Mowing, the Suburban Chore

When my husband and I bought our house, we were excited to finally have a lawn for our dog (now dogs) to run and play. I knew that I wanted to be as environmentally friendly as possible--but lawns in general aren't the "greenest" your yard can be. To keep our carbon footprint at a minimum, we purchased an old-fashioned manual lawn mower.

Gas-powered lawn mowers are responsible for about 5% of air pollution. Although that seems like a small number, ever little bit helps, and there are other benefits to using a human-powered machine.

• No air-pollution: This means that you--and your neighbors--aren't breathing in carcinogens. You'll keep your carbon footprint at zero to maintain your lawn.

• No noise-pollution: How many times have you been awakened on a weekend morning because your neighbor decided to mow? You'll be kind to your ears by making the switch.

• Nearly no maintenance: I remember my dad spending countless hours getting gas or repairing our mower after we ran over a rock (oops). These mowers need only a quick spray of lubricant to stay in tip-top shape (and a quick spray of WD-40 pollutes much less than running a gas-powered mower).

• Exercise: I'm always looking for ways to sneak in exercise, and although these aren't difficult to use, you will get in a bit of a workout by pushing one around your yard.

After a summer of use, I can say I am very happy with our purchase, despite a few drawbacks:

You must make sure you don't mow over sticks, rocks, pine-cones, etc., so that you don't break your mower; this means a bit more preemptive yard clean-up than I might otherwise do, but it isn't much (we also have lots of trees in our yard, which means lots of sticks and pine cones).

The yard must be dry (or almost dry) for the mower to be effective. While we were in a drought, this was no problem. However, our drought is over, and we've discovered a few spots in the yard that are now perpetually damp and cannot be mowed easily, if at all. My plan is to find some nice water and shade-loving plants for this particular area--then I'll never need to mow it!

Cleaning, My Least Favorite Activity

Ok, so I'm notably not a neat-freak, germ-o-phobe, or compulsive cleaner. As a matter of fact, I really don't like to clean my house, and I only do it because I also really dislike a grimy kitchen or gross bathroom. So who am I to give cleaning advise? Well, I'm someone who understands that a clean home is a happy home...and I don't want to harm our planet so that I can have a sparkling sink or windows.

My mother tested dozens--maybe hundreds--of cleaning products through her years. As a mother and woman who ran a housecleaning service, she was one of the most knowledgable people I knew when it came to cleaning things, whether it was the trash can or laundry. Many of the products she used were highly toxic and gave me lingering headaches. The labels read "use only in a well ventilated area," "wear rubber gloves," etc. I, for one, don't want to don a HAZMAT suit to clean my bathroom. Fortunately, both my mother and my father also used many simple and effective cleaning solutions.

For only a few cents and little time, you can easily clean just about anything in your house with three ingredients: vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide.

When you buy vinegar, make sure that you buy natural white vinegar (some vinegar is actually made from not-so-friendly petroleum). I put straight vinegar into a spray bottle and use it to degrease my oven, clean cooked-on spaghetti sauce from my stovetop, and make windows shine. Yes, it smells like vinegar, but only until it dries. Once dry it smells like...nothing. And nothing is the smell of clean.

Yesterday's newspaper works well as a cleaning cloth for windows...spray on the vinegar, and wipe with the newspaper, then chunk into your recycling bin. Presto--you've reused a newspaper, reduced your waste by not using paper towels, and also recyced the whole mess.

Clean your microwave by heating vinegar OR water and lemon in a coffee mug, then wipe away with a reusable cloth that can be cleaned in the wash. (An old white t-shirt is best!)

Sanitizing our surfaces is not necessary on a daily basis. "Super" germs and weakened immune systems come about partly due to our overuse of anti-bacterial products. Really, we only need to sanitize surfaces after contaminating them with something...like raw chicken, or if you have the flu. When you do need to clean and sanitize, simply spray on the vinegar, then follow with some good ol' hydrogen peroxide. Wipe. Done.

Deodorize your sink by wiping with baking soda. If the drain smells, dump in some baking soda, then pour in some boiling vinegar. (I clean my coffee pot with vinegar...run through vinegar, then follow with water. I simply put baking soda in my drain before pouring the vinegar from my carafe into it.)

Clean fruit and vegetables with baking soda and a vegetable brush.

Make a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to lift stains out of white clothes (be sure to test for colorfastness on your particular garment). This can also be used as a toothpaste (not very tasty, but it works well...just look at all the commercial toothpastes that add these ingredients!)

These cleaning methods do not take any longer than using highly toxic, smelly, harmful commercial products, and these ingredients are readily available and much cheaper. In other words...no excuses! Just give them a try, and let me know what you think.

Manifesto

In the average middle-class American life, consumption rules--and for a good reason. Whether we are completely solo or a parent in a bustling household, we are all stretched and pulled in so many different directions that any product that promises a quicker lunch, a more organized life, or simply a moment of sanity, well--we want that!

However, our planet is paying a dear price for our use of disposable and toxic products. Icecaps are melting, sea levels are rising, our planet is warming--much of this is directly a result of human pollution. People everywhere are experiencing a rise in chronic illnesses, such as asthma, largely due to toxins in our environment.

Just like everyone else, I want innovative products that make my life easier. Ingenuity is great--I, for one, have no intention of trading my washing machine for a washboard. However, I also want to breathe easily on our beautiful planet, and I want to leave the Earth a better place than I found it. In other words, I don't want my progeny--or yours--to pay the price of my own irresponsibility.

This blog is a place for me to share practical tips, products, and thoughts about living an environmentally responsibly life. I have no illusions that you (or me, for that matter) will sell the car and bike twenty miles one-way to work, or eat solely organic, local foods. Very few people are able to reasonably do those things. The well-intentioned often have other limitations, such as budget, distance, or family considerations. Instead I offer reasonable and attainable solutions for everyday life, for every person.