After making the decision to lead a more sustainable life, I gave up my beloved Electrasol tabs and started the search for an eco-friendly dishwasher detergent. The first one I tried was 7th Generation Free & Clear Automatic Dishwasher Powder. I hated it. It did not get my dishes clean and left them in a cloudy haze. So I moved on to BioKleen Automatic Dish Powder. I actually like this stuff. It has a pleasant smell and does a pretty good job of cleaning the dishes. There was some residue left after the final rinse, but I was willing to live with it. Then one day I ran out. It is not available locally. I had been ordering it online from drugstore.com or Amazon. Being unprepared, I picked up a bottle of Earth Friendly Products Wave Auto Dishwasher Gel at my local grocery store.

I LOVE it! No residue, clean dishes, available locally - yes! Phosphate free, chlorine free, caustic free - Yes! Plant based and totally biodegradable - YES! Yes! Yes! Yes! Packaged in plastic - yes. What? Packaged in plastic - Oh, man. It was damn near perfect. They even have a rinse agent I like, also packaged in plastic. Shucks.

All this plastic is wreaking havoc on our planet and on ourselves. Something must be done. Scores of people have decided to cut plastic from their lives. I, too, have committed to reducing the amount of plastic my family consumes. So it is with a teary eye that I must bid adieu to my new found favorite. It was fun while it lasted.

So now what? I know, I know. 7th Generation dishwasher powder comes in a cardboard box. See above. I hate it. As much as I want it to, it just does not work for me. Surprisingly, the answer lies just on the other side of the wall of my dishwasher, in the washing machine. Huh?




Adjust the quantity or baking soda ratio for hard water. I have also read recipes using washing soda instead of baking soda. I store mine in a glass pickle jar under the sink. No more plastic. I have been using this combination for several weeks now with no complaints. My dishes are clean, in fact I think they are cleaner now then when I was using actual dishwasher detergent, and there is no residue left behind. Once my rinse agent runs out I will switch to white vinegar to be truly plastic free.

I have dry, frizzy, naturally curly, unruly red hair. I have struggled with it well into my adult life. Growing up, my mother was a hair stylist; giving me all too easy access to every chemical I wanted to tame my mane. Anything I tried just made it worse. My tresses have endured a barrage of perms, relaxers, dyes, flat irons, curling irons, hair dryers, shampoos, conditioners, mousse, gel, and hairspray. Finally, after my college years, I came to the realization that the best thing for it was to just let it be. My hair seems to do whatever the hell it wants anyway so why fight it?

By limiting myself to just one gel (currently Kiss my Face upper management), I also discovered that my hair does not need daily washing. I used to shampoo and condition twice a day every day. No wonder my hair was dry and frizzy! Just because the back of a conventional shampoo bottle tells you to use daily does not mean you have to. It is a myth folks, no really, it is. You actually do more damage than good by daily washing. I am not saying you should be sporting dreadlocks either, just rethink what clean means. An added bonus of giving of hairspray is a cleaner bathroom. You know that crusty film that seems to blanket everything from the sticky cloud descending on your head? Gone! My counter top, mirror, bottles, floor, toilet, everything in a 5 foot radius had this dull film on the surface from spraying hairspray. Boy am I glad that is gone. Now my bathroom shines!

I made the switch from Pantene to Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap over a year ago. It is all I use as a body wash, to shave, and shampoo my hair. It works wonderfully for all three. I can even clean the shower with it! Dr. Bronner's is all natural, made with certified organic oils, is certified fair trade, 100% vegan, and comes in a 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottle. While all of that is great, the real reason I love it is that my hair has stopped falling out. I used to lose handfuls of hair in the shower while using Pantene. Gross! Unclogging the drain, double gross! It seems to me the sole purpose of shampoo is to clean your hair, keeping it healthy and on your head. What's up with that, Pantene? Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of your shampoo bottle? You should. METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE What? SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE Bless you.

Was that a tumbleweed that just rolled by? Sorry I have not posted much here lately. Okay, at all. My time has been spent on more action and less talk. Lots of Earth Day planning, community involvement, and of course going green. Christmas greening, as of late. My Friday post at the Green Phone Booth reflects on Christmases past and what I envision for Christmases yet to come. It all starts with a visit from The Ghost of Christmas Past.

Bank of America has announced it will phase out financing to companies whose predominant method of extracting coal is through mountain top removal. Read all about it in my Friday post Banking on the environment at the Green Phone Booth.

And so it began. I phased out all plastic food containers in our kitchen, traded plastic cooking utensils for bamboo, started buying peanut butter, maple syrup, mayo, juice, cooking oil, spices, spaghetti sauce and anything else I could find in glass, kept and reused all the empty jars from those products (my version of tupperware), started baking my own bread, refused all plastic shopping bags in favor of my own reusables, bought the chitlins stainless steel thermoses for their lunch, switched from bath poufs to natural sea sponges, pencils instead of pens, cardboard binders instead of vinyl, cardboard egg cartons, skip the straw and lid, use string or rubber bands in place of tape, bought myself a Diva cup and Lunapads for my daughter, generally try to avoid plastic packaging and on and on. This is a relatively short list and there is still much more we could do.


If anyone has successfully weaned themselves off Ziploc sandwich bags and plastic wrap please comment about it! It is going to be a struggle for my family. I use freezer bags to portion our vegetable purees and cut up chicken, store berries and morels, hold the chitlins' pancakes and waffles, and keep a supply of meatballs and individual portions of dough for breadsticks on hand. There is also a plastic bag of flaxseed meal, individually wrapped fruit pops, and three bins I use to organize our meats in there. It is a practical plastic explosion!


Other areas on the "hit list":
2 liter bottles of soda
vinegar gallons
dishwasher detergent
laundry detergent
garbage bags
yogurt, sour cream, milk containers
plastic wrapped cheese
organic sugar, brown sugar, confectioner's sugar and pasta in plastic bags
plastic produce bags
styrofoam meat trays
shampoo & conditioner bottles
plastic packs of cotton balls & q-tips
floss
mouthwash
toilet paper sealed in plastic
plastic packaging!


2009 looks to be a year of change. While Obama is clearing the White House cabinet, I too, will be clearing my white house cabinets. Life less plastic makes me feel fantastic!

It is December, in Wisconsin, there is snow on the ground, and it is 55 degrees in my house; all day, all night. This is something I thought we could never accomplish endure. It has not been and is not always easy. There are days when I would love to crank that dial ten degrees warmer, but the thought of all that money blowing out the heat vents into oblivion makes me shiver far more than the cold.

Last year we burned through 150 gallons of fuel oil every three weeks! And that was with the thermostat set at 62! Not exactly balmy. We got our first fill in October, $424.83; it lasted 46 days, costing us $9.24 per day. This year I did not even turn the furnace on until November. Our first fill for 2008 was yesterday, December 1. So already we have saved $332.64! There is also the electrical savings of not having the furnace run so much.

Last year we ordered 750 gallons of fuel oil; with the last fill being in March, for a total heating season cost of $2330.81. Assuming we were running the furnace off that last fill all the way through April; from first fill, October 26, to May 1 (187 heating days) we averaged $12.46 per day for the entire winter. Not accounting for electrical usage; which after an energy audit concluded our furnace operates at only 60% efficiency, I am sure is significant. The energy audit also revealed that our additions which run the entire perimeter of the house have no insulation in the crawlspace or attics. Yikes!

The holidays are here and that means spending time with family. Some you like, some you don't. But, they are all still family. How big is your family? Mine is HUGE! Just how huge? Pop on over to my Friday post at the Green Phone Booth and you'll get the idea.

Ahh, adolescence. That wonderful time when your face resembles your favorite food, boys no longer have cooties, and girls experience that rite of passage, menarche.

My 12 year old step-daughter walked into womanhood this summer. Being the terrible procrastinators that we are, we were unprepared for the event. A late night run to the local grocery store and a myriad of choices Oy!, none of which I have used since I was 12, took care of the problem at hand. The next day when we, I, was thinking clearer we logged on to Lunapads to discuss her options. Disposables had been covered at school, but she had no idea there were alternatives. We discussed the pros and cons of each and I left it up to her.


Bucking the norm, she chose to go the reusable route. I was surprised, but gleeful. Not even I had ventured into that territory. I started using the Diva cup a year ago, but was still using disposable pantyliners as a backup. Who is teaching who here? Having no personal experience to base her decision on, she went with economics. Although I think the leopard print had something to do with it. Putting aside all societal perspectives going green just makes sense. It seemed a pretty easy decision for her. "I can buy these and use them over and over, or buy these and buy them over and over?" Ahhh... Yep.
So we ordered a mini pad and a few liners to get her started. The total came to $34.97 with shipping. Not exactly a small price for 5 liners and 1 pad, but will ultimately save money in the end. She has been using them for several months now while with us during the week and disposables while at her mother's house on the weekends. After experiencing both options she has decided to go reusable all the way. Stating, "they feel better."

Since participating in Rob's Make Do an Mend Challenge and the simplicity of their design we thought a little DIY was in order. She found purple flannel fabric and matching thread she liked. Total for the half yard of fabric and thread was $4.32. We used one of her Lunapad liners as a template and cut out a few pieces.

• Overcast around a single piece for a pantyliner.
• Pin two pieces together, sew a straight stitch down the center, and overcast the edge for light days.
• Using an old towel, cut an inner lining piece. Cut two pieces of fleece slightly larger (1/4 inch or so) than your inner liner. Pin inner liner to one piece. Sew zig-zag down center and around perimeter of inner liner. Pin second piece of flannel on top of first. The inner liner (towel piece) should be face down. Sew straight stitch around edge of inner liner leaving a two inch opening on a straight side. Trim excess flannel and turn right side out through opening. Sew two straight stitches on either side of center zig-zag. This will prevent shifting. Hand stitch opening shut. This would be for heavy days.
  

We have not even used half of the fabric and already have nine pads of varied thickness and design. Some with wings some without, some short some long, some fasten some do not. Add a waterproof layer of nylon if you like. Use scrap fabric you have, old flannel shirts, whatever. You can totally customize them! Ask Pauline has a great tutorial and free pattern to make your own. The Cloth Pad List is a great resource for finding every brand, size, shape there is. Also lists tutorials and free patterns available.

Before buying the fabric we walked past a pack of disposable pads in Target. They were nearly $9.00 for 32. When we got home she started doing the math. According to a 12 year old:

21 pads per month x 12 months = 252 pads per year x 33 years (she's assuming she doesn't have to pay for them until she's 18 & the average age of menopause is 51) = 8,316 pads divided by 32 (the number in the package she saw) = 260 boxes she would have to buy x $9.00 (the cost of the pack she saw) = $2,340.00 for disposable.

33 years divided by 5 (the number of years Lunapads states their pads last) = 7 (she rounds) times she would have to make new pads x $4.32 (the cost of fabric and thread) = $30.00 for reusable. (the cost of laundry doesn't even cross her 12 year old mind!)

$2,340.00 - $30.00 = $2,310.00 she saves! "That could feed a lot of cats!" HA!

She certainly gets the economic benefit of reusable pads, but also understands their environmental impact, too. Way less waste and no plastic. It has served as a great life lesson and a launching pad for her to think outside the norm for common sense solutions for the rest of her life.

Seems like just yesterday, okay Friday, I was saying that one voice can make a difference. Well today one of those voices announced some very big news. Beth Terry and the Take Back The Filter campaign have scored a huge eco-victory for all of us.

From the official press release:

The Clorox Company News Release

Brita® and Preserve® Announce Filter Recycling Program

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 18, 2008 – The new year will bring renewed life for used Brita® pitcher filters, which will be collected and recycled into items such as toothbrushes, cups and cutting boards.

Beginning in early January 2009, consumers can recycle Brita water pitcher filters through a program with Preserve®, the leading maker of 100 percent recycled household consumer goods. Preserve offers an environmentally friendly recycling infrastructure for No. 5 polypropylene plastic, a primary material in Brita pitcher filters, through its Gimme 5 recycling and reuse program.

Preserve will collect the filters to use in its line of eco-friendly, 100 percent recyclable personal care, tableware and kitchen products. Preserve products made in part from Brita filters will be available at leading retailers, allowing consumers to purchase new sustainable products they helped create. more...

For more details visit today's post at Take Back The Filter.

Sometimes change begins with one voice. Is it yours?
Find out in my post at the Green Phone Booth.

This month's APLS carnival is all about buying local. I pondered how I could write an intelligent post on all the reasons why you should by local (less fuel miles, supporting small business, creating community, lower environmental impact) without it being a lie. Sure all those reasons are true, but it is a life I have yet to live. So instead of preaching to the choir, I decided to take this opportunity to learn where the food in my cupboards comes from - besides the grocery store.

Some products were easily identified. Our Earthbound Farms organic potatoes state they are a product of Canada. As does our Spectrum canola oil. Our Eddie's pasta comes from Italy. I live in Wisconsin so you better bet my cheese is from my home state. Nearly all our dairy is from Wisconsin, not necessarily within 100 miles from my home, but not far out of that range. Our milk comes from farms ranging from southwest Wisconsin to Iowa. Other products took visits to websites and phone calls to find their true origin.

Twice a week we have meatless meals, usually consisting of pasta. I buy all our pasta in bulk from Amazon. One delivery every six months. I know it has to travel a ways, but it only comes twice a year all at once. As opposed to many trips to the grocery store. With all that pasta in the house we use a fair amount of pasta sauce. Dei Fratelli, which apparently comes from Ohio. I had to look on their website for this information.

Another thing we use a lot of is broth. I buy Swanson organic chicken and organic beef broth. Neither the box nor website disclosed where it originated. A phone call to customer service and a friendly Q&A with the rep divulged the code printed on the box: GF - Utah, SF - Stuben Foods, 27 - Minnesota, EST - Utah meat plant. Where they acquired the ingredients to make the broth still eludes me. So after decoding my broth boxes I learned that both my chicken and beef broths were packaged in Utah.

Our chicken and Sparboe eggs come from some 250 farms around Wisconsin and Minnesota. Gold'n Plump is a huge chicken processing company in these two states. Thousands of chickens are raised enclosed in huge barns on family farms. The Chitlins other parents being one of them. It is local-ish, but I know I can do better.

King Arthur flour I use to bake our bread is based in Vermont, but I am unsure of where the wheat they mill comes from. Hubby's Stonyfield yogurt is also Northeast based. Our frozen veggies come from the West coast. Our honey and apples are local. Our bananas, sugar, and salt are anything but. I am absolutely clueless where (and how) our beef and pork are raised.


Now that I have a better understanding where everything is traveling from it is time to source alternatives that fit my family. This fall I discovered one of the vendors at my farmer's market raises free-range chickens and sells eggs. He also has some produce available throughout the winter. Every week he emails a list of available products and delivers to a pick up spot on Fridays. Yea!

A few clicks on Sustainable Table and I was able to find a local listing of farmer's markets, CSA's, stores, farmers, and organizations in my area. Local Harvest is another website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area. Dairy was easy for me since I reside in the dairy state, but if you are looking for local dairy products check out the rBGH-free dairy map. Eat Wild is a resource I used to find local grass fed meat.

My food co-op features local products and I even noticed local foods popping up in the supermarkets. A scenic detour on the way to drop the chitlins off at their mother's unearthed an organic flour mill. I had been driving right past it every week! Even casual conversations have led to local leads. I am beginning to discover (with minimal effort) that I do have options.

Of course growing and preserving food from your own backyard is as local as it gets! While we are not there yet I do find inspiration in those who are living la vida local.

Simple-Green-Frugal
La Vida Locavore
Eat Local Challenge
Locavores
100 Mile Diet
The Ethicurean
Foodie Tots

I am sure throughout 2009 you will be seeing posts about my trials and tribulations of eating local. Until then, you can read intelligent posts from those who are actually living the life, Sunday at the Green Phone Booth.

Rebecca at The Green Baby Guide has tagged my blog. I like to go to GBG every Thursday for the Thrifty Green Thursday posts. You have probably seen a few of my contributions here. Okay, back to tagging.

Blogs I'm tagging:

Surprisingly Subway is trimming more than waistlines. It did wonders for Jared, can Subway help save the rest of us? Read about their surprising sustainable initiatives in my post at The Green Phone Booth.

During the summer it easy to conserve energy and money by hanging your clothes outside to dry. But, what about the winter or HOA's that do not allow outdoor clotheslines? If you are lucky to have an unfinished basement like me, And yes I said lucky. Most people consider finished basements a bonus, but I prefer a raw space. It is a great workspace, storage area, and place for the kids to hang out without worrying about mess. you can bring your clothesline inside.