Always Greener

My experiment for washing the dishes with soap was something I wanted to do, myself. I don't want to force anyone to do the same. I don't know what each one of you actually does to pollute less, or plan to do, or simply is able to do (realistically). I know that sometimes we need time to realize how much we pollute & how much little effort is worth making. I know that sometimes we don't have the choice. (for instance WE can't have a compost box right here right now, but we hope to be able one day) I don't want to make anyone feel bad by writing this post, but I felt I had to do it.
For me to keep a kind of record, and for you to know (because I've always been honest with you all) I made a (non exhaustive) list of things we do here. Our little efforts. And we DO think that there are never too many of them. We can always find a thing we can do in a more respectful way for the environnment.

LAUNDRY
- we don't have a drier & will never have
- I use washing balls in the washing machine ...
- ... this way I use half the laundry detergent & softener
- I use eco-friendly phosphate free laundry detergent & softener
- when clothes are stained, I use Aleppo soap & it works great 95% of the time. Anyway I always try to find an earth-friendly solution to remove the stain. Aleppo soap is phosphate free too, made from olive oil & laurel oil
- I always do the 40°C cycle, our clothes aren't that dirty anyway

HOME
- we have compact fluorescent light bulbs everywhere in the appartment, except 2 lamps
- during autumn, winter & spring, we heat the appartment with one radiator (in the living room), and it doesn't work all day long neither
- we don't take bath, even the boys. They have a bath once a week. We all take showers
- the dishwasher detergent & rincing liquid are eco-friendly, I buy them at the health food store, and we ALWAYS do the shortest cycle (45°C)
- I've just started washing the dishes with Savon de Marseille, using liquid detergent the less often I could, only on very greasy dishes
- I use a mix of white vinegar + few drops of dish detergent + water + tea tree & mint essential oils, for cleaning any surface that needs disinfecting
- we don't have a single air freshener/deodorizer at all
- of course we sort our wastes/garbagge & put a max to recycling : glass, paper, card, plastics, metal
- we re-use many materials for the boys' games or crafts, from toilet paper rolls to small boxes, or cider bottle cork stoppers, wrapping papers etc ...
- I re-use the inside of enveloppes from mails we get, for Etsy purposes
- the few times I have magazines, I keep the sheets I want to keep & re-sort it once again to keep the sheets with pretty photographies, that I'll be able to re-use as enveloppes
- I re-use as often as I can, from metal boxes, card boxes (or egg boxes, for instance). I re-use cardboard from Amazon deliveries for the inside part of my Felt Pics
- I use a Dyson, bag free hoover & throw the dust with the non-recyclable stuff
- I dust my furniture (and all the rest) with scraps of fabrics coming from old/salvage clothes, and wash them in machine with all the rest. No Swiffer stuff or aerosol
- I clean my windowpanes (not very often, I admitt, but that's a good thing for the environment !) with microfiber + a little soap + water
- we re-use old sponges & toothbrushes to clean muddy shoes, or for tricky/yucky jobs like these

SHOPPING / FOOD
- we don't have a car, and even though I have my driving licence, I won't drive, people are too mad on the roads !
- so I/we walk to the supermarket & health food store, no matter the weather, no matter the quantity of things to buy
- the food we eat (at home or that Chris takes at work) is ... I'd say ... 90% of the time organic or organically grown. Anyway it tastes better, you can find items you couldn't find non organic anyway
- we're doing our best to buy seasonal. We will NEVER buy tomatoes in winter or grapes in spring !
- I use either my shopping trolley or fabric totes when shopping, depending on the quantity/weight/volume of my purchases
- whenever it's possible, we buy our conserves/products in glass containers. It's forever recyclable.
- we try to not buy too much at the same time. We don't have much stock at home. We plan our meals on Sunday for the next 4 or 5 days & we make a list with what we need & always do our best to use a max of the things we already have at home. (mostly cereals or conserves or legumes)
- we are not vegetarian, but don't eat meat much at all. We hardly eat fish. Our sons do eat everything, but not much fish at all. We never eat red meat like beef, and we're eating less & less meat as time goes by. We try to compensate with cereals + legume, for instance

MISC
- when we go to our parents' or to Paris (not the same distance though !) we use the TVG (high speed train) or RER (express regional train). We walk a lot, so do our two sons. Boy they're not lazy when it comes to walking !
- I made a bird bath with a flower pot (upside down) & its saucer on top, and throw crumbs on the balcony for the birds to eat
- I do my best to MAKE a present (or a part of it at least) instead of buying it ready-made
- I do not use/wear/buy make up of any kind, not even a lipstick
- I do not use/wear/buy nail varnish (I know that these last two will kill some of my friends ... but nevermind)
- Chris uses Aleppo soap to shave & he's perfectly happy with it

WE'RE PLANNING TO
- ... to use bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate) instead of using (the already eco-friendly) softener
- ... to use soap bar instead of shower gels (that comes in plastic containers)
- ... not to buy another car, once we'll have moved back to the south, but renting one when we'll need one (we plan to live in the middle of the town)
- to make more instead of buying ready made, clothes or food speaking

...

OK, now this list is not exhaustive & I don't want to brag or anything. It's just a way for me to list the things we do or try to do, to make our planet a less polluted planet we & our ancestors've made so far. And, in a months time period, I'll see how our efforts will have been possible, realistic, positive, and also what new we'll have started to do.

I'll leave you with some inspiring links :

DAILY DANNY

HOW BIG IS YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

MOMMY'S FOOTPRINT - HOMEMADE & ECO-FRIENDLY CLEANING SOLUTIONS

TREE HUGGING FAMILY - 25 SAFE, NON-TOXIC, HOMEMADE CLEANING SUPPLIES

APPARTMENT THERAPY - DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR

I could find you tons of other links, but these are already great.
I'll just leave you with a photo of what my mom brought me yesterday, from the notion store/haberdashery's ... she's the best mama !! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY !! Btw, she absolutely loved everything in her birthday present ! :) We'll be baking Annabel Karmel's (buttery + strawberry jam) biscuits, as birthday "cake".
Have a great day everyone !!! Big hugs OXOXO And sorry if you fell asleep in the middle of today's entry LOL