Green Cleaning

Every year millions of children are being exposed to toxic levels of household chemicals. Common household products such as chlorine bleach, automatic dishwasher detergent, drain cleaners, oven cleaners release toxic and irritating chemicals called VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which damage soil and groundwater and contribute to air pollution and global warming. Some chemicals found in room fresheners and deodorizers, called paradichlorobenzenes, are possibly cancer-causing. Others are hormone-disrupters. And many contain petroleum based surfectants that are harmful for the environment.

Many people use harsher than necessary chemicals, believing that cleaner is better, at any cost. It’s likely that most people don’t want to use chemicals that are toxic to their children and to the environment, but aren’t aware that there are many alternatives. Manufacturers of these products aren’t required to list the ingredients on the packaging. The industry has also done a good job of narrowing products use so that people are buying a wider and wider variety of chemical products.

In reality, only a few cleaning products are necessary to keep a home sufficiently clean, and they don’t have to contain toxic chemicals. Families can either buy the ingredients and make their own cleaning products or buy earth-friendly non-toxic products that are available at a number of retailers.

DIY Cleaning Products:

Ingredients to have on hand: Lemon Juice, Borax, Baking Soda, Distilled White Vinegar, Liquid Soap, Hydrogen Peroxide and Olive Oil

Natural Cleaning & Recipes

All-Purpose Spray Cleaner

1/8 cup borax

1 quart hot water

Floor Cleaner

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 gallon warm water

How to Create and Encourage Green Communities

Today we are hearing more and more about communities that are “going green.” For some communities, this effort to become more energy efficient is easier than for other communities because of the communities’ varied characteristics. Additionally, some communities’ citizens strive harder to be more “green” than others in order to attract like-minded environmentally responsible residents. What if, however, you don’t even want to live in any community-green or not? What if you prefer to live in a commune, for example, or reside on your own and mostly live off the land? Such options have their positive and negative attributes, but going back to nature on one’s own has more negative issues to address than positive.

The number of communities who are adopting a philosophy of “going green” is rapidly increasing and for good reason. These communities are adopting policies and laws that require citizens to “be kind to Mother Nature.” Of course, no two communities are going to be exactly same, but most of them share basic characteristics as described below:

Air Quality
The Climate Protection Agreement encourages communities to drastically reduce greenhouse emissions-by 7% from their mid-1990s levels. Toward that end, over 250 communities have already conformed to those reduced guidelines. Some of the cities who have done the best job include Cincinnati, Ohio; San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; and Boulder, Colorado to name a few. The nation’s annual top 10 cities’ names are found in The Green Guide which is published by The National Geographic. Along with the cities’ names, the publication provides information about a variety of environmental issues.

Public Transportation
An effective public transportation system is essential toward becoming a cutting-edge “green” city; therefore, if a city wants to be taken seriously as a positive environmental example to others, it will establish an exceptional, user-friendly public transportation system. An effective public transportation system will save transportation costs for a community’s citizens and will minimize pollution levels by reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. Even though some citizens may refuse to use public transportation, the city’s commitment to providing an environmentally responsible transportation system illustrates its commitment to the cause.

Recycling Programs
Any household can recycle, but communities that set up a formal, centralized recycling program will encourage more residents to participate. Generally speaking, the cost of a community’s recycling program is shared by all the town’s residents through water bills or city taxes. Providing recycling receptacles to all residents will also help promote and encourage recycling. The most effective towns and cities provide different recycling containers for different types of recyclable materials. For example, many towns provide different containers for boxes, newspapers, aluminum, metals, and plastics. Some towns even help residents recycle organic materials and lawn clippings.

Water Supply
For a variety of reasons, a city should care for its water supply. First, unless the water is fit to drink, the citizens will be forced to purchase bottled water or invest in a water filtration system. Additionally, many cities, especially those in arid regions, suffer for lack of adequate water. Even if these thirsty cities encourage conservation, there is only a limited amount of water for its citizenry. Continual water usage causes water costs to rise, which, in turn, causes the pressure to conserve to rise as well. In communities where water meters have been installed, citizens seem to use less water. By contrast, in cities where there are no water-usage meters, the residents have no evidence of their water consumption and have, therefore, little to no incentive to conserve.

Housing Designs
Cities that are attempting to become more “green” have a higher-than-average number of homes designed to be exceptionally energy efficient. These homes feature such characteristics as:

· solar panels
· thick insulation
· nearby deciduous trees
· window covers
· double-paned windows
· fans
· automatic awnings
· attic ventilation systems
· solar light tubes
· solar heating systems, and
· skylights