Vinegar Can Do Most Anything

Vinegar has a great variety of industrial, medical, and domestic uses.  My dad developed a vinegar and ice medley to sooth my high school boyfriend's sunburn - he smelled really funny (and didn't think it worked).  A few years ago my dad mixed apple cider vinegar and honey to cure my husband's hiccups -the taste alone reportedly scared away his hiccups.  Now my dad is cleaning his kitchen with vinegar in a spray bottle!  Dad - I am finally paying attention.  Even Wikipedia has an extensive entry on this liquid substance which consists mainly of acetic acid and water.  While I have long enjoyed balsamic vinegar on my Caprese salad, I have only recently learned about the earth-friendly applications of this non-toxic multipurpose solution.  


Vinegar is affordable and earth-friendly - even the organic varieties!  Did you know that vinegar is great for cleaning windows?  (This story link troubleshoots the streaks that you may experience:  http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-clean-with-vinegar.html.)  Mixed in equal parts with water, vinegar is also effective for cleaning microwaves, bathroom tiles, and kitchen surfaces.  Vinegar can also be used in gardening and laundry.  A 1001 ways to use vinegar in and around the home is available online at http://www.vinegartips.com.  I do also want to point out that I found a story on eight ways to NOT use vinegar (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-ways-not-to-use-vinegar.html).


After reading this post, I hope that you too will find inspiration to purchase a bottle of vinegar next time you are at the store and conduct your own experiments around the house!

Green Toys

For his birthday, my husband received a toy tugboat (and the girls LOVE to play with it).  His best-friend couldn't resist the gift because it was a tugboat and made from recycled materials!  The toy manufacturer is Green Toys(TM), a company that recycles milk jugs - more than 10 million and counting according to the company's website:  http://www.greentoys.com/.  All of the products are made in the USA and they are tested as safe (i.e. BPA-fee and  no tracable amounts of Phtalates).  

The toys look incredible and I think I have just found my Easter basket surprise for the girls, with the darling tea set. 

My Story on Recycling

I first learned the phrase "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" living in San Diego during my sixth-grade school year.  I have been a recycle promoter ever since.  My education and travel have given me the perspective that there are limited natural resources and pristine places on the planet. The site of a landfill is all the motivation I need now to keep me recycling!  The benefits of recycling far outweigh the minor inconveniences, and include:  energy and resource conservation, land conservation (fewer landfills), pollution reduction, and even economic benefits.  

My super cool sister and my parents believed in me and started asking house-party guests to recycle beverage containers and what-not.  In my experience this is not always an easy thing to ask which makes me that much prouder of my family.

In my neighborhood we pay Waste Management (approximately $20 per month) for the privilege to recycle.  The cost is amazing, if not ridiculous but even more amazing is that Waste Management will not accept glass in our recycling bin so for years we were driving to Magnolia to recycle our glass.  Then in 2010 my husband's best friend started recycling our glass at his home when his neighborhood became incorporated into the RecycleBank program offered through the City of Houston.  This program offers five "Points" for every two pounds of waste recycled and the "Points" can be redeemed online for a large variety of rewards.  You can find out more about RecycleBank online at www.Recyclebank.com.  I want to point out that you can earn "Points", regardless of where you live, by donating to Goodwill and/or doing a variety of other green good deeds.


I also want to share that on Earth911.com you will find a resourceful search tool to help answer your what can I recycle and where do I go to recycle questions.  I learned that there are approximately 1 million ways to recycle included on this website, covering more than 300 products.  How great is that?!?


Happy Recycling!

An Introduction to Green Choices

Being at home with my girls is so amazing.  What more, I have a supportive husband who believes in me and the positive difference that I can make in the world around us.  These last few months at home, as a full-time homemaker, I have realized that there are A LOT of decisions involved in making a happy home and creating a fun, healthy learning environment for my girls.  My desire to share my collection of experiences as a stay-at-home mom prompted me to consider developing a blog.  Remarkable to me is that with a blog I would be able to connect my two greatest passions:  caring for my family and protecting the natural world around us.

I made a decision to start my "Green Choices" blog for the following reasons:  to have fun and be creative, to challenge myself to write and maintain my knowledge on environmental science and policy, and then to share my discoveries about making better consumer choices for the environment and the health of family and friends.  To get organized, I developed an initial list of topics that I would cover.  These topics are quite varied and include:  recycling, organic foods, farmers markets, diapers and other baby products, water conservation and quality,  home cleaning products, and the benefits of having a library card.  Admittedly, over time this list of topics may change.  I will always welcome suggestions and questions on the topics that I cover.

Thank you for your time and attention.