Save Money, Save our Trees: Take the Paper Towel Challenge

50,000+ trees PER DAY are needed to supply us with paper towels so that we can wipe up messes!

Don't you think this statistic is heartbreaking, crazy and unnecessary?

Click HERE to learn more about the impact of buying paper towels.

Join me in the Paper Towel Challenge: simply purchase a supply of bar / kitchen towels to wipe up messes from now on.

photo source: flickr.com

Natural Beauty Remedy

Taking good care of dry/cracked skin doesn't have to involve expensive prescription creams or lotions nor does it have to be complicated. Here's an easy beauty remedy that works to bring skin back to life, naturally.

What You Will Need:

• Sea salt
• Carrier oil: olive oil, grape seed oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba. I prefer to buy organic olive oil in bulk from the local health food store. Carrier oils in larger quantities for a good value are available at Mountain Rose Herbs.
  
• glass bowl
• glass ball or mason canning jar

How To:

In a glass bowl, add 1 cup of carrier oil and mix in 1 1/2 - 2 cups of sea salt till thoroughly blended and thick. Spoon into a glass jar and keep covered.

Suggested Use:
Apply liberally and massage well into dry hands, feet, bum and elbows; then rinse. Take care not to use this remedy on skin that is wet, red/open and oozing.

What Goes Around Comes Back Around

Facts

• Water treatment plants are not designed to remove every chemical that we pour down the drain or flush down the toilet

• High Miscarriage rates are reported in women who drink tap water with elevated levels of chlorine
  
  
• Studies reveal Lower Sperm Counts in rural areas where exposure to farming chemicals through tap water is more likely

Most tap water is contaminated with Sodium Fluoride, Chlorine, a variety of pharmaceuticals, i.e., antidepressants, antibiotics; invest in a pitcher, faucet or water home filtration system to improve the quality of drinking water.

Water Filters:

• PUR
• Brita
• Berkey Filters
• Reverse Osmosis

photo source: flickr.com

Ugh! We just want soap!

I thought using soap was supposed to be a positive thing. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), many popular brands of soap are considered serious hazards to our health. Ugh!

One truly healthy and cost effective soap, which I have come to love and trust is Dr. Bronner's (est. 1948) liquid castile soap. A soap with ingredients that we can pronounce, it may be used safely in our water ways and has oodles of uses. Here are some ways I love to use Dr. Bronner's castile soap:

• in the bath tub with essential oils
• as a body wash alone or blended with favorite essential oils
  
• in the laundry
  
• dish washing
• a travel necessity
  
• cleaning soap scum, floors, cars, counter tops
  

Click HERE to learn other ways Dr. Bronner's suggest using their castile soap.

Dr. Bronner castile soap and other related products are available at local health food stores, in the Nature's Market at Wegmans or directly from Dr. Bronner's website.

Discover the ingredients and health concerns related to Dial's liquid soap - and other popular soaps at EWG's website

Not So Soft Scrub

There are several synthetic chemicals in the popular product, Soft Scrub. Unfortunately, Soft Scrub does more than just scrub. One of its ingredient's, Sodium Hypochlorite, is linked to Cancer, Lymphoma and Leukemia :(

Creating a safe and effective scrub with natural ingredients is easy.

Here are a few combinations (see below) that I've used; the results are impressive!

Simply create a paste with any of these combinations and use on location (tub, shower, sink, linoleum floor, etc.) with a scrub sponge, then rinse with warm water.

• Borax and water
• Baking soda and water
• Baking soda and castile soap
• Baking Soda and White Distilled Vinegar
• Thieves household cleaner and baking soda

Dirty Facts

150 chemicals found in the home are linked to:

• Cancer
• Allergies
• Birth Defects
• Psychological disorders

50% of all illness is due to poor indoor air quality

The toxic chemical found in room deodorizers is found in the blood of 95% of children and adults

Every year there are between 5 and 10 million household poisonings

US Federal Code of Regulations exempts manufacturers from full labeling of products

photo source: flickr.com

Pledge Not to Pledge

Americans have used Pledge® for over 50 years. A product that we have deeply trusted but a cleaning product, like all others, that isn't required by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to list its ingredients on the product label.

But, manufacturer's are required to disclose their ingredients on a document issued to the government called a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS); the main ingredients listed in Pledge® are:

• Propane: causes depression; long-term intermittent exposure can cause nose bleeds, rhinitis, oral and nasal ulcerations, conjunctivitis, fatigue and damage to the Central Nervous System
  
• Butane: vapors cause drowsiness, narcosis, asphyxia, cardiac arrhythmia and temporary memory loss.
  
• Silicones

Really?! Gases and synthetic compounds to clean, dust and shine wood?

If you pledge not to use Pledge®, I will pledge to clean, dust and shine wood with a cotton cloth and a just few drops of olive oil. Actually, I already have, and it works just fine.