Going Green in Comfort

This is not my kitchen, but hey, it's clean. (Photo by Adamophoto / FreeRangeStock.com ) Going greener in my home cleaning routine hasn't been easy. During my most recent trip to the grocery store, I gave the pre-made cleaning wipes a longing look. They used to be my quick-clean tool of choice, but I've managed to stay away from them for several months now. I liked that I could just pull one, or two, or three, or four out to clean the bathroom or kitchen, and I didn't have to pour on any cleaner because its already soaked into each wipe. I didn't have to rinse it out later. I could just toss it into the trash can. Job done. These days, I'm cleaning house the way my mom taught me to do it, spraying on a little cleaner, scrubbing away the dirt and grime, rinsing out the sponge or rag, then hanging it up for future use. For now, I still have store-bought cleaners I use, but once they all run out, I will switch to vinegar and baking soda, each...

(Photo by Chance Agrella / FreeRangeStock.com ) How much food do you throw out between shopping trips? At our home, it's a half a bag of carrots or grapes or some other food we didn't quite make it through before it exceeded its shelf life. It used to be a lot more, as I stocked up on produce that I had every intention of eating, but repeatedly wound up bypassing in favor of some pre-packaged, not good for me stuff. But as I try to do better for our planet and for my own health, I've actually sat down and at those foods, and the amount I'm tossing out for the city garbage crew has declined dramatically. Small steps. But I'd like to get it down to zero, and one way to do that would mean making more than one trip to the grocery store between paychecks and learning to store the produce properly so that it will last longer.  That's a big one — taking the time to store food properly. I found a list of tips on the EPA website that I fou...

(Photo by Sarah Sturtevant / FreeRangeStock.com ) If you're like me, you average at least one piece of junk mail in a day. That means that in a year's time, at least 365 pieces of unwanted paper find their way into my home, your home, your neighbor's residence, and so on. While scrolling through my Google+ feed recently, I saw a basket someone had made using old magazines. The basket was gorgeous and full of colors from the hues of the pages of the magazines. I don't buy a whole lot of magazines, just a few here and there if something catches my eye as I stand in the checkout line. But seeing the basket got me thinking: Surely there are things I can do with the pile of junk mail I accumulate each week besides just tossing it all into the trash. Overall, I'd rather the mail just not come, but since I don't know of a way to stop it, perhaps I can put it to good use. So I spent a little time on Pinterest, searching for good ideas for giving n...

Do you ever feel proud of yourself for something, but feel guilty for patting yourself on the back because you know you should've been doing it all along? That's how my last month has been. Every two weeks when I go grocery shopping, I toss fresh vegetables into the cart with the intention of washing them, cutting them up, and then packing them for my lunch at work. More often than not, however, in the rush to get out the door on time, I forget my lunch or for a variety of reasons, I decide I want something else. I wind up either stopping by a store for convenience foods — frozen dinners and canned soups — or buzzing through a drive-through. But over the past few weeks. I spent more days dining on carrots, celery, tomatoes and almonds than I did Lean Cuisine or Burger King. I still have a ways to go before I can declare my old habit officially deceased, but I'm getting there. Its hard to measure what effect this small change will have on the planet, but it...