Like many people living in industrial nations today experiencing the constant onslaught of information, media, government and corporate "spin," and conveniently packaged everything--ideas, food, slogans, lifestyles--I am tired and ready for change.
I am ready and willing to create the change I want in my life. I am taking responsibility for becoming informed about my government, the industries that generate the products I use and the food I consume, and the perpetual "sell machine" whose tentacles slither, reach and permeate every corner of our society.
I want to live an informed life, on my terms. We are not livestock to be herded, mere consumers to be manipulated; we are human beings, with the inherent, sovereign, incredible power of choice.
At every moment, we can choose from many alternatives. Several choices accompany every human desire: postpone the desire, repress the desire, fulfill the desire automatically, mindlessly, or fulfill the desire mindfully.
This post is about the desire for a beautifully appointed, clean home, and the opportunity to make mindful choices about your physical surroundings.
Style
First, does your home make you happy? Are you surrounded with items that are uniquely “you” and exactly what you need (no more, no less) to make your home a sanctuary for you and your family?
When my husband and I asked ourselves those questions as we began to remodel our newly purchased 1970’s house last year, the answers were "no" and "Hell, no." Many rooms in the house were cramped, dark, antiquated, and the “flow” (not to mention the décor) was all wrong.
We lived in the house for about six months, taking notes, learning how we occupied the space, before drawing up our remodeling plans. Fortunately, my husband enjoys (or at least can perform) carpentry, plumbing, wiring, and heavy lifting, so we have been able to do the work ourselves.
We chose a style that spoke to us. We dubbed it “Tropical Modern Asian,” after falling in love with the décor in the bungalows in the South Pacific we saw on our honeymoon, and adding a modern twist. We decided we wanted indoor/outdoor spaces, many green plants and orchids, shoji screens to separate rooms, some rustic accessories, and natural colors with some bright accents and modern appliances. This décor makes us happy; it is unique and suits us, and is compatible with the warm California climate in which we live.
What is your style? Does it reflect your life, or does it reflect the life of your friends or parents, or the life a mall store or magazine wants to sell you? Is your ideal home full of “name” brands for the sake of the brand alone--versus actual quality or what makes you uniquely you?
Home Improvement Alternatives
Next, when you are choosing materials to build or furnish your home, are you researching alternatives that are more earth and health-friendly than the most visible, accessible, mass-produced products?
In researching alternatives for our remodel, for example, we chose bamboo floors instead of other hardwood floors, because it is such a highly renewable resource (bamboo can be harvested every four years without destroying the roots) and harder and more stable than wood.
Other building materials, which are more natural and safe than the conventional products include:
- Cotton insulation, made from natural fibers left over from clothing industry scraps.
- Linoleum flooring. “Real” linoleum is not vinyl; it is a natural material made of linseed oil, pine rosin, wood or cork flour, limestone and pigments.
- Cork flooring, which is comparable in durability to hardwood floors, can be harvested every nine years from the bark of cork trees without harming the trees. It is also attractive, warm, cushioning and insulating.
- Wood flooring that is certified as coming from a sustainable forestry, or reclaimed from other buildings or from waterways.
- Natural fiber (sisal, seagrass, etc.) and wool carpeting.
- Non-toxic, low odor, solvent-free paints and finishes.
- Recycled glass (or other material) tiles.
- Concrete or wooden countertops are more affordable, look more natural and are considerably less toxic than their plastic counterparts (pun intended).
- Non-formaldehyde bedding filled with cotton and other natural, non-toxic materials.
Non-Toxic Home Cleaning Alternatives
In cleaning your home, do you reach for conventional commercial products? Many household cleaners sold at our local supermarkets are highly toxic, and most of the thousands of “normal” household chemicals have not been tested for adverse human health impacts. Not only are the fumes and residue harmful to our health, when they are poured down the sink, they wreak havoc on our water quality and marine life.
Consider the following 2004 article, in the San Francisco Chronicle, called “Toxic America”:
“. . . There are more than 75,000 chemicals licensed for commercial use; more than 2,000 new synthetic chemicals are registered every year; the Environmental Protection Agency has tallied close to 10,000 chemical ingredients in cosmetics, food and consumer products. The 210 we were tested for are just a few of the industrial chemicals in our world. We can surmise that the actual number of manufactured chemicals in our bodies is far greater than our results show. Very few of these chemicals were in our environment, or our bodies, just 75 years ago.
In 1998, U.S. industries reported manufacturing 6.5 trillion pounds of 9, 000 different chemicals, and in 2000, major American companies -- not even counting the smaller ones -- dumped 7.1 billion pounds of 650 different industrial chemicals into our air and water...we can seldom link specific health problems to specific exposures; the science is not yet available for that. But the prevalence of many illnesses and diseases -- including cancers, birth and reproductive system defects, asthma, nervous system disorders such as autism and attention deficit disorder -- is on the rise, and environmental factors may play a significant role in these increases. More than 50 of the chemicals I tested positive for are known to have harmful effects on the immune and cardiac systems.
Unfortunately, way too little is known about the vast majority of chemicals we have unleashed into our environment and bodies. There is no information available on the chemical uses or health effects of more than one- third of the chemicals for which the nine body burden study participants tested positive in a review of eight standard industry or government references used by the EPA. The chemical industry continues to claim that low- dose exposure to hundreds of chemicals simultaneously is safe. Yet, for most of the chemicals found in us, there are almost no studies done on such exposures, much less on related questions about how they may interact with each other in our bodies, how the timing of exposure may affect us, or how genetic vulnerability plays into the mix. It is not acceptable for any of us to be participants, without a choice, in this chemical soup about which we have so little knowledge.
The main reason so little is known is this: Companies are under no legal or regulatory obligation to understand how their products might harm human health, except in the case of certain ingredients in drugs or food or used as pesticides. That is also unacceptable. We must have more reliable scientific information about these chemicals . . .” “Toxic America”: ‘Tracking the hazardous chemicals that seep stealthily into our bodies’ by Alexandra Rome (San Francisco Chronicle (March 28, 2004) See related article here.
Here are some common ingredients of commercial household products (this is a much condensed list of dozens more):
Ammonia - Fatal when swallowed
Ammonium Hydroxide - Corrosive, irritant
Bleach - Potentially fatal if ingested
Chlorine - Number one cause of poisonings in children
Formaldehyde - Highly toxic; known carcinogen
Hydrochloric acid - Corrosive, eye and skin irritant
Hydrochloric bleach - Eye, skin and respiratory tract irritant
Also, because the vast majority of child poisoning occurs in the home, after a child has gotten into “normal” household cleaners, non-toxic cleaning alternatives are often a more responsible (and more affordable and better smelling!) choice.
Finally, if every household in the United States replaced just one 28 oz. bottle of petroleum-based cleaner with an equivalent bio-based product, we could save 118,700 barrels of oil in one year . . . enough to heat 6, 800 U.S. average homes. (Seventh Generation)
Fortunately, as more consumers want to understand the consequences of the products they are using, today, we can find many biodegradable, cruelty-free pre-made cleaning products at natural food (and, increasingly, more conventional) stores.
However, you can create your own simple, natural and effective alternatives:
- For cleaning glass: dilute white vinegar or lemon juice in water.
- For cleaning the toilet bowl: try baking soda, white vinegar.
- To replace petroleum products (in furniture polish; some cleaners, car wax products; flea treatments for pets Flea Treatments): use citrus oil-based products, cedar oil, olive oil and white vinegar, or olive oil and lemon juice
- To clean and disinfect, deodorize without bleach: borax soap, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide
My husband and I made the switch to green cleaning several years ago when we lived in a house with a septic system (which needs to be kept healthy and non-toxic.) We enjoyed the change, health benefits and cost savings, and hope that you do, too.
Other "green house" alternatives, of course, include reducing, reusing, recycling, and DIY.
- Wash out food containers (yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.) and use them to store leftovers, instead of buying new plastic storage products.
- Wash plastic Ziplock baggies for re-use.
- Get in the habit (if you aren't already) of recycling/reusing your paper, bottles, cans, recyclable plastic, cardboard, etc. to ease the burden on our landfills.
- Consider joining a local Freecycle group - to give away something that is still perfectly usable but you have no current need for, or find a gently used item instead of purchasing a new one.
- You can also find treasures in good second hand and antique stores, and recycled building material stores.
- Last, but not least, consider creating items yourself - you will enjoy the satisfaction (not to mention cost-savings) of completing DIY home projects.
This is your life, your home. It may take a bit more work, research and energy to choose different consumer habits, but living on your terms, saving money and the environment, is worth it, in my opinion. If you have any green house tips, (the cheaper, the better) please share!
