Blissfully Domestic

Free is Good - Earth Day Giveaway

Today is Earth Day, a day dedicated to promoting environmental awareness around the world.

One great way to contribute to a better world is to join a reuse group like Freecycle.

What is it?
Freecycle is not a charity or a business. "It's an idea that perfectly good used stuff deserves a home other than the landfill. Instead of throwing out things like furniture, dishes, bikes, and electronics, people in a reuse group give these items away for free to other people in their community who can use them."

How does it work?
"Reuse groups like the Freecycle Network use email to offer items and arrange for pickup. Membership is free, and groups are moderated by helpful volunteers."

I've personally listed and given away dozens of items like an old faucet, cloth diaper covers, a cutting board, furniture, water bottles, roof shingles, and toys. I've also received several items over the years, including a twin mattress, a wooden hobby horse, children's clothes, a nursing nightgown, a pre-lit Christmas tree and, my favorite, a brand-new in-the-box HP printer.

Sign up!
You never know what treasure you'll come across on Freecycle. As the saying goes, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Find a local group and start Freecycling today!

Reusable Shopping Bags Giveaway
In keeping in the spirit of free and in honor of Earth Day, Reusable Bags has generously donated three sets of four of their popular reusable Workhorse shopping Bags (one in each color) to three lucky Blissfully Domestic readers. To be eligible for this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post.

This giveaway is for US residents only. One entry per household, please. Three winners will be chosen at random by me, using the Random Integer Generator. I will contact the winners via email, so make sure to list your valid email address if it is not listed in your profile. You must reply with your mailing address within 3 business days. If I don't hear from you by that time, I will pick a new winner.

*PLEASE NOTE*: Comments will close for entering this contest at 9 a.m. (Mountain Time) Monday, April 28. The winners will be chosen at that time.

Making Earth Day a Family Day

Earth Day is less than a week away, on April 22 to be exact. Founded in 1970, Earth Day is a time to promote environmental awareness around the world.

Why not get the whole family involved in celebrating Mother Earth this year? Here are some ideas to get you started. Choose one or two for Earth Day, then select another couple more to work on in the coming year:

• Plan a meal made only of local foods or make a meat-free meal - Use this as an opportunity to talk with your kids about where your food comes from and/or why eating a meatless meal is better for the Earth
• Plant a tree, a bush, a garden or even some herbs or flowers in a pot
• Spend some time outside - on a hike, a walk, at the park - enjoying each other's company, appreciating nature, and picking up any garbage you see
• Designate an "Earth Hour" every week where you turn off your lights in the evening for one hour to save electricity
• Encourage your kids to round up some of their toys or clothing they've outgrown and donate them to a local charity
• Visit a local charity or thrift store to see how items you no longer use can benefit others
• Visit a local recycling center to see where all of the bottles, cans, newspapers, etc. go
• Print out an Earth Day coloring/activities book for your children and work on it together
• Take a trip to the library and check out some books related to nature - endangered species, water, plants and flowers, etc. - or books specifically about Earth Day
• Talk with your kids about water consumption and how turning off the water while brushing teeth helps conserve it. Encourage all family members to take shorter showers or consider filling up baths with a little less water.
• Change your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs to conserve energy and encourage the kids to turn off lights/TV when they aren't in use

This is the only Earth we've got, let's show her a li'l love. For more information about Earth Day, visit Earth Day 2008.

Please stop by the Blissfully Domestic forum to discuss your Earth Day plans.

Do It Yourself Green Cleaning

Green cleaning is all the rage these days and for good reason; it doesn't endanger you or the environment. However it may seem daunting to make the switch when you already have a cabinet full of commercial cleaning products and you don't want to spend the money for special pricey green cleaners. The good news is you don't need to buy special green cleaners. You can get rid of the harsh chemicals and fumes and get started on green cleaning by making your own cleaning products. It's easy! In fact, you probably already have most of the ingredients you will need to make your own natural cleaners.

Why clean naturally?
It's safer and healthier for you, your children and your pets! No more worrying about opening windows to air out toxic fumes, locking your kids out of the bathroom while you scrub the tub, or freaking out if your toddler starts gnawing on the freshly cleaned coffee table or licking the sliding glass door. When you make your own cleaners, you also cut down on waste produced from commercial cleaning products/bottles and you will save yourself money.

Things you'll need to get started:

• Empty spray bottle
• Bowls with lids
• Baking soda
• Distilled white vinegar
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Liquid soap
• Essential oils (for disinfecting and fragrance) - Lemon, clove, cinnamon, and lavender oils disinfect, clean and help eliminate odors. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, germicide, antibacterial, and fungicide.
• Newspaper (crumpled), soft cloths, sponge
• A marker for labeling your cleaning products*

Simple cleaning product recipes

All-purpose cleaner for countertops and floors

• Add ¼ cup of vinegar and 5 drops each of lemon, clove, and cinnamon oils to a gallon of water. Add some baking soda if you have an area that needs scrubbing.

All-purpose scrub

• Mix together a cup of baking soda, a tablespoon of liquid soap, and a few drops of an essential oil like tea tree oil. Dab a wet sponge into the scrub. Add water to make into a paste if needed. Great for bathrooms.
  

Window and glass cleaner

• Mix equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Dry using newspaper (and then recycle it) or a soft cloth.

Wood furniture polish

• Mix two parts olive oil with one part lemon juice. Rub on furniture with an old cloth. Use a soft, dry cloth to buff it. Note: This polish should be made fresh each time you use it.

Toilet bowl cleaner

• Sprinkle baking soda into the bowl, then drizzle with vinegar and scour with a toilet brush. This combination both cleans and deodorizes.
• For toilet bowl rings, sprinkle baking soda around the rim and scrub with a toilet brush.

This is the kind of cleaning you can feel good about. It's effective, inexpensive and safe for your family and the environment.

*Be sure to label all of your cleaning products and keep them out of reach of children. While these cleaners are much safer than commercial chemical-laden cleaners, essential oils should not be ingested. Treat the like medicines that are poison in unknowing hands.

Join me over on Blissfully Domestic Living Forum to discuss your favorite green cleaning techniques.

Learning the three Rs - Part Two: Reduce

A few weeks ago I started my three-part series on the three Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - and tackled the topic of how to get started recycling.

Today is part two of the series and I want to talk a bit about reducing consumption and waste!

We live in a consumer-driven society which is, unfortunately, bad news for our checking accounts and for the Earth. All that is consumed must be disposed of somewhere - generally speaking in landfills or incinerators.

There are a lot of ways, however, that we can cut back on our consumption and our waste, but we must first examine how much we really use and then think about how much we really need.

Things to ponder

• Consider how much you and your family consume on a daily or weekly basis. How much of that comes from wants and how much comes from needs?
• Every time you buy something, consider "where will this go when I'm done with it?"
• How much trash does your family produce each week? What could you do to reduce that amount?

Reduce it!
Here are some relatively simple ways you can reduce the amount of waste/trash you and your family produce and save yourselves some money too.

1. Make foods (bread, butter, yogurt, cheese, etc.), including meals, from scratch
2. Buy non-perishable foods that you consume a lot of in bulk
3. Make a menu and shop with a list so that you only buy the perishable food items you will use for the upcoming week
4. Avoid single-serving packages of food or drinks
5. Store leftovers in reusable containers
6. Consider packing foods for lunches (for school/work) in reusable containers rather than disposable plastic baggies
7. Buy used rather than new whenever you can
8. Consider taking your own mug to your local coffee shop
9. When going out to eat, consider bringing along some reusable containers to take home leftovers
10. Use tap water in a reusable bottle rather than buying bottled water
11. Make your own cleaning products (more on this in a future post)
12. Use reusable rags, broom, mops, cloths, etc. for cleaning instead of disposable products
13. Use cloth diapers and wipes
14. Compost your food waste (more on this in a future post)
15. Plant a garden or join a Community Supported Agriculture or CSA (more on this in a future post)
16. Receive and pay bills online
17. Use reusable shopping bags
18. Don't print receipts at the ATM or gas station

Take Action
Select two or three things from the list to start out and commit to doing them. Once you have those mastered, add another, and then another. You will soon be well on your way to reducing your consumption and helping our Earth. 

Be sure to join me over at Blissfully Domestic Living to discuss reducing your consumption and waste in more detail.

Can you turn off your lights for one hour?

On Saturday, March 29, 2008, people from around the world will join together for Earth Hour 2008 and turn off their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. to reduce greenhouse gases and raise awareness about global warming.

Last year Earth Hour 2007 was a Sydney, Australia event where 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour. This year it's getting worldwide attention and millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tel Aviv, will unite and turn off their lights for Earth Hour.

If your children are still up at 8 p.m., you can make Earth Hour into a fun family event.

• Light some candles (out of reach of the kids)
• Have a "camp out" in your living room
• Play a game like Hide and Go Seek
• Talk about your day
• Talk with your children about why you are turning off your lights for an hour
• Try to do their normal bedtime routine in the dark or by candlelight
• Go outside and look at the stars
• Just enjoy the time together

And if your kids are NOT still up at 8 p.m., then by all means, enjoy a nice, quiet candle-lit evening with your significant other.

Will you pledge to turn off your lights for just one hour? Sign up for Earth Hour and then tell a friend or two. Together, our small actions can make a big difference.

Earth Hour doesn't have to end at 9 p.m. on Saturday, you can incorporate it into your everyday life by doing little things like:

• turn off lights when you leave a room;
• switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs;
• turn off appliances when not in use;
• unplug things like cell phone chargers, the toaster, microwave and TV when they aren't in use;
• use less hot water.

Every little bit helps to reduce global warming. Hope you'll join in on Saturday and turn 'em off.