The Girl Who Silenced The World For 5 Minutes

Worth a watch

More on Your Hom's IAQ

This is a continuation of my last post. I have come across so much info/videos/articles that go into depth about the health concerns regarding some of the cleaning products (chemicals) we use in our homes.

Here is a link to "Five Questions to Ask About Your Household Cleaners," provided by Eco-Safe Cleaners for your home. There is a video link within this article that shows test results of what some of these products do to our IAQ.

Here is to part 2 of Dangerous Household Cleaning Products.

DECIPHERING BETWEEN "GREEN" CLEANING PRODUCTS? HERE ARE SOME FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Some cleaning products contribute to toxins in the home and can lead to health issues.
Did you know that no standards exist for "green" cleaning product regulations or standards? Unlike food products, the order of ingredients listed on cleaning solutions does not represent the relative amounts within the product. This can easily lead to confusion about which products are best and safest to use.

Therefore, I have put together a little guide to help weed through any uncertainty.
1. As with any kind of "green" claim - be weary of green washing
2. Avoid products that are not specific about their ingredients, just because something says it's "safe, biodegradable, natural, earth friendly or green" does not necessarily mean that it is good for you and your home. Ask yourself questions. Is it safe for the environment? Is it safe for humans? What is it made out of (ie.: is it plant or petroleum based)? Is it recyclable? And remember a "natural" product can contain chemicals.
3. A few companies that focus on producing environmentally friendly products for the home are:
1. Mrs. Meyers
2. Simple Green
3. Seventh Generation
4. Earth Friendly Products (ECOS)

Click on the image below to read more about what makes a cleaning product "green".


According to Consumer Reports, Cleaning Products: Green Buying Guide (2007) these ingredients should be avoided:

-Ammonia
-Antibacterials
-Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)
-Butyl Cellosolve
-Chlorine bleach
-d-limonene
-Diethanolamine (DEA)
-Triethanolamine (TEA)
-Disinfectants
-Fragrances
-Hydrochloric acid
-Naptha
-Petroleum based cleansers
-Phosphates
-Sodium hydroxide (lye)
-Sulfuric acid

For more information visit:
Greener Choices
The Green Guide
Consumer Reports

100 Ways you can improve the environment ~ By the Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life

In Your Home — Conserve Energy
1. Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.

2. If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms.

3. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120°.

4. Wrap your water heater in an insulated blanket.

5. Turn down or shut off your water heater when you will be away for extended periods.

6. Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.

7. Set your refrigerator temperature at 36° to 38° and your freezer at 0° to 5°.

8. When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use; it reduces oven temperature by 25° to 30° every time you open the door.

9. Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.

10. Unplug seldom used appliances.

11. Use a microwave whenever you can instead of a conventional oven or stove.

12. Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.

13. Reverse your indoor ceiling fans for summer and winter operations as recommended.

14. Turn off lights, computers and other appliances when not in use.

15. Purchase appliances and office equiptment with the Energy Star label; old refrigerators, for example, use up to 50% more electricity than newer models.

16. Only use electric appliances when you need them.

17. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy.

18. Keep your thermostat at 68° in winter and 78° in summer.

19. Keep your thermostat higher in summer and lower in

winter when you are away from home.

20. Insulate your home as best as you can.

21. Install weather stripping around all doors and windows.

22. Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.

23. Plant trees to shade your home.

24. Shade outside air conditioning units by trees or other means.

25. Replace old windows with energy efficient ones.

26. Use cold water instead of warm or hot water when possible.

27. Connect your outdoor lights to a timer.

28. Buy green electricity - electricity produced by low - or even zero-pollution facilities (NC Greenpower for North Carolina - www.greenpower.com).

In your home — reduce toxicity

29. Eliminate mercury from your home by purchasing items without mercury, and dispose of items containing mercury at an

appropriate drop-off facilities

30. Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous chemicals.

31. Buy the right amount of paint for the job.

32. Review labels of household cleaners you use. Consider alternatives like baking soda, scouring pads, water or a little more elbow grease.

33. When no good alternatives exist to a toxic item, find the least amount required for an effective, sanitary result.

34. If you have an older home, have paint in your home tested for lead. If you have lead-based paint, cover it with wall paper or other material instead of sanding it or burning it off.

35. Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.

36. Have your home tested for radon.

37. Use cedar chips or aromatic herbs instead of mothballs.

In your yard

38. Avoid using leaf blowers and other dust-producing equipment.

39. Use an electric lawnmower instead of a gas-powered one.

40. Leave grass clippings on the yard—they decompose and return nutrients to the soil.

41. Use recycled wood chips as mulch to keep weeds down, retain moisture and prevent erosion.

42. Use only the required amount of fertilizer.

43. Minimize pesticide use.

44. Create a wildlife habitat in your yard.

45. Water grass early in the morning.

46. Rent or borrow items like ladders, chain saws, party

decorations and others that are seldom used.

47. Take actions that use non hazardous components (e.g., to ward off pests, plant marigolds in a garden instead of using pesticide).

48. Put leaves in a compost heap instead of burning them or throwing them away. Yard debris too large for your

compost bin should be taken to a yard-debris recycler.

In your office

49. Copy and print on both sides of paper.

50. Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.

51. Use mailer sheets for interoffice mail instead of an envelope.

52. Set up a bulletin board for memos instead of sending a copy to each employee.

53. Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence.

54. Use recycled paper.

55. Use discarded paper for scrap paper.

56. Encourage your school and/or company to print documents with soy-based inks, which are less toxic.

57. Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup.

Ways you can protect our air

58. Ask your employer to consider flexible work schedules or

telecommuting.

59. Recycle printer cartridges.

60. Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.

61. Report smoking vehicles to your local air agency.

62. Don’t use your wood stove or fireplace when air quality is poor.

63. Avoid slow-burning, smoldering fires. They produce the largest amount of pollution.

64. Burn seasoned wood - it burns cleaner than green wood.

65. Use solar power for home and water heating.

66. Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes and paint strippers.

67. Purchase radial tires and keep them properly inflated for your vehicle.

68. Paint with brushes or rollers instead of using spray paints to minimize harmful emissions.

69. Ignite charcoal barbecues with an electric probe or

other alternative to

lighter fluid.

70. If you use a wood stove, use one sold after 1990. They are

required to meet federal emissions standards and are more efficient and cleaner burning.

71. Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible.

72. Join a carpool or vanpool to get to work.

Ways to use less water

73. Check and fix any water leaks.

74. Install water-saving devices on your faucets and toilets.

75. Don’t wash dishes with the water running continuously.

76. Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.

77. Follow your community’s water use restrictions or guidelines.

78. Install a low-flow shower head.

79. Replace old toilets with new ones that use a lot less water.

80. Turn off washing machine’s water supply to prevent leaks.

Ways to protect our water

81. Revegetate or mulch disturbed soil as soon as possible.

82. Never dump anything down a storm drain.

83. Have your septic tank pumped and system inspected regularly.

84. Check your car for oil or other leaks, and recycle motor oil.

85. Take your car to a car wash instead of washing it in the driveway.

86. Learn about your watershed.

Create less trash

87. Buy items in bulk from loose bins when possible to reduce the packaging wasted.

88. Avoid products with several layers of packaging when only one is sufficient. About 33% of what we throw away is packaging.

89. Buy products that you can reuse.

90. Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.

91. Check reports for products that are easily repaired and have low breakdown rates.

92. Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.

93. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.

94. Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.

95. Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.

96. Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.

97. Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.

98. Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials. Old

newspapers make great packaging material.

99. Compost your vegetable scraps.

100. Buy used furniture - there is a surplus of it, and it is much cheaper than new furniture.

Please visit the SEQL website for more information

Click on the image to enlarge.

EVENT! Rain Barrel Sale

DID YOU KNOW?
One inch of rain falling on a 1,000 sq ft roof harvests up to 600 gallons of rainwater for use in your landscape...
for more info please visit the Santa Barbara County Water website

Saturday September 26th 9:00-4:00 at SBCC’s parking lot 3 (corner of Shoreline & Loma Alta Dr.). The barrels, normally a $120 value, will be sold for $50.

EVENT! Where's Your Bag?

Great community event tomorrow in De La Guerra plaza! The "Where's Your Bag?" campaign is to promote the use of reusable grocery bags & help spread awareness about the negative impacts of disposable plastic bags. For more who, what, where, when and why visit the City of SB's website.

What You Can Do to Save Water

The Save Our Water website gives many tips on how you help conserve water. Set a goal by trying to save 8 gallons a day. Updating your appliances? Find out what rebates you may be eligible for. Landscaping? Check out their suggestions for 'water-wise' plants.