Mindful Momma

The Time is NOW for Reusable Bags

 

Why Use Reusable Bags?

With 40% of annual retail sales happening between Thanksgiving and Christmas, my guess is that a similar percentage of disposable plastic bags are being let loose into our system during that time as well. That makes it a good time of year to get on my reusable bag bandwagon. If you need convincing, here are a few hard facts about plastic bags from the folks at Factory Direct Promos:

• An estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed each year worldwide – this works out to over 1 million bags per minute.
• A million sea birds and 100,000 animals such as whales, dolphins, turtles and seals die from plastic bags and other waste each year.
• Americans throw away about 1 billion plastic bags a year, which is equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil.
• Retail businesses spend about $4 billion each year on plastic bags.
• In the United States only 8 percent of the total plastic waste generated in 2010 was recycled.
• The United Nations Environment Program estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean.

Maybe your city or community is ahead of the game and has already instituted a plastic bag ban or bag fees (check this interactive Plastic Bag Ban Map for ban activity in your area). Here in Minnesota plastic bags are still going strong (except for yard waste where we have to use compostable bags). 

A Few Favorite Reusable Bags

My reusable bags have been out in full swing lately for gift shopping, grocery shopping and everything in between. Here are a few in my rotation:

Baggu - These super roomy, workhorse bags (shown in photo at top of post) fold up nice and small. Buy the set of 3 which comes with a zippered pouch to store them in.

Esse - I've been praising their Carry All Tote for years but the new handy Clip It bag made from recycled bottles can be clipped to a keychain, backpack or stroller so it's with you whenever you need it.

BB Begonia - Big enough to hold 2 grocery bags but stylish enough to carry around town. Empty bag rolls up easily to fit in your purse.

What's your favorite reusable bag?

This post is part of the Give the gift of a Plastic-Free World This Holiday and Join the Plastic Bag Ban Movement! blog carnival, hosted by Factory Direct Promos. Check it out for more info about banning plastic bags.

(Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. Any purchase you make contributes a small amount to this blog. Thank you!)

(Top photo credit: andrewarchy via flickr)

Easy Green Summer Living

Summer's here! Are you ready for some fun? My boys finished up school last week and we're just starting to feel that summer vacation vibe kicking into gear. One thing I've noticed is that I don't have my summer routine down yet. We've been caught short without sunscreen a couple times lately and I keep forgetting my water bottle at home. Guess it takes awhile to get into the groove.

Try these 3 easy tips to get your summer off to a greener, healthier start:

Tote a Reusable Bottle

Staying hydrated is key during hot summer days. Your best defense is to carry a reusable water bottle or two with you wherever you go. That way, you'll avoid buying bottled water which saves both money and the planet!

Better Yet: Fill a reusable bottle with ice cubes for cold water later.

Keep Cool on the Cheap

Instead of staying home and cranking the air conditioning, take advantage of local lakes, pools and fountains for an immediate cool down. Keep your house cool by lowering shades on windows in direct sunlight, using cross ventilation to create a breeze and using fans to move air.

Better Yet: Install an ENERGYSTAR rated ceiling fan to circulate air efficiently.

Choose Safer Sunscreen

Before grabbing any old bottle of sunscreen at the drug store, consult Environmental Work Group's Safer Sunscreen Guide for the safest, most effective sunscreens available. You'd be surprised at how many sunscreens contain questionable ingredients or don't provide adequate protection from both UVA and UVB rays.

Better Yet: Consult Safe Mama's 2012 Sunscreen Cheat Sheet for the best of the best!

What are your green summer living tips?

 

 

(Photo credit: vasophoto via flickr)

How to Green Your Laundry Room

So you’re on a mission to eat healthy and live more lightly on the earth, but how do your laundry habits stack up on the eco-friendly scale? You may not realize it but conventional laundry products and practices can have a negative impact on both your health and the environment. Many products contain questionable ingredients that are not regulated and not even listed on the label.

Read the rest of my post about greening the laundry room over on the Clear Conscience Blog at J.R. Watkins....

(Image credit: clarita via morgefile)

Lessons from the Lorax: 5 Ways to Help Your Kids "Speak for the Trees"

Unless you are living on a different planet, you've probably heard that Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is coming to town. Everywhere I look, there's another advertisement or product endorsement mentioning it. The adaptation of the classic book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is about to hit theatres on March 2nd and I can't wait to see it!

When Universal Pictures asked me to be part of a 12 stop, Lorax inspired, blog tour, I was happy to oblige because there are so many lessons to be learned from this story, which manages to be both beloved and a little bit controversial at the same time.

 

 

The Movie

The Lorax, in typical Dr. Seuss style, is full of silly characters with even sillier names. From what I've seen in the trailer, it has huge appeal to both kids and adults alike. Still, it deals with a very serious, environmental topic - what will happen if we use up all the beauty in our wonderful world? I'm so glad to see this message being broadcast to a national audience. Let's hope people listen.

The Lesson

The lesson that stands out for me is that we must all do our part to preserve this beautiful planet we are so lucky to live on. I think it is critical to start at an early age, teaching kids to take responsibility for how they treat the earth. Help your kids "speak for the trees" by establishing eco-minded chores and actions like these:

Conserve water - Teach kids to turn off the water when brushing their teeth and to take shorter showers.

Save energy - Make kids responsible for turning off the lights when they leave the room. Show them how you lower the heat at night or when you leave the house.

Recycle - Let kids help sort the recycling (with supervision for younger kids) and take it out to the curb on recycling day.

Pick up trash - Get kids involved in community garbage pick-up events. Teach through example by picking up trash you see around your neighborhood and disposing of it properly.

Get in the garden - Involve your kids in growing something, whether it is a garden at home or a community plot; one tomato plant or a huge veggie patch!

The Blog Tour

Yesterday, my friend Lori from Groovy Green Livin shared her Lessons from the Lorax post.  After me, there are only 4 stops left, including Sommer at Green & Clean Mom tomorrow. Check out all the stops on the blog tour - each one has a different perspective!

2/20 New Green Mama

2/21 The Green Parent  

2/22 Eco Child’s Play

2/23 The Smart Mama  

2/24 My Plastic Free Life  

2/27Retro Housewife Goes Green

2/28 Groovy Green Livin

2/29 Mindful Momma

3/1 Green and Clean Mom

2/2 Moms Going Green Blog

2/3   Kitchen Stewardship

2/4 Nature Moms

Do you plan to see The Lorax movie? How do you teach your kids to "speak for the trees?"

(Full disclosure: I was compensated by Universal Pictures to write this post. All opinions are my own.)

 

The Reveal: Our Green Bathroom Design

It's been a long time since I've done a remodeling update here on the blog. Things took a lot longer than expected, life got a bit crazy...you know how it goes! Last time I wrote, I had picked out the eco-friendly materials for the bathroom but the actual work hadn't yet started. Now the project is complete (well, 90% complete anyway) so I can finally share...

The shower is tiled with natural, travertine stone and a border of recycled glass tiles called Blazestone from a small biz in Seattle.

 

We ordered a sustainably produced vanity from our local green home store, Natural Built Home. It is made with FSC-certified alder wood with a low-VOC finish and has no added formaldehyde. The backsplash is the same recycled glass tile we used in the shower. The countertop is Paperstone, made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper, eco-friendly resins and natural pigments.

 

The toilet is a low-flow model from Toto. This is our first dual flush toilet and I love that it has the large and small buttons on top - even the kids understand what that means!

 

 

We also installed energy efficient windows and put spray foam insulation in the walls and 3rd floor ceiling, keeping the room nice and snuggy. The bathroom floor is tiled with travertine stone with radiant floor heating underneath. The heated floor is a bit of a luxury but it's on a timer so we won't be heating the floor all day long!

Have you made any eco-friendly changes to your bathroom?

 

Materials for a Green Bathroom

Phew! I think the worst part of our remodeling adventure is behind us. Most of the dust, chaos and loud noise has already happened. The exterior is almost finished. The new front porch is complete. The 3rd floor dormer has been built. Take a peek:

Now we're moving on to my favorite part - the design phase for our new 3rd floor bathroom! I've been having fun picking out materials over at our local green building supply store - Natural Built Home.

The bathroom vanity is custom designed from FSC-certified alder wood with a low VOC finish and is formaldehyde-free. On top of the vanity will be a Paperstone countertop with a backsplash of the pretty, recycled glass Blazestone tiles you see below:

The shower will be tiled in Travertine stone (below) with a border of the Blazestone tiles around the middle. 

We've also picked out a dual flush toilet, we're putting in radiant in-floor heating and we've insulated the hell out of the walls.

It's going to be awhile before this project is done (big sigh!) but I can hardly wait to show you the end result!

Do you have any tips for creating a greener, healthier bathroom?

How to Survive a Home Renovation Project Safely and Sanely

It was a strange summer. As you probably know if you stop by this blog regularly, we've been undergoing an extensive renovation of the exterior and the third floor of our house. It's not a full-on green remodel by any means but we're doing what we can to keep things eco-friendly and safe for our family. While the project has been fun and exciting in many ways, there were also some known challenges (lead paint) as well as some negative impacts that I did not count on.

Challenge #1:  We had no yard for our kids to play in. Luckily we live close to a park but it still curbed those spontaneous games in the backyard and general time outside. It also meant that we didn't eat meals outside like we usually do in the summer. Except for a couple instances of dumpster dining, we ate indoors to lessen our exposure to construction dust and debris.

Challenge #2:  We had to keep our windows closed most of the time. This was primarily to keep out dangerous dust from lead paint and general construction. You see, the original siding on our house was painted with lead paint (see photo above). It had been covered up by metal siding for years but was exposed when they took the metal off last summer. This summer the lead painted wood was completely removed - using appropriate lead abatement techniques of course. I had my 6 year old tested for lead poisoning last summer and he was fine. I'm planning to get him tested again now that all of the lead paint is gone. It's a bummer because it is a blood draw (not a finger prick), which is very traumatic. I hate to make him go through it again, but I think it's important. (For more info on lead poisoning - a huge issue with old houses - visit LeadFreeKids.org.)

Are you planning a home renovation or remodeling project? Here are a few tips to keep things safe and sane for your family:

• Find out if you have lead paint in your house. Test kits are available at most hardware stores and online.
• If you do have lead paint, make sure your contractor is certified in lead paint abatement procedures.
• Keep dust out of living areas as much as possible. That might mean opening or closing windows depending on where the work is happening. Use fans to move dust out of the house.
• Vacuum regularly using a vacuum with a HEPA filter to capture tiny particles of lead dust and other toxins.
• Wet-wipe and mop frequently (dry dusting just moves the dust around).
• Invest in high-quality filters for your furnace or air conditioning and change them frequently.
• Have a shoes-on policy in all construction areas (no bare feet!)
• Plan on being out of the house as much as possible. (This was tough for us because we do not have any relatives in town but we took trips and even had a staycation at a hotel when our spray foam insulation was being blown in.)
• If you are concerned about lead paint exposure, get your kids tested. The biggest threat is to babies and kids under 6 years old.

At this point the major construction is over but there are still TONS of finishing details left. Here's what our house looks like as of today. The outside is scheduled to be painted later this week and the inside is being dry-walled as I type. After that, tiling the shower and installing fixtures in our new 3rd floor bathroom will begin!

Next summer, I am looking forward to fresh breezes throughout the house and lots of outdoor play time all season long!

Do you have any remodeling stories to share? How did you handle the dust, debris and disruption?

Vacation Observations

As someone who tries to live as practically green as possible, I attempt to take that philosophy on the road with me when I travel. We just got back from a 9 day family vacation. Most of it was spent at a rustic cabin on a private lake in the woods of Wisconsin. Then we road-tripped to the sand dunes of Indiana on Lake Michigan. Here are some observations:

• It's possible to travel relatively waste-free if you bring your own water bottles and snacks and eat at sit-down restaurants instead of fast-food places. We had surprisingly little trash - but then again, we weren't driving across the country like we did last year.
• Shopping at a rural grocery store can be a challenge, but if you stick to the perimeter and avoid too much junk food, you'll be OK. (we usually give in to a little bit of junk on vacation anyway!)
• I'm not sure there's a big environmental advantage to using an outhouse - but we did it for 6 days and survived!
• The worst part about hotel breakfast buffets is not the food, it's the styrofoam. We suffered through it one morning but chose to eat at a different place (with real plates!) the next morning.
• When you are in the water all day, every day - you go through a ton of sunscreen. I'm a fan of Marie Veronique KidSafe sunscreen and Purple Prairie Botanicals Sun Stuff but I can't always afford to buy the pricey sunscreen. I ended up using Water Babies Pure & Simple sunscreen on this trip. It's the safest mass-market sunscreen product that I have found (it scores a 3 on Skin Deep). What is your favorite affordable sunscreen?
• Safer sunscreens have their drawbacks. My kids are begging me for the spray kind that "everyone else uses" because they hate how long it takes to rub the sunscreen in. How do your kids handle this?
• I desperately need to find a non-toxic bug spray that actually works. We were in the woods with some mean bugs and I gave in to the Deet a couple times. Advice, anyone?
• You can survive a heat wave without air conditioning....if you are at the lake! The temp was in the mid-90's but we were in the water 2-3 times per day - even me - the one who is a total wimp about cold water. :)

Do you have any green, travel tips to share?

(Full disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you purchase something through a link, a teeny, tiny percentage will come back to me. Thank you very much if you do!)

Remodeling Update: Historical Treasures!

Our house was built in 1898, long before the types of house insulation that are popular today were invented. When my husband did the demo of our 3rd floor, he found a bunch of old magazines that were used as insulation in the walls. How well do you think these papers hold up against a Minnesota winter? No wonder our heating bills have been so high all these years!

And look at all fun treasures he found underneath the floorboards:

 

Did you notice the pin-up girl playing card? Or the Licorice candy cigarettes?  How about the advertisement for the Daisy air rifle? There were also lots of old candy wrappers (Stark bars, anyone?), a ton of marbles and even an old lighter (the small metal tube underneath the Daisy ad).

And my favorite, the tag from a germicidally treated mattress....

Don't you wonder what lovely chemicals they treated that mattress with? Wonder if they are any better or worse than the flame retardants they put in mattresses today?

Have you ever found any cool artifacts in your house? Did you keep them or put them back? (We're planning to put ours back in a box under the new floorboards!)

Let the Remodeling Begin!

NEWS FLASH: We have launched into an epic remodel of our 100+ year old house! One that's been in the planning stages for over a year now. One that's got so many details it could drive a seasoned project manager mad. One that has me both excited and crazed at the same time.

Now that we have a huge hole in our roof, I'm thinking it's official. For better or worse, this project has begun! I'll be doing some updates along the way to highlight some of the eco-friendly features of our remodel and also talk about some of the compromises we're making along the way.

No, our house won't be LEED-certified green but we're doing the best we can with our limited time, money and resources. 

For starters my husband has taken on the not-so-glamorous job of demolition. It's saving us some bucks and also allowing him to tackle some extra repairs and fixes that he's wanted to take care of for a long time. Check out John and the boys peeking out of our 3rd floor!

 
 What exactly are we doing?

• A completely new exterior using James Hardie fiber cement siding
• Spray foam insulation for the entire house (major eco-points for this!)
• A brand new roof
• New windows on the 2nd floor (we've already replaced the 1st floor windows)
• A new front porch - similar to what was originally on the house.
• Totally remodeled 3rd floor bedroom - complete with a new bathroom created in a brand new dormer off the back of the house!!

Here's a peek at our 3rd floor bedroom after demolition. Apparently, this room was a playroom once which explains the brightly colored striped floors that were underneath the carpet.

And look - footprints!

Have you done any remodeling lately? If so, were there any eco-friendly aspects to it?  Any recommendations for specific products or things that worked for you?