EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
|
| ||||
|
Advertise
With Us
Click here to request more information.
OC Family reaches:
- Active & educated parents
- Growing families
- And more...
Cover Story
|
||||
 There are plenty of other, less altruistic, reasons to go green besides respect for Mother Earth. Lynda Fassa, author of “Green Kids, Sage Families: The Ultimate Guide to Raising your Organic Kids,” says “green” also means “safe.” Fassa says that wooden toys with a natural finish mean you won’t have to worry about lead poisoning. And organic cleaners eliminate the threat of poisoning from household cleaning supplies. You’ll also keep more money in your wallet, the result of reusing and saving on energy costs. And there’s that little psychological boost you’ll get out of knowing you’re doing your part to make the world a better place. Here are 21 ways to green your nest. WATER  1. Splurge on a carwashA suggestion that comes from UC Irvine’s newuniversity.org is to take your car to the carwash where it’ll be washed with half the water you’d likely use at home. What’s more, instead of your water and detergent going directly into storm drains, and then to the ocean, water from commercial facilities typically first drains into sewer systems, which filter out impurities. 2. Purify your own water / get a BioGreen bottle Use a water purifier at home to eliminate the tons of plastic water bottles that end up in landfills and use BioGreen bottles made by California Springs. Unlike other biodegradable plastic bottles that eventually break down into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic – actually hurting the environment more over time by sending toxins into our soils and water systems – these bottles break down into methane and carbon dioxide, which can be harvested by landfills as an alternative energy source, and nitrified humus, otherwise known as super-rich soil. 3. Turn it off California is thirsty. The water shortage here is of great concern. You can do your part by shutting off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth. The Environmental Protection Agency says that the average water flow through a sink faucet is two gallons per minute. PAPER 4. No more junk mail Opt out of receiving that stack of junk mail you sort through each day and then toss. The average person receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year, according to livescience.com, the result of some 34 million trees being sacrificed. If that’s not enough, think of all the carbon emissions emitted as a result of cutting down all those trees! Opt out of junk-mail hell with services such as greendime.com.  5. Rags to richesBuy only paper products that are produced without chemicals. Look for products labeled totally chlorine-free (“TCF”) or processed chlorine-free (“PCF”). Better yet, use old rags (recycle your old T-shirts) instead of paper towels. Think of all the money you’ll save! 6. Bag it Buy reusable grocery bags. But don’t limit your use to just groceries. Carry your canvas bags in your car for all your other shopping. Some very cool designs are available at envirosax.com or greenchicbagco.com. For green moms, check out the mommy-on-the-go eco-friendly diaper bags at mommyonthegobag.com. FOOD 7. Fresh is best Where do your fruits and vegetables come from? Are you eating grapes from Chile or strawberries grown locally? The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that most produce grown in the U.S. is shipped an average of 1,500 miles before it is purchased, the cause of the release of tons of pollution into the atmosphere. Support local farmers and dine at restaurants that purchase from local growers. Visit nrcd.org to find out what’s fresh near you. INDOOR AIR QUALITY  8. Leave ’em at the doorTell your family and friends to remove their shoes before stepping into your home. Doing so leaves all the chemicals and debris their soles are tainted with outside, rather than tracking it into your home, where your carpet will harbor them. 9. Power plants Buy several plants with air-cleaning properties. The right plants can serve as air filters, removing stale air and toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide. Some of the most efficient are philodendrons, spider plants and pothos. The “formula” for air cleaning is one plant per 100 square feet. 10. Let your home breathe How pure is the air you’re breathing? While it may seem as if your indoor air quality is clean (you can’t see the same haze we often see outside on a smoggy day), you may be surprised at the indoor pollutants that are lurking. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that sources of pollution include oil, gas and wood, as well as some candles. Certain furniture and carpeting release pollutants. Inadequate ventilation can compound the problem, so be sure to open your doors and windows to allow these hidden pollutants to escape. 11. Buy eco-friendly furniture Wood furniture can emit toxins, so be sure to buy products that are FSC-certified. This is especially important in baby’s room. O.C. -based interior designer Debi Bodinus has launched Eco babyLuv™ green baby furniture – which is formaldehyde-free and uses VOC-free products. 12. Take a deep breath A wide range of air purifiers, which cycle air throughout your house, filtering out particular matter, are available at organicandhealthy.com. You’ll love the pink and baby blue models designed for baby’s nursery. ENERGY 13. Be a gamer Switch your Xbox and Playstation systems to their energy-saving mode. Experts at The Natural Resources Defense Council and Ecos Consulting have determined that gaming systems with energy-saving features that users can easily employ would avoid emissions of more than 7 million tons of CO2 each year. For directions on how to switch yours, visit: the Natural Resources Defense Council. 14. See the light Flip the switch to compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). They cost more, but last at least 10 times longer than the old-fashioned bulbs you’re probably using now. They use only 25 percent of the energy an incandescent bulb zaps. If you swap out 17 bulbs for the new CFLs, the impact of your move is the equivalent of taking one car off the road for an entire year. 15. Buy new appliances Buy that new refrigerator! The old one is sucking up energy as well as money. Newer Energy Star-approved appliances are guaranteed to operate with less electricity and could cut as much as 30 percent off your electric bill each month. And, there are state rebates available for certain models. 16. Let the sunshine in Opt for clean, renewable energy with solar panels. Solar panels will pay for themselves in five to 10 years, and you’ll immediately increase the value of your home. Not only will you conserve energy you use in your own home, we as a country will become less dependent on coal-burning plants. Other actions you can take to conserve energy are as simple as closing your blinds on hot days to keep the house cool and letting the sun in on cooler days. Solar panels like those available from Lake Forest-based Akeena Solar are recommended. The company says that solar panels take energy from the sun and store it until it’s ready to be fed into an electrical system. 17. Go unplugged We leave most of our appliances – toasters, TVs, coffee makers – plugged in 24/7. Even though they’re set on “off,” they’re still consuming as much as 1,000 kilowatts per household per year! Think about the printer, the cell phone charger and the hairdryer you have “on call,” and unplug them to help reduce the $1 billion in energy we waste while our appliances are “off duty.” OTHER GREEN TIPS 18. Eliminate plastics A new law goes into effect this month banning the use of certain plastics in toys and child-care products. Six different phthalates are at the center of the concern, all of which are considered toxic. Check your child’s toys for toxins at healthytoys.org. 19. Play it again Shop in second-hand stores. Recycle clothing, books and other products. Buying something new contributes to the chemical-laden manufacturing processes, carbon-emitting shipping, and packaging that ends up in landfills. 20. Have a green thumb Use nontoxic products in your garden to reduce the amount of pesticides that run off and into storm drains, as well as get into our lungs and on our skin. Use your muscle instead of electric or gasoline-powered tools for digging and manicuring. 21. Use only green service providers Companies like Carpet King (cleangreenwithcarpetking.com) and Celebrity Green Dry Cleaners meet green requirements. Seek them out and support them. Kimberly A. Porrazzo is executive editor for OC Family magazine. |
||||
RSS SubscribeReaders Feedback:
good article. but what everything boils down to is just being simple. i realized after my first child that i didn't need all the things i bought and that recycling stuff with my friends who were also having babies made things cheaper and e-friendly.
| Comment at 2/6/2009 |
Hooray fro you to get the Green word out! There are so many wonderful green products that people don't even know about that actually save you money too - like laundry balls! Visit some great green stores at www.ShoptoEarth.net/4tiffanys
| Comment at 2/9/2009 |
SEARCH THE SITE
