I wish this were a story of a big project I did that made a big difference, but this one is only about a personal choice that made a small difference. It's still better than nothing! And you can't always change what big organizations do, but you can change what you do--so maybe you could … Continue reading Greening the Employee Holiday Meal
green alternatives
Earth-friendly Nosebleed Care
My six-year-old son, who is slowly learning to be more independent during the night, recently told me in the morning that he had had a nosebleed in the middle of the night. I changed his pillowcase--our linen closet is in the master bedroom, so he couldn't have done that without waking us--but he had taken … Continue reading Earth-friendly Nosebleed Care
Thrifty All-natural Anti-bacterial Moisturizing Face Wash
A lot of skin care products contain scary ingredients and are pretty expensive. Totally organic facial cleansers are really expensive and sometimes go bad before you can use the whole package--and a surprising number of them ignore organic-ness in packaging and put the stuff in a vinyl tube that slowly saturates it with carcinogens and … Continue reading Thrifty All-natural Anti-bacterial Moisturizing Face Wash
Great lunch kit for school!
Nicholas will be starting first grade in three weeks, so we've got some shopping and organizing to do, but one thing we don't need to do is buy a new lunchbox! The one he used for full-day kindergarten is still in great shape for this year and likely for several years to come. [UPDATE: He … Continue reading Great lunch kit for school!
A Family Vacation by Public Transit
We took our six-year-old son to visit New York City; Montclair, New Jersey; and Philadelphia, leaving our car at home in Pittsburgh and traveling by train or bus the whole way. It was great! We felt it was more relaxing than driving, more pleasant than going by airplane, and generally pretty easy to do. I'm … Continue reading A Family Vacation by Public Transit
My Toyota Prius works for me…but not driving works even better!
Sure, hybrid cars are advertised as saving a lot of gas, but are they really that great in real-world conditions? We've had our Prius for a little over three years, and I've raved about it before, but until now I'd never bothered to add up just how much gasoline we're using to drive how many miles in a whole year.
How to Do Everything!
This article is linked to the greatest tips edition of Works-for-Me Wednesday, where the hostess explains how to get a human on the phone when you call customer service, and more than 178 people have linked to their own helpful tips on how to do all sorts of things. Here are my own greatest tips: … Continue reading How to Do Everything!
Thrifty, Earth-friendly Hand Soap!
I'm a longtime fan of Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap, the amazingly versatile, yummy-smelling, totally natural stuff in the bottles covered with interesting philosophies in tiny white letters, now made with organic and fair-trade ingredients in a 100% recycled plastic bottle! It's great stuff, but it seems expensive. The thing is, you're supposed to dilute … Continue reading Thrifty, Earth-friendly Hand Soap!
Lazy Composting
This is the composting method that works for me! It's really simple, and it produces rich dirt for my flowerbeds quickly enough to suit me. If you are serious about making really high-quality compost or doing it quickly or being certain it is safe for growing food, then you should seek out instructions from somebody … Continue reading Lazy Composting
Diminishing Dishwashing Drudgery
I'm the dishwasher in our household. We have a mechanical dishwasher, but it's about 50 years old. It looks really neat--straight out of The Kitchen of Tomorrow, Yesterday!--but we're afraid to use it because the rubber gasket around the door is hard as a rock, so probably the water would pour out onto the floor. … Continue reading Diminishing Dishwashing Drudgery
Donating Dish Detergent
Do you ever want to help an organization, but feel like you can't spare enough money to make a real difference? Are you an environmentalist, wishing that everybody would switch to plant-based cleaners to help conserve our irreplaceable petroleum, but feeling like nobody ever listens to your ravings about how great these cleaners are? Buy a bottle of … Continue reading Donating Dish Detergent
Menstrual Cup Mania!!!
WARNING: People who are offended by graphic discussion of menstruation should go read something else. One of the very first things we put into The Earthling's Handbook was an article about alternatives to disposable pads and tampons. I've often been tempted to write a newer article with even more details about just how fabulous these … Continue reading Menstrual Cup Mania!!!
Hand Towels for a Crowd
Here's a way to use washable cloth hand towels for a group too large and/or germy to share a towel hanging on a rack: Get a bunch of small cloth towels or terry washcloths. Stack the towels in a box or basket near the sink. Hang a laundry bag or place a laundry basket or hamper … Continue reading Hand Towels for a Crowd
7 Product Recommendations
Here are some things I really like that I don't think I've mentioned before (I'm not affiliated with nor paid off by any of these companies): 1. Maggie's Organics cotton crew socks. At first I bought a few pairs because organic cotton is better for the environment, but then I found them so comfortable that … Continue reading 7 Product Recommendations
Our pets protect us from identity theft!
Here's an idea that works for me this Earth Day: We have two pet gerbils. The conventional wisdom is that you're supposed to give your gerbils lots of wood-chips to nest in (I always want to say, "to munk in," but that's chipmunks, isn't it?) and you have to buy these wood-chips at the pet … Continue reading Our pets protect us from identity theft!
Take in for take-out!
When we know we'll be eating in a restaurant where we might have leftovers to take home, we bring our own containers. This is better for the environment because they're containers we've already used several times and will use again, instead of new containers provided by the restaurant that might be a single-use type. It's … Continue reading Take in for take-out!
Vinegar Hairwashing
UPDATE: I also wrote a newer article on vinegar hairwashing as a guest post for The Greenbacks Gal. Check it out for even more detailed information! If you have comments, please post them here so I'll be sure to see them. I wash my hair with vinegar instead of shampoo. Why? The original reason was … Continue reading Vinegar Hairwashing
Train Travel
We just took a trip to Chicago and back on Amtrak, and it was wonderful! Our three-year-old railroad enthusiast was thrilled, and Daniel and I had a great time too. It's dramatically different from airline travel. Some of the differences are absolutely positive, others are better from our point of view but wouldn't suit everyone, and … Continue reading Train Travel
Packing for a Picnic or Potluck: Reusable Gear!
Picnic/barbecue season is here, with mounds of disposable tableware: soggy paper, bendy plastic, skidgy foam, spoons that scratch our mouths and melt in our coffee, forks whose tines snap off, knives that won't cut anything, cups that are too cold or hot to hold without adding a layer of cardboard. Everybody's cup is identical, so we have to write our names on them. What convenience! What convenience? We've started bringing our own dishes, utensils, and napkins when we go to picnics and some potlucks.
Cloth Diaper Details
I already explained some of the advantages of using cloth diapers. Now, for those who are interested, I'm going to give all the details of how we did it. Many different styles of cloth diapers are available these days, so there's a lot to choose from, and it can be daunting. Pre-motherhood, I found it very useful … Continue reading Cloth Diaper Details
The Earthling's Handbook 