Somewhat related to my post a few days ago (Best and Worst) , I’ve been thinking about some of my other favorite possessions that over the years have reduced my impact on the environment. You see, I’ve been an environmentalist since long before it was fashionable. Frugality and stepping lightly were part of my upbringing by parents who lived through the Great Depression and simply don’t know any other way to live. I didn’t change these things over a conscripted period of time, but have pursued this lifestyle for as long as I can remember. As I said in my earlier post, I’m not perfect – who is?
In any case, these are a few of my favorite things:
DivaCup (possibly a little tmi for the gentlemen out there, but let’s just say I’ve not bought any tampons in years) / combined with cloth pads made from hemp fleece – makes for happy and green monthlies.
Nalgene Waterbottle – which I fill up evey morning with ice water and carry with me everywhere I go. If there is one thing I despise, it is disposable water bottles. Every time I work on a creek cleanup, we find them by the dozens floating down toward the sea. This bottle is made of polycarbonate and is extremely durable and does not pick up unappetizing smells or taste, even after years of use. There is some controversy on the use of these plastic-based water bottles (should one morally use something made from plastic at all, even if it is re-used over and over?; are there harmful chemicals leaching from the plastic into your water?), but I’m sticking to mine because the alternatives (glass? constant water fountain seeking?) is not viable to me.
IKEA clothes drying rack (aka FROST). The one household chore I (sort of) enjoy is laundry. And it’s easier all the time to green it up. For one thing, use cold water rather than hot. About 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water(!). Second, use a small amount (half the recommended amount is usually fine) toxic chemical free powdered (powdered is less energy-intensive to transport) detergent like Biokleen. And finally, hang your clothes to dry (hanging indoors works just fine). It’s the new hot thing – even the New York Times says so: To Fight Global Warming, Some Hang a Clothesline
At dinnertime, I use cloth napkins (nothing fancy) which take up a negligible amount of space in the laundry. And finally, for cleaning up spills, I use cloth kitchen towels instead of paper.
What are some of your favorite things?
Just happened along your blog after seeing the link you left on NIM’s blog. I have one more alternative to the Nalgene bottle. http://www.kleankanteen.com/. There is still a little bit of plastic in the cap, but it’s better than the whole bottle being plastic.
Trina: Thanks for the tip. The little 12 oz bottle with a sippy adapter looks great for when I’ll have to pack my daughter’s school lunches next year.
A comment on water bottles–I don’t like to refill plastic containers and was happy to find that “Voss” water comes bottled in glass, and these bottles are easy to clean and re-use. I’ve had one for 6 months and it works well, fits easliy into my bag and is not too heavy. Just a head’s up for those who prefer a non-plastic option…
Thanks, Kelley. I’m too clumsy to be trusted with glass
You ask what are my favorite things – well, overall, in the whole universe, my favorite *inventions* are string, containers and handles. Love ‘em!
My favorite ecology-measures are my canvas shopping bags, some of them about 20 years old, my chickens who eat my kitchen-waste and give me back eggs, my no-TV which protects me from much advertising and potato-ish-ness. We maybe shouldn’t talk about how much time I spend looking at this Internest.
Fun! I too use the Divacup, I also just bought some lunapads and am sewing some more of my own. I’m also sewing up some cloth flannel napkins, hankies, and general cleanup cloths to eliminate paper towels, napkins and kleenex. Oh, and grocery bags. We’ve got closeline rigged up, I would like an indoor rack. I switched to seventh generation detergents and bleach. I have soapmaking supplies I need to use for our soaps. Luckily my hobbies are already in line with this stuff, I have a lot of sewing and soapmaking to do!
Ellen: I wrote about my canvas bags in my previous post on this topic. Mine are truly my favorite possession!
Hillary: If there were one domestic skill I wish I had, it would be sewing. I enjoy doing all sorts of handwork (needlepoint, crochet) but I just never have picked up sewing. One of these days….
Hi there,
Nalgenes really aren’t the best thing out there. Our family uses Sigg bottles and there are also stainless steel bottles that are very light weight and not breakable like glass.
See below for more info in Nalgenes and links to other bottles.
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/ask/nalgene
There’s also a great Plastics guide at: http://www.IATP.org, search for “Smart Plastics Guide” in their search engine. It has good info about baby bottles and sippy cups to avoid, and also includes safer brands.
And the Diva cup is so great. I recommend it to everyone I know.
Being a new mom, some of my favrotie things are baby slings (my baby is one and we don’t own a stroller – all that plastic and chemical soaked material is not a necessary baby item) and children’s consignment stores.
Amy
Am I the only one freaked out by the DivaCup? I guess I’ll have to try it as it actually sounds pretty cool.
But it does look really big and I have an irrational fear that it will shoot out when you sneeze
Crunchy Chicken: No, you’re not the only one who is unsure about the DivaCup; I’ve heard of lots of gals who are scared by the size of it. Believe it or not, though, once it is properly in place, it’s like it’s not there at all and you have to work to remember to change it once or twice a day.
Okay, you’ve inpsired me to give the DivaCup a try. In fact, I’m hosting a DivaCup Challenge on my blog to try to get people to test it out too. I’m giving away a free cup next week for those that enter the challenge: http://crunchychicken.blogspot.com/search/label/DivaCup%20challenge
I just wanted to report that I own a kleen kanteen and I love it. I bought the insulator to go with it and my water stays cold even during the hot Texas Summers. My only problem has been the rubber “plug” that comes with the sports cap. It is located on the small air hole. I destroyed mine in the first few months. However, I happend to have some waxish ear plugs I use for swimming and I tore off a tiny piece — fresh of course! — and it works even better than the plug.
I count it among my very favorite things for sure!
ginnylove: These Kleen Kanteens have gotten a lot of votes! I’ll have to check them out!