Living Organically

This blog is mainly about two things: My life as a treehugger, and my life as an urban designer. This explains why my posts switch back and forth, focusing at one time on the city in which I live and then another on how I strive to live an eco-friendly, compact life. This particular post, is a quick snippet into some of my "green" habits that are ridiculously easy for anyone to pick up! It all goes back to the bathroom!

Gross! No, not at all. You'll find very little toilet talk in this post- I'll save that for a later time. All I want to do right now is show you some products you can purchase which make bathroom activities environmentally friendly (I promise, one day I'll talk about green cleaning!). These products are: Preserve's toothbrush, Ecover Toilet Bowl cleaner, Biokleen's drain cleaner, Preserve's razor, and castile soap.

1. Preserve's Toothbrush: What subscriptions do you keep in your bathroom? Time magazine? The Local News? Playboy!? Too personal, sorry. Well I only have one, but it's a different sort of subscription. It's my toothbrush! The handle of the Preserve toothbrush (I've chosen blue) is made from 100% recycled materials, specifically yogurt cups {vegan yogurt!? I wish!}. The bristles, of course, are new. With a subscription, you'll get four toothbrushes (either every 3 months, every 2 months, monthly, or all at once) and in exchange you return your toothbrush via the package in which your new one arrives. You can mail back their store-bought brushes, too, but this is so much easier- and no more forgetting to change your toothbrush! I have the 3 month program, and I love it! Sign up for your own Preserve Toothbrush Subscription!

2. Ecover Toilet Bowl Cleaner: As I mentioned above, I promise to one day write a post on how to clean your home without using harsh chemicals, but today, I have to products I'd like to mention. I use my own homemade toilet bowl cleaner most of the time. When I was living alone, that was perfect, but now that I live with my fiance, the task of cleaning a toilet has become even more dreadful. My solution? Use a store-bought cleaner ever so often, and in between cleans use my homemade recipe. I tried a few different products before I settled on this one. A while back, when my mom and I lived together, she bought Clorox's Green Works products. They worked fine, but I just don't trust Clorox to be environmentally friendly. It is a legitimate cleaner, it bears the Sierra Club mark of approval, and it contains no bleach, but it wasn't sold in health-food stores, and that did it for me. After testing a few more products, I settled on Ecover's product. It's eco-claims sold me: "Plant-based ingredients — not based on petrochemical ingredients; no chemical residue; optimum level of biodegradability (far exceeds legislative requirements); safe for river and marine life; no animal testing" That list of "eco-claims" comes from Grist.org's review of toilet cleaners, and they are awesome selling points. If you check out Grist's list, you'll see their only complaints were the scent and the fact that the liquid was clear. To be honest, the scent is refreshing (they say pine but I think it's more like peppermint) and the fact that it's not an eerie blue color reminds me that there are no scary ingredients in this product! I give it two thumbs up! Do your own research at the Ecover website!

3. Biokleen Drain Care: Okay, again, cleaning recipes come later. I do want to point out that you can unclog your drains using household ingredients, but that doesn't always work as awesome as I'd like it to. So I had to resort to a stronger concoction. Enter Biokleen Drain Care! I've used Seventh Generation, I've used Earth Friendly Products, I've used Mrs. Meyer's (side note- is Mrs. Meyer's actually eco-friendly? I need to do more research)....non have worked that great. Biokleen's drain cleaner is good with regular use, but you do have to work at those tough clogs! Still, I recommend it! Here's Biokleen's website for you to look over.

4. Preserve's Razor: Back to the really exciting stuff! Did I mention I love Preserve!? I don't think I did, but they're a great plastics company, for all you plastic lovers out there. For things kitchen and bath related, they've got tons of recycled plastic products for you! This little guy is great. To be honest, it's blades could be better designed, but the fact that it's made of recycled yogurt cups is just terrific!

5. Castile Soap: Last but not least (and there are actually millions of other green bathroom products I could talk about), we have castile soap, specifically, Dr. Bronner's in (my favorite) peppermint scent. As a vegan, I am very pleased to tell you that castile soap, unlike other soaps, is made without animal fats! Who would want to clean with animal fat anyway!? How is this used in the bathroom, you ask? Toilet cleaner, counter cleaner, floor cleaner, spray cleaner, body wash, hand soap, shampoo, teeth cleaner...you get where I'm going with this, right? It can be used for practically anything. Thus, I love it. Especially in the bathroom! I have liquid and bar soap forms in my bathroom. Check out all the other awesome products made by Dr. Bronner's.

 There are a plethora of environmentally friendly products to use in the bathroom, these are perhaps just my personal top 5! The important thing to remember in the bathroom is that your drains lead somewhere! Imagine all the chemicals and crap (no pun intended!) that escapes through your drains each day- we have to take responsibility for all of that! All that gets washed away ultimately ends up in our rivers and oceans. So from now on, get clean with the cleanest products you can find! From shampoo and soap to toilet and sink scrubs, there's an alternative out there. Find what works for you and stick with it!

And that's why the Prius gets made fun of...

I've always tried to avoid being, "that eco-girl". You know the one I'm talking about; the one who makes everyone feel like idiots because they don't recycling. Instead, I've always just thought of it as my decision to live a certain way. I suppose that stemmed from being a vegetarian. No one else understood my decision, but even though I knew the benefits I didn't ever want to make anyone feel bad for their choice to eat meat. Everyone has the right to choose, right? Wrong. At least when it comes to taking care of the planet, they don't. Living here is a privilege, not a right. Still, I've prided myself in not being too pontifical when I talk about living a sustainable lifestyle, and I've been reassured of that many times at work. Not until a coworker asks me how I spent my weekend do I tell them that I picked up other peoples' litter. I do notice guilt in their faces, which makes me then feel guilty, but they also usually express gratitude; they thank me for not being that "annoying" person: the preachy little do-gooder. I think that there are too many people out there who brag and preach about how their lifestyle is better. Obviously, this leaves a very bitter taste in the mouths of others. In turn, when other, genuinely caring people try to talk about the benefits of being green, people don't want to listen.

And that's why the Prius gets made fun of so often.

Eco-friendly people often come off as a self-righteous, egotistical folk. They think they are superior to others and feel the need to lecture everyone. I have found that more people have caught on to the eco-friendly things I do just by observing them. My coworkers have now begun to recycle, and bring their own lunches, among other small steps. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, right? That's why, when my boss (who, unlike my coworkers, has his own smug outlook on life: feeling he has the right to trash the planet) asks me how I spent my weekend I respond by smiling, knowing he has never made even the slightest effort to help the planet, and I tell him the truth. I may be bragging here on this blog, but it's to no one specific. It's because I am proud of myself. And if I am being preachy, it's to the people who have the right idea- they're doing right by the Earth- but have poor execution when trying to gain followers. I still spend my time humbled among others, acknowledging that my actions alone mean nothing without their help as well. No one person can save the planet on their own, but we're not going to build an army by insulting and belittling our adversaries.

Affordable and Realistic Sustainable Shopping

When you're transition to a sustainable lifestyle, you realize a lot of products and things you buy no longer work out for you. Unfortunately, the eco-friendly and sustainable products are rarely made accessible, and often can't be purchased on a normal day of errands. So what do you do when you want to find a manual clothes washer and the WalMart put everyone else in town out of business doesn't sell it? Okay, first off, I hope anyone trying to be sustainable has boycotted WalMart long ago. Still, that hand washer that would make doing laundry by hand much easier probably couldn't even be found at the local home store. That's where the internet comes into play. It uses electricity, takes time away from being outdoors, even has cause for certain health concerns, but the internet is still a terrific green resource. It links people to green information, products, and communities better than any other resource could.

Let me begin by emphasizing the significance of the scenario above. The only reason we turned to the internet in the first place was because we needed something that couldn't be found locally. You should never buy online something that could be bought in town. That being said, a lot of sustainable tools can ONLY be found online. When you're trying to find a gadget that makes living a sustainable life easier, the internet is a treasure trove! Here, I shall provide a process I find most useful in researching, finding, and buying sustainable items.

First, ask yourself: do I really need this item? Rethink the purchase if you're buying the hottest eco-friendly item on the market just to replace the same perfectly good-but not "green"- item you already own. Carl Elefante once said, "the greenest building is the one already built." This can be applied to everything.

Next, does the wringer I want for drying out my hand-washed clothes need to be brand new? No. Eco-friendly products are hard to find in general, so searching for them used will be harder still, but it's well worth the search. The following websites will help you in your search for pre-owned goods:
Freecycle.org
Craigslist.com
eBay.com

If you can't find it used, you'll have to next begin the search to find it new. Do your research and comparison shop using a website like Pristine Planet.

Here is a list of a few merchants that might lead you in the right direction!
A Greener Kitchen
A.R.E. Naturals
Abe's Market
Bambeco
Bona Fide Green Goods
Bright Green Ideas
Buy Green
Celery Street
Compostable Goods
E3 Living
Earth Lover
EcoFriendly Green Things
Ethical Ocean (a great site!)
GetN' Green
Go Green Items
Goods for the Garden
Green Ostrich
Greenfeet
Green Rainbow Shop
Lehman's(a favorite!)
Maku Eco Shop
Moss Envy
Practical Organic
The Pristine Home
The Ultimate Green Store
Yes It's Organic

When shopping, don't forget about savings! Websites like Ecobunga, GreenDeals (through Green America), GenGreenLife, SustainLane are good places to find great deals!

Charm City Eco Cleanup

Today was our first event with Charm City EcoVillage. We arranged to cleanup a reservoir that provides drinking water to the city. I anticipated some more volunteers (after all, I DID send a note to almost all of my facebook friends, and I had texted almost all my contacts in hopes of gaining volunteers), but I am very happy that I had some family and friends come along. We found a trail through the woods along the waters edge and walked along, cleaning up litter as we went. We found some interesting things; bed sheets, abandoned clothes, luau lei's, LOTS of beer bottles... had all been left behind or washed up with the tides.

It's disappointing that people from this area do value and appreciate having this feature in our county- they fight to be able to use the space for recreational purposes- yet still treat it so poorly. It's like they don't know how to be respectful, they don't know how they are supposed to take care of it and they always just think that if they don't throw it in the trash someone else will- that someone being us today and others who regularly participate in trash cleanups. That's rarely the case! When we're not able to go behind others and pick up what they've left behind, their litter would remain that way until an animal comes along and suffers in some way because of it- as they often do.

I don't think I'm wrong in believing that if you enjoy going someplace and being there, then you would keep it the way it was when you came upon it. You're favorite spot wont be as pleasant when you arrive to find empty beer cans and cigarette butts, candy wrappers and soda cups, fishing line and hooks, or broken bottles and Styrofoam!! And the next time you're walking along a park and notice someone's trash that's been left behind, don't put it below you to pick it up and throw it out for them. You're a better person than that.

Before 2050

The urgency that presses behind the need for positive environmental action is somehow forgotten when advocates for sustainability argue their points. Not only is it crucial that we change our behavior, but we must do so immediately. Many forecast, as I believe, that the Earth will reach it's carrying capacity by 2050, rendering it unable to support its inhabitants. Some scientists actually suggest that the planet will be "unrecognizable" by 2050. To me, this concept is unimaginable and quite disheartening! (1) If we do not act quickly, we are doomed to enter a world-wide environmental depression that endangers our lives and the life of planet Earth. As alarming as this may be, there is hope, still, for this prediction still allows for ample time to change.

Population is growing; this is difficult to control but humans must be more conscious of and deliberate in the decisions they make, as well as the impact these decisions have on the population of the world as a whole. I would rather save the choice/life discussion for another day, but I will gently recommend people consider the loss of life caused by unplanned, irresponsible life. The brutal fact is that there used to be extreme population controls, such as war or fatal diseases. As humans become healthier and safer, and technology extends the human lifespan, we flood the planet with more life than it can support. It wont be long before we are overpopulated and Earth will be unable to provide for us. The large issue brought about by the population dilemma is about the resources we waste and exhaust. "A study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)... warns that the human race is plundering the planet at a pace that outstrips its capacity to support life." (2)

With such extreme levels of consumption, we are condemning our planet and home. The same report explains how humans worldwide have destroyed a third of the natural world over the past three decades. In the energy we invest in competing to have the best technology, best cars, and largest homes it's almost as if we are racing to see how quickly we can obliterate the planet when we should be investing all of our energy in opportunities to preserve and save it.

But I refuse to picture a future without nature. I refuse to accept that this is the path we are stuck along. It will take more than a few changes by one person to change this path, but I am dedicating my entire life to saving our planet, as are others. Before it's too late, we must all take action and accept responsibility as the stewards of this planet.

1. http://www.populationmedia.org/2011/04/07/planet-could-be-unrecognizable-by-2050-experts-say/
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/jul/07/research.waste