Tuesday, October 13, 2009

My dilemma regarding dishwasher detergent...

I have this dilemma regarding my dishwasher detergent... If I use eco-friendly detergent (as I do for all of the other cleaning products in my house), my dishes don't get clean and also there is a moldy substance that starts to grow over time IN the dishwasher. Can't be good. Also, it's annoying that my dishes don't get clean with the eco-friendly detergent. I then have to use more water (a waste) and other detergent (another waste) and my own time and energy, all because I don't want to use a detergent that has phosphates.

Well, I have to say this is the one area I have succumbed to using the more powerful phosphate added detergent. I hate it and I am not willing to use more water and more soap and my time and energy RE-CLEANING my dishes. If it were one or two dishes, I could handle that, but it's several.

So, there you go. This is my dilemma.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Reusing

There is a lot of talk about recycling -- one thing I want to start focusing on is reusing and repurposing (is that really a word?? Regardless...).

Re-Using: Interesting concept -- Can we reuse something more than once? In the world of uber-sanitizing against germs (read: bleach in everything), we, the common person, has been trained to only use the Ziploc bag once rather than again and again. Well, for dry goods I see no harm in that and for the wet items, a good washing with dish soap will get the stickiness or crud out (ahhh, my parents would be so proud, given I used to cringe when opening the kitchen drawer full of "reuseable" baggies back in my high school years). In fact, a girlfriend of mine, just figured out and made a "reuseable" homemade non-plastic "Ziploc". It is made out of fabric, is coated with bib coating - washable - and has velcro in it to keep it shut tight. It is awesome. I told her I wanted lots. The whole thing is washable, but for us moms who have kids, who like their snacks in something personal, it is the perfect reuseable "baggie". Yay Natalie!!

Re-Purposing: I like this, even if not a word... it is the reusing of something for a different purpose. Real Simple Magazine usually has a page or two of new uses for old things - always a learning experience. But I saw something a few weeks ago that was really great. We drink wine a lot and so often have a bottle or so to recycle regularly. This person used old wine bottles, some with really cool looking labels, as water bottles on each of the tables where we were sitting. I must say, they were much easier to pour from than heavy water pitchers and much more interesting! They all had lovely wine stoppers in them too to make them even more appealing. Inside was delicious water. I loved this idea and will be stealing it for our next dinner party!

So look around and see what you can reuse and/or repurpose. That is just as important as recycling.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Breaking Old Habits

It's hard to break old habits. Going green can be overwhelming. Growing up in Oregon, it was ingrained in me to recycle or reuse everything. It's easy to be green in Oregon. There are recycling bins on every corner downtown (well, not every corner, but it sure seems like it). Living in Atlanta, where it seems the city doesn't really want you to recycle is a bit frustrating. It is a commitment you have to make and then you need to set up life to make it happen.

To start: I hate that I can't recycle cardboard with my trash/recycling company. They won't take it. And they say they won't take yellow pages books either. I put those in anyway. (And why are those still published and distributed? What a waste...does anyone even use them anymore? Why wouldn't you just use the internet? Please stop sending them to me.)

I have been traveling a lot recently. Why is it that the Atlanta airport does not have recycling bins next to the trash bins? It could be so easy. Big blue bins, one for plastic and one for newspapers. So easy and given that it's the busiest airport, it could make a huge impact. I doubt anyone is sorting out the trash. Just let us the people sort it.

I am trying to conserve water...just because. I started when we had a severe drought. Now I just do it to save water. My water bill keeps going up. I do a comparison every month, this month compared to same month last year and also to the previous month. We are still using more water. I don't get it.

The one thing I am consistent with is bringing my own shopping bags for groceries. This makes me feel so good that I am not using plastic bags. I wish everyone would see how easy it is to use your own bags and to know what a difference you would be making by using them. I think Seattle has the right idea -- they might (if people vote yes to this) charge 10 cents for every plastic bag you use when shopping. Sometimes the people putting your groceries in bags put ONE item in a bag. How ridiculous is that? This 10 cent charge would never happen in Atlanta. So, here I am, the bag lady, always showing up with my zillion bags for my groceries. It's the one thing that I know I CAN do that makes an immediate impact.