Green Dwellers

Give Me A Break! Take shorter showers? Ride a bike to work?

2008-10-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Well as my blog name suggests, I am all over the 'green' and read anything to that matter. I recently read an article "10 Tips For Going Green" and while most of the tips made sense, a few that I keep reading over and over have rubbed me the wrong way. I am sure you all have come across this same article somewhere in the last year or so...??

While I consider myself living what I call "a light green lifestyle" and do whatever I can, one thing I won't do is take shorter showers or ride a bike to work.

Reason 1: I enjoy taking a long hot shower! That's the way I "relax" after a day of work and kids!

Reason 2: If I take a shorter shower then get on my bike to go to work, by the time I get there, I will need ANOTHER shower! So where's the savings??

Don't get me wrong, I am all for saving the environment and preach the "green" all day in my store but there are other ways to "reduce your carbon footprint". I have changed all my cleaning products, replaced my AC unit with a more efficient one (13 SEER), replaced most of my lightbulbs with CFL's, recycle like mad, and refuse to use plastic bags even at the mall and bring my own green bags everwhere I go.

Some people have done more, some people have done less...but I agree you must do something!

I guess the message here is do what you can and what is reasonable to YOU. Taking shorter showers and riding a bike to work is not reasonable for ME.

What are you doing to "go green"?

Burn Baby Burn

2008-10-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the month again! "I'm so excited...I just can't hide it...I'm about to lose control and I just can't hide it"...

"WHY on earth" you ask??

Because I just got my "Natural Home" magazine in the mail!! Gotcha!
I love this magazine...even though I feel I could write a book on 'going green', this magazine is always full of cool articles.

Here's one I just read and something I always tell my customers; be careful of the candles you burn. Here's what I have found out in my many months of research:

The paraffin candles we burn contain petroleum and according to the State of California’s Proposition 65 “there are at least seven toxins in paraffin candle waxes, including benzene, a carcinogen [carsinogens are known to cause cancer].” Paraffin candles are as dangerous to the lungs as second-hand smoke and even more so if you are in the habit of burning many at the same time.

My Gosh...and here I thought I was all healthy and all because I don't smoke

Here's some tips on "Healthy Candles"

Consider Soy or Beeswax candles instead.

Make sure the scented candles use pure essential oils.

Check the wicks. Some have been found to contain lead and other metals. Look for wicks made of pure cotton.

Get rid of candles that create that black "soot"; that builds up in the air you breathe.

SNUFF, Don't Blow; creates less smoke

Wax attracts dust; keep yours clean.

So the moral of the story is...go ahead...BURN those candles while you are having that midnight swim in your pool, soak in your tub, have a romantic dinner with that special someone and entertain guests [and if you have time to do all that...kudos to YOU]...just make sure they're "GREEN".

Warm Regards,
Mylene

Paper or Plastic? Ahh..those famous words!

2008-10-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

For the longest time I actually thought paper was the answer but here's some facts I've learned along way and why I use my own Green bags now:

* It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag.

*In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone.

*It takes 91% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper. But recycling rates of either type of disposable bag are extremely low, with only 10 to 15% of paper bags and 1 to 3% of plastic bags being recycled, according to the Wall Street Journal.

*Current research demonstrates that paper in today's landfills does not degrade or break down at a substantially faster rate than plastic does. In fact, nothing completely degrades in modern landfills because of the lack of water, light, oxygen and other important elements that are necessary for the degradation process to be completed. A paper bags takes up more space than a plastic bag in a landfill, but because paper is recycled at a higher rate, saving space in landfills is less of an issue.

So what's the best thing to do? BRING YOUR OWN BAGS (BYOB)!!
Warm Regards,
Mylene

Why an Organic Mattress?

2008-10-09T11:00:00.001-07:00

Source Purerest.com

Because according to the health experts; your health depends on it!

I always new that aside from sleeping next to my dear husband, I was laying on top of pesky little creatures called 'dust mites' like everyone else...right?

Well what I didn't know is that aside from those disgusting bugs that poop, lay their eggs, die and fall apart in our mattresses, there are 'Fire Retardents' and other chemicals as well.

Fire Retardents contain 'PBDE's (polybrominated diphenyl ethers)'...if you Google it you will find TONS of info on it but in a nut shell...here's what I have found out...

The Environmental Working Group reports the following:

Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are a class of toxic chemicals in wide use to prevent the spread of fire and are likely to be found in dozens of products in your home, from the padding below your carpet, to your bed, couch or television screen. They are most commonly found in polyurethane foam products and electronics.Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are a class of toxic chemicals in wide use to prevent the spread of fire and are likely to be found in dozens of products in your home, from the padding below your carpet, to your bed, couch or television screen. They are most commonly found in polyurethane foam products and electronics.

and even more disturbing:

Chemicals from fire retardants used in many household products, from carseats and mattresses to computers and curling irons, concentrate in higherlevels (up to 3x) in the bodies of young children than in their mothers, according to a study released this month by an environmental group. Scientists from the Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C., evaluated 20 mothers and their children, ages 1½ to 4, from around the nation. The chemicals were about three times higher in the youngsters'bloodstreams, said Dr. Anila Jacob, one of the study's authors.

OK, so now that we know what we know, what do we do about it?
You have 2 choices:

1- Get rid of your old mattress (and the chemicals and the bugs) and get a 'natural latex made from the rubber tree' mattress in which the casing is all organic cotton and wool (which by the way; wool is a natural fire retardent); or

2- Get a 'barrier cover' that you can zip up your existing mattress in.

A barrier cover won't protect against any chemical off-gasing but it will protect you against the dust mites. The reason being is that dust mites are about 100 microns and a barrier cover is a high 440 thread count SKAL certified organic cotton fabric that is then heat pressed to tighten the fibers to a 6 micron opening - recommended to protect against dust mites debris.

Sorry if I grossed you out :)

Have a Green Day!

Mylene

Organic Cotton VS Conventional Cotton

2008-10-09T08:49:00.001-07:00

I’m a woman who always wants to know the details. Don’t just tell me something is better or "natural"…I like to know why it’s better.

Today, we’ll discuss the differences between organic cotton and conventional cotton.

It takes approximately two pounds of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides to grow one pound of conventional cotton.

Traditional cotton farmers use pesticides intensively throughout the growing season. The application of pesticides gets more and more intensive every year as the insects become immune to the then current agricultural poisons.

Chlorine bleach, a highly toxic chemical, is used in the fabrication of traditional cotton fabrics.

Gross, right?

Now, on to organic cotton.

Organic cotton farmers do not use pesticides. They cultivate a diversity of predator insects that prey on cotton insect pests such as boll weevils. They also lure pests away from the cotton by planting trap crops, crops that lure the insects away from the cotton.

Mild hydrogen peroxide is used to bleach the cotton. The dyes used are completely environmentally friendly, are either low-impact containing no harsh metals or vegetable dyes.

OK, so I’ll leave it up to you to decide which is better for the health of your family.

Regards,
Mylene

Raising A Green Baby

2008-09-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

I recently started a new Meetup called 'Raising a Green Baby'.

WHY?

As a mom of 2, I am so angry at the fact that I unknowingly was poisoning my kids with the paints I used in their rooms, the mattress & bedding I used but most of all that fact that I had no idea that putting those plastic bottles in the microwave to warm their milk would leach out all kinds of toxic chemicals.

Not to mention the plastic teethers and little yellow rubber ducky they so often chewed on.

So now I am on a mission to share the information I have and empower new moms to make healthier decisions.

Please join our Raising A Green Baby Meetup to be in the loop.

Regards,
Mylene

Grand Opening Announcement

2008-07-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone...Saturday's Grand opening was fantastic. We even had a couple of elected officials show up. Thanks for all of you who supported me.

I have received overwhelming feedback and I am so glad that all this hard work and research is appreciated.

I will be starting new and exciting discussions on some of the findings I have come across in my research. In the meantime, if you are interested in learning about "Going Green", please feel free to contact me.

You can also visit GreenDwellers.com for more info.

Warm Regards,
Mylene