Yesterday I posted how to save money and go green in the home. This post covers clothing and miscellaneous.
Clothing
- Limit purchases to what you really love and buy quality, natural fabrics that are better for the environment
- Consider swapping clothes, especially for children• Limit purchases to what you really love and buy quality, natural fabrics that are better for the environment
- Buy second hand
Miscellaneous
- Always purchase products made from renewable sources rather than nonrenewable (avail plastic whenever possible)
- Buy best quality you can afford—stuff that lasts, stays out of landfill and that you buy once—not repeatedly, like furniture. Buy second-hand or go to Freecycle.org for free things.
- If shopping is a hobby, find another one.
- Swap stuff with friends and family, either temporarily or permanently.
- Don’t buy on impulse.
For many more tips, read the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet by Norma Lehmeier Hartie. Harmonious Environment is the Grand Prize Winner of the 15th Annual Writer’s Digest International Book Awards and won the coveted 2008 USA National Best Non-Fiction Book Award.
I was green before it was cool, because I was diagnosed with Environmental Illness—an autoimmune malady affecting my nervous system compromised by the influx of chemicals in our environment. Which I believe is affecting so many in varying degrees—often unaware as to what the problem is. And even though there were many I read about worse off than myself I had to definitely change my environment to survive.
I started using products that are being adopted now by the general public but at the time were quite foreign. Everything was as organic and environmentally friendly as possible. Another thing I implemented was buying 2nd hand clothing made with natural fabrics, as anything new had to be washed several times before I could wear them. Well that's been a blast locating bargains—I now shop f at least 75% of the time out of Thrift Stores or consignment.
Several of my family members are skeptical when it comes to global warming, and my response is it's not only about the future of the planet, it's about NOW—what it's doing to us NOW. Those like me have been referred to as the canaries—we're feeling the effects first but that doesn't mean it's not affecting everyone else.
So I say Yay Go Green and I'm so happy to read more people are on the bandwagon. Thank you so much from those like myself—-that you are educating and spreading the word~!
Two Green Thumbs Up~! *smiling*
Thank you for your noble initiatives in seeking to promote this important endeavor
Best Wishes,
Vashi Ram Chandi
Norma, thanks for making us merge with our cosmos by giving us tips to "Go Green"
Melting and merging with cosmos
Rajesh
Sherri,
When I was a kid, I got sick when my mother used certain cleaning products, but overall, I was OK.
Now that I use only natural products, I have become far more sensitive to chemicals, and get sick from perfume. Once we stop using toxic products, our bodies detoxify (to some degree) and all of us become sensitive.
Check out my website, http://www.HarmoniousEnvironment.com and go to the guide: "From Toxic to Safe Cleaning Products."