A few years back I went through a stage of being very green. You know, chemical free cleaning products, natural shampoo and conditioners, I’d wash my windows with cold water and newspaper and the weed killer had to be organic!
However as life got busier and my priorities changed, my clean green attitude went down the plug hole and I began buying cleaning products that were advertised on TV. My cleaning cupboard accumulated many unhealthy products and my Enjo cloths, which can clean your whole house with water, stayed in my hot-water cupboard accumulating dust!
As I look at what’s happening to our planet at the moment, I often think the problem is too big what could I do? Imagine if everyone thought this way!
So my intention is, to look after the health of my family, the community, our beautiful planet and myself.
Below are a few ideas that will help our planet to blossom. If you have ideas, recipes, organizations or resources that can help to make people and the planet healthier please do share…
Get Educated
The more you understand what is good for our planet, the easier it is to make informed choices. Check out www.good.net.nz they have a load of resources and info that is insanely interesting and great for the planet and you!
Check out http://www.environmentalchoice.org.nz/ Their goal is to improve the quality of the environment by encouraging more sustainable processes through e.g. the design, production, marketing, & use of products, which have a reduced environmental impact during their entire life cycle.
Go Natural!
Our ancestors didn’t have Handy Andy Window cleaner or Easy Off Bam! They used natural ingredients like Baking Soda and Vinegar to clean their homes. If you don’t have the time to make up your own concoctions, next Generation have a brilliant range of household cleaning products, that are friendly for the environment and will have your home shining in no time!
Recycle
Most of us have a recycle bin that is collected each week, however are you really recycling everything that you can? How much paper do you throw in the bin? What about food scrapes that could feed the birds or create a wonderful compost for your vegetables.
Keep your food-scrap container and your recycling bins where you can easily access them, so it’s not a hindrance to use them.
Switch it off
Do you really need all those lights on? Create a beautiful ambience, by switching the telly off and using candles. Before you head to bed, turn everything off on standby – I got that from the energy saving ad, which has really useful tips to reduce the amount of electricity we use.
Track your travelling
How often are you using your car each week? Get organized and use your car less frequently. It will be kind to your wallet and our world. Ask friends, neighbours and work colleagues whether they’d like to travel together.
Walk when you can, you don’t have to have the parking spot closest to the supermarket. You’ll save fuel and get more exercise. If possible ride a bike this is becoming a huge trend.
Natural Remedies
You can find many books in your local library or bookstores that offer natural homemade remedies for everything from dandruff to travel sickness. Self Sufficiency: Natural Remedies by Melissa Corkhill offers a wide range of holistic remedies for women, children and babies. Bicarbonate of Soda Expert Advice by Diane Sutherland, Jon Sutherland, Liz Keevil & Kevin Eyres sounds fabulous, I’m just about to try this one out!
Get Involved!
Join Green Peace, Moving Planet or other organisations that are making a positive difference to our planet. There are regular events that take place, where you can support causes and you’ll get to know other like-minded people. Check out http://www.moving-planet.org/ they have an upcoming event this Saturday!
Check what you’re buying
Fairtrade is a global organization working to secure a better deal for farmers and workers. Too many people work in unsatisfactory conditions throughout the world and without knowing it, we can be supporting this injustice by what we buy. Check out www.fairtrade.net to learn where you can buy fairtrade products.
Good magazine has a fantastic article about Slow Style vs Fast Fashion and how cheap clothes are creating fashion victims of more than one kind. It makes for an interesting read.
Keep it Clean
Every year New Zealand has a Clean Up NZ week; realistically it would be great to have Clean Up NZ everyday. Make sure you pick up litter if you see it and teach our youngsters to look after our planet too.
Support the locals
One thing I remember as a child is eating huge watermelon from our family garden. They were absolutely delicious! Making your own veggie garden or buying fruit and vegies from the locals, is a great way to support the community and usually the food is spray free and much more nutritional.
If everyone made a few changes, the world would be a better place.
I feel like I’m a newbie at this, so if you have ways we can look after our planet better, please add these below. The more we know, the more we can do.
This message came via email, however is useful info for those that buy earth friendly products.
I find ‘Earthwise’ products really lovely to use and often cheaper than the other brands and I believe New World seems to stock more green eco-products than other stores.
Have a lovely green day!
J.
I’m reading a brilliant book at the moment. A Home Companion by Wendyl Nissen. It has natural recipes for your garden, health, food, beauty, babies and children! I’m going to try out the ‘Magic Night Cream’ the recipe is below!
1/2 cup olive oil (extra virgin if possible)
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (organic if you have it)
about 1 teaspoon water
3 drops lavender essential oil.
Mix the olive oil and the cider vinegar. Add water slowly, mixing it until a smooth white/yellow cream forms. Add the lavender oil or any other essential oil you like the smell of to mask the salad dressing smell. You will need to give this a good shake before use every night as the mixture will settle. Store it in the fridge in a glass jar.
You can learn more and sign up for Wendyl’s newsletter at http://www.wendylsgreengoddess.co.nz
Just been reading your ‘Going Green” good for you. When you girls were going to school (or maybe it was just Bronwyn) they used to have ‘Tidy Kiwis’ all school children were encouraged to become a ‘Tidy Kiwi’ to keep the school grounds free of trash. I remember in TeKopuru the streets were always clean & people used the rubbish bins all the time. Maybe that should be bought back in Primary Schools and award children that make the effort You girls got certificates. xx
I agree Mum, bringing back ‘tidy kiwi’ would be a great idea! These day’s, picking up rubbish is a punishment in some school’s, which I don’t feel gives a good message.
Certificates… that’s so cute xx
Love this Blossom – How was the night cream?
I bought my extra virgin olive oil and lavender oil yesterday so will be giving it a go tonight, I hope it works as I have sensitive skin and it would be great to find something natural that does the job. I will keep you posted
Thought I’d update you on going green… I absolutely love my night cream. It is so delicious and makes my skin feel fantastic! I have quite dry skin, I had major eczema while growing up and have used steroids on my skin daily for years. By managing my diet and stress levels it’s a lot better which is great. I have tried so many creams over the years and my natural night cream is the best. I’m actually using it all over! I don’t know whether you would be able to use as much, if you have oily skin, you ‘ll just have to give it a go
I’m also recycling all my paper now, not just the junk mail and newspapers. Every little bit of paper is now being put out for the paper chase or the kids are using it for drawing. Thought I might look into a worm farm, my husbands been talking about it for quite some time, I think you can put your paper in that if I remember rightly?
My floors are now cleaned with white vinegar, a small squirt of dish liquid and a few drops of lavender oil, my house is smelling lovely.
My veggie garden is loving all this crazy sunny, then raining weather so fresh produce from our garden is on the menu this summer!
Oh yeah, I’ve shared my night cream with a few girlfriends and they all loved it! Maybe I could bottle it and give it as Christmas presents!
I just tried to make this night creme and its not working. It is still yellow and oily and keeps separating. I have tried it twice now, mixing with a hand mixer and not adding the water too fast. What is going wrong??? Is it really meant to be a thick white creme?
HELP
Hi there, I shake mine before I use it, which mixes it back together. I found it didn’t go really white and creamy, so don’t worry about that too much. It still does a brilliant job. Hope this helps and let me know what you think
This is a really good list! I know what you mean about letting it drop when things get busy, and I often wonder how turning appliances off can really make a difference – it feels like such a token gesture. Recently I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle for while: they’re vegetarian, they cycle to work each day, grow their own veges and share produce with their neighbors. It made me realize how easy and satisfying it can be to live gently and minimally. I now try to live with as little as possible separating me from the natural world.
This sounds great Courtney. Being around people who are making a positive difference can be so inspiring and every little bit counts