Mom Central Goes Green

Practecol puts an emphasis on saving green

Many of us who dabble in greener living consider the environment first, and our wallet second. Sometimes we have to spend a little money to invest in a cleaner future. The smart people at Practecol want you to remember that eventually, this investment will pay off in savings.

Everything but lighting

Practecol took a cue from the movement to switch to CFL bulbs and noticed how quickly people joined in. However, light bulbs only cover 11% of a typical household energy spend. If they were to develop a line of “Sustainable Solutions,” the products would need to be easy to use, easy to install, and address the other 89% of our home's energy use.

I recently received a box filled with a variety of Practecol products. What I noticed first was that each box told me about how much I would save per year using that item. For example, installing a Practecol six-outlet surge strip that can be turned off with a convenient foot switch, I can expect to save up to $84 per year. If you add up all the products in the line, you would realize a savings of almost $450 annually!

Practecol products are easy to install and use

Here are the items I'm currently testing:

Energy Monitor - This little device plugs into any outlet then you plug the device you want to test into it. An LCD display can tell you the device's kilowatt hour consumption, and approximate cost! Want to see how much the Wii is costing the family? Prove your point with this little meter. Then, move on to the next device!

Refrigerator Kit - This kit comes with a temperature monitor that sounds an alarm if the door is left open too long and the temp inside the fridge starts to rise! Now I no longer have to be the refrigerator door police!

Surge Strips - I received a switch power strip that you can turn off with your foot - perfect for home computers or office equipment (printer, scanner, etc.) where you don't want to be bending under a desk to unplug or turn off the power strip button.

I also received a remote control power strip that has two always-on outlets, which is perfect for a TV/DVD/DVR setup since the DVR needs to stay on to keep recording while the other devices can be turned off.

Remote Control Outlet Adapter - Much like the surge strip, you can plug the adapter into any outlet, then plug in the device and turn it on and off with a nifty remote. This is a great product for anything you have plugged in with an extension cord.

Indoor Retractable Clothesline - I was really excited about this item. Even though I have an Energy Star rated dryer, I've been hanging more and more clothes outside in the sun to dry and have noticed it’s lowered my electric bill. Think of how much you'll save if you can hang dry clothes all winter long! This device can hang lots of clothes on its four lines, and it neatly retracts and stores clothespins.

Where to buy Practecol

The Practecol line of products are available online at Target.com and at select Target retail stores. Items range in price from $4.99 to $19.99 and you'll save that money in energy costs in just one year of use.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

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Disclosure: Janine received a selection of Practecol at no charge for review purposes. All opinions are her own.

Are organic tampons really necessary?

Chances are if you are reading this site, you are already buying some form of organic food and cleaners. Those are the first two areas most people test when they opt for a greener lifestyle. Strange as it may seem, what we put ON our bodies, like organic lotions is a distant third. Eventually, we start to look at eco-friendly and organic personal products, including feminine care.

A quick lesson in pesticides

According to the USDA, in 2003 almost 55 million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on cotton fields each year. The World Health Organization has classified many pesticides as “extremely hazardous,” and some have been identified as possible human carcinogens. Not only are pesticides dangerous to your health, they pollute groundwater and soil.

Organic tampons

Conventional tampons are made with materials that have been treated with bleach, chlorine, or have traditional cotton which may have been exposed to pesticides. Natural, organic tampons are made from cotton grown without pesticides, area not bleached with chlorine, yet work just as well as conventional tampons. There are several choices to explore when looking for organic tampons:

• Seventh Generation has a variety of organic tampons and pads that are chlorine-free
• NatraCare has a full line of tampons, pads, pantyliners, even nursing pads that are certified organic and chlorine-free
• Maxim organic tampons cut back on waste by eliminating the applicator
• Organyc makes tampons that are 100% biodegradable and compostable
• Diva Cup is an alternative to tampons and pads, this soft, reusable menstrual cup is made from silicone

Buying organic feminine products is most definitely a personal choice, but this list can get you started testing out different brands and products to see if there's a greener way for you.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

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Image by ecastro on Flickr

Going green at BlogHer 10

I’ll be at BlogHer this week and I’m so excited for all the sessions, the parties, even the swag suites. But how eco-friendly can a huge conference with approximately 2,000 attendees possibly be?  BlogHer has taken several steps (including consulting a team of green advisers) to help them make this year’s conference in New York a little greener. There are also steps you can take as an attendee.

What BlogHer is doing to be green

BlogHer chose a venue, the Hilton New York, that has taken significant steps to be green including using biodegradable key cards, switching to reusable glass bottles for purified water in the restaurant, and using eco-friendly bulbs for 90% of the lights.

BlogHer organizers consulted with a Green Team of bloggers on certain aspects of the conference including how to run a Swag Exchange where attendees can swap the swag they don’t want rather than have them toss it in the trash.

Other steps taken include keeping the conference guide online, using eco-friendly, fair-trade conference bags from Freeset and switching to disposable, compostable utensils made of corn from Natureworks. Also, unlike many conferences, you won’t find bottled water at the food and snack stations. Instead there will be glasses and pitchers of filtered water.

What you can do at BlogHer to stay green

• Be sure to bring your own reusable water bottle, coffee mug, and whatever else you don’t mind reusing.
• Stop by the Green Affair party where you can learn everything “from simple steps to reduce toxic chemicals in your home to how to save money while going green to reducing your carbon footprint”.
• Participate in the Swag Exchange and know that any unwanted swag will be donated to the Salvation Army. According to the BlogHer website, “The Swag Exchange will remain open throughout the conference, on level 2 in the Gibson Suite.”

For more information on what BlogHer is doing to be green during this year’s conference visit the BlogHer website and check out the Hilton New York’s site to read about their eco-friendly efforts.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

Avoid being greenwashed by being an informed consumer

It was bound to happen. I get so excited about all the things I see and I'm trying to be a good little greenie, but sometimes, you just get suckered into buying something that may not be as green as you though after all.

After almost a month of staring at my naked little porch, I decided it was time to add a little color in the vein of some good old fashioned planters. Of course, I was struck by this fancy when I was already at the store on my quest for a fly swatter, as my children seem to have been born in a barn. I'm a little bit spatially challenged in that I almost always over or under estimate the size I need to fill a space - by a lot.

Wandering up and down the aisles of planters is all shapes, sizes and composition, I finally decided that a much safer bet would be to get the brackets to attach to our posts and add some pretty hanging baskets overflowing with brightly colored goodness.

I was trying to pick potting soil, and saw Miracle-Gro Organic Choice, so I dropped three bags into my cart. I was very please with my first attempt at creating an aesthetically pleasing planter while being green all at the same time. Until, that is, I started researching whether or not it was a good choice for organic potting soil. Now, I will admit that this is one person's opinion, but I did find Our Garden Earth's argument quite compelling, and it was full of concrete examples why she thinks it's a “bogus” organic choice. The fact that the chicken litter comes from Perdue...oops.

However, I read a message board on the iVillage Garden Web site and found that there are a whole host of opinions regarding whether it is or is not a good choice. The bottom line seems to be that if you're already an experience organic gardener, you know how to make your own compost and use all-natural nutrients. However, if you're a new gardener (not even new to organics but new in general as I am) then it may be a way to ease into full organic gardening. It's certainly less harmful than using full-on chemicals as in the regular Miracle Gro, but it's not the least harmful method. As always, read the label, see what you think, read what those who know more about the field than you think and then come to your own conclusion.

At the end of the day, my front porch looks prettier, and when the fall comes and it's time to make beds for the bulbs I'm going to plant, I'll research before I buy a product.

When Sara isn't busy chasing her kids, testing out new recipes or knitting up a storm, she can be found as SallyHP at Sex and the Knitty and its companion blog Knitty Reviews.

How green are you? Take the quiz!

Ever wonder how your eco-friendly steps might add up? We aren’t talking about a calculator here, but looking at you as a person who has chosen a greener path. Do you think you are greener than many of your friends? Want to challenge them to thing about being greener?

Take the green quiz

Recently I took the “How Green are You Quiz” on Practically Green and was surprised by my results. I was also surprised at how the questions got me to think about the ways I’m NOT yet as green as I could be.
The quiz asks you about your green habits and lifestyle, like if you recycle, if you compost, if you ride your bike to work or school. It also asks questions about where you live like how well is your house insulated and if you use Energy Star appliances.

After you have completed the survey you receive a result that measured your greenness on a scale of 1-10, and then identifies you as can vary from Barely Green to Wickedly Green. How did I do? I am…
Solidly Green with a level 6 out of 10!

Where I’m not so green

I realized there are a few areas where I can be greener. For one, I don’t compost and, having a garden, I really should. Another is that while I hardly use a drycleaner, I can locate an eco-friendly dry cleaner for when I do. I am also considering having a home energy audit after taking the quiz. Plus, I realized that I have a huge stack of cloth napkins that I forget to use. I’ll be putting those out on the counter in a nice basket so they are readily available to use instead of paper napkins and paper towels.

How green are you?

Take the quiz over at Practically Green and come back and let me know how you did!  Are there areas you could be greener? What areas are simply out of your control? Did the quiz motivate you to make any changes? I can’t wait to see what you learn about your green ways.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

Staples is making it EcoEasy to stay green at home or the office

The other day I was ordering office products from Staples and noticed a graphic that said, “EcoEasy” on certain product pages. Then I received our Staples Rewards mailer and noticed a coupon for notebooks that were made with a sugarcane byproduct. It seems as thought Staples is really trying to help customers maintain their green lifestyle when it comes to office products.

Green for back to school

Browsing Staples online I found everything from 4GB bamboo flash drives ($24.99) with 100% renewable and biodegradable bamboo casing, to a recycled retractable ballpoint pen ($14.99 a dozen) made with 75% post consumer recycled material. Starting your back-to-school shopping? Staples has greener notebooks, sticky notes, writing instruments and more.

What does EcoEasy mean?

Staples has done some of the research for you, making it easier to identify which products fir your green lifestyle. You can search for eco-friendly items and limit your search to those products deemed eco-friendly. According to the Staples website,

“Staples EcoEasy icon is used to identify a category of eco-conscious products that we believe demonstrate reduced environmental impacts compared to other products in their category. Use of the EcoEasy icon is based on an evaluation of the product's environmental features. Products that qualify must meet one or more of the following criteria:
•    Recycled content exceeds industry standard for the class of product
•    Remanufactured alternative
•    Has credible third-party certifications or meets such standards (ENERGY STAR®, Forest Stewardship Council, EcoLogo, GreenGuard and Green Seal)

•    Includes multiple environmental design elements that we believe lead to reduced environmental impacts compared to similar products in the category.”

Staples own eco-friendly brand

Staples has an eco-friendly brand of products called Sustainable Earth by Staples^TM. The notebooks are made of 80% sugarcane waste. Sugarcane is great because of how quickly it is renewed. The re-manufactured toner cartridges will help cut back on an estimated three million cubic feet of landfill space that may take as long at 1,000 years to decompose. And the cleaning supplies are affordable and meet the “Green Seal^TM environmental standard for household cleaners based on its reduced toxicity, biodegradability, packaging, and other characteristics.”

For more information on Staples eco-easy and Sustainable Earth by Staples brand visit Staples.com.

Have you come across a major retailer offering more eco-friendly choices? Let me know in the comments so I can explore and report back to everyone here!

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

Four ways to grow an urban garden

City dwellers need fresh veggies too, and what better way than to grow your own. You don't need a large backyard or even one square foot of green space to do it too. Here are four ways to garden in a city.

Window boxes

If you have a window then you are getting light. If you are getting light in through a window, then you can have a small garden. Window boxes (inside or out) are great for growing herbs like chives, basil, cilantro, and rosemary. You can choose from a variety of styles to fit your home's decor and your design needs. You can even purchase self-watering window boxes!

Container gardening

Do you have access to a small patio, or veranda? With just a few feet of space you can grow vegetables by using containers for gardening. I covered container gardening before on Mom Central Goes Green and you can do your own search on containers that fit the space you have. The new movement in container gardens is sub irrigation planters, or SIPs. A great place to read more about the benefits of SIPs is on Inside Urban Green and some of the videos are convincing me to test out EarthBox for myself next year along side my traditional garden to see just how they compare.

Rooftop gardens

Do you have access to your building's roof or even rooftop parking? This is one area you can place containers. You might even be able to convince your building management that letting you add some green to the rooftop will be a draw for new residents. Need some inspiration? Check out this collection of amazing rooftop gardens at dornob.com

Community gardens

Many areas offer garden space that can be leased or used for free. All you have to do is sign up and commit to growing. If you don't want to take on too much, offer to split the space with a friend. That way you can split the work of weeding, watering, and pruning. You also split the bounty but that's the best part. You can search for community gardens in your area at the American Community Garden Association website.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

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Image courtesy ariztravel of on Flickr.

Getting your spouse to go green

If you are reading this article, chances are you are the one in your relationship taking the lead on living a greener lifestyle. Lately I've seen some discussions on various green forums and it seems like for every one of us 'in the lead' on going green, there is a significant other who is a little more resistant to change.

What are some ways you can get your spouse or significant other on-board with going green? Here are a few ideas gathered from around the web and some I've tried in my own home. I'd love to hear your success stories...as large or small as they are!

Start small

If your significant other isn't used to recycling, then you'll find it difficult to get them to agree with composting so keep things in perspective. Start with the basics: plant a few tomato plants, buy organic milk or bread, and start sorting cans and bottles out of the trash. Introduce things little by little before discussing larger projects like building a garden. I found switching to green household cleaners first made it easier to switch to eco-friendly laundry detergent (a “thing” for my husband because he does his own laundry and has been using HIS brand since he was a kid) later.

Pick your battles

Like with the laundry detergent, there are certain things that are important to my husband, like air conditioning. For years we argued over the thermostat but slowly, oh so slowly, he's raised the temperature little by little. We still argue but in a passive-aggressive way: he lowers the temp, I raise it, he lowers it, I raise it, he lowers it, I raise it....you get the idea.

My advice, if there is something important to your spouse like a particular brand or method of doing something (hand-washing dishes before they go into the dishwasher) let it go for now. Give them time to adjust to your new green ways of doing certain things before moving into 'their' territory.

Give proof

Many people who made drastic changes (like shutting down use of their clothes dryer and opting for clothe lines) had to deal with some strong resistance. However, the first electric bill that came back proved that greener ways meant more green in the bank. Sit down with your spouse and discuss doing a 'test run' of one or two months. Pick one or two significant changes to implement then compare bills before and after. And please come back and let me know what the savings were!

Just do it

It seems most people had luck getting their significant others to make change by simply implementing the change themselves. If you want to recycle, start recycling. Buy bins for sorting, mark them, and gently remind everyone in the household that you've made it easy for them to sort into recycling bins.

If you want to garden, buy some containers and some plants and start experimenting. If you want to compost, set it up yourself. Just do it, but do it with the understanding that you may not have help. Have no expectations for your spouse to join in at first. Just get them used to the idea that YOU have decided to do things a little differently.

Experienced greenies: how did you deal with resistance from your spouse or family?

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) writes about raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

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Picture courtesy of Digital Sextant on Flickr.

Avoid pesticides: the best and the worst in fruits and vegetables

Have you heard of “The Dirty Dozen^TM”? This is a list of the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables you can buy, as tested by the Environmental Working Group (a team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers, etc.) and compiled into the EWG Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.

Pesticides have been linked to a number of health problems related to cancer, the nervous system, and  hormones. Buying organic can reduce your exposure to pesticides, but not everyone can afford, or has easy access to organic produce. These lists can help shoppers navigate the produce isles in any grocery store to get the most fruits and vegetables with the least amount of pesticides.

Avoid “The Dirty Dozen^TM”

EWG took the 49 most consumed fruits and vegetables (as reported by the USDA) and tested samples after peeling or washing. They then measured contamination in a variety of ways including the average number of pesticides on a sample, and percent of samples with two or more pesticides.

Here’s the list of the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables:

1. apples
2. blueberries (domestic)
3. celery
4. collard greens
5. cherries
6. grapes (imported)
7. kale
8. nectarines
9. peaches
10. potatoes
11. spinach
12. sweet bell peppers

What does this mean?

No, you don’t have to stop eating “The Dirty Dozen” but try to buy them from local farmers, or ask your local organic grocer about their supply.

Buy More of “The Clean 15^TM”

EWG also developed a list of fruits and veggies that are least likely to test positive for pesticides and pesticide residue. Eating more of these will help keep your pesticide consumption to fewer than 2 per day.

Here’s the list of the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables:

1. asparagus
2. avocado
3. cabbage
4. cantaloupe (domestic)
5. eggplant
6. grapefruit
7. honeydew
8. kiwi
9. mango
10. onions
11. pineapple
12. sweet corn
13. sweet peas
14. sweet potatoes
15. watermelon

What about vegetable washes?

According to the EWG Shoppers Guide website, "The data used to create the Guide is from produce tested as it is typically eaten. This means washed and, when applicable, peeled."

In addition they note, "EWG has not evaluated various “produce washes” for efficacy or potentially toxicity. However, given that many pesticides are taken up by the plant as a whole and so are present not only on the skin, it is unlikely that even these products would be more effective than thorough washing at lowering pesticide levels."

So, your best bet to limit your exposure to certain pesticides is to buy organic and shop with this list in mind. For the complete list and for more information on the Environmental Working Group visit http://www.foodnews.org/.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

Getting others to go green and the power of suggestion

Last weekend we had a swim team event at the pool. It was one of many, but this particular event was MY job. I had signed up to set up and clean up as my volunteer job this season. Other folks volunteer to make bring the food, drinks, plates, cups, etc.

In other words, a LOT of waste.

Yet I realized that these days, we are better trained to go green and sometimes people just need a gentle reminder.

Trash vs. recycling

As the one trash can started to overflow, people started tossing their trash in the clearly marked recycling can. I pointed to the “recycling only” label to one teenager, who then reminded his friend, and soon a volunteer had set up another trash bag while other volunteers took turns “standing guard” reminding everyone the blue can was for recycling only.

Score!

Reminder to reuse

As the recycling started to fill up and the large aluminum trays started to empty, I told a few people to make a pile and I'd figure out how to get them recycled them in my own weekly pick up. That's all it took for people to start really inspecting the trays and before I knew it they were taking them into the club house, washing them off (the ones that had been used for dry foods) and setting them back into the shed to be used again. Now all of a sudden we were recycling AND reusing!

Score!

Bringing it home

With enough jugs of juice and milk to feed a very large team of hungry swimmers, you can only imagine the pile of plastic that started to form next to the recycling bin. I mentioned to someone I'd be happy to bring them home and put them in my own recycling bin. Well another volunteer overheard and she chimed in that she'd be happy to take some, too! Before I knew it, all the plastic jugs had been loaded into a few cars and were happily on their way to be recycled.

Another score!

The power of suggestion

All of this “green magic” happened because of the power of suggestion, a gentle reminder, or an offer to take care of it in a more eco-friendly manner.

Have you had to remind people? What was there reaction? I'd love to hear more stories of recycling success at large events. Share them here!

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

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Photo by e-magic on Flickr.