Part II - Reduce

According to dictionary.com, "reduce" means to to lower in degree, intensity, etc. Interestingly enough, this is the hardest of the three R's for me. It's easy to recycle and reuse, but to reduce? Some of the best tips I can give is about consuming less. Think about it this way - compete with yourself every week to see how little trash you can throw away. This may mean you reuse or recycle, but let's save those topics for Part III and Part IV.

Reduce your waste using these simple tips....

Reduce paper consumption:

• Did you know you can set your printer default to print double sided? Print double sided whenever possible
• Give clean one sided paper a second chance by using it as scrap paper or printing on it again
• Think before you print- can you send something electronically? print just one page instead of 10?
  
• Go electronic
• Fit more on one page - adjust your margins to use less paper
• Cancel catalogs, junk mail, etc to avoid getting unnecessary paper in the first place

Reduce Food Waste: Compost!

• greens, leaves, plant trimmings, raw fruits and veggies, coffee grounds, tea bags, hair, dryer lint can be composted into "black gold"
• don't forget to add your dried leaves, grasses, straw, woodchips, twigs and branches, etc
  
• You can build your own compost bin or purchase one
• If you want to get started on composting visit this site. It will give you way more information for a successful bin.

Reduce your water consumption:

• Be sure you have a low flow toilet, if you don't add a milk (juice) jug to the tank of your toilet. Upgrading from a 3.5 gpf (gallons per flush) toilet to a 1.6 gpf model will reduce one person’s annual water use from 27,300 gallons to 12,500 gallons, according to the Federal Energy Management Program (greenhomeguide.com)
• Don't dump your half full water glass in the sink. Instead pour it into a nearby watering can to use for your plants.
• Does it take forever for your tap water to heat up? Collect water-that's-warming-up and use it for your gardens, humidifiers, plants, etc.
• Keep your showers short :-)

Reduce your Energy Consumption:

• Shut lights off when not in use
• Consider swapping your dryer for a clothesline
• Invest in Compact Fluorescent light bulbs
• Use a programmable thermostat
  

Part I - Home Detox

Detoxifying your home is one of the easiest things you can do to Go Green. It may not be convenient as purchasing pre-made solutions, but I promise the results are worth it. Not to mention keeping Green in your wallet. As I learned this week from our guest speaker at MOPS, the reasons are plentiful. Chemicals cause cancer. Now, I don't have studies to site, nor do I pretend to be an expert. I'm just going to do my best to keep myself and my family away from harsh chemicals. These include air fresheners, cleaners, bleach, dryer sheets, etc....the list goes on and on...

Making Homemade Laundry detergent is easy peasy! I got this recipe from here, The Eco-Friendly Family Blog. (one of my favorites!)

Here are the ingredients you need:
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/2 cup of Oxiclean
1 bar of soap, finely grated (I used my food processor)

You can find all this in the laundry aisle at the grocery store. Two batches fit nicely in a 1/2 gallon size mason jar and I reuse a scoop from an Iced Tea mix.

Mix it all up and adding 2 TBSP to each wash should do the trick. Depending on how soiled your clothes are you should adjust accordingly. For HE washers use half the amount. For cloth diapers, use the same recipe but eliminate the soap.

Here are some recipes to make at home. Some of which I use and love, while others are on my to-do list. I found this awesome list at www.care2.com. I use variations of these cleaners, and it's really about your own preferences. You could Google and find lots of different recipes.


How to make a Non-toxic Cleaning Kit

Shopping List:
Baking soda
Washing soda
White distilled vinegar
Natural liquid soap or detergent
Tea Tree Oil
6 clean spray bottle (or reuse the ones you already have!)
2 glass jars
Optional:
Vegetable glycerin
Fresh Lemon
Additional Essential Oils

Non-toxic Formulas:

CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER
Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture‐like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit. Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

WINDOW CLEANER
1/4‐1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

OVEN CLEANER
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven.

ALL‐PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

FURNITURE POLISH
1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5% vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

MOLD KILLERS
Tea Tree Treasure

Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days.
2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.

Vinegar Spray few hours. Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82% of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.

Happy Earth Month!

You may have thought I forgot all about it, but I sure didn't! In fact, I've been sharing my passion of Being Green with MOPS, an organization of special moms. The topic this week was Home Detox and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. I was asked to speak after showing up at Craft Day with my reusable snack sacks. Many of the crafters were intrigued and wanted to purchase them! The news spread and my meeting organizer asked me to present at the next meeting. There were two speakers, one who focused on removing chemicals from the home and myself. I had 15 minutes to chat about the three R's!

In honor of Earth Month, for the next four posts I'd like to continue spreading my passion about Going Green. Using the same topics as the MOPS meeting you'll find Green Tips that are money saving, informative, and best of all easy!

Speaking in front of these wonderful ladies was inspiring and motivating. I hope I was able to encourage them to make small, but meaningful changes in their life.

Reusable Bags Part Deux

My cousin asked me to make several of these bags for a fundraiser and someone else asked for directions. For you crafty ones, have fun and good luck making them!

Description:
The exterior is 100% cotton while the inside is made with water repellent nylon and the top Velcro closes. This sandwich bag is approximately 7" x 7" in size and is perfect for sandwiches or snacks. Bring it to work, school, the beach, the car, playgroups, airplane, etc. Use for packaging small gifts or gift cards.  When dirty simply wipe clean with a damp cloth or put in the washer and dryer.

Materials:

• 100% Cotton fabric
• Ripstop Nylon - this material comes in different weights and has "windowpanes" on it. Think tent or kite material. It's waterproof for your snacks. (other materials like PUL or Vinyl are not food safe)
• Thread
  
• Velcro (hook and loop)
  
• Cutting mat and cutting tool
• scissors
• seam ripper - just in case!
  

Steps:

1. Cut your fabric into 8.5"x8.5" square pieces. I've saved time by folding the material and cutting several layers at a time.  Cut the Nylon into 9" x 9" squares.  In my trials and tribulations of creating these, cutting the nylon saves a lot of time later on when sewing the squares together. 


2. Cut your Velcro into 6" strip


3. Pair up a square of the cotton and a square of the nylon. Pin to keep in place or not. ( I started with pinning, but found I saved time by not pinning and holding in place)

4. Fold over one side 1/4" and straight stitch twice to make a closed hem. This creates a hem on the top of each bag.
5. Place a strip of velcro in the middle of the hemmed side and straight stitch in place. (sorry no picture!) With each bag you need two sides, so be sure to use the hook on one side and the loop on the other. :-)

6. Straight stitch two squares (fabric sides touching).


7. Trim sides to 1/4" or less and then flip inside out.


Other tips:

• I found some great fabric on clearance, sale, or my mom's fabric stash. Use your coupons on the ripstop nylon - that's the most expensive part.
  
• I also found the velcro for $.99 for a yard - which makes 6 bags!
• These can be washed in cold water and hung to dry or thrown in the dryer.
• I do find matching the thread to the fabric color is a bit neater, but plain 'ole white works, too!
• The nylon comes in a variety of colors to match the fabric.
• Cut the nylon into 9" squares to prevent the struggle of sewing the slippery fabric to the cotton. 

Notes:

• Because of the nature of the breathable fabric, these bags are not airt tight.  Pack your lunches/snacks in the morning to keep fresh for lunch.

If you try these at home, feel free to pass along any feedback for a better bag!

Laundry Day!

Many people ask how much laundry we're doing because of using cloth diapers. We have enough diapers to wash every third day so we only do 2-3 loads more per week. I don't mind doing laundry so it's not a big chore - Abby doesn't mind either. Here's her helping carrying the

laundry basket upstairs.




The basket was leaning against the futon in an upright position- hence the "toilet position". She seems to make the most noise "down there" when in this position. :-)

30 week check up and more art.....

Last night we had our 30 week check up! All is well - I've gained 25 pounds, 3 of that baby girl. Heart rate sounded fantastic, we got the clear to travel for the brew fest, and we learned we need to go in every two weeks for a check up.

We also received lots of info on the how-to-give-labor thing. yikes.

I also finished up the last of my cloth wipes. I finally got the technique down to a "T".


If you're interested in my oh so clever technique, here it is!
1. Cut 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 squares of fabric - I used flannel on both sides, supplied by Mom!
2. Match up the squares inside out.
3. Straight stitch 3 sides and half of the 4th side.
4. Flip inside out
5. Fold the final seam and zig zag stitch around all four sides - added some pizzaz and finished the cloth wipe!

I now have about 40 of them, full size ones and a hand full of half size ones.

New Art Project

Sticking with the "green" theme and trying to eliminate disposable things in our lives, cloth wipes are the perfect compliment to cloth diapers. Using fabric such as flannels, soft cottons, terry, microfiber, and sherpa make for the softest wipes. Fabric from hand me down receiving blankets, flannel shirts, or other clothing make these not only recycled but almost FREE! I'm giddy just thinking how much we'll save on not having to buy wipes. Here's a snapshot of the first batch. Colorful, bright, and FREEEEE! They are 8" by 8" and when folded, fit perfectly into a wipe container.

What will we use for a solution you might ask? An easy mix of water, baby wash, and Tea Tree oil for a disinfectant. Shake in a bottle, and spray as needed! Voila! Easy peasy....

Did I mention free, too? BTW, I got to use my new toy (sewing machine!!) in this project.....

Going Cloth...

We've been pretty fortunate to have a good jump start on our Newborn cloth diaper stash thanks to consignment shops and the generosity of friends and fellow freecyclers. (www.freecycle.org is a website you can join to give away your unneeded items and possible get what you DO need!) As we learn more about cloth diapering it's pretty clear we're not going to really know what will work best until our little peanut is here. Like buying jeans, what works for you might not work for me. You know, short and chunky versus long and lean - I'm talking babies, now! :-)


With the gorgeous weather this weekend and an unexpected weekend home, we loaded up the washer and started taking an inventory of what we have. Of course, when I say we, I mean, "I".

(Don't forget to click on the picture to see the detail in the covers!)

What you're looking at is a slew of newborn prefolds, several covers, a couple of fitteds, a handful of pockets, a few all in ones (AIO's) two wet bags, and a half dozen cloth wipes. Pretty cool, huh? The best part is I only had to purchase four of the said items - no more than $50 (or three weeks or so worth of disposables). What we have above is enough to get us through the first three months. I like it a lot!

New project

I generally try to learn new skills and complete projects myself, but I consulted the experts on this one. Tim had received a beautiful glider from a family member and the upholstery didn't exactly match our decor. Trying to to use as much as we can we already have, I asked a seamstress at work to help me out. She gave me tips on what kind of fabric to purchase, accessories needed (covered buttons and roping), and told me she'd be willing to work on it!

Before: I wish I had taken a full before picture. This is the chair stripped down, including the skirt.

AFTER!
I love this print, even though it's a bit louder than I would normally be attracted to. I think it will look fantastic in the nursery next to the yellow walls. I'll take a picture once it's move up. It's a bit heavy for me to be moving right now. :-)

I have enough fabric to hopefully reupholster an ottoman - if we can find one.

Diapers!

The reactions we've received when announcing we plan on cloth diapering haven't been surprising. Since I've been obsessed with the eco-friendly endeavor, I thought I'd share a little bit. Videos included.

Let me first start with saying in the past couple of years, cloth diapering has come a long way! Parents can choose to go inexpensive and lose a bit of convenience, or spend a little more and gain a ton of convenience. Unfortunately, because of the multitude of cloth diaper makers it means there are a lot of different cuts. It's like buying jeans. A size 8 at the Gap is different than Levi's. Without knowing what our l'il peanut looks like it would be hard getting the perfect fit. With that said, we plan** on using prefolds with snappis, and covers for the first three or so months and then follow up with BumGenious 3.0's until potty training. Here's what they look like: (**plans always change!)

0-3 months: Prefolds with snappis and covers. Prefolds are very inexpensive, very absorbant, but not waterproof so they need a waterproof cover. At http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/diapers.htm the prefolds are $21 per dozen and we'll need 3 dozen with a newborn.

Snappis are used instead of pins.

Covers are usually around $10-12 and we'll need about 6. They have some of the cutest prints!!

Tim was a bit nervous and once I showed him a video from youtube, we left the nervousness behind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPGsB8k5sM&feature=related or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG34ZlU0nG8

2. After the newborn stage, we can start using an one-size diaper that will be perfect until potty training! These BumGenius 3.0's look easy and convenient! Adding additional inserts add absorption when needed. Let's hope our peanut will fit into these!

What to do with the dirty dipes? Take off, #1 and newborn #2 go in waterproof pail liner until washing. Once the baby starts on solids, #2's need to be flushed into the toilet. We can use rice liners to make this job easier - they go right into the toilet as well! No rinsing, scrubbing, or soaking! Bag, diapers, and cloth wipes all go in.

For day trips or outings, dirty dipes go into a wet bag:

All in all, the best laid plans could change, and we're excited to explore all the possibilities! I love all the bum fluff!

Arts and Crafts

Thanks to the Eco-Friendly Board on the Nest, I've become obsessed with reusable sandwich and snack bags. Many WAHM or SAHM (work at home mom, stay at home mom's respectively) have set up etsy shops (etsy.com) with these as products. I consider myself pretty crafty and figured with enough research I could probably make my own. I borrowed my friend's sewing machine (THANKS, JEN!), picked up $15.00 worth of fabric, iron on vinyl, and velcro and three hours later here's a sample of what I ended up with!

These are two of the four patterns I purchased - ladybugs and baseballs. Perfect for either a little boy or girl. They are waterproof on the inside and are great for sandwiches, grapes, cheerios, or anything else. We can throw them in the wash, and after a quick line dry are ready to reuse.

On another note, we had dinner with friends this weekend and received an adorable congratulatory book from "G". The title and message couldn't have been more fitting. Thanks Amy and Rick!

Happy Earth Day

I'm sure today one can't help but think about saving the Earth. For us, it's an every day thing. We intend to pass along our green habits to our children and really try to influence the people around us to make smarter and greener choices. Starting the Green Team at work, I've had the opportunity to educate over 300 people on simple ways to Be Green. Being green can also save you pennies! And really, not recycling is just plain lazy. Especially if you have curbside pickup! Please do your part!

Raising a baby can be expensive, so we're going to try and save money while being green. Check this out:

1. Using cloth diapers will save the landfill AND save us a buttload of cash!

• The average child uses 6,000 diapers in the first 2 years of her/his life.
• Average cost of disposable diapers (according to The Real Diaper Association): 25.5 cents
• 2 year cost of disposable diapers: roughly $1600

A pretty nice stash (according to bebop baby shop in Essex Junction) is only $605.50. Hello??!! No brainer!

2. Using cloth wipes is easy to use and easy to make!

• 2 year cost of disposable wipes: $700

Making your own reusable cloth wipes can cost almost next to nothing. Just your time and a few old terry robes, chenille, or microfiber. All soft for the babies bum.

3. Second Hand is awesome for us!

Besides the obvious safety concerns of cribs, car seats, and strollers, most everything else we plan to buy/use second hand! Not only can we support local businesses, save money, but we're saving these potentially unused items from the landfill.

4. Reusable is best.

Investing in reusable everything is going to keep junk out of the landfill and save money. Reusable sandwich bags (these from mamamade on etsy are adorable), metal straws, lunch tote, travel coffee mugs (did you know many stores will give you a discount on your coffee every morning??), bring reusable totes to the store, etc! The ways to reuse are really limitless. Be creative and think outside the box.

These are probably the big four on our list to-do for Peanut and for our Mother Earth. We only get one Earth, and I want to make sure Peanut's kids and grandkids get to enjoy it as much as we have.

Check out these other easy Green Tips to makeover your life!

1. Recycle everything you possibly can!
Paper, plastics, aluminum, etc. You can bring your LDPE plastic (grocery bags, produce bags, ziplock bags, some packaging plastic - LDPE plastic is any plastic that is stretchy and you can push your thumb through - cereal bags are NOT LDPE plastic)
2. Reuse - think of ways you can reuse items in your house
Use clean one-sided paper for scrap paper, keep your half used candles and remelt into brand new candles.
3. Join Freecycle to help keep your junk out of landfills. Honestly, your trash is another man's treasures. I got rid of a bag of used, holey pantyhose!
4. Save your wasted water - using 5 gallon buckets collect warming-up-shower water, rain water, etc. Water your garden or household plants!
5. Keep your heat low in the winter and warm in the summer
6. Don't drive over 65 - saves on CO2 emissions and your wallet!
7. Donate your old sneakers to Nike. They recycle them into new athletic fields!
8. Consider buying items with less packaging. Think Costco, Sam's Club...
9. Go Local - try to buy vegetables at your local farmers market, meats from a local butcher.
10. Use Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. Go to Energy Hog for more information on how to save energy and money in your home.
11. Use Green Cleaners like Method of Seventh Generation. Good 'ole Baking Soda and Vinegar are excellent Green cleaners and are very inexpensive. Click here for tips on cleaning with vinegar.
12. Bring canvas bags with you when shopping. Leave them in your car, but don't forget to bring them in with you! Many grocery store give money for using them. It could be as little as 3 cents, but eventually the bags pay for themselves.
13. Wash your clothes in cold water.
14. Compost at home. Here is a composting guide for your home.
15. Reuse water bottles, or better yet use Nalgene or aluminum bottles.
16. Downloading GreenPrint (a free program that saves paper when you print stuff from your computer) they also have a font that uses less paper and ink (it costs $10 to download) (Thanks Kristinwintle!)
17. Donate your old clothes instead of throwing them away. My local Salvation Army uses fabric in their quilting classes and their quilts are donated to the community.
18. Keep plastic bags in your car and when you're at the playground, out for a walk, etc pick up trash. You'll get an extra butt workout while you're beautifying the environment.
19. Lengthen the life of your kitchen sponges by microwaving it for 1 minute. Just be careful it comes out hot!!
20. (this is more for warmer climates) Considering installing a radiant barrier on the inside of your roof to cut air conditioning costs. (Thanks Mainer-in-Texas for the next 7 Green Tips)
21. Water your lawn using rainwater collected with rainbarrels.
22. When upgrading appliances, by ones with an EnergyStar rating.
23. Keep up with your car maintenance, especially your tire pressure - it increases fuel efficiency, allows your car to burn cleaner, and puts more money back in your pocket.
24. Keep electronics plugged into a powerstrip that you can disconnect when they are not in use - electronics that are plugged in still draw electricicty when not in use.
25. Let your dishes air dry instead of using the heat dry cycle on your dishwasher.
26. Don't top off your tank when filling your car. It causes vapors to be released into the air.
27. Under the re-use category - Save sweater boxes, gift bags, etc. to use for gift-giving later on
28. Install a programmable thermostat (thanks MA&CB!)
29. Fill a half gallon or a gallon size jug (milk or oj work well) and place in your toilet's tank. Every time you flush your toilet you're saving a gallon of water! Make sure your toilet is not a low-flush one.
30. Energy efficient light bulbs! Spend a little save a lot! These use approximately 75% less energy!



HAPPY EARTH DAY from Vermont - just voted the Greenest State in the US! Check this out!