A Deeper Shade of Green
I recently received a question from Erika asking what we have done to "go green." Venturing towards a more "natural" way of living has been a slow, steady process that has been unfolding for several years now. All of our little changes were made to be better stewards of what God has given us- including our health & finances, but some have been more deliberate than others. Now the very basics of our journey...
In 2005 & before we...
*gave up gluten & soy, well I did
*acquired all of our furniture, and many home decor items used, thanks to generous gifts and also freecycle, thrift stores & garage sales
*stopped using chemical cleaning & laundry products, including antibacterial soaps, bleach, etc
*also stopped the typical cosmetic, haircare, and skincare products that are chock full of chemicals
*gave up sweetened, chemical toothpastes and dental care products & starting using the better alternatives
*began using mama cloth
*Stopped buying & using refined grains, trans fats, margarine, artificial flavorings, preservatives & sweeteners, and so on
*ceased purchasing most chemical laden meat and the non-organic produce on the dirty dozen list
*switched to full fat, non-homogenized, hormone free milk & dairy products
*began shopping at farmer's market and co-op
*began using the car only when necessary
*gave up paper napkins, paper towels, etc- No, I am not brave enough to give up toilet paper ;o)
*recycled a little bit
*purchased the bulk of my wardrobe from thrift stores
In 2006 we...
*ground some of our own flour
*got rid of our non-stick pots & pans
*replaced our plastic food storage containers with glass ones
*began the process of replacing other plastic storage containers with better alternatives
*grew herbs and veggies in a container garden
*began to make my own cleaning products and skin/body care products
*went no 'poo
*used the clothesline whenever possible
*moved on base so driving happened even less frequently
*began using cloth shopping bags
*reduced, reused, recycled even more
*bought milk from a local dairy that reused the glass bottles they packaged their milk in
*ceased buying magazines and instead borrowed them from the library or read back issues given to me by others
*mowed our lawn with the old fashioned push mower
*acquired most of our produce, honey and eggs from a CSA
*purchased all grains and many other products from the co-op
*shopped at the farmers market throughout the entire season for what did not come in our CSA
*planned a homebirth, but wound up with an unmedicated, intervention free hospital birth
*began breastfeeding
*began cloth diapering
*began babywearing
In 2007 we...
*moved into an energy efficient apartment that is just big enough for our small family- and bright enough that a light is hardly needed during the day
*moved to a place with a great walk score and continued to drive only when necessary and walk the rest of the time, with Peapod in a babycarrying device of some kind
*found a new co-op and sources for many local foods
*ran our a/c only when it was unbearably hot to do otherwise
*grew a larger container garden, as well as stealing space in my mom's garden for growing more
*purchased exclusively non-farmed, "clean" sustainable fish
*tapped into my creativity and made gifts for people using only what we happened to have around the house
*bought non-toxic, natural toys for Peapod
This year...
*We plan to continue all of the above, work towards reducing our consumption more, reusing & utilizing items we do have for whatever they are needed for, and just being more mindful and creative in all we do. :o)
21 comments:
How do you like your push mower? We are considering getting one (we don't have a mower at all yet). Will it be all right to use all the time?
Mrs. Mordecai- I have never used it myself, but I know my husband likes it and has stated that it is very easy to use. The one we borrowed prior to purchasing this one was more of a pain as the engine would not start without TONS of effort. This mower is always ready to go.
The last place we lived in that had a yard was at our last military base, and they have some pretty strict rules about when you could use your noisy lawnmowers and also rules about how short the grass could be. Thanks to this mower, my husband could always mow the land at a cooler time of day when the loud mowers were not allowed. This was especially nice during the heat wave we had in the summer of '06. ;o)
Good job! It is amazing how much we can do when we stop to think about it. I have been slowly changing things over the years, also. I have been using cloth pads, napkins, and rags for almost 20 years, just because it was cheaper. Now, I know it is also healthier. Keep up the good work.
:-D
Oh, yes, you can come over for supper. Just call ahead so that I will clean the house. :-O LOL!
Hi Mrs. Brigham,
My husband and I are in the process of thinking about the types of toys that are worth our money and our daughter's time. What toys have you and your husband purchased for Peapod?
Thanks,
Emma
Mrs. Brigham -
I am very interested in this but your post has kind of overwhelmed me and made me tired reading it! LOL! Of course, I am quite a bit older than you. ;-)
I am planning on perusing the links and slowly figuring out what more I can do for our health, first, I guess. I will say that I have recycled fairly stringently for a good many years. I do the best I can with it.
Anyway, thanks for this wonderful post. I enjoy your blog so much!
Wow, you've accomplished a lot! I'm inspired! I just told my daughter a couple of days ago that we are going to switch to using cloth napkins, not always but a lot more. I'm with you though, I can't do without toilet paper. Call me spoiled if you must but as long as they're making it, I'm buying it. ;-)
Can you tell us what is on the produce dirty dozen list or where to find the info?
Ginny- I'll be right there for dinner ;o) hehe.
Emma- I would be more than happy to share, and hopefully will be able to type up a little post tomorrow. :o)
PamelaK- Every little step helps so much! We did everything little by little, and now that I look back, I am amazed at where we have ended up. If someone had told me five years ago that I would be gluten free, washing cloth diapers, and walking everywhere, I would have died from laughter! :P
Tamara- If there is ever talk of a coming toilet paper famine, I am stocking up! I will stack it up in an orderly way, cover it with a pretty cloth, and call it a table. LOL.
Anonymous- I just added the dirty dozen link into my post. I cannot believe I forgot that one! Some grocery stores also have little wallet size cards with this list, which is a great little reference to have.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XUK/is_1_3/ai_n17213445
You guys (or ya'll, since your in the south) are doing a great job! You are brave to go 'no-poo' :) I tried that a little last year and also used the apple cider vinegar as conditioner but I didn't like the way my hair felt. I did read that it takes time for your hair to adjust to it so I may have given up too soon.
Loved the list and got some great ideas. My kiddos are alot older so the toy thing isn't as much of a concern for me.
But the way they look at the world is a big concern and the more I can teach them or at their ages show them and then have them make up their own minds the better.
We work at a food pantry and they saw a bunch of canned foods donated all stamped "made in China" both their eyes got big and in whispers "MOM, look!" I think if it was up to them they wouldn't have gave them out.
But as I watch the news with them and have them read labels and learn what is bad and good for our enviroment and bodies the more they see around them instead of only themselves the better people they are becoming.
A fav line in our house is we like to eat food that still remembers its food.
Erika on her way to a "Deeper Green"
WOW! All I gotta say is, it sure sounds like a lot of hard work to "go green" but it sounds like all y'all are able to do so with ease in your area.
Living in the middle of nowhere makes it more difficult to have access to "green" products.
I am sort of half and half.
I recycle. And I order my cow, pig, and sheep from local farmers that I have known for years. I also catch my own fish (i even go deep sea fishing once a year and get about 50 lbs of meat which i dry ice pack for the trip home). I hate chicken so I don't eat it and I prefer the brown farm eggs over store bought white eggs. I love fresh veges and fruits, as well. Not into the whole boxed food stuff. I prefer to home-make my meals.
I do use cleaning supplies and beauty products (not tested on animals) from the store, though. I don't have the time or the interest to really create/make my own "green" products when it comes to all that.
I am in awe of how much work you have put into becoming "green" with your life. :)
Mrs. Brigham,
I think it's a good idea to look at how you have improved over the years, like you just did in this post! I should do that too. Often, I just get stuck looking at what I need to change, which can be discouraging. Baby steps can lead to big change in the long run, but we often don't even notice how much we have improved!
Samantha- When I first began no 'poo I had about a week or two until my hair adjusted, and then when I first became pregnant and immediately postpartum there was another little adjustment period from all of the hormonal weirdness. Along with the no 'poo I also do a weekly deep conditioning with coconut milk to keep my hair from becoming dry and icky.
Erika- I really like what you said about teaching your children to make up their own minds in the best way possible. This is certainly what we want to strive to do with Peapod, and as she gets older along with *doing* everything we do, I realize we will have to make it a point to explain the why behind the doing, or else she may not "get it." This will probably be much more difficult than "doing" I am sure.
Your line about food is the best!
USA- I am a bit jealous about the fishing. I have only been once, but cannot even think of trying again with the drought right now. The lakes by us are almost non-existent at this point. :o( We need rain!!! Oh yea, tubing and the other fun activities up in the N. Georgia mountains are also gone right now too. So sad!
Kimi- You make a wonderful point. Even on a day to day basis, the "what I got done" is the starting point to the "still need to do."
Wow! I was actually overwhelmed by your post...I thought I was doing pretty good...alas! Thanks for all the links though. Definitely alot of good information. Keep up the good work! I enjoy your blog since stumbling upon it a little while back.
Thank you Mrs. Brigham, this list is very inspiring. Just yesterday my husband was asking me if the cosmetics I used were actually good for my skin, and I thought "probably not" and decided that I should find out. I'm glad I saw this post. I have started to make some of the changes you mentioned in your post, I stopped using shampoos just a few days ago, but I was wondering how you make your own skin care products. do you make your own moisturizer and facial cleaners? Thank you for sharing all this!
Good for you. Of course alternative, greener products and ways of doing things are becoming more and more accessible but so many people stay stuck in the old ways. Your blog is a good example for everyone.
Amy,
I really enjoy your blog. We also live in Georgia, north Atlanta specifically. That's awesome all of the "earth friendly" ways of living ideas you are giving. My kids really enjoyed the snow!
Blessings,
~Mrs. Ginter
ROCK ON! I am so glad to see this kind of holistic life attitude that is so desiring of health and being a good steward of blessings. Good for you guys!
Wow! Great work. You're going to be my "go-to" person for questions on this process. I had to chuckle at your TP comment. We've eliminated all paper except toilet paper too. I'm ready to go cloth, but my DH is NOT! :-)
It was fun to read through all of the things you are doing to live "green". We do a lot of that as well. In my quest to live frugally and responsibly I am always excited when I realize that what I am doing is also better for the enviroment and my health.
One of my more recent projects has been to convert to natural hair cleaning and tooth cleaning. The hair cleaning was in part thanks to a post you did not to long ago. I have been going no'poo nearly a month now and it is going well.
Another fairly recent project has been to make my own laundry detergent which was quite fun and has worked well.
One thing that I would like to do more but haven't much yet is to ride bikes instead of driving. I have 4 children(ages 2-8) and being a couple of miles from town my husband is a little hesitant for me to venture out by myself on bikes with all of them on the busy road we have to go on. When they get a little bigger and more experienced I have dreams of getting our groceries, going to church and the library etc. on bikes.
I saw that you use cloth pads. I have been very happy with using a Diva cup. I really recommend it if anybody is looking for another no waste method.
Thanks for the post! Abbi
Thought you might find a particular book interesting and useful
Serve God and Save the Planet
Be Matthew Sleeth MD
Heard him lecture recently, very interesting man
you'll enjoy his book, I'm sure.
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