Made in the U.S.

When you think of the environmental impact of the purchases you make, you have to consider their carbon footprint. The shorter the travel distance from manufacturing to consumer, the smaller the footprint. This is the concept behind buying local. For many, defining “local” as the entire U.S. would be a vast improvement to the distance your stuff usually travels.

Remember, just because a product is distributed by an American company or says “assembled in the U.S.” does not mean it was made in the U.S.A.

On a recent shopping trip, I was encouraged by the products we found made right here in America:

Glassware by Anchor Hocking
Drinking glasses, candle holders, bake ware…
We bought measuring cups and glass food storage containers with plastic lids that are BPA free-these are what we use in our lunches instead of plastic containers. They’re also great for storing left-overs. Found ours at Home Goods but are available even at you know where. Yes, Walmart.

Hand Sanitizers and bath products by E.O.-paraben and sodium lauryl sulfate free
Easier on the skin, this is what our kids use at school to help fight germs without harsh chemicals. Find stores nearest you.

Raw food bars by Lara Bar
Yes, even packaged food is imported so read the label and know where it’s coming from.
Check their locator for a store near you.

American Greetings Cards
When you’re flippin’ the card over to check the price (we ALL do it), see where it was made. Easily available at Target.

Home Fragrance by Fitz & Floyd
Made with alcohol and essential oil-simple.
Though I believe this maybe a discontinued product, there are plenty left at Marshalls.

Now read those labels and be an educated and responsible consumer!

Free Groceries at Earth Fare

Now that you're reading labels, I bet you wish you could trade in some of that "food" in your pantry for some cleaner options. Guess what? You can! If you're lucky enough to live near an Earth Fare, they'll take your high fructose corn syrup and trans fat filled salad dressing, peanut butter, pop, and cereal and trade it in for an organic version- FOR FREE! It doesn't matter if they're opened or even mostly gone. That's a deal you can't pass up. Find a store near you and sign up now! They'll send you the detailed coupon (must be present for exchange). Then all you have to do is raid the pantry.

FIGHT GERMS NATURALLY

It’s that time again; cooler weather, cozy sweaters, football games, and …germs. These days kids are bringing home more than homework. Here’s some basic ways to fight germs naturally without all the harsh chemicals.

WASH YOUR HANDS-Okay, nothing new here. When my kids walk in the door from school, I always welcome a peck on the cheek. Beyond that, “DO NOT touch me or anything food related until you WASH YOUR GRUBBY HANDS…sweetheart.”

And for all you little boys who claim you don’t need to wash your hands because you “only went #1”, you flushed didn’t you? Chances are the toilet handle wasn’t disinfected just before you went in or after the last person. Get it? I rest my case. So to my nephews (I will leave the guilty party unidentified), you’re washin’ your hands when you come to Aunt Jen’s, #1 or not.

According to the Mayo Clinic, hand washing is the simplest thing you can do to prevent getting sick.

As far as antibacterial products, there’s controversy over whether they’re more effective than regular soap and if they’re making germs more resistant. I don’t know about all that but what I do know is that conventional antibacterial products and hand sanitizers contain harsh chemicals. So harsh, our youngest is allergic to them. We discovered this when she started school and her hands became so dry and raw. When they were on winter break, her hands cleared up. We finally figured out it was the soap she was using at school. In our home (and now we send it into the classroom as well) we use plain old regular soap and hand sanitizer made from plant essentials.

Reminder: while hand sanitizers are great in a pinch, they are no substitute for a good hand washing.

HAND TOWELS, CHANGE THEM REGULARLY- Ideally hands are germ free when being dried but let’s face it, kids count to 25 pretty fast when suddzing up. Oh, and please remember to turn the water off while scrubbing up-this should be a no-brainer. Put fresh hand towels by the bathroom sink a few times through the week. Cute finger-tip towels can be costly and all that detailing doesn’t hold up well with regular washing. An alternative is to use washcloths for hand towels. Buy a bunch, nicer ones in colors of your decor, roll up the extras and keep them in a pretty bowl by the sink. Fresh towels will be stacked up ready for use, just like in the spas.

WASH YOUR WATER BOTTLES-By now hopefully your family is using stainless steel water bottles and minimizing your plastic consumption. Please break the habit of just filling those bottles back up. They do need to be washed. Each person in the family should have at least two: one for the current day’s use while the previous day's bottle is waiting to be washed. Ours Klean Kanteens get hand washed thoroughly on the outside where hands have been all day. Then the inside rim and the lid. Unless it was filled with something other than water, than water, no need to dump a bunch of soap inside though a bottle brush once in a while on the bottom will ensure you haven’t missed anything.

TOOTHBRUSHES-We do one of two things. Either we include them in a load once a week in the dishwasher or soak the heads in a small glass with hydrogen peroxide for several hours. Peroxide quickly begins to oxidize bacteria making it effective as a disinfectant and antimicrobial agent. If you’re using an electrical toothbrush without a detachable head, you’ll have the skip the dishwasher and stick with peroxide. I know “they” always tell you to throw out a toothbrush after you’ve been sick. Well, toothbrushes are expensive and at least once I’ve been suckered into an $8 musical one so unless the toothbrush was on its way out anyway, it’s getting washed.

LIP BALMS, GLOSSES, AND LINERS-Rule #1, are all you teenage girls listening? NO SHARING…EVER!!! Aside from the obvious, it wouldn’t hurt to take a facial tissue dabbed with some alcohol around the tops of these every once in awhile. A cotton ball will work but will leave cotton stuck on the top.

DOOR KNOBS- Now here’s one you probably haven’t thought of. It’s one of Lindsey’s official jobs every Saturday morning. Armed with a rag and a bottle of vinegar and water (50:50), she cleans each door knob paying extra attention to the door knob of the water closet because, well…no one washes their hands until after they’ve come out of the water closet. By the way, when cleaning toilets, don’t forget to disinfect the handle. Light switches, phone receivers, and computer keyboards are other “high touch” items and could use a wipe down regularly. Computer keys are small and you don’t want liquid getting down in there. Q-tips dabbed in alcohol are great to wipe each key with. Have some dry ones on hand too in case you accidentally over do it

And there you have it. May you have a happy, healthy season.

How to build and eco-friendly wardrobe

This pea coat by Vaute Couture is beautiful, feminine and proceeds support a good cause, The Farm Sanctuary. The shell is 100% recyclable, the liner 100% recycled, and the buttons are made of bamboo. However at over $550, you might think twice.

Another way to build and eco-friendly wardrobe is to think “hand-me-overs”.

My daughter hit the jackpot in her Grandmother’s closet. She found a red pea-coat in need of a new home. It's a little big in the body and I offered to have it altered but she declined. Teens rarely care about a perfect fit. At $15 for a cleaning at the organic dry cleaners, this pea coat is ready for winter and we've saved a whole lot of money. So, go visit a relative or friend and rummage, swap, or steal (just kidding) until you’re each excited about something new to wear with a zero price tag and a zero carbon footprint. An Easy Go Green!

Green Shows at New York's Fashion Week

The Green Shows during New York’s Fashion Week were quite a success. High-end designers use their creative edge and concern for the Earth to combine fabulous eco-friendly fashions fit for Hollywood. Here’s a sneak peek (photos from Tree Hugger).





Gorgeous and Green made of organic cotton, hemp and other natural fibers.





These fashions are beautiful but quite exclusive and not something you’ll see us haulin’ the kids back and forth to soccer in. I’m sure you’ve guessed the price tags are quite exclusive as well.

What’s an eco-fashionista to do?



Let’s head back to our reality for some eco-friendly fashions we can all enjoy…





After searching many a website, it was obvious. The department store that can supply the entire family from Dad to daughter with organic cotton clothing is Nordstrom! Even the shoe department has quite a selection of shoes whose soles are made of 100% recycled rubber. Take a look and I think you’ll be pleased with the selection and the pricing.

Other noteworthy eco-fashions include:

Envirosax Carry all bags as seen in Mommywood!

Keds

Loomstate Organic Clothing

Zoe&Zac Shoes

Patagonia Sports Clothing

Do front load washers save money?

Wonder if a front load washer is will save you money?

Though because of its design you won’t be able to fill it yourself using rain water, it will save you plenty of water. A front load washer uses 13-17 gallons of water per load compared to a whopping 55 gallons used by the average top load.

After the rinse cycle, a front load washing machine spins at 700rpms, extracting water at the same time. This cuts drying time, saving you money on heating.

The proof of course is at the end of the month. My sister’s August electric bill in the steamy Southeast was $30 less. That’s significant and doesn’t even include what they saved on water.

Conclusion: A front load washer will save you money while conserving water and energy. It’s a win-win go green.

If you own a front load washing machine, we’d love to hear from you. Email us your story.

Washing with Rain Water

It’s been raining and raining in Georgia and I’ve put some of that rain water to very good use. Many thanks to my youngest sister for leading the way here. As soon as her rain barrel filled, she decided to do a load wash with the water. Old school-huh?

Her rain barrel has a handy faucet on the bottom making it easy to fill watering cans or, in this case, buckets. Her laundry room is attached to her garage so she didn’t have far to carry them and it was all concrete or tile floor making a splash less of an issue.

The load of wash turned out just fine and since rain water is soft, you only need about ½ the amount of laundry soap.

Though they insist our back gutters are clean, water continues to drip over the edge of them when it rains. Instead of spending my energy arguing, I grabbed 3 buckets and set them under the steady dripping/stream. A rainstorm later, I have 3 buckets of fresh rainwater. Walla!

Now unlike my sister, our washer and dryer are upstairs-carpeted stairs. Carefully I haul buckets up the stairs and pour them in the washer. Three 6-gallon buckets later and the washer isn’t even half full. Geez it takes a lot of water to fill those things.



Did you know the average front load washer uses only 14 gallons of water per load where as a top load washer uses 55 gallons for a full load? WOW!

After adding the soap, I loaded the clothes and set it to regular/ large load on cold of course. It began filling the rest of the way.


Your concern maybe overflowing. The washer automatically stops filling when the water has reached a certain level. With that in mind, you’ll want to put the clothes in before you let the washer continue filing or, in the event you have 55 gallons of water, before you completely fill it.

Worried about dirt in the water? I used the water right after it finished raining. If you wait much longer, I’d suggest just using it for your plants in the event mosquitoes have gotten to it first. Other than that, any other dirt settles to the bottom so when pouring, just stop before the dirt starts flowing in. It’s not hard.

Because most of our clothes are cotton, we don’t put jeans and t-shirts in the dryer to avoid shrinking. This also saves energy and it’s easier on your clothes so they last longer and don’t fade.

As I was hanging the jeans, I noticed they felt very soft. You know how stiff denim gets when it air dries? I wondered if there would be a difference and sure enough they were! Even my kids agreed. The rain water did the trick. Now it's your turn.

For more information on using rain water visit my friend the Rain Catcher.
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