Going Green for God.
Numbers 35:34 "Do not
defile the land where you live", says the Lord.
This Earth that we call home, it is the only physical home we have. By honoring the earth, we honor God and all that he created. It is up to us, as stewards of the land, oceans and animals that God created for us, to protect and preserve it, not only for us, but for all future generations.
Every month, we will present a series of tips and information that will provide you with simple steps you can take to help you make changes in your daily routine, to help reduce your impact and conserve our natural resources.
June-Cleaning
Products
June 2010
How Toxic are your Cleaning Products??
When you purchase
cleaning products, do you consider your family's health and the effect on
the environment? Every time you use a toxic cleaning product in your home,
you introduce chemicals that linger much longer than most understand. These
toxins build up in your home and can cause or promote serious ailments that
are rarely ever traced back to the source. You are diagnosed with it one day
and it changes you and your families lives forever.
Over 150 chemicals
that are commonly found in the home are connected to allergies, birth
defects, cancer and mental disorders.
The elderly, children and the chronically ill are particularly
vulnerable, not only because their immune systems are weaker, but because
they tend to spend more time indoors.
Going
back to naturally derived ingredients is a way to make cleaning products
that don’t poison your family or nature, and they also actually work, don’t
pollute and save you money. Most are found in your kitchen cupboards. Mix
and match with well-chosen and environmentally friendly green cleaning
products found in health food stores, and you can easily and simply
transform your home into a non-toxic and healthy haven.
Non-toxic cleaning can give you a deep feeling of gratification in knowing
that your family’s health is protected, and that your home is a place for
your bodies to rest and recuperate rather than promote harm.
Making your own nontoxic cleaning kit will take you no time at all with
these simple, straightforward directions, and with this kit you will be
supplied with enough cleaning product for months of cleaning.
As an
added bonus, ounce for ounce homemade cleaning formulas cost about one-tenth
the price of their commercial counterpart—and that includes costly, but
worthwhile essential oils, and concentrated, all-purpose detergents for
homemade recipes. Please don’t
dispose of toxic cleaners down the drain though – please refer to the Ohio
EPA website for more information on how to dispose of them without poisoning
the environment further.
BASIC SUPPLIES NEEDED
Baking soda
Washing soda
White distilled vinegar
A good liquid soap or detergent
Tea tree oil
6
clean spray bottles
2 glass jars
Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent disinfectant – without the toxic side
effects! And stay away from
anti-bacterial products - recent studies have proven that
these products are doing more harm than good and it is strongly suggested
that exposure to "antibacterial chemicals" be held to a minimum.
NON-TOXIC CLEANERS RECIPES
CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER
Simply pour about 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. If this
recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough
baking soda and/or water.
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 percent vinegar in your
kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for
cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed
at night, and don’t even rinse but let it set overnight. 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.
TEA TREE TREASURE
Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I’ve used
it successfully on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, on a musty bureau, a
musty rug, and a moldy shower curtain. 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
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent 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.
May 2010
15 Reasons to Eat Organic
Food
Growing fruits and
vegetables the way they were meant to be grown, protects two of God's most
precious resources - Planet Earth and human beings.
1. In study after study, research from independent organizations
consistently shows organic food is higher in nutrients than traditional
foods. Research shows that organic produce is higher in vitamin C,
antioxidants, and the minerals calcium, iron, chromium, and magnesium.
2. They're free of neurotoxins-toxins that are damaging to brain and
nerve cells. A commonly-used class of pesticides called organophosphates was
originally developed as a toxic nerve agent during World War I. When there
was no longer a need for them in warfare, industry adapted them to kill
pests on foods. Many pesticides are still considered neurotoxins.
3. They're supportive of growing children's brains and bodies.
Children's growing brains and bodies are far more susceptible to toxins than
adults. Choosing organic helps feed their bodies without the exposure to
pesticides and genetically-modified organisms, both of which have a
relatively short history of use (and therefore safety).
4. They are real food, not pesticide factories. Eighteen percent of
all genetically-modified seeds (and therefore foods that grow from them) are
engineered to produce their own pesticides. Research shows that these seeds
may continue producing pesticides inside your body once you've eaten the
food grown from them! Foods that are actually pesticide factories...no
thanks.
5. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that pesticides
pollute the primary drinking source for half the American population.
Organic farming is the best solution to the problem. Buying organic helps
reduce pollution in our drinking water.
6. Organic food is earth-supportive (when big business keeps their hands
out of it). Organic food production has been around for thousands of
years and is the sustainable choice for the future. Compare that to modern
agricultural practices that are destructive of the environment through
widespread use of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers and
have resulted in drastic environmental damage in many parts of the world.
7. Organic food choices grown on small-scale organic farms help ensure
independent family farmers can create a livelihood. Consider it the
domestic version of fair trade.
8. Most organic food simply tastes better than the pesticide-grown
counterparts.
9. Organic food is not exposed to gas-ripening like some non-organic
fruits and vegetables (like bananas).
10. Organic farms are safer for farm workers. Research at the Harvard
School of Public Health found a 70 percent increase in Parkinson's disease
among people exposed to pesticides. Choosing organic foods means that more
people will be able to work on farms without incurring the higher potential
health risk of Parkinson's or other illnesses.
11. Organic food supports wildlife habitats. Even with commonly used
amounts of pesticides, wildlife is being harmed by exposure to pesticides.
12. Eating organic may reduce your cancer risk. The US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides, and
30 percent of insecticides potentially cancer-causing. It is reasonable to
think that the rapidly increasing rates of cancer are at least partly linked
to the use of these carcinogenic pesticides.
13. Choosing organic meat lessens your exposure to antibiotics, synthetic
hormones, and drugs that find their way into the animals and ultimately
into you.
14. Organic food is tried and tested. By some estimates
genetically-modified food makes up 80% of the average person's food
consumption. Genetic modification of food is still experimental. Avoid being
part of this wide scale and uncontrolled experiment.
15. Organic food supports greater biodiversity. Diversity is
fundamental to life on this planet. Genetically-modified and non-organic
food is focused on high yield monoculture and is destroying biodiversity.
April 2010
KEEPING YOUR GARDEN GREEN
1.
Be water wise:
Use a broom instead of a hose to clear your driveway. Know that your
lawn only needs .5 to 1.5 inches of water per week, use an empty tuna can to
measure when you've reached the limit.
2. Protect plants without pesticides: Garlic and cayenne can be used to deter pesky aphids. Coffee and eggshells can be sprinkled around the base of plants to repel ants, snails, and slugs. Be sure to research any effects organic treatments may have on beneficial insects like ladybugs.
3. Gardener's Gold: The process of composting will turn your food scraps into nutrient rich soil to fertilize your garden naturally.
4. Grow your own herbs: Basil, thyme, oregano, sage, and parsley are great herbs for beginning gardeners. Place your plants in a spot where they'll receive at least five hours of sunlight. Keep the soil moist and enjoy homegrown herbs all year long.
5.
Get to know your neighbors:
Start a community
compost pile and invite your neighbors to contribute whatever raw material
and hard work they can to the compost pile in your backyard.
6.
Consider your home, garden and environs as part of your
immediate family and treat them with the love and respect that they
deserve.
7.
Keep it simple, let some of the marginal areas of small or
large acreage go native or wild. This makes less work for us and helps
restore depleted habitats for
pollinators and small wildlife. There
is no shame in, as Jane Austen puts it, "a prettyish kind of
little wilderness on one side of your
lawn."
And mark your calendars for April 22nd - the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Visit www.earthday.org to see how you can join the Official 2010 Earth Day campaign with service and advocacy.
SAVE THE FORESTS – STOP USING PLUSH TP!
Toilet paper is a staple of almost any household. There are ways, however, to green your TP use.
Tear from the top. Someone actually applied some science and found that toilet paper pulled from the top instead of under saves a few squares on every TP application.
Use TP made from recycled product. There's no point in using freshly killed trees. Seventh Generation is a good choice, but any paper made from mostly recycled content is favorable. Our insistence on using the softest paper possible is literally destroying some of the most important forests on earth. To get the soft, high quality so many of us crave, wood from old forests must be ground up to a pulp.
Use TP that has not been bleached with chlorine. Chlorine can react with paper to produce dioxins.
Switch to one-ply.
Opt for TP that does not come with each roll individually wrapped. Save on packaging waste.
Do we need scented TP?
It is probably a marketing strategy. Marketers can use sense memory to make us prefer their brand of toilet paper over a non-scented brand. Toilet papers of equal absorbency will often seem "more absorbent" when they are scented. Do not be fooled by the scent. The scent is there to confuse the reptile part of your brain. Scent is unnecessary and can affect allergies and air quality.
Buy TP in bulk. Another way to save packaging waste.
The more squares per roll the better. This also
saves packaging waste.
Recycle your old toilet paper tubes.
HOW TO CONSERVE WATER
Although nearly three-quarters of our planet is covered in water, only 1 to 2 percent can support terrestrial life. Growing human demand, the proliferation of urban sprawl, and wasteful agribusiness consumption are draining our reservoirs and straining water treatment, distribution, and disposal systems. As water is hijacked from rivers and streams, the amount of sand that accumulates on beaches also diminishes, threatening the health of vital coastal wetlands and wildlife.
Droughts, flooding, and other extreme weather events exacerbated by
climate change are also making fresh water an increasingly scarce
commodity. In fact, the struggle over the world's depleting water
resources, much like with oil today, is a crisis that will likely come
to a head some time this century.
But even if you live in an area with abundant water resources, helping
to conserve what comes out of your faucet will also save you money and
energy. Here are some ways you can help, excerpted from
50
Ways to Save the Ocean (2006, New World Library) by
David Helvarg.
1. If your toilet was installed before 1992, add a toilet dam to reduce
the amount of water flowing out of it by 35 percent and still leave it
functioning properly. (Never use a brick to displace water in the tank,
because it can deteriorate and clog your pipes.)
2. If possible, replace your old toilet with a modern low-flush one.
While using only about half the water of old-style toilets, most newer
models are now highly efficient.
3. Install a low-flow showerhead to reduce your shower water use by 20
to 60 percent.
4. Put aerators on all your faucets. They reduce the amount of water but
add air bubbles to the flow remains lively. This way you can reduce your
household water flow by two gallons a minute.
5. Check your pipes and water equipment for leaks, which can waste
thousands of gallons of water a year.
6. Purchase water-saving appliances, such as front-loading washing
machine and low-water-use dishwasher, and wash only full loads.
7.
Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
Fill the basin for washing or shaving.
8. Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl, and fill you sink to wash and
rinse dishes, instead of running the water.
9. Landscape your property using native plants appropriate to your
climate, so that they won't require excessive watering and will retain
soil moisture.
10. Use a rain barrel to collect water from your roof's downspout to
irrigate your garden.
11. Sweep, rather than spraying down, your driveway and sidewalk.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/09/conserve_water.php
