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| Simple Swaps to Save the Planet & |
| Your Health in the… |
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To green or not to green? That was the question. However, in today’s day and age, regardless of the unstable economy, making “green” choices and living a healthier lifestyle is becoming less of a luxury and more of a norm. Researchers have even predicted a shift in future trends that “non-green” will not survive.
The average consumer must go far beyond reading a label. We now require an education that includes green definitions and product comparisons. In nearly every purchasing decision you may ask yourself if the short-term savings are really worth the long term price tag on our health and planet.
The array of so-called “Green” products on the market is dizzying and often misleading. Consumers need one reference book that clearly lays out what is the better choice-between brands, benefits, and costs. Just GREEN It! by Ron and Lisa Beres, explains in an easy visual format exactly which products-from household appliances and cleaning tools to food, cosmetics, and clothing-are the best for the planet and also healthy for you, your kids, your home, and your budget.
Authors Ron and Lisa Beres debunk the “greenwashing” that is so prevalent in today’s marketing and teach readers how to know the difference between such confusing and often deceiving terms as “natural,” “organic,” “chemical-free,” and “non-toxic,” among others.
Just Green It! by husband/wife team Ron and Lisa Beres, BBEC’s, CGBP’s, healthy home experts, and professional speakers; is the ultimate consumer guidebook for navigating the green marketplace; understanding the many green-washing tactics used by companies and organizations claiming to be “green”; and choosing environmentally and human friendly products—everything from light bulbs and mattresses to baby food and nonstick cookware—to live healthier, “greener” lives.
WIN (1) of 2 signed copy’s of Just GREEN It! Simple Swaps to Save the Planet and Your Health. With Just Green It! you’ll have a guidebook for navigating the over-saturated Green marketplace. It’s truly a must have for today’s consumer to decipher fact from fiction, live a healthier lifestyle, and exercise not just your voice, but your purchasing power as well. (ARV $35.90)
How to Enter:
For every action below that you complete, you receive a specific number of entries. Click each individual action to enter yourself. For actions you have done in the past (i.e. you already follow @RonandLisa on Twitter) just click directly on ‘I did this’. The eligibility of the winner will be verified by The Healthy Home Dream Team(TM).
There is no mandatory entry. Each action will earn different numbers of entries into the contest. You may tweet or share on your Facebook wall for an entry once per day. All other actions will only be counted once. You must be 18 or older with a US or Canadian address to win. Contest ends 2/24/12 at 12:01am ET. Click here for complete terms and conditions.
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I have gotten to where my recycle bin is so full that my garbage bin each week is over 50% smaller.
Thanks for sharing Bill! We are proud to say that our recycle bin always exceeds that of our regular trash bin as well 🙂
I’ve never understood how houses can have 2 bags of garbage for pickup each week! Even when our family had 5 people in the house it never surpassed 1 every two weeks. Also, our small contribution is that 5 minute showers have been the norm for at least 10 years.
We do our best to shop for whole foods and buy in bulk and we bring our own bags too. So in addition to recycling what we can, we are creating less waste, since we do not have bags, cartons and packaging to toss.
We also purchase as many products as we can that are concentrated. We are sharp enough to add our own water. 🙂 Again, creating less waste…
I look forward to learning more from Ron & Lisa
Nice tips Jeanette – thank you for sharing! Yes, BYOB (as in…bags) is such an important change everyone can start implementing right away (if not doing so already). It saves so many resources. Also, great idea with the buying concentrated items too 🙂
My green tip would have to be to stop leaving the tv and lights on everywhere. Learn to turn things off when your not using them. AND, for me i’m in Arizona and so it’s hot.. Turn up the a/c so it doesn’t turn on when leaving for a while. When you get back home having the air on back to your normal temperature feels better anyway.
Thanks Steve! YES…great tip 🙂 Turning off lights, etc when you leave a room is so important and makes a huge difference on your bill. Just do it for a week – and soon it becomes a habit!
I try to shop at farmer’s markets and local shops as much as I can. The products I buy have less packaging than I’d get at the grocery store (often there’s no packaging at all!) and it helps the environment because there wasn’t the large transportation requirements.
Hi Jennifer!
This is wonderful! Great point about the packaging as well. Here is a helpful link to help everyone locate and support local farms and farmer’s markets in your neighborhood: http://www.localharvest.org/
We’re trying to use as many biodegradable options as we can with our newborn.
Wonderful Sunshine 🙂 Every ‘baby’ step (pun intended) makes a big difference!
get energy efficient appliances – they can even count as a tax rebate!
I started ‘teaching’ groups about how they could help the planet about 25 years ago. The word at the time was the 3 Rs but I had/have more Rs- repair (not that easy now especially with electronics), repurpose (find another use or incorporate it in something else), revise (with written work, update and add new citations), refuse (excess packaging, excess use of resources, unsustainable practices, inhumane treatment of food animals, GMOs, pesticides – I could go on).
Thanks Kitblu!
I especially like the ‘refuse’ one. We ALL have a voice and purchasing power! If we say NO to toxic products and those that support unsustainable practices & inhumane treatment, etc. we won’t see as many of them. Plus, by supporting those companies doing the right thing (organic, fair trade, etc), these products will become more readily available and more affordable for everyone! Oh yeah, two more “R’s.” ‘Read’…blogs like this, books like Just GREEN It! and ingredient labels to become more educated on the products to choose and which ones to lose. Finally – ‘Rebate’ (thanks Sammi for this one)!
great book
Thank you Amy 🙂
I am very good about taking my resuable bags to the grocery store for shopping trips. Now I am getting into the habit of keeping one folded in my purse for small purchases at other stores. This year we are subscribing to a CSA for the first time! And my new years resolutions to give up caffeine and eat more whole fruits and veggies is going great!
Nice Melissa! That is a good idea to keep two different sized bags with you (or even in your car if purse isn’t big enough). Kudos to you on your New Year’s resolution. You probably read our prior post on the presence of the carcinogen, Acrylamide, found in all brewed coffee. If not, here is the link: https://ronandlisa.com/2011/11/28/does-your-cup-of-coffee-contain-a-latte-of-chemicals/
I like to make my own cleaners!
Christine,
Great! Any recipes you’d like to share? We have a lot of DIY recipes in our book, Just GREEN It! but here is one of my favorite (and most simple) to use if you have white spots and residue/deposits on your dishes. Just add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle of the dishwasher to ward off calcium deposits. It’s safe, easy, affordable and your dishes will sparkle!
I use cloth diapers, I love how I am not contributing to the landfill.
Great Lauren! Healthier for baby and better for Mother Earth. Has anyone ever tried gDiapers? They are biodegradable, compostable & flushable. Good option for those who insist on disposables:
http://www.gdiapers.com/?gclid=CKuN4-Dv860CFWyHtgodPzX3tA
We bring our own bags..we gift gifts in bring your own bags and pass the idea on, why use wrapping paper? Wash when dirty, seriously dome people bath morning and night, and lounge in the shower, wash when needed and use a good energy saver in the shower. Unplug and shut off what is not needed
Nice! One of my favorite birthday tips in Just GREEN It! is using Wrapsacks. They are the coolest, reusable fabric gift bags! You can even track them from recipient to recipient online and find out where in the world your beautiful bag ends up. http://www.wrapsacks.com
my green tip would be using energy efficient appliances!
Thanks Wendy!
I use only energy efficient appliances. For shopping, I use green reusable bags.
we try to reuse all of the plastic bags from the grocery store. They become trash bags.
clean your airfilters every month it will save money and is good for you too.
Thanks Andrea – one of our favorite (and often overlooked) tips. Yes, if you have a washable filter, but sure you are staying on top of keeping it clean. Otherwise, you should be changing your filter every 3 months. Visit our past article, Toxic Intruders: Is Your Home Protected? to find out which furnace filters we recommend here: https://ronandlisa.com/2011/07/11/toxic-intruders-is-your-home-protected/
Green tip- clean with vinegar. I am kinda weird and really love the smell
YES, Bekki! I don’t mind the smell either. But, as I always advise those that do…just add a few drops of 100% essential oils (choose your favorite scent such as lavender or rosemary)! Best of luck to you.
I just borrowed a copy of your book and just love it! I have implemented lots opf the ideas already into my life and have also purchased the green cookware and the TJ’s laundry detergent. It smells so fresh and clean with the lavender scent.
I am changing my way of thinking bc of your book and trying to become more “green” in my life.
Awww – thanks so much for your feedback and generous compliments Mary E! It’s so rewarding to hear direct feedback of how our book is making a positive impact in the lives of so many great people including yourself. We all deserve clean, non-toxic products and healthy air. To quote Lyndon B. Johnson, “The American people have a right to air that they and their children can breathe without fear.”
Keep up the great work Mary!
Washing soda helps relieve a slow drain!
Nice! Thank you for this helpful tip 🙂
Don’t throw out that forgotten orange in the back of your fruit basket. Quarter it and microwave one of the sections for 1 min. The steam will disperse the citric oil. Wipe down the damp inside walls of your microwave and you have that orange oil that so many of the cleansers tell you is so effective.
Grind up the rest of the orange in your garbage disposer to clean it and rinse with hot water.
Thanks so much for this tip Betty! We don’t use our microwave, but what a great way to make use of it by getting your home to smell fresh & clean…without chemicals!
Good luck to you 🙂
We unplug things that are not in use (Microwave/Toaster, etc)
Nice! Goodbye phantom load…hello energy savings 🙂 Every little bit helps. Good luck Lisa.
Follow the 3 R’s. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle EVERYTHING that you can, and always bypass Disposable and go for Reusable.
Absolutely! That makes 4 R’s….Refuse (disposables).
Thanks & good luck Rachel.
I have everyone take their shoes off outside in the entry way and I wet mop every other day to keep germs out of my home!
Great Brianna! I love this tip…we use it in our home as well. You can also purchase a box of painters/medical booties from a hardware stores for guests to wear over their shoes if they are not comfortable removing them. Here is a post we did: ‘3 Reasons to Leave Your Shoes at the Door’:
https://ronandlisa.com/2011/09/08/3-reasons-to-leave-your-shoes-at-the-door/
Using less plastic bags! This is a big issue to me and I am starting to take my tote bags to the grocery store.
Great job Alma! These reusable bags are easy to find nowadays, more durable than paper or plastic and perfect to keep in your car so you always have one on hand when you need it 🙂 This simple swap saves so many resources!
When we eat out, we take our own reusable tote to bring leftovers home.
Great idea Patricia! Why waste a take-out bag? Thanks for sharing your tip.
I no longer buy water bottles – instead, everyone has a colorful stainless steel water container. Each of us got to pick out our own design!
Nice Marci! What brand does your family use? We have several favorites (and list some of these brands in Just GREEN It!).
We make our own cloth diaper detergent–borax, washing soda & oxyclean. Gets rid of additives and lets us know exactly what’s touching our babe’s bottom!
That is fantastic Mary! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I like to use vinegar and baking soda in place of cleaning solutions that contain harsh chemicals that are bad on our environment and our health.
Thanks Jennifer! Yes, we also use & recommend these in our book, Just GREEN It! Short on Time? You might enjoy our 5 Recipes for Clean Air on a Dime: https://ronandlisa.com/2011/10/27/short-on-time-5-air-freshener-recipes-on-a-dime/
Good luck!
Energy efficient appliances! That’s my favorite way, and have almost all of them except for the blender and toaster. 😉
Awesome Julie! Here is a great link to receive federal tax credits for use of certain Energy Star appliances: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index
Good luck!
We use vinegar and lemon instead of store bought chemical cleaners for most of our household cleaning.
Yes Angela – white distilled vinegar w/ water is perfect for windows & glass! I like to add 100% essential oils to cut the vinegar smell.
unplug items when not in use 🙂
Use bounty dryer sheets to clean hard water from shower doors. Works great. Eliminates the chemicals…
Erica,
Thanks for sharing your tip. However, dryer sheets are often heavy on the fragrance, which means they don’t have to list any number of known toxins on their label. Look instead for wool dryer balls; not to be confused with plastic dryer balls. They not only soften your fabric, but they can reduce your drying time because they separate the clothes as they circulate. Another safe alternative is called Static Eliminator. It’s chemical-free, odor-free, reusable cloth that goes right into your dryer eliminates static, softens fabric and reduces wrinkles. It can be used over 500 times! For more, read our post, Dirty Secrets Revealed: We’re Dishing on Laundry!
https://ronandlisa.com/2011/08/01/dirty-secrets-revealed-we%E2%80%99re-dishing-on-laundry-part-ii/
Best of luck to you!
I refashion clothing I can no longer wear, and I also find clothes at thrift stores, and refashion those. I’ve created 4 unique clothing items I love, and have a special liking to because they are personalized
Nice tip Maria! Good luck 🙂
I have been using straight white vinegar mixed with Borax to remove pet accident odors and to disinfect the soiled area from our concrete enclosed porch! It works much better than commercial products and is much safer and economical ! Just love the many uses of vinegar and borax! They are a lot greener than many commercial products also!
So true Amy! Yes, vinegar is amazing and can be used as a substitute for sooo many things. Guess our grandparents had it right all along 🙂
Good luck!
I use the dirty aquarium water in my garden. Thanks for the giveaway.
You’re welcome Karen! Great tip – happy fish & healthy garden 🙂
Use cloth diapers and wipes. Good for the environment and they work better 😉
We grow our own vegetables in the backyard!
Well we have been recycling. We have also changed all of our lightbulbs. I grow my own veggies.
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Great green tips everyone! Only 6 hours remain….can’t wait to see who the lucky winners are! Best of luck to all 🙂
Take less time showers and use a lil less hot water!!!
Instead of spraying for fruit flies, put some fruit in the bottom of a large jar, cover in plastic, then put a piece of paper shaped into a cone through a small hole in the plastic. Make sure the paper almost reaches the bottom of the jar, with the tip of the cone down and allowing a small hole for fruit flies to enter and get the bait fruit. You can release them outside if you like.
Thanks Heather for this great and easy to use tip!