's been a difficult transition. Heating up leftovers without the microwave too some re-leaning and I now by popcorn already popped because I cannot remember how we made popcon in a pan with oil. Was it really that rubbery before microwaves?

Today I decided it was time to by or not to buy another one so I weighed the options. My naturopath said 'no microwave' even if they are faster and more enegry efficient. From what I've read there is not clear answer as to whether they cause cancer, change the chemical properties of the foods negatively, or change the bodies cells of people standing near a microwave. It finally came down to a financial decision. I was not going to pay hundreds of dollars on a microwave to heat up food, make popcorn and possibly interfere with my health.

Two words of caution - do not heat a baby's bottle in the microwave and you can get skin burns or scalding injuries when hot water erupts out of a cup after being over-heated in a microwave oven. The water does not appear to be boiling and only if water is heated in a clean cup. If superheating has occurred, a slight disturbance or movement such as picking up the cup, or pouring in a spoon full of instant coffee, may result in a violent eruption with the boiling water exploding out of the cup.

Day 12 Big MACstake - More about what I'm NOT going to do

Valerie T — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 17:11:00 GMT

One thing our family rarely eats is fast food but on our holiday road trip it is ALL we ate. Because of the dogs we utilized the convenience of the drive through whenever possible then we drove to the gas station for tums, rolaids and pepto bismo. That was humbling! My son noted that now he knew what Morgan Spurlock from Supersize Me felt. McDonalds food is not only high in fats but they are definitely promoters of the lnot so animal friendly mass farming of beef cattle. So today I go green by avoiding McDonalds forever. A good green substitute if you have to have fast food is In and Out Burger.

More info: Read Fast Food Nation and watch Super Size Me

Day 11 I'm Feeling a Little Green Today

Valerie T — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

I decided early on that I would let go and enjoy the culinary part of the holidays --- the FOOD! My favorite is the French meat pies that are a family tradition. As a child I hated them because no matter who you visited during the holidays you had to taste their meat pies and that was a lot of meat pies. As a child I always thought fudge would have been a better tradition! Fudge I love and I had a few too many pieces tonight so my stomach is feeling pretty green. The 'too much sugar' syndrome. I tried a glass of water mixed with a tablespoon of Braggs cider vinegar. It made a difference but not enough so I took some raw ginger and sucked on it for a bit and that seemed to do the trick. Luckily my parents live green so the ginger and vinegar were available! Peppermint tea is also a good choice when you have had way too much fun at the buffet table! Happy Holidays all!

Day 10 Christmas Eve

Valerie T — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 23:58:00 GMT

Today I will be attending the church I attended as a child in the small villiage where I grew up. It's been 15 years since I have been home for the holidays so today will be about family. After church services we will visit my 2 sister to see their Christmas trees and eat holiday goodies.

LIving green means living rich and it has little if anything to do with money. It's health, family, friends, having a positive outlook on life, helping those less fortunate. Today is a good day to fall asleep counting your blessings!

Day 9 To Give Is To Receive

Valerie T — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:01:00 GMT

My favorite part of the holidays is giving back. It rocks my world.

So what does giving have to do with being green? In my Permaculture class I learned that part of being Green is community and that knowledge has given me a whole new, gentler outlook on life. This year I went to the local Farmer's Market to buy food for the family of an Army reservist who just returned from Iraq, placed an order with Heifer International for bees and trees and bought a box of books from Bookmans for an elderly gentleman who loves to read. When Bookman's found out who the books were going to they took an additional 10% off my order. I loved that - thanks Bookmans!

Day 8 Green Stocking Stuffers

Valerie T — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:34:00 GMT

Instead of boxes and wrapping paper I buy large wool socks and stuff them with gadgets and tie them up with a large red bow. Every stocking gets an organic orange or a tangerine as a symbol of our abundance. It was the only gift my father received for Christmas. I then start collecting fun gadgets, trinkets and ideas. So far I have

Alba's unpetroleum lip balm. Most of my friend so not know that many beauty products contain petroleum products.

A few digital tire guages to help my friends save fuel

A Arizona Park Pass for a friend with kids - a trip to the zoo would have worked too. I plan to add a book about nature but I still have my Changing Hands Bookstore shopping spree to look forward to.

I ordered some Fresh2 bulbs because I love the idea of a dual purpose light bulb

I should be getting my Inconvenient Truth DVD's in the mail and while I was on Amazon I also bought Laurie David's DVD called

Reusable shopping bags are a favorite gift to give. I love the reusable string bags because they stretch. Want to know how many reusable bags we will use this year? Go to reusablebags.com and just watch the ticker it will inspire you to buy a bag - or 10.

Website Holiday Gift Alert: My favorite websites to sign friends up on are RedJellyFish.com, the IDEAL Bite, the Green Guide to Go and Coop America. You can subscribe to the Green Guide ($15) and Coop America ($25) but the other 2 are free - yeah. Check out Smart Spaces Inside Out - it's new and it's awesome! http://www.smartspacestv.com/dnn4/

Day 7 It's Party Time on the Green

Valerie T — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 23:45:00 GMT

First and foremost, if you buy your party supplies at any chain store your party is most likely not green. It's also not original! I love Danny Seo's book Simply Green Parties because it sparks the imagination while it saves the landfill and the planet. I love the idea of hanging solar lamps in the trees and on patios.
Parties should be fun and responsible so be sure to have a plan to get all those who had too much fun a ride home!
Because I will be traveling this holiday season I will be attending parties rather than giving them so I will be bringing some goodies for the party host and hostess. Because I won't be cooking on the road I went to Whole Foods and Traders for organic chocolates and nuts! Yum Yum. I also ordered flowers from www.organic bouquet.com to be delivered the night of the big family holiday party. I buy organic flowers because I think they are more fragrant and when someone I love smells that awesome fragrance I don't want them to get a whiff of chemicals with it. As with any plant we grow organic saves our water supply, the air, the growers and the lucky recipient.

Day 5 Oprah and Al

Valerie T — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 05:15:00 GMT

Oprah had Al Gore on her show to talk about his movie An Inconvenient Truth and yesterday Leonardo DeCaprio another green activist was on her show. Thanks, Oprah for spreading the word.
After the show I posted on Oprah's message board and then went to Amazon.com to buy 10 copies of the movie on DVD as Christmas presents (it's on sale) for family, friends, our local school and library. I chose the local schools because of an article I read today
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400789_pf.html.

Holiday Party Idea Alert: How about hosting an Inconvenient Truth party instead of a holiday party as a gift to Mother Earth! Have everyone bring an organic snack or drink and maybe a 'green' elephant gift exchange to end the evening! If you want to join the nation on December 16th here are the details http://www.algore.com/ or if you just want to attend a party this year find one near you to crash!