The Earth Savers Blog

Kill Your Dry Cleaning

Have you ever walked in to pick up your dry cleaning and been slammed by noxious odors as soon as you cross the threshold? Did you know that the solvents used in conventional dry cleaning are especially harmful and toxic to humans and to the environment?  It's also alarming to think that the cleaning process used that contains perchloroethylene (perc) not only leaches into the water system and land, but also is active in clothing that has been dry cleaned while you are wearing it, which can enter your skin, and effect your health.

Imagine wearing that nice sweater that just got cleaned with your newborn infant snuggled up close against your chest? If that's not enough to have you stop and consider the devastating truths behind dry cleaning here's more:

How can PERC affect my health?

"The health effects of PERC depend on the level and duration of exposure. PERC has been used safely as a general anesthetic agent, since at high concentrations it is known to produce loss of consciousness. When concentrations in the air are high - particularly in closed, poorly ventilated areas - a single exposure to PERC can cause dizziness, headache, sleepiness, confusion, nausea, difficulty in speaking and walking, unconsciousness, and death. Skin irritation may result from repeated or extended contact with PERC. By far the most significant exposure to PERC occurs in industrial environments. Liver and central nervous system effects have been observed in workers in industries using PERC.

Animal studies suggest that PERC has the potential to cause liver and kidney damage and developmental effects in the unborn. PERC can cause cancer in laboratory animals that were exposed to large amounts over their lifetimes.

The currently available information is not sufficient to determine the health effects from low levels of PERC exposure and whether PERC causes cancer in humans"

In researching alternatives I came across several- and it's becoming more and more likely that you can find an alternative "green dry cleaner" in your neck of the woods.
 
1) GREEN EARTH CLEANING

2) The EPA  also has a PDF list of dry cleaners that use two alternative methods – wet cleaning and CO2 cleaning both of which are acceptable and preferable methods of cleaning your high maintenance garments.

Wood Burning Stoves and Other Alternative Adventures

 

One of the biggest selling points when we purchased our home over a year ago was the fact that it had multiple fireplaces. Our Victorian home is charming- with it's wood floors, beautiful moldings, and historic feel we lucked out and purchased it for the right price, and at the time it just seemed so practical...ehem.
Huge old windows and high ceilings = NON ENERGY EFFICIENT. The romance of the fireplaces died as quickly as the fires themselves, as we quickly learned that keeping it alive and hot enough to heat the room was it's own full time job. The cozy comfort I had envisioned when we bought it, turned into a traumatic episode of Little House on the Prairie as we huddled in front of the fire trying to warm our hands. UGH.

After choking on receiving the second oil bill of the season we decided to consider other options.
A good friend of mine had recommended a wood stove, and although I loved the idea, I was skeptical.
After doing some research we settled on a small insert made by Lennox, and invested in what would hopefully pay itself off in one season knowing what it "should" save us in oil bills.

One week later we are completely impressed with it's efficiency. We fill it with wood every 4 hours and although it's their smallest stove ( the one we could afford) it heats the entire downstairs of our home, and get's toasty warm. When I looked into the additional benefits of having one, this is what I found out:

• It requires only a third of the fuel of an open fireplace
• It's up to 70% more energy efficient  
• Although buying the wood fuel is an ongoing cost if it's bought in bulk (by the cord) it's usually less expensive
• Wood as fuel is a suitable alternative to fossil fuels and is "carbon neutral" meaning that when it us burned it releases only the amount of carbon dioxide it absorbed while it was growing.
• Unlike Oil, wood can usually be sourced locally 

In addition to wood burning stoves a range of wood filled boilers are also available that are incredibly efficient and can convert over 90% of the fuel into heat. Although it takes some effort to keep them fed wood chips, or corn or wood pellet stoves can also be automated to control settings and only need to be refilled every few days!

 

Good Deed's Made Easier By Volunteer Match

Love this website I came across called Volunteer Match. Makes doing a good deed a whole lot easier, and because my New Years resolution included volunteering in my community around environmental efforts I can easily browse the site based on my zip code and area of interest for opportunities to do so.
The site itself is robust, easy to use, and also has a plug in for Google Earth which allows me to see the exact location of the building or park where the event takes place. In their own words:

VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. Our popular service welcomes millions of visitors a year and has become the preferred internet recruiting tool for more than 62,000 nonprofit organizations.

Go Green? Go NUTS.

Who knew that going nuts could be so much fun, and good for the environment too?

If you want to be GREEN this year- one way to make an easy, low cost, and effective lifestyle change would be to use Soap Nuts for almost any cleaning task  at hand including the following:

• Car Wash
• Laundry
• Dishwasher Liquid
• Glass Cleaner
• Jewelry Cleaner

Soap Nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent which is used to clean clothes. Soap nuts have become popular as an environmentally friendly alternative to manufactured, chemical detergents . A few nuts can be placed in a cotton drawstring bag in with a wash load and reused several times. Soap nuts are safe for washing silk, woolens and other delicate fabrics. I've use them for all of my laundry and they work extremely well, and due to the lack of any added chemicals they are as gentle as can be on the skin.

In addition to being a stellar cleaner soap nuts are also used medically and have some amazing health benefits. They are also used as a gentle insecticidal, in the remediation of contaminated soil, and to take the tarnish from precocious metals including silver.

Soap nuts can usually be found in any alternative health food store, but I am seeing them more regularly in main stream super markets.

I personally have used Maggies, which comes with a small cotton pouch to hold the nuts for each wash.  They can also be purchased online in many places including www.naturoli.com which also offers additional tips, soap nut uses and other helpful information for allergy sufferers.

In a "nut" shell, Soap nuts are 100% natural, effective, and environmentally friendly. Go nuts, you'll be glad you did.

The Garbage Free Lunch

It’s that most wonderful time of the year for Parents, FREEDOM!
I mean of course for our children…Ahem, back to school.

Most of us get very excited for this magical time of the year. It’s time for new school supplies, shiny new shoes, a new routine, and a clean slate to start the school year off on the right foot. It’s also an exciting time of the year for retailers who want to sell you all kinds of things you don’t always really need including at the supermarket where manufacturers make convenience for mom look really enticing with prepackaged everything from fruits,  and snacks to pre-sealed and divided luncheon meats, crackers, and sandwiches.  Unfortunately for our kids, these may not always be the most nutritional choices, and they are certainly not good for the environment as it makes for excessive packaging and use of plastics, foils, and paper products which are an unnecessary waste of resources and money. Here are a few eco- tips to kick start the year on the right foot in the lunch room:

1. Brown Bagging is OUT. I imagine if a tree had bad karma it would come back as a brown paper lunch bag. Surely there are better uses for a tree, (like letting them live to help clean our atmosphere,) so Invest in a sturdy, roomy, and durable eco-friendly lunch box for your kids this year and pack your bag with green.
2. Take the garbage free challenge…no Saran Wrap, juice boxes, foil, wax paper, paper napkins, or paper towel
3. Buy lead free and BPA free food containers in few sizes that fit in your lunch box (XXS; XS; M; LG; XL) for condiments, pretzels, fruit, sandwich, etc.
4. Invest in a re-usable aluminum or BPA free water container or thermos for water, juice, milk or tea (Sigg makes some great ones)
5. Invest in cloth napkins. Depending on how many kids you have in school you may want to buy a bunch and distinguish them by either getting them personalized or sewing on an embellishment. For those of us who are germ-o-phobes please take a moment to compose yourself before reading the next sentence.
6. Have them re-use their napkin throughout the week and send it to the washing machine on Friday’s. Remember… it’s not GROSS, It’s GREEN.
7. I love lunch notes as much as anyone else and it simply makes my daughters day if she gets one. This is where your home recycled paper bin can come in handy. REUSE a piece, or make use of cereal box tops or anything else you can write your sweet nothings on.
8. Buy in Bulk to avoid small excess packages. Fill your child’s containers every evening and pack your lunch the night before to avoid the morning rush.

Voila… You are that much closer to a greener more conscious school year for yourself and your children, You will save money, your kids will inspire other kids and parents to do the same, and imagine all the garbage you will avoid making this year! Every little bit counts.

Earth Savers Green Tips