Now that we've gotten started with some basic homemade cleaners you can use for cleaning all around your home, I want to take the next two days to cover another very important aspect of green cleaning: using cloth instead of paper towels. While it's definitely important to make the switch from toxic, chemical-filled cleaning products, to safe, natural, non-toxic and homemade cleaners, if you're using paper towels or other disposable cleaning items to clean, you're still not being as … [Read more...]
My Compost Pile!
I've been bugging my hubs to build me a compost bin or compost pile since we moved into our house two summers ago, and last month he finally made my wish come true! We decided to make a compost pile instead of bin because it was a simpler, easier project and we could use materials that we already had on hand. We (well really just Jer) made a two stall open pile, using reclaimed wood - some pallets and a piece of leftover fence from our neighbor - so this great compost cost us nothing to … [Read more...]
FAQ – Why Recycling Should Be A Last Resort
So, since we've been talking all about the 3 R's - reducing, reusing and recycling this past month, I wanted to finish up by talking a little bit about why recycling should only be used as a last resort, after reducing and reusing. Our first goal should always be to reduce the amount of waste we create, as much as possible. This blog has some great tips for getting started with reducing your waste all around the house. Then, with whatever waste we have, we should reuse what we can. … [Read more...]
Reducing Food Packaging Waste
Here's something that bothers me: why do many kinds of higher quality/organic bread come in two packages? There's the outside bread bag, and then a tighter inner plastic wrapper around the bread. Is it to keep it fresher for longer because it doesn't have the same mold inhibitors as lower quality breads? And why does some organic produce come with more packaging than its conventional counterparts? Like organic bananas have a large sticker around the whole bunch, and a little plastic thing … [Read more...]
Garbage Inventory – The Results
Photo by andrewgraham.nyc Well, as with many things in my life lately, my garbage inventory didn't go exactly as planned. I tried to keep track of our garbage, but we've been busy - in and out of the house, and I just didn't keep up with it as well as I had hoped. I did pay attention to what I threw away, I did start to write a list of everything I threw away, but I kept forgetting to put it all in one garbage can like I was supposed to. What I realized pretty quickly though, is that we … [Read more...]
Garbage Inventory Intro
Photo by NatalieMaynor I think it was way back in February that I was talking about doing a garbage inventory. Oops! I still haven't gotten around to doing it. Since we're talking about Reducing, Reusing and Recycling this month, and now that the weather is a little nicer out and I can pile my garbage up outside instead of inside, I think I'm finally ready to tackle this garbage inventory thing again! This week, or at least for the next few days, I'll be keeping track of our garbage … [Read more...]
Simple Steps – Make Recycling Easy For Your Family
We all know the phrase - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The three R's of going green and good stewardship of our earthly resources. While reducing and reusing are the most important of those three, the reality is that we still buy and consume stuff with packaging, or get unwanted junk mail, or sometimes forget to bring our reusable grocery bags to the store and come home with groceries loaded into plastic bags. (Okay, maybe you never do that, but I unfortunately do!) Photo by Steve … [Read more...]
Declutter 100 Items Challenge Link Up!
Do you feel lighter? 100 items lighter? I do! Although I didn't really get as much decluttering and organizing done in the past month as I had hoped or expected (aren't expectations often loftier than what we can actually accomplish? Or is that just me?), between Project Simplify and the Declutter 100 Items Challenge this month I am really beginning to feel much better about the state of clutter around my home. Now, don't get me wrong, I still have plenty of clutter and "hot spots" … [Read more...]
FAQ – Are Reusable Products Really Better For The Environment Than Disposable?
Photo by Andreanna Moya Photography I'm starting a new monthly series here at Live Renewed - Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs. I often get asked similar questions from friends, family, and people who are learning about going green, or know what my blog is about and ask me about it. Also, I really want to hear from you guys, my readers, what you have questions about, or want to know or learn more about. To start things off, since we've been talking some about reducing our disposables … [Read more...]
Green Your Personal Care Products & Top 10 Ingredients to Avoid
Since we're talking all about personal care products this month, I thought it would be appropriate for us to talk about purging out our bathroom cabinets and getting rid of products that we either don't use or that we really shouldn't be using on our bodies. One of my friends commented to me after reading the personal care product post last week that she just felt like throwing everything out and starting over. Sounds good to me! Let's get started! If you haven't already checked out your … [Read more...]
