How To Smell Like A Dirty Hippy

I try and live a green lifestyle by avoiding unnecessary chemicals in the things I eat and what I clean with and what I put on my body.

One of the questions I hear all the time is about natural or green deodorant choices.

People are terrified of being stinky. And I don't blame them. I don't want to stink and I certainly don't want to be around anyone that stinks either. But I also don't really want to smell like a dirty hippy. You know, that smell of patchouli and condescension? Who wants to smell like that? No one. And no amount of talk at the Farmer's Market will convince me it is a good smell, just like no one will ever convince me they actually like the taste of PBR.

A good dirty hippy shouldn't smell at all. That's not to say you won't be sweaty, because you will, but at least you won't stink.

Below are the brands of dirty hippy deodorant I have used and my thoughts on each.

left to right: The Crystal, Tom's of Maine, Burt's Bees

The main difference between conventional deodorant and dirty hippy stuff is conventional stuff contains an antiperspirant. This makes your body stop producing sweat. However, since the main function of sweat is to clear your body, by blocking the sweat production from your armpits, you are just encouraging your body to produce sweat in other areas like your arms and face. So dry pits, but a soaked face. Or worse, swamp-ass.

Another big difference between dirty hippy stuff and conventional is conventional deodorant contains aluminum. Dirty hippies will tell you that aluminum will cause cancer but no science has proven that yet. I just don't like the idea of blocking my pores with aluminum, so I go the dirty hippy route.

So now that we know that I will sweat but hopefully not stink, how do these products really stack up?  You're worried that you will spend all this money on this stuff and end up a stinky, social outcast, aren't you? Well hopefully you won't.

The Crystal  - This was the first dirty hippy deodorant I tired. I paid around $7 with the claim it would last me a year. I believe I used it 8 months or so. You are supposed to "slightly moisten" it and then apply it. I never really knew what that meant, so I would run it under water for a second before applying it. It was weightless and scent free and for the most part I did not stink.

However, when I hit about 9 months pregnant around June of a hot as fuck summer, I thought I started to smell and I ended up switching to something conventional to get me through summer. I should note, however, that when I am pregnant, I acquire some freaky super sense of smell. I can smell the dirt outside my closed window and I constantly think I stink. I have The Good Husband smell me all the time and he says I don't. So I put the Crystal away until my body got back to normal. I still recommend this to anyone wanting to switch from conventional and I have heard great things about the roll on.

Tom's of Maine - This was the second dirty hippy stuff I tried. I love the smell - cucumber grapefruit and it glides on super easy and does not irritate my skin at all. However, I would consider this a winter deodorant since I don't think it would stand up to heavy sweating. I feel like stink issues might be more of a problem with this one. I think I paid around $6 for this and it has lasted me two winters. 

I couldn't actually find this product on the Tom's website, so they might not even make it anymore. If that is the case, I might try a new version once I run out of this in a few winters and see if the product has improved. I would recommend this to people that don't sweat a lot.

Burt's Bees - This was the last dirty hippy stuff I tried and so far it is the best at preventing odor. This is my spring and summer deodorant. I never think I smell when I wear this.

That is not to say this is without draw backs, b.c there are some. The biggest one is probably the smell. The Good Husband actually dislikes this. He says it makes me smell like a man. And with sage and lemon I probably do, compared to the sunshine and roses I normally smell like. But I don't notice the smell at the end of the day and TGH hasn't said anything lately, so it isn't that bad. Another big negative is this contains alcohol. Normally this isn't a huge deal but spray this stuff on after you shave your pits and you will be screaming like Macaulay in Home Alone. Not pretty.

I paid around $8 for this and it has lasted me going on two summers now. I feel like this is the best at preventing me from being BO stinky but now I am slightly man stinky. If you sweat a lot and are not put off by strong smells I would recommend this.

My plan is to continue to use all three of these until they run out and try two different versions of Tom's and the Crystal before going with Burt's Bees forever.

So I hope you learned something about dirty hippy deodorants and conquered your fear of being stinky.  Embrace your natural smell, but not too much since you still want an active social life. 

I was not paid for this post in any way. I bought all three of these products with my own money.

Best Smart Phone Apps for Greener Living

Since joining the 21st century at the beginning of the year and getting a smart phone, I discovered a lot of apps that help me live a greener life.

1. Dirty Dozen - This app lists the "Dirty Dozen" aka the dirties, most pesticide-filled produce in the market, along with the "Clean 15" or the least pesticide-filled produce. The information is provided by the Environmental Working Group Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. The list is updated yearly. I like this app b.c while I have most of the Dirty Dozen memorized, it is still nice to be able to check and make sure I avoid buying the most pesticide laden produce by buying organic.

2. Fooducate  - This is a great little app that allows you to scan a barcode on any food item and it will give that food a grade from F for unhealthy to A for healthiest. It will offer healthier alternatives for poor food choices. It was created by dietitians and it tracks fat, sugar, food dyes and high fructose corn syrup. It has a large database of food but the great thing is, if a food you scan isn't in their database, you can add it.

3. Honest Label Food - Similar to Fooducate, this is another barcode scanner. I have found that sometimes if one product is not in one database, it might be in the other.

4. Locavore - This app tells you what produce is in season currently, and what is about to be in season. It is depressing, for me at least, to see nothing in season in winter, but such is the case for living in Illinois.

5. Seafood Watch - This app is from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program helps consumers and businesses make choices for healthy oceans. Our recommendations indicate which seafood items are "Best Choices," "Good Alternatives," and which ones you should "Avoid."

6. Seasonal Harvest - Similar to Locavore, this app tells you want is in season as well.

7. True Food Network - This app was created to help you find and avoid genetically engineered ingredients wherever you shop. Our guide gives you valuable information on common genetically engineered ingredients, brands to look for, and look out for, and common sense tips to keep you in the know.This one actually took me a minute to find the actual guide, but if you click on the menu button on the bottom on your phone, you will have the option to view the guide. But you probably aren't as stupid as I am and figured that out quickly.

If you know of any app, let me know!

Happy Earth Day!

Today was Earth Day, so for my part, I didn't turn on the heat in the house, even though I was freezing. I didn't run the dishwasher or washer and dryer.

I also headed to Macy's and got a free cleanser from Origins and also scored free cup of coffee from Starbucks b/c I brought my reusable mug.

But the real reason for this post is to show off The Good Daughter at 11 months old in her Earth Day Jammie Jams.

i <3 my earth (and this milk)

Hope you had a good Earth Day too!

p.s. - TGB is almost two now, so I miss how little she was last year.

Go Green - Baby

I started my Go Green series while I was still pregnant so there were things I didn't think of until after The Good Daughter was here to be more green.

I will say, right off the bat, that the hardest thing for me and everyone in my family, is to resist the urge to buy everything and anything for the new baby and only buy new stuff every time.

~Don't buy everything Babies R Us says you have to have
What I did need:
Infant Car Seat OR Convertible car seat

Booster car seat

Travel System OR Full-size stroller OR Lightweight stroller

Bibs

Burping cloths

Breast pads, shields & cream

Breast milk storage

Bottles

Bottle brush

Training cups

High chair

Gentle shampoo & body wash & baby lotion

Stand alone potty seat

Nail Clippers

Grooming kit

Teethers

Brushes & comb

First aid kit

Digital thermometer

Humidifier/vaporizer

Pain relief products

Ear thermometer

Gas relief drops

Diapers

Diaper pail

Diaper ointment

Baby wipes

Cradle, bassinet, portable crib OR crib

Cradle, bassinet, portable crib OR crib sheets

Mattresses

Crib mattress pads

Crib bedding

Blankets

Clothing hangers

Outfits

Outlet covers

Safety gates

Smoke & carbon monoxide alarm

What I did NOT need:
The other 80% of BRU registry checklist. Seriously. I didn't buy a changing table so I didn't need a changing pad or covers. I didn't buy a monitor since TGD slept in our room and still sleeps with us. I didn't buy any carseat toys or highchair toys or a gym or bouncer or walker. While I did have a swing, TGD was never in it. She also only used her pack and play once. She got far more clothes than she needed and since she was a summer baby, spent most of her days in just a diaper anyway. I didn't get a bottle or wipe warmer. So just rethink the impulse to buy buy buy.

~Shop consignment and yard sales

I love going to the store and buying new clothes for her but I have to remember that it shouldn't be my first option. I told you here, I was able to get a ton of clothes for cheap for TGD by shopping yard sales. But I have also had some success with places like GoodWill and consignment stores. Luckily there are two great consignment stores for children in my area so, I will check those places out first when TGD needs new clothes, which is still about every 3 months.
 
~Buy wooden and earth friendly toys
Another major snag is finding toys that are not plastic. I had requested no presents for TGD's birthday but she still got toys from everyone. I plan on donating the ones that require batteries once she (and the next babies) outgrow them so they won't end up in a landfill but eventually they will and that does make me upset. I love Plan Toys. TGD has the activity blocks, the shape and sort it out, the xylophone, the stacking ring  and animal memory. There is not a day when she doesn't play with one of them.

We also have some stacking cups from Green Sprouts, which also offers clothes and feeding products for your baby but we haven't tried any of those. We also bought 100% organic plush fruit and veggies (grapes, green bean - TGD's fav-, banana, strawberry) from Under the Nile. We also bought two rattles - happy caterpillar, cherry tree rattle - from Sassy Earth Brights. And finally we bought two teething toys from Vulli, makers of the famous Sophie the Giraffe. We bought the Chan Pie Gnon Soft Chew Toy, which was nicknamed Obi Won and a teething ring that has been since discontinued. To complete our hippy list of toys, TGD also got vintage letter blocks, which I totally saw on Mad Men this season (baby Gene was playing with them).
 
~Cloth diaper
 I talked about that here, here and here.

~Use chemical free body product
sI love the California Baby line of products. Their diaper rash cream is cloth diaper friendly and I have used about everything in their baby line and love them. I can find them at my local Target and Babies R Us.

~Use an organic mattress pad, sleep contour and/or sheetsWe have this organic mattress from Serta along with this mattress cover and sheets. It was important for us the place TGD spent most of her time in the beginning was free of chemicals and pesticides. Even though we have a full crib for her, she slept in an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper until 7 months (I found some organic sheets and a mattress at my local Target). After that, we put her to bed and naps in her crib and bring her to bed with us when we go to bed. Yes, she sleeps in the bed with us now. I told you we are crazy hippies, who also sleep on an organic mattress and sheets.

~Use organic swaddling blanks and regular blankets
We swaddled TGB for almost 7 months as well, since she loved it. We also swaddled her all day for about 3 months. Again, I picked up some organic cotton swaddling blankets from Target. There are also sleep sacks that are organic but we never used those.

~Buy books from a used book store or library
Twice a year our library has a used book sale and I have gotten a ton of books there. No they are not in mint condition, but they were only 50 cents each and TGD doesn't care about a bent page.

~Use gender neutral clothes, accessories and bedding
This harder for clothes since once everyone knew we were having a girl we were flooded with pink shit. Now if the next babies are boys, we will have to buy mostly new clothes. We did go gender neutral for the nursery and the car seat, high chair and travel system so they can easily be used again.

~Feed your baby organic food
I talked about making homemade food here. If you don't or can't make your baby food at home Earth's Best, Ella's Kitchen, Plum Organics, Happy Baby and Yo Baby are all great products. I used the Earth's Best glass jar baby food for meals containing meat. TGD also loved all the puffs and yogurt bites. I also love the pouches of organic food since they are super easy to take with us when we are out and since TGD can squeeze them herself, she can feed herself mess free. She still loves them now at 19 months and it is a good way to get her to eat a wide range of foods. With the exception of the Yo Baby, I found all the organic food at my local Babies R Us.

~Use wooden or BPA free feeding tools
We use the Tommy Tippie line of products and like them.

~Use glass bottles
We used Born Free glass bottles for 15 months and only broke 3. The only down side is they are heavy.

~Breastfeed
Since this is the most controversial one, I saved it for last. You might not want to breastfeed or find that you can't and I sympathize. The first night in the hospital when I sent TGD to the nursery so I could sleep, only to be woken up every 3 hours to nurse her, I thought then it would be so much easier to formula feed her. But I stuck with it, even with latch issues and breastfed exclusively for four months. Then I switched to pumping and feeding her expressed breastmilk until she was 11 months old. I pumped every two hours for 8 months to maintain my supply until it crashed at 11 months out. So I understand how much of a pain it can be. However, it was cheap. I got a free used pump from my cousin (I know you aren't supposed to do it, but there is no way I got the milk into the pump, which is the main concern of sharing, so I didn't think she did either. I did buy new tubing, bottles and shields). Other than buying fenugreek to keep my supply up, a nursing bra and milk storage bags were the only other investment I made.

~Use reusable nursing pads

What are your favorite green baby items or tips?Please note that no company I linked above paid me for this post. It would have been sweet if they did, but I bought all this stuff on my own.

Cloth Diaper Update, Con't

Before I almost doubled my diaper stash with new Thristies diapers, I decided I wanted to try BumGenisus organic all-in-one, one-size diapers. I was able to get them on sale so I picked up an additional eight diapers to my previous stash of 15.

There are pros and cons to these diapers.

Pro - As you can see from the photo below, these really are an AIO, so there is no need to stuff these like you would with a pocket diaper. I can pull these off the line and wrap them around The Good Daughter and everything is gravy.

Con - The organic cotton sits right next to baby's skin and the wetness stays there. TGD can't wear these overnight since it will make her skin too red.

The inside of a BumGenis organic diaper, click to enlarge

Pro - These come in snaps. TGD hasn't quite figured out how to get these off of her compared to the hook and loop version. So they stay snug and on her.

Con - The snaps are a little funny in terms of sizing. With the hook and loop closures, you can place one tab on top of the other. With the snaps, the sizes are more defined so if you have less room to get a perfect fit

BumGenisus organic diaper, snap closure in grasshopper

Pro - These are 100% organic cotton, so no nasty chemicals next to baby's skin like in a disposable and they come in both snap closure, pictured above, and hook and loop closure.

Con - However, they are more expensive than BG3.0s

BumGenisus organic diaper, snap closure and hook and loop closure in (l-r) white, grasshopper, clementine, moonbeam

Pro - These are more trim than the BG3.0. I can fit more into the diaper bag and pants aren't as tight in the butt when TGD wears these.

Con - It is easy for the inside cotton to peak out from under the covering, especially around the legs. This will cause leaks, so you have to make sure all of the lining is tucked into before dressing baby.

Again, I wasn't paid for this post. I bought this stash out of my own tiny paycheck.

My 200th Post! Cloth Diaper Update

It has now been over a year since I have been using BumGenius one-size, all-in-one diapers for The Good Daughter. And generally we have loved them. There are days that I complain about extra laundry but I complain about the amount The Good Husband seems to generate so it's not all about the baby.

We did develop a small problem of leaking at night. It seemed that the BG, even with an additional insert just couldn't contain everything for the 12 hours TGD is sleeping. This presented a bigger problem since we co-sleep and waking up in a huge pile of pee in the middle of the night has lost it's charm since college.

Thirsties Diaper Duo in (l-r) white, honeydew, ocean blue, storm cloud, orchid

So I consulted a few friends who CD and was told about Thristies Diaper Duos. We used Thristies in the beginning, when The Good Daughter was still small and we were using prefolds and covers. I really liked Thristies and never had any problems with them.

So I hopped online to my favorite local diaper shop, Pinstripes and Polkadots, and be still my beating heart if they didn't come in prints.

After a year of looking a solid colors, it was nice to have a change of pace.

Thirsties Diaper Duo in (clockwise from upper right) Alice Brights Print, Cool Stripes Print, Blackbird Print, Warm Stripes Print)

But the best part is the insert is made of two liners buttoned together, one hemp and one microfiber, so it is super absorbent. Like Thirsties covers, it featured a double gusset at the legs which help keep all the mess contained. We have used them now for 2 weeks and have yet to have one leak. Thank god, since washing sheets daily was getting old. I did have to prep the hemp liners and I washed them a total of 5 times in a hot wash before all the oils had washed away and they were good to go.

While these are an one-size diaper, they do come in two sizes, Size 1 and Size 2, to really fit up until potty training. The Size 2s I got will fit up to a 40 pound child. TGD is 23 pounds, so we have a while to go before we run out of room in these things.

My new stash

Another huge plus is the insert actually agitates out in the wash, so I don't need to pull it out before tossing it in the diaper pail. Both the top and the bottom are open so it will just shake right out.

I also ordered some more cloth wipes, which brings my total to 54, but between all the pre-folds, covers and AIOs, I think my stash is now complete. It needs to survive through at least 2 more babies, but I think it will hold up.

These are a little more bulky on TGB but for now it is her nighttime diaper only. By the time she is ready to wear it during the day, she should be bigger so it shouldn't be as bulky.

I was not paid for this review. I just really love to talk about CDs.

Homemade Baby Food

I sound like a broken record when I recount how cheap The Good Husband is, but it is true. I am lucky he doesn't turn 2 ply toilet paper into 1 ply to save money. I would divorce him then.

So along with cloth diapering, breastfeeding and getting most of The Good Baby's clothes from yard sales, we decided to make most of TGB's food.

The first thing I did was buy Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 Quick and Easy Meals for a Healthy and Happy Baby by Annabel Karmel. I really like this book. It has all the recipes broken down by age. There are some funny recipes in there for dinners like "My First Fish Puree" and "Pasta with Butternut Squash, Tomato and Cheese". Not meals you generally think of for babies, but I like the author's idea that babies don't have to eat bland foods.

In fact, we are tying to expose TGB to a wide range of foods.

We are tying to limit TGB's exposure to chemicals in every way possible. The biggest factor being what she consumes. So we are trying to buy as much of her food organic if possible.

It isn't easy. There are a lot of foods I just can't find organic. When was the last time you saw an organic parsnip? So without the aid of the Farmer's Market and using The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15, as a guide, I have decided to make all of TGB's food at home and for super cheap.

Here is just a sample of what I have made so far:

The Veggies

From left to right: back row -Sweet Potato, Corn, Carrot, Cauliflower. front row - Green Beans, Parsnip, Broccoli

The Fruits
From left to right: Pear, Peach, Apple, Blackberry
Not pictured: Zucchini, Apricot, Rutabaga, Spinach, Butternut Squash
(This picture strikes me as some work of modern art. It has to be the lighting.)

Making your own baby food has several benefits.

First, I can control the quality. As I mentioned, we tried to get all organic produce.

Secondly, it is cheaper.

Consider, I can buy one jar of organic baby food on sale for $1. Right now, that is two servings for TGB. For $2, I can buy a bag of frozen corn on sale and that will produce about 2 ice cube trays of corn puree, or 14 2 once servings. So it costs $0.14 for one serving of homemade baby food, versus $0.50 for organic jarred.

That alone should be reason enough to make your own.

But making your own baby food also produces less waste, since you don't have to have multiple single use jars lying around. You could make cute Halloween decor with them, but still, most people just recycle them.

Making your own baby food is also super easy. Basically all you have to do is steam and puree all the foods and freeze. Fruits like peaches and blackberries, you can just puree directly from the frozen and then refreeze. I use ice cube trays to freeze them and each cube is about one once.

You can also experiment with several foods. I noticed that veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini didn't seem to be popular baby foods. Either was parsnips or rutabagas. But now I can make my own and TGB can eat a wider range of foods.

She loves peas and carrots and all the root veggies, so far, so I am a happy Good Wife.

So for anyone looking to either save money or control the quality of food your baby consumes, I would recommend making your own baby food.

Why I buy recycled toliet paper

I will admit that I used to be an ultra plush toilet paper girl. I loved the fluffy soft feel of plush toilet paper. It was like wiping my butt with clouds. I didn't even like using public restrooms because of the tissuepaper thin quality of the tp. Only once did I buy a single ply, no name brand while in college after spending all my money on beer.

It chapped my ass. Literally. I swore never again to turn my back on Charmin.

Then I read this in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/science/earth/26charmin.html?_r=2

February 26, 2009
Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough on Forests
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Americans like their toilet tissue soft: exotic confections that are silken, thick and hot-air-fluffed.

The national obsession with soft paper has driven the growth of brands like Cottonelle Ultra, Quilted Northern Ultra and Charmin Ultra — which in 2008 alone increased its sales by 40 percent in some markets, according to Information Resources, Inc., a marketing research firm.

But fluffiness comes at a price: millions of trees harvested in North America and in Latin American countries, including some percentage of trees from rare old-growth forests in Canada. Although toilet tissue can be made at similar cost from recycled material, it is the fiber taken from standing trees that help give it that plush feel, and most large manufacturers rely on them.

Customers “demand soft and comfortable,” said James Malone, a spokesman for Georgia Pacific, the maker of Quilted Northern. “Recycled fiber cannot do it.”

The country’s soft-tissue habit — call it the Charmin effect — has not escaped the notice of environmentalists, who are increasingly making toilet tissue manufacturers the targets of campaigns. Greenpeace on Monday for the first time issued a national guide for American consumers that rates toilet tissue brands on their environmental soundness. With the recession pushing the price for recycled paper down and Americans showing more willingness to repurpose everything from clothing to tires, environmental groups want more people to switch to recycled toilet tissue.

“No forest of any kind should be used to make toilet paper,” said Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist and waste expert with the Natural Resource Defense Council.

In the United States, which is the largest market worldwide for toilet paper, tissue from 100 percent recycled fibers makes up less than 2 percent of sales for at-home use among conventional and premium brands. Most manufacturers use a combination of trees to make their products. According to RISI, an independent market analysis firm in Bedford, Mass., the pulp from one eucalyptus tree, a commonly used tree, produces as many as 1,000 rolls of toilet tissue. Americans use an average of 23.6 rolls per capita a year.

Other countries are far less picky about toilet tissue. In many European nations, a rough sheet of paper is deemed sufficient. Other countries are also more willing to use toilet tissue made in part or exclusively from recycled paper.

In Europe and Latin America, products with recycled content make up about on average 20 percent of the at-home market, according to experts at the Kimberly Clark Corporation.

Environmental groups say that the percentage is even higher and that they want to nurture similar acceptance here. Through public events and guides to the recycled content of tissue brands, they are hoping that Americans will become as conscious of the environmental effects of their toilet tissue use as they are about light bulbs or other products.

Dr. Hershkowitz is pushing the high-profile groups he consults with, including Major League Baseball, to use only recycled toilet tissue. At the Academy Awards ceremony last Sunday, the gowns were designer originals but the toilet tissue at the Kodak Theater’s restrooms was 100 percent recycled.

Environmentalists are focusing on tissue products for reasons besides the loss of trees. Turning a tree to paper requires more water than turning paper back into fiber, and many brands that use tree pulp use polluting chlorine-based bleach for greater whiteness. In addition, tissue made from recycled paper produces less waste tonnage — almost equaling its weight — that would otherwise go to a landfill.

Still, trees and tree quality remain a contentious issue. Although brands differ, 25 percent to 50 percent of the pulp used to make toilet paper in this country comes from tree farms in South America and the United States. The rest, environmental groups say, comes mostly from old, second-growth forests that serve as important absorbers of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas linked to global warming. In addition, some of the pulp comes from the last virgin North American forests, which are an irreplaceable habitat for a variety of endangered species, environmental groups say.

Greenpeace, the international conservation organization, contends that Kimberly Clark, the maker of two popular brands, Cottonelle and Scott, has gotten as much as 22 percent of its pulp from producers who cut trees in Canadian boreal forests where some trees are 200 years old.

But Dave Dickson, a spokesman for Kimberly Clark, said that only 14 percent of the wood pulp used by the company came from the boreal forest and that the company contracted only with suppliers who used “certified sustainable forestry practices.”

Lisa Jester, a spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble, the maker of Charmin, points out that the Forest Products Association of Canada says that no more than 0.5 percent of its forest is harvested annually. Still, even the manufacturers concede that the main reason they have not switched to recycled material is that those fibers tend to be shorter than fibers from standing trees. Long fibers can be laid out and fluffed to make softer tissue.

Jerry Baker, vice president of product and technology research for Kimberly Clark, said the company was not philosophically opposed to recycled products and used them for the “away from home” market, which includes restaurants, offices and schools.

But people who buy toilet tissue for their homes — even those who identify themselves as concerned about the environment — are resistant to toilet tissue made from recycled paper.

With a global recession, however, that may be changing. In the past few months, sales of premium toilet paper have plunged 7 percent nationally, said Ali Dibadj, a senior stock analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, a financial management firm, providing an opening for makers of recycled products.

Marcal, the oldest recycled-paper maker in the country, emerged from bankruptcy under new management last year with a plan to spend $30 million on what is says will be the first national campaign to advertise a toilet tissue’s environmental friendliness. Marcal’s new chief executive, Tim Spring, said the company had seen intense interest in the new product from chains like Walgreens. The company will introduce the new toilet tissue in April, around Earth Day

Mr. Spring said Marcal would be able to price the new tissue below most conventional brands, in part because of the lower cost of recycled material.

“Our idea is that you don’t have to spend extra money to save the Earth,” he said. “And people want to know what happens to the paper they recycle. This will give them closure.”

____________________________________________

I cried as a kid when I saw the devastation of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and made my mom donate to the Wildlife Relief Fund.

I almost cried when I read this article and I switched to the Marcal recycled tp.

My ass has not been chapped and it is a good thing for Mother Earth.

Go Green - Cloth Diaper

It was The Good Husband's idea to cloth diaper (CD). It was one of those ideas he floated around before we had kids that I kinda just brushed off - like naming one of our kids Atticus.

Then I got pregnant and TGH got super cheap and started to research CD options. I soon took over the research and after a few days of intensive searching we came up our plan of attack.

The first and most overwhelming part of cloth diapering is distinguishing the different types of cloth diapers out there. There are several different kinds and styles. They range in price from the super cheap to the really expensive. We attended a cloth diaper class at a local store (Pinstripes and Polkadots) and were able to see the different styles and types of diapers and learn about cleaning them.

Then there is the Poo Factor.

At first it is a little gross to think about all that poo in your washing machine. However, breastfed babies have poo that is completely water soluble. It will rinse completely away. Secondly, everyone I know that uses disposable diapers will have blowouts, where the poo will explode from the diaper and cover a baby head to toe. All that poo gets on the baby's clothes and where do the clothes get washed? You guessed it - your washing machine. So if you have a baby, you will have poo in your washing machine at some point in time.

We did a combination of pre-fold diapers with covers and a one-size pocket diaper. This is the best mix of cheap and expensive diapers. What does that mean?

Pre-fold - This is what you think of when you think of CDs like your grandma used. They are called pre-folds, even though they are one big square, because in the dark ages of CDs this little diaper was actually 3 times bigger and had to be folded so all the absorbency was in the center.

Today's pre-folds are made to already have that absorbency in the middle so you don't have to fold it down to size. These work with a diaper cover. You will need to learn how to fold them however, to fit your baby and to fit inside a diaper cover. You will also need either diaper pins or Snappies to hold these closed.

Fitteds - These are similar to pre-folds but you don't need to fold and secure them with a pin or a Snappie. They come with snaps so it is super easy and fast to use. This is the best kind of diaper to use in the middle of the night, when you are tired and it is dark and you just want to change a diaper in world record speed to get back to sleep. Think of a cloth diaper in the shape of a disposable with snaps. These will need a cover too.

Covers - These replaced the plastic pants of yore. They have a cloth outside but most are PLU - polyester with urethane coating - on the inside to repel water and poo.

Pocket - This kind of diaper is getting close to a disposable in shape and ease but there is still some work involved. A pocket diaper has the inner cloth diaper and the cover swen together to create one diaper you just put on and secure with the hook and loop tabs (or snaps). You do have to stuff these diapers with a liner that looks like a panty liner but without the adhesive. This diaper is good if you have a heavy wetter, since you can control the absorbency. You do have to be careful when you wash these but I will address that below.

One-size - This is the easiest diaper to use in terms of sizing for your baby. If you don't want to have 5 different sizes of diapers, a one-size diaper will allow you to use the same diaper over and over again, adjusting for size as your baby grows. These diapers feature snaps that will rise with the baby so you never need to worry about having the right size of diaper again. All of these diapers are pocket diapers or all-in-ones - meaning they have the cloth diaper and the cover swen together.

Here is our stash as it looks today:

From bottom left to bottom right: covers, Snappies, cloth wipes, inserts, pre-folds, pocket diapers (the colored ones) and fitted diapers (the tan ones)

Here is what it looked like the first day we got them:

What is in our stash? (We wanted to wash our diapers every other day to every third day.)

~36 pre-fold diapers in Standard Infant (not pictured)
~5 fitted diapers in size 0 (not pictured)
~5 diaper covers in size XS
~15 one-size pocket diapers
~36 cloth wipes
~3 stay dry liners (for the pocket diapers)
~3 diaper doublers (for the pocket diapers)
~3 Snappies
~3 diaper pins
~1 wetbag
~1 pail liner
~2 pair of Baby Legs - b/c they are so damn cute

Prepping and Washing
Pre-fold diapers are not ready to use once you get them. You have to wash them several times in order to get the natural oils off the fibers and to make them absorbent. Notice the difference between the diapers from when I first got them (below) to what they look like now (first photo)?

They got nice and soft by washing them 7-8 times in hot water with just a drop of detergent and then drying.

You have to also pay extra attention to how you wash your CDs when they are soiled. Sadly, you don't want to use homemade laundry soap on them.

To wash the pre-folds, I just toss the diaper and the cloth wipe into the diaper pail and after a few days, empty the bag into the washing machine. I throw the pail liner in with the diapers and covers (although you don't need to wash the covers every time you use them. Unless the cover got poo on it, I usually can use it for a few times and then wash).

I do one cold rise, add a drop (seriously, like 1/8 of a cup) of detergent and wash on hot. I dry them normally.

Washing the pocket diapers are a little more labor intensive but not by much. When you are changing your baby you have to remove the liner and toss that into the diaper pail along with the wipe and diaper. You wash and dry your diapers in the same way as your pre-folds, only taking the time to stuff the pocket back into the diaper as you are folding them and putting them away.

With pocket diapers you have to be very careful you do not do anything to clog the microfiber holes that allow the diaper to absorb liquid. This means using certain types of laundry detergent and NO fabric softeners. I use Arm & Hammer Free and I have had no problems. You can find other CD Safe detergent here: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm

We have been CDing The Good Baby for almost 4 months now and have not had any problems so far. Our water bills have only increased by less than $10 and we have only had one poo explosion. Overall I am totally happy with CDing. The $1500 I stand to save by CDing TGB and the $2000 I stand to save with each additional baby has been well worth it.

Go Green - Green Cleaning

The biggest bulk of our green living comes from switching to non-chemical and natural cleaning products. I always believed before that a good cleaning requires chemicals to really clean and I should have bought stock in Comet, for as much as I used.

But after getting pregnant and with The Good Baby here, I wanted to lessen her and my exposure to household chemicals. After all elbow grease is free.

Before my cleaning supplies looked like this:

Now they look like this:
You will find that several ingredients can accomplish what all the previous cleaners did. Baking soda, borax, salt, lemons and vinegar will go a long way in providing for a clean house.

All Purpose Kitchen Cleaner (instead of Comet)
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup liquid soap

~Mix everything but soap in a spray bottle and shake. Add 1/4 cup liquid soap last. Mix gently. Apply and wipe clean. Good for counters, wood work, appliances, etc.

Scouring Powder (instead of Comet)
Baking soda

~Pour in shaker and sprinkle in sink or on pans. Scrub with a pad and rinse.

Scouring Paste (instead of Comet)
2/3 cup baking soda
1/2 cup liquid soap
2 tablespoons vinegar

~Mix soda and soap to form a paste. Add vinegar and stir. Keep paste in a tub at the kitchen sink for scouring pots and pans or the sink itself.

Drain Cleaner
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup vinegar

~Pour baking soda down the drain followed by vinegar. Let it bubble for 15 minutes, then pour down a teakettle full of boiling water.

Garbage Pail Deodorizer
1 teaspoon tea tree oil
1 cup baking soda

~Mix and work out all the lumps with a fork. Sprinkle in bottom of pail after liner is removed. Periodically rinse pail with vinegar and water and let dry.

Oven Cleaner (instead of Off!)
1 tablespoon liquid soap
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup baking soda

~Spray oven surfaces with soapy water. Mix salt and baking soda and sprinkle on wet surface. Spray again so that the mixture is damp and pasty. Let stand overnight. Scrape off with putty knife or wet pumice stone.

Floor Cleaner (instead of Mr. Clean)
1/2 cup vinegar
1 gallon water

~Combine in a bucket or sink and use on vinyl or title floors

Fabric Softener
Vinegar

~Add 1-2 cups of vinegar to rinse cycle to deodorize and soften fabrics.

Tub and Tile Cleaner
1 2/3 cup water
1/4 cup liquid soap
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons vinegar
A few drops of essential oil (optional)

~Add soap to water and let dissolve. Stir in baking soda, then add vinegar. Store in a squirt bottle and shake before using. Rinse thoroughly to avoid leaving a residue.

To clean grout, mix lemon juice and baking soda and apply to grout. Let dry and then rinse.

Mold and Mildew and Soapscum
Equal parts vinegar and water

~Spray and wipe clean.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Tub and Tile Cleaner (see above)
1/4 teaspoon tea tree oil (optional)

~Spray inside of toilet bowl with cleaner. For tough stains, sprinkle baking soda on a wet bowl brush, scour and rinse. Clean bowl thoroughly and often.

TIP: Drain water from the toilet bowl for better cleaning. For serious stains or rust, empty water out of bowl and scrub with a wet pumice stone. When wet, the stone will not scratch porcelain.

To remove hard-water rings: spray undiluted vinegar around the inside of the toilet then sprinkle borax onto the vinegar. Let it soak for about half an hr. Repeat if necessary.

Wood Polish
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
10 drops essential oil (optional)

~Mix and apply. Wipe clean.

Glass Cleaner (instead of Windex)
1/8 cup vinegar
1 cup water

~Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake and apply. Wipe clean with newspapers.

Carpet Deodorizer
1 pound box baking soda
1 teaspoon essential oil

~Mix using a fork to work out lumps. Sprinkle on carpet. Vacuum after 1 hour.

Carpet & Upholstery Stain Remover
Equal parts vinegar and water

~Mix and use to remove tough stains including grass, perspiration, rust, jam, coffee, orange juice, wine, beer, ketchup, barbeque sauce, chili, urine and pet stains.

TIP: Never use warm or hot water on stains containing sugar!

Powder Laundry Detergent (not recommended if you cloth diaper)
1 bar of soap (I use Dr. Bronner's Mild Baby)
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda

~Grate the soap on a cheese grater and combine all three. Use 1 tablespoon for small loads or in high efficiency machines and 2 tablespoons for regular loads.
*Soap tip- Grate it and let it sit for a few days to dry out the soap. Use your fingers to crush the soap to a finer consistency. This will help it dissolve better.

Powder Dishwasher Detergent
1 cup washing soda or baking soda
1 cup borax

~Mix thoroughly and store in a plastic container, use approximately 2 tablespoons per load. Use vinegar in the rinse compartment as a rinse agent to help prevent residue

To deodorize microwave, place a bowl of water with a few slices of lemon or a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. Cook on high for about a minute. Doing so also makes it easier to clean the interior of the microwave (the steam it creates loosens hardened spills).

To clean the refrigerator: use a sponge moistened with vinegar, it helps prevent mildew. For hardened spills, make a paste of lemon juice and baking soda, scrub and wipe with the cloth moistened with vinegar.

To clean the coffeemaker glass pot: use lemon juice and salt and rub with a sponge or lemon juice and baking soda. Rinse well.

Go Green - Finances, dining out and misc

Want to be greener with your money, dining and other areas? Here is a list of things you can do to lessen your impact. These are all things we do in The Good Household, so take that endorsement for what you will.

Finance
~Pay with your debit or credit card

~Buy checks made from recycled paper

~Don’t take a receipt at the ATM or at the gas pump

~Have your bank statements emailed to you

~Pay your bills online

~Shred your past bills and use them in your compost pile or

~Recycle your paper and junk mail

~Sign up to receive less junk mail: https://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/?ref=G

Misc
~Read the newspaper online

~Save information to your computer or a flash drive instead of printing hard copies

~When you do have to print, change the margins and font to use less paper

~Use email instead of regular mail

~Send digital photos to your friends and family

~Recycle ink cartridges at places like Office Max, Office Depot or Staples

~Use http://www.evite.com/ to send invitations to parties and gatherings

~Send virtual cards and greetings

~Bike, carpool or take public transportation to work

~Telecommute to work one day a week

Dining Out
~Bring your own container for leftovers

~Bring your own coffee mug to your local coffee shop

Coming next week: Go Green - Cleaning

Go Green - Personal and laundry

This is the list of little things we do in The Good Household to lessen our impact on the earth.

Laundry
~Use a clothesline or air dry your clothes

~Use a dryer ball instead of fabric softener or sheets (dryer sheets contain animal fat, which can leave deposits inside your dryer)

~Wash your clothes in cold water

Personal
~Use baking soda and vinegar to wash your hair

~Use baking soda and water to brush your teeth

~Switch to a crystal deodorant

~Cloth diaper

~Use non disposable razors

~Cut your hair at home. The Good Husband keeps his hair buzzed so this is no problem for me to cut his hair.

~Shop at second hand and consignment shops for used clothing

~Shop garage and yard sales for used goods. I was able to get a ton of almost brand new clothes for The Good Baby by shopping yard sales.

~Switch to environmentally friendly personal products, like the Diva Cup: http://www.divacup.com/

~Buy toilet paper made from recycled paper

~Use a better toothbrush, like the replaceable head Source toothbrush:
http://www.radiustoothbrush.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=16

Coming next week - Go Green - Finances, Dining Out and Misc

Go Green - Kitchen

One of the biggest sources for inspiration for green living comes from The Good Grandma and various aunts in the family. Having lived through the Depression and raising several kids on a few dollars a week made TGG and her kids resourceful. They are able to come up with reuses for tons of things and have given me a whole new outlook. They had to look for ways to reduce and reuse out of necessity whereas I am able to do it freely.

The biggest change of mindset I made when going green was stopping to think about everything I was throwing away and if there wasn't an alternative. I think most of the time we forget that things like paper towels are not the only option and there are cheaper and better things out there.

So my number one green tip is to actually stop and think about everything you do and use and see if there is some better alternative out there.

These are some useful tips that The Good Husband and I practice in the kitchen, to save money and become more "green".

~Switch to cloth napkins

~Switch to cloth for paper towels or

~Buy paper towels made from recycled paper

~Use plastic containers for leftovers (BPA Free)

~Always run your dishwasher with a full load

~Shop at your local farmer’s market

~Buy locally raised beef, pork, chicken, lamb and buffalo: http://www.localharvest.org/

~Join a local CSA

~Use cloth grocery and produce bags for shopping

~Recycle all plastic and glass containers

~Recycle your plastic bags at local grocery stores

~Keep a compost container on your counter top for food scraps

~Buy in bulk and separate into individual portions (This works great if you love those 100-Calorie snack packs)

~Wash and reuse plastic resalable bags

~Keep your freezer well stocked. Having lots of open space in your freezer causes it to run more to cool the same amount of space. If you can't fill it full of food, trying freezing milk jugs filled with water. You will save on your cooling costs, and you will always have ice blocks on hand to fill your portable coolers.

Coming next week - Go Green - Personal and laundry

Go Green - Inside and out

The Good Husband and I recently bought a house and having our own piece of borrowed Earth, has made us more conscientious of how we treat her.

See, I have always had hippy tendencies but TGH does what he does because he is cheap. When he suggests things that are crunchy, hippy type things, I know he is doing it with the main goal of saving money. This is why he suggested cloth diapering The Good Baby. It wasn't about the environmental concerns, it was about keeping more green in his wallet.

So hippy and cheap make for quite a pair.

I have composed a list of green/cheap things we do and separated them into several different categories. Most of these things save money in the long term but might be a little costly upfront.

This first post is about the things you can do on the outside of your house and with the materials on the inside. TGH and I were lucky enough to build our own house so some of the things, like choosing what building materials and appliances to buy, was easier for us since we were buying everything together. It might be easier for you to slowly replace appliances and materials over time.

Everything on the list is something that we currently do or are preparing to do in the future.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I will answer you as best I can, keeping in mind I am no expert, just A Good Wife.

Inside
~ Use green flooring options like carpet with no or low VOC and hardwood floors from sustainably managed forests. More information here: http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/flooring.cfm

~Use low or no VOC paint: http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_paints.htm

~Buy Energy Star appliances: http://www.energystar.gov/

~Have blown cellulous insulation installed: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1515640/cellulose_insulation_environmentally.html

~Use a programmable thermostat and adjust it during the day. During the day in fall and winter, we keep the thermostat at 65 during the day and turn it down to 60 at night. During the summer, we keep the thermostat at 82 during the day, 78 when we are home and 75 at night.

~Use fans and keep the windows open to delay the use of the air conditioner or furnace.

~Buy thermal curtains to help insulate your house.

~Use a power strip and unplug the strip when you are not using any of the appliances

~Switch to CFL light blubs (DO NOT throw these in the regular garage!)

~Save old batteries, medicines, CFLs, motor oil and look for recycling programs that will accept them. My city has an annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection that accepts all these items and more.

~Check out places like GoodWill, The Salvation Army and http://www.freecycle.com/ for used furniture (slipcovers go a long way)

~Use a low flow shower head

~Place bricks in the back of your toilet tank to use less water

Outside
~Start a garden

~Start a compost pile

~Plant shade trees to help shelter your home from the weather

~Build or buy a rain barrel

~Use a manual lawn mower: http://www.cleanairgardening.com/reelmowers.html

~Use native plants and trees when landscaping

~Use solar powdered lights to light sidewalks and driveways

~Install a sensor to your outside house lights that will turn the lights off automatically when it is daylight.


Coming next week: Go Green - Kitchen