The Journey Began...

Well let's see how this goes then.  We thought we should let you all know how our "Green Journey" is going (well, Royston said "Can we do a blog?", and I said "Yeah, I've never done one, but let's give it a go!").  Now I'm no eco-warrior, nor do I claim to have any answers about climate change and the "throw away" society that we currently have, but I want to do my bit, we want to do our bit.  After all, if we all change one thing, that's over 7 billion changes in the world (as Annabel reminded me on Monday)!

So what have we done so far?  A lot of googling - some much information out there about chemical free cleaning, homemade toiletries and a "greener" life, but it's not actually that easy, is it?  You really have to think about everything.  The ingredients for the chemical free cleaners - all come in plastic containers (yes, the containers will go in the recycling, but still...).  Whilst doing the shopping, all the fruit and vegetables wrapped in an extra layer of plastic, why? Nature was good enough to provide skins on fruit & veg, so why wrap it in plastic?   Even the "green" bamboo toothbrush, was wrapped in plastic!  But enough negatives, the positives, the changes so far:

Annabel and I have opted for the homemade deodorant, which is working really well - coconut oil, baking soda and some essential oil - simple.  Smells good, and the coconut oil keeps your armpits really smooth!!!!  Gone now are the 4 cans of spray and 2 roll-on deodorants, replaced with a single jar which seems like it's going to last forever, and only took 5 minutes to make!

The change to a double edged safety razor and shaving soap for Royston had a couple of hiccups, and required some minor first aid, but it did come in a cardboard box - yeah, no plastic!  After googling for advise on how to avoid the nicks and cuts, more successful shaves have followed!  That got rid of  non-recyclable cartridges (and the plastic boxes they come in) and a can of shaving foam.  Whilst googling, he also found this article which makes for interesting reading as a double edged safety razor is not just better for the environment, but better on the bank balance too!

We all now have a bamboo toothbrush which are fabulous! Okay, they have plastic bristles, but that's a lot less plastic than a normal toothbrush.  So gone are the 4 completely plastic toothbrushes - maybe homemade toothpaste next?

We also made a homemade cleaner - no scientific knowledge required.  There are loads of recipes out there, so we thought we'd give one a try! Baking soda in first, then vinegar and water - now essential oils (orange, just because I like it!), and it actually works - it really cleans stuff!  Royston even used it on the car to get the tar off - I have to say, this has been a big surprise as I was a little skeptical, but what do you know, it's really good!  So that's the kitchen and floor cleaner replaced.

I must be very skeptical when it comes to cleaning!  Annabel informed me that there was an eco wash on the machine - which I had never really noticed or used.  So, I gave it a go.  Nothing too dirty, just the normal washing, and it came out spotless.  Apparently this can reduce energy use on the machine by around 40% (reducing the electric cost - love a good saving!).

So, 5 small steps, but just think - multiply that by 7 billion and that makes for a massive change!