(Cont. from last post)

Composting – This year, I started vermicomposting (composting indoors using red wiggler worms) and have to admit that harvesting the compost can be labor intensive. Like all projects, it’s a process that takes tweaking so perhaps I still need to get the hang of it. Regardless, I’m happy to learn the science (and art) behind composting and incorporate it into my kitchen habits.

For apartment dwellers who are looking to compost but don’t necessarily want a hands-on project, there are plenty of services that will pick up your compost for a fee. Though it costs money, the added plus is that municipal composting facilities allow meat, fish, and dairy in the bin, further reducing the amount of waste you throw away. Personally for my next apartment, I’m going to look into buying a compost bin on Craigslist if I have a small backyard. This method just calls for throwing your compost in, adding some leaves or grass clippings on top, and stirring every once in a while to keep it aerated, which seems easy enough.

Cleaning products – I do most of my cleaning with vinegar, baking soda, castile soap, and essential oils. You can find various recipes on the internet but here are roughly the recipes I use:

All purpose cleaner: 1/4 cup castile soap with 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Add a few drops of tea tree oil. This can be used on tabletops, kitchen countertops (granite included), and bathroom surfaces.

Window cleaner: Mix 1 part water with 1 part vinegar. Add essential oils if desired. Use an old newspaper to wash the mirror for a smudge-free shine.

Floors: Mix 1 part water with 1 part vinegar. Add essential oils if desired.

Bathroom disinfectant:  Again, mix 1 part water with 1 part vinegar in a spray bottle. Add essential oils if desired. Spray on bathroom surfaces and let it sit. Wipe down with a sponge or toilet bowl cleaner. Sprinkle baking soda on surfaces that need scouring and scrub with a sponge.

Drain cleaner: Pour a half-cup of baking soda down the drain then add a half a cup of white vinegar. Wait ten to fifteen minutes. While waiting, heat a tea kettle full of water until boiling. Pour the boiling water down to drain to flush the vinegar and baking soda through. I tend to do this every time I clean the bathroom because I find that it does a better job of preventing clogs than unclogging them when the drain is full or blocked.

Thrifting – This year I moved into my new apartment and had to stock up on kitchen and household items so the place wouldn’t feel bare. Heading to the thrift store every other week was incredibly helpful during the process. I have been thrifting for clothes for a while but I find that home goods are much more abundant at your neighborhood Goodwill. Glasses, coffee mugs, jars for bulk storage, ceramic pots for plants, crock pots, cookbooks, and artwork were all fairly easy to come by.

I think in order to get items you actually enjoy, you have to go often, with an astute eye regarding what it is you are really going to use, and browse without any one item in mind. It may seem strange to buy items that you eat and cook with used but I found cleaning tricks on the blog Heart of Light, which puts my mind at ease about purchasing secondhand. Helpful tips: if you purchase clothes or sheets, put them in the dryer immediately. The high heat kills all bedbugs. 10 minutes will do but you can go for 30 if you want to play it safe. If you purchase dishes or cookware, soak them in the sink for 30 minutes in a 10% bleach solution. Afterward, wash normally. This sterilizes the dishes and makes sure they're good and clean before using.

Bags – Due to freebies and giveaways, I’ve collected reusable grocery bags without really trying and make a conscious to take them before going grocery shopping. For day to day to purchases, I avoid plastic bags by putting a Chico bag in my purses. You can purchase sets of four here or here. Or if you don't want to make the purchase,  throw store-given plastic bags in your purses and bags for everyday purchases. It's better to reuse them over and over rather than recycle, especially in Chicago where the plastic bag ban made plastic bags thicker but just as disposable.

Laundry – I wash my laundry with cold water and use whatever green laundry detergent I find at the store that's available in bulk. I recently bought a drying rack and plan on air drying my clothes, like I did when I lived in Honduras and Spain, though we'll see how long this lasts. I know many eco-friendly blogs suggest making your own laundry detergent but I don’t do that, nor do I make my own hand soap or dish soap. I buy them because there are so many brands (Mrs. Meyer's, Method, Honest Company, 365) that do the job. If you worry that these products are just green washing, install the Good Guide app or the EWG's app and check how clean any product is before purchasing.

Changes I still want to implement – Mostly small things like using handkerchiefs instead of Kleenex, buying tea in bulk, purchasing reusable ziploc bags and Bee's Wrap for food storage.

So there are my tips, if you’re into that kind of thing. Of course, there are other ways to advocate for the environment. You can vote in local and national elections, donate money to organizations who are working on systematic changes, volunteer to help change local systems, sign petitions, and organize. There are other habits to consider looking at too; mainly, meat consumption, driving, and flying - all of which i do occasionally.

If you are interested in living low-impact (or lower-impact), I recommend The Carbon-Free Home, which I like many reasons. One, it explains projects for apartment and home dwellers, diving into both small, doable projects and larger ones. Also, it gives sensible advice, explaining how small changes like living in closer proximity to things you need, hanging your clothes up to dry, and insulating your house may have a greater impact than the expensive, flashy ones (i.e. installing solar panels).

Post script: Recently, I watched Michael Pollan's Cooked on Netflix, his docu-series urging people to return to the kitchen for the sake of their health and the health of the environment.  While it was cinematically beautiful and educational, I also found it a bit holier than thou. I don't prescribe to Michael Pollan's make-everything-from-scratch ways. That seems exhausting and honestly, a bit inefficient. I love a pot of homemade beans, simmered with spices thrown in. I also love canned black beans when I need to whip up something quick. Which in a way, sums up my take on it all. I'm not ayurvedic or zero waste or even a vegetarian (though kudos to those who are) but I believe in doing what you can, in the ways that are best suited for you.

Or, as Tim Mazurek of Lottie and Doof so brilliantly says, we are not flawless! See here:

One has to approach the internet with blinders just to keep sane, working to disregard all of the click-bait, the filler content, the over-simplified claims. This is especially the case when it comes to eco-friendly living, where personally I find a lot of information on the internet to be a tad too holistic and sensationalized for me. 

That being said, I scour the internet a lot in search of helpful tips on how to switch over to environmentally-friendly alternatives, which means I’m left lost and confused amidst the contradicting information (I’m mostly baffled by baking soda – can it really serve as a healthy and medically sound alternative to shampoo and toothpaste? I’ll never know).

Through everything I’ve read, I have obtained some insightful tidbits, helping me to switch over to green alternatives for my household and personal needs. Personally, I made the switch because environmentally friendly alternatives are affordable and multi-purpose, allowing me to simplify, buy less, and save money. The added plus is that the products are hopefully healthier for our waterways, our health, and the health of the workers who manufacture the product.

Skin care – I do most of my moisturizing with a $6 bottle of coconut oil. Coconut oil doesn’t absorb as quickly as your run of the mill lotion so I only use a small amount for my face to avoid walking away feeling greasy. Recently, I’ve been mixing coconut oil with a few drops of tea tree oil in a small jar that I store in my medicine cabinet. It smells luxurious, and I like to think that the added tea tree oil helps with acne and general skincare due to its antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties, though I don’t really know. I still have some acne (most of which went away after using AcneFree and its wonderfully harsh chemicals) but I think I’m mostly happy with my slightly imperfect complexion for now.

Hair care – This has been the toughest switch for me. I have used commercial shampoos every day for my entire life so going with a natural alternative (whatever that means) left my hair greasy and unbearably itchy. This article on making the switch was helpful this last month, when I decided I would try to transition away from cheap-o drugstore shampoos again. It was nice to hear someone say that natural shampoos will not work for everyone and that's okay. Really.

So far I have tried two different shampoos (one I purchased previously from my co-op but then stored away when it didn't work, and another one I purchased new). I have tried washing my hair with apple cider vinegar. I have tried not washing my hair. In the end, I have used a lot of hair ties and was happy to make the transition in a month where it was acceptable to constantly wear a hat. At this point, I feel like it's been two months, and I haven't had a good hair day in a long time. The remains of the commercial shampoo sitting in my cupboard looks more and more appealing so we'll see how long this natural shampoo thing will last.

I am, however, a fan of apple cider vinegar. I store 1 part apple cider vinegar and 3 parts water in an old Dr. Bronner's bottle with a few drops of essential oils added in. Once a week, I work it into my scalp to get rid of dandruff. I find it incredibly effective - plus, it serves as a nice face toner as well.

For those who are looking to make the switch to a shampoo that is free of sulfate, parabens, and phosphate, I’ve heard great things about Acure and feel like it could be a good place to start. Right now, I'm not looking to buy any more shampoo so I'll just be working through what I've already purchased.

Soap – I’m a fan of Dr. Bronner’s because it’s biodegradable, available in bulk, and is incredibly multi-purpose. See the plethora of uses here.

Makeup/Deodorant – I’m mostly fine with my L’oreal products and Dove original scented deodorant. The thing is, I don’t know if I believe parabens are harmful enough to warrant spending $35 on mascara. Due to my income and also my general frugalness, I need things to be reasonably priced in order to make the switch. But in case you’re looking for alternatives, RMS Beauty has natural products that work well and come in recyclable packaging - though the makeup comes with a price tag. Rejuva and Pacifica seem more moderately priced and rank well on Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database, if anyone is looking for a cheaper alternative. Also, this recipe for homemade deodorant intrigues me so I might give it a go in the future.

Feminine hygiene – I used applicator free tampons for a while but then switched to the Diva Cup last year. There’s a learning curve but I love it now (advice: Youtube tutorials are your friend!). I also bought a few reusable cloth pads on Etsy that I wear occasionally. They are not the most comfortable – I wouldn’t wear them if I was working or being active – but overnight, I think they work great. Bonus is that I haven’t spent money on tampons or pads in a year.

Water conservation – In addition to switching the products I use, I'm also concerned about water use when it comes to bathroom rituals. Some habit shifts to think about: installing a reminder to take shorter showers, switching to a low-flow showerhead, and adding a plastic bottle to the toilet tank to conserve water. Or just flush only when necessary.

Most of these products take some getting used to so like everything, if you’re motivated to make the switch, do it slowly and try to push through when you find the new habit hard or annoying. When you attempt anything new, know that most likely there comes a point where you will make mistakes and fail. That's okay. Really. Pretty soon, the habit starts to feel commonplace and you’ll forget the old way you were used to. 

In the end, this post is just to say that I think coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and Dr. Bronner’s work wonders, and pretty soon, you’ll find that you can use these things for a multitude of ailments, like getting rid of ants or fruit flies or cleaning your kitchen counters (Home remedies sound a little hokey but in general, I think they do the job. If not, proceed with buying something that will. My feeling is that it never hurts to try using what you have around the house first).

Next week, I’ll write more about tips for environmentally friendly cleaning products and kitchen habits. Also, perhaps some general thoughts on why I made these switches in the first place. Until then, feel free to read more thoughts on this subject here, here and here!