How to Go Natural: 10 Lifestyle Tips

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How to Go

Natural: 10 Lifestyle Tips

 

 

By Annie B. Bond, Executive Producer of Care2's Healthy Living

content

 

 

Over the years I have become convinced that the vast majority of

people are well intentioned about being eco-friendly, natural consumers, both

for the sake of their families and the environment.

 

 

SIMPLE SOLUTION: The obstacles keeping them from

making eco-friendly consumer choices are usually lack of time to do the

research, not knowing where to find the research to begin with, and the lack of

convenient access to the products.

In

response to this awareness I thought it might be helpful to tell you how I

manage to live this lifestyle in my everyday life. Here are my tips about how I

buy clothes, food, personal care products and furnishings; manage cleaning and

pest control; and take care of my pets.

1.

Natural Clothing

Fibers made from animals and insects include wool, silk, mohair, cashmere,

camel hair and angora. Animal fibers usually have attributes not found in

manmade or plant fibers. For example, a sheep's wool fleece is designed to wick

perspiration from the animal, thereby helping to regulate its body temperature,

and wool provides the same benefit as human clothing or bedding.

Plant

fibers include cotton, hemp, linen, jute, kenaf, and ramie. Plant fibers

breathe, enabling the release of perspiration through natural fiber clothing.

Plant fibers also usually are very good at absorbing moisture. Linen tea towels

are excellent for drying dishes for this reason, for example.

Read

labels to find clothing made of 100 percent natural fibers such as from those

mentioned above. Common names of synthetic fabrics are polyester, acetate and

nylon. Rayon is a manmade fabric made of natural materials, but the widespread

practice in gathering the fiber is to use virgin tree pulp, which is not

sustainable.

2.

Natural Food

Read labels. Look for food words you recognize, and always opt for the product

that that has the fewest unrecognizable words. This rule of thumb may seem

simplistic, but it works, since food manufacturers do not translate commonly

known food names into a chemical name on packages. The spice turmeric is called

turmeric and is a welcome natural yellow dye substitute to find on a label

instead of an FD & C dye.

3.

Natural Personal Care

Just because a personal care product is sold in a natural foods store doesn't

mean that it is a product made of natural materials. (This scenario doesn't

apply to cleaning products as those found in natural food stores are usually

genuinely green products.) The rule of thumb for finding natural personal care

products is the same as for food: read the labels for ingredients you recognize

as being real, and buy those. Aubrey Organics and Weleda are two brands that

are genuinely natural.

4.

Natural Cleaning

As mentioned under #3, health food stores are very good sources of green

cleaning products. Get to know some of the brands found there (Seventh

Generation, Ecover) and then search them out in bigger supermarkets, or ask

your supermarkets to begin to carry the brands. Mix and match green cleaning

products with simple do-it-yourself formulas using kitchen cupboard

ingredients. I've put my favorite cleaning formulas for windows and soft

scrubbers, etc., in the Care2 Healthy Living channels (found on the top

vertical navigation bar on the Care2.com home page).

5.

Natural Pest Control and Repellents

Most people don't realize that if a pesticide is registered by the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) it means that it has been approved by the

EPA to be effective. The registration does not mean that the product has been

approved to be safe. Many pesticides are highly neurotoxic, and all are

designed to kill. Choose natural and preventative alternatives instead. Here

are some excellent resources for alternatives to pesticides (and the Care2.com

Healthy Living channels have many suggestions, too): * The Bio Integral Resource Center * Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides

* Beyond Pesticides * National Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides 6.

Natural Bedding

You can readily buy sheets, mattresses, comforters, and blankets made of

natural materials. Organic wool and cotton mattresses are highly recommended to

avoid sleeping on mattresses made of synthetic ingredients including

formaldehyde, biocides, stain protectants, fire retardants, and materials

containing neurotoxins. In general, my experience is that it is hard to find a

wide range of organic natural fiber bedding locally, so instead I tend to buy

these products online or through catalogs. A good resource for finding current

natural bedding companies is Natural Home and Organic Style magazines.

7.

Natural Furnishings

All the same suggestions apply to natural furnishings as they did to #6,

bedding, in regards to cushions and fiber-based furnishings. Additionally, look

to natural carpets and carpet backing, wood furniture that has been finished

with natural sealants, and avoid pressed wood furniture because it contains

formaldehyde. My experience is, as with #6, that online and catalog shopping

provides the widest selection. A good resource for recommended products is The Green Guide.

8.

Natural Renovating and Building Supplies

Every time you renovate, paint, or build, choose the least toxic, most natural,

inert materials. One online store that is an excellent resorce is The Environmental Home Center. Another is NEEDS. A good resource for finding recommended

brands is The Green Guide.

9.

Natural Pet Care

My rules of thumb for pet care is to never use synthetic pesticides of any

kind, give them food that doesn't contain animal byproducts, and to use natural

shampoos.

10.

Natural Consumer Choices - General

Always

choose the most natural, inert ingredients, and read labels. I've found that

even teenaged products --such as their cosmetics--usually have at least one

more natural version.

Always

look to label's signal words, and don't buy anything with a label stronger than

the word caution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goddess Bless!

GrannyMoon

Skype Me! 540-322-2226

 

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