Phew! Last week on Green Mamma, I took a break from profiling a green friend for the week, but this week I am excited to introduce my top notch green friend, Mira, her husband Eric, and their adorable son Alec. I met Mira over 5 years ago, and just about every conversation I have with her regarding the environment, I learn something new. She is always trying her best to make a difference for our planet. When I asked Mira to share a few tips about how she makes environmental choices for her family’s lifestyle, she told me that her family “takes pride in [their] environment” and then counted off a number of valuable and easy ways to help preserve and protect our earth’s environment. Here’s what Mira recommends:
In the Home
- Choose non-toxic cleaners. Mira chooses Seventh Generation products and makes her own cleaning products from recipes available on VegWeb.com. To freshen the scent of rooms, Mira uses a spray bottle and mixes essential oils like lavender and peppermint with water. Commenting on the effect of natural essential oils misted around her home, “The smell is potent enough and I don’t feel guilty about [letting my family] breathe in harsh chemicals.”
- Bag it with recycled plastic. Mira uses recycled trash bags by Seventh Generation which are made from 55% recycled plastic. Noting the quality of recycled trash bags, Mira says, “They sometimes tear if the bag is too full or too heavy.” Keep the bag light, and you’ll throw garbage away right!
- Glad for glass. Mira steers clear of plastic (har, har) and chooses glass containers for food storage.
- Recycle everything. Of course, smart recycling means checking first to see what your local government accepts in the bin. Mira lives in Montgomery County, Maryland, which recycles a long list of objects from plastic, glass, aluminum can and foil, paper, scrap metal, and yard trimmings. In addition, Montgomery County recently started including televisions and small electronics in their electronic recycling program. Before placing items in your recycling bin, make sure that your county recycles the item; otherwise, recyclers who have good intentions may end up contaminating entire batches of recycled plastics, etc.
- Freecycle and donate. Mira freecycles items that are not recycled by Montgomery County, donates books to the local library, and gives used clothes to donation centers like the Interfaith Clothing Center in Rockville, Maryland.
- Eco-rate. That is, decorate in an eco-friendly way! Mira selected washable and environmentally friendly carpet tiles from Flor.com to create a fashionable and easy to clean design. Another environmental advantage to choosing carpet from Flor.com is that the carpet can be recycled when they are worn and not reusable.
Personal Care
- Recycline. Mira purchases Recycline’s high quality and eco-friendly toothbrushes and razor blades, which are made from recycled plastic yogurt containers (a great use for #5 plastics which many local governments do not accept for curbside recycling). Vouching for Recycline’s quality, Mira says, “The blades are replaceable and are just as good as mainstream brands. These items (although not the blades) can be sent back to Recyline for recycling.” Mira has used the same blade holder for more than a year and says that it’s still in great shape.
Baby Care
- BPA-free sippy cups. Mira and Eric buy BPA-free plastic sippy cups and stainless steel canteens for their son Alec. Mira recommends the Kleen Kanteen, which she purchased at Greenfeet.com.
2. Make your own baby wipes. Mira creates her own baby wipe soap from Castille soap, water, a drop of lavender oil, and tea tree oil. Since she whips up a batch of baby wipe soap to meet Alec’s needs, she doesn’t follow a set recipe. When it comes to cleaning up our dear one’s bottoms in a safe and non-harsh way, soap and water will do the trick!
Travel
- Mira and Eric drive a Toyota Highlander hybrid, which not only saves gas, but saves energy too since a hybrid battery charges while you drive it!
Energy and Power
- Change your light bulbs! Mira and Eric replaced their conventional bulbs with CFLs, or compact fluorescent lights.
- Buy Energy Star Appliances. The couple also bought a washer and dryer that had earned the energy star, which certifies that the appliance meets the “strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy.”
Out and About
- Don’t forget to bring your own bags! Mira brings her own bags with her for groceries and packs her son Alec’s lunch in a neoprene bag. To learn more about green neoprene fabrics made from limestone, visit The Cleanest Line to read their review.
Mira and her family do so much more to care for and protect the earth’s environment. She inspires me to be a greener mamma! Thank you again to Mira, Eric, and Alec for sharing a bit about their eco-friendly lifestyle with me, and thank you for treating Mother Earth with so much respect!
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