GREEN list

Green Listed

Here’s a running tally of all the green changes Vanessa at Green as a Thistle has made.  I am trying to follow her lead and see how I measure up and what changes I need to make.

CHANGES THAT I NEED TO MAKE

1. Switching to 100% recycled, unbleached paper towels – JUST REALIZED I HAVEN’T
2. Giving up my electric heating pad – N/A
3. Banning all styrofoam (no excuse for delivery or take-out, either) – TRY TO AVOID
4. Switching to Preserve recycled toothbrush
5. Turning down my thermostat – CHECK! (Victor always complains that it’s cold!)
6. No more bottled water (only tap water, using Nalgene/stainless steel bottles) – HALF WAY THERE…REUSE…REUSE…REUSE WITH TAP WATER & THEN RECYCLE ALL BOTTLES
7. Switching to organic conditioner
8. Switching from disposable tape-based lint rollers to classic felt ones – CAN’T SAY I EVER USE ONE
9. Eating ‘locally’ (within Canada and the U.S., restaurants and alcohol not yet included) – WORKING ON…NEED TO DO BETTER!
10. Making all my bills electronic only. – CHECK!
11. Checking tire pressure on my car. – DON’T HAVE A CAR!
12. Not buying a microwave (yes, disputable, see the post for comments) – DON’T HAVE ONE OF THOSE EITHER.
13. Switching to all-natural, biodegradable handwash with recyclable container – MADE THE SWITCH TO MR. BRONNER’S
14. Switching to non-toxic, phosphate-free dishwasher detergent – DON’T HAVE A DISHWASHER, BUT HAVE CHANGED TO ECOVER DISH SOAP.
15. Running outside only (no treadmill) – CLEARLY, SEE RUNNING ENDEAVOR. I DO WORK IN A GYM, BUT HAVE ONLY BEEN USING THE ROWER (SELF-POWERED)!
16. Using tote bags, no more plastic bags – REALLY TRYING. REFUSE PLASTIC BAGS ALL OF THE TIME!
17. Switching to 100% recycled toilet paper – CHECK! (Victor & I actually had bit of a discussion about this last week in the grocery store…I WON!)
18. Cancelling my cable, using TV only for watching movies – THAT MAY NOT BE HAPPENING ANY TIME SOON. I SPENT 3 YEARS WITHOUT TV AND CABLE…DOES THAT COUNT?
19. Switching to corn-based, biodegradable cat litter – WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT!!
20. Giving up disposable tissues, using only handkerchiefs – USE TOILET PAPER, BUT SHOULD WORK ON THIS!
21. Using only all-natural, organic body lotions
22. Permanently getting rid of any aerosol cans at home
23. Changing over to all-natural glass and surface cleaner
24. Signing up with my local Freecycle Network, making my first exchange
25. Making sure all the lights are turned off before I leave home – CHECK! I’VE BEEN AWARE OF THIS SINCE I WAS A KID…THANKS POP!
26. Switching to 100% natural body wash
27. Using chemical-free, reusable cloth static-cling sheets in the dryer – RARELY USE DRYER SHEETS
28. Unplugging all appliances, equipment, chargers, wall warts etc. that aren’t in use – CHECK! HAVE BECOME A BIT OCD ABOUT THIS!
29. Refusing to use any disposable plastic cutlery or plates – TRYING REALLY HARD
30. Not driving my car on weekends – AGAIN, NO CAR!
31. Putting away my humidifier for good to save water and electricity – N/A
32. Only using a thermos for take-out coffee and tea – TAKE COFFEE IN A THERMOS TO WORK EVERYDAY…AND EVEN REUSE (YES, REUSE) TO-GO CUPS IF I HAVE TO BUY COFFEE
33. No more gift wrap, other than newspaper or magazines from around the house – HARDLY EVER NEED…BUT WILL MAKE A SWITCH WHEN NECESSARY
34. Changing all my light bulbs to CFLs – CHANGING ONE AT A TIME
35. Switching to Eco-Dent floss, which comes in a recyclable paper box
36. Only drinking fair-trade, organic (and locally roasted/distributed, if possible) coffee – HAVE BEEN FOR OVER A YEAR!
37. Using only beeswax candles; or soy-based, as long as there’s no paraffin in them – NOT A BIG CANDLE PERSON
38. Returning my wine bottles to the Beer Store for a deposit so they’re recycled properly – WE JUST DON’T DRINK MUCH ANYMORE…BUT WHEN WE DO…WE ALWAYS RECYCLE!
39. Switching to all-natural toothpaste
40. Changing over to a natural laundry detergent – CHECK! MADE THE SWITCH LAST WEEK
41. Eating only free-range, organic, hormone-free (and if possible local) meat, restricting my intake of beef and chicken to no more than once per week
42. Not buying any more petroleum-based bath poufs and loufas – N/A
43. Signing up at GreenDimes.com to block junk mail and plant a tree every month
44. Being conscientious about how much water I use; only turning on the taps at a “trickle” when washing hands or brushing teeth and keeping showers to five minutes – CHECK! ANOTHER THING THAT HAS BECOME A BIT OCD! EVEN MADE SURE WE HAVE A “LOW-FLOW” SHOWERHEAD!
45. Using the air-dry function on my dishwasher –HAHA! A DISHWASHER, THAT’S FUNNY! DEFINITELY DON’T HAVE ONE OF THOSE.
46. Consuming only locally brewed beer, organic when possible. – AGAIN, DON’T CONSUME TOO MUCH ANYMORE. BUT WHEN I DO, I DRINK A FAIR AMOUNT OF BROOKLYN BEER (BREWED WITHIN 2 MILES FROM ME…DOESN’T GET MUCH MORE LOCAL!)
47. No more using paper towels or hand-dryers in public bathrooms – THAT’S TOUGH. I THINK ABOUT IT EVERYTIME I DO, BUT NEED TO WORK ON THIS.
48. Investing in permanent laser hair removal rather than shaving or waxing forever – WOW! I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE ALTERNATIVES FOR RAZORS AND SHAVING CREAM..HADN’T THOUGHT ABOUT THIS & PROBABLY WON’T EITHER.
49. Only buying/eating local and fair-trade chocolate – CHECK!
50. Turning off my freezer (but not my fridge) – HAVE WAY TOO MUCH IN MY FREEZER FOR THAT!
51. Picking up litter when I see it, if there’s a garbage bin within sight and as long as it’s not totally rank – DO THIS A LOT, ESPECIALLY ON MY STREET, BUT COULD ALWAYS DO MORE!
52. Properly disposing of my used, non-rechargeable batteries at a local hazardous waste depot
53. Switching to eco-friendly dish detergent (for hand-washing dishes, not for in the dishwasher) – CHECK! SWITCHED TO ECOVER JUST RECENTLY.
54. Changing to all-natural, paraben-free lip balm – BEING THE CHAPSTICK (BLISTEX, RATHER) ADDICT THAT I AM…I HAVE MORE REASON TO GO BACK TO BURT’S BEES WAX NOW!
55. Only consuming locally grown, produced and cellared wine (from within Ontario) – AGAIN, NOT CONSUMING MUCH ALCOHOL THESE DAYS, BUT WILL BE MORE AWARE WHEN I DO.
56. Purchasing “green” baking soda, incorporating it into household cleaning in place of harsher chemicals like bleach – HAVE TO LOOK MORE INTO THIS
57. Switching to all-natural shaving cream

Switching to Preserve 100% recycled (and recyclable) razors

Only using one glass per day for water/milk/juice, one mug for coffee/tea and one wine glass – CHECK!

Spending part of each day educating myself about environmental issues – DOUBLE CHECK! I THINK I MAY NEED TO CUT DOWN SOME OF MY TIME SPENT ON THIS…

Using stainless steel, rather than non-stick, frying pan (takes less time to heat up) – CHECK. THAT’S ALL WE OWN (EXCEPT ONE SMALL NON-STICK THAT’S HARDLY USED).

Not buying any more Q-tips – WHOA! ALTHOUGH I THINK ABOUT THIS EVERYTIME I USE ONE…NOT SURE IF THAT WILL BE POSSIBLE…MAYBE CUT DOWN ON USING THEM.

Switching to all-natural deodorant

Recycling my used wine corks through the Bag-a-Cork program – AGAIN, NOT CONSUMING MUCH ALCOHOL THESE DAYS.

Giving up gum (especially the over-packaged kind) – CHECK! THANK GOODNESS I’VE NEVER BEEN A GUM FAN.

Not buying any more makeup remover pads – CHECK!

Turning my oven off for good – AS A BAKER, NOT GONNA HAPPEN!

Using all-natural bronzer – NEED TO BE USING SOMETHING!

Only buying/consuming loose-leaf tea in refillable packets – ALTHOUGH I DON’T DRINK MUCH TEA, TRYING TO BUY LOOSE CHAMMOMILE FOR VICTOR.

Switching to natural, organic shampoo

Only filling my kettle with the exact amount of water needed – NO KETTLE, BUT SHOULD DO THE SAME IN MY POT WHEN BOILING WATER FOR VICTOR.

Shutting down my computer every day at work instead of just logging off, as we’re told to do – I UNPLUG AT HOME, BUT I’M WORKING ON VICTOR TO DO THIS.

Not using the air-conditioning in my car – AGAIN, NO CAR

Following the “If it’s yellow, let it mellow…” rule – I TRY, BUT VICTOR ALWAYS COMES BEHIND ME AND FLUSHES (DEFEATING THE PURPOSE)…AND MY MOTHER HATES THIS

Using matches instead of lighters – RARELY EVER USE LIGHTERS, BUT I’LL MAKE SURE I NEVER DO

Carbon-offsetting all of my air travel – WELL…I WOULD IF I EVER TRAVELED!!

Using only the herbs and spices I can grow at home, either on my balcony or in my kitchen

Unplugging my whole fridge – NOT GONNA HAPPEN!

Weekly lobbying, letter-writing and petitioning on behalf of various environmental campaigns

Requesting that my in-flight meals be vegetarian – NO INFLIGHT MEALS FOR ME!

Not buying books from Amazon or Chapters/Indigo; only local, independent bookstores and only when necessary

Purchasing all my music in mp3 format rather than CDs – HAVEN’T BOUGHT A CD IN YEARS

Getting allergy shots instead of buying packs of antihistamine pills, eye drops and nasal sprays – N/A

Making sure there’s always at least one ‘green’ element in the gifts I give

Switching to an all-natural acne ointment

No more ordering food by delivery – RARELY DO, BUT DELIVERY HERE IS USUALLY DONE ON BIKE

No more take-out, unless I bring my own containers

Always asking for no receipt, unless I really need one – CHECK!

Refilling all possible bottles (toilettries and household cleaning products); bringing my own plastic food containers to the bulk bins at the grocery store – TRY TO ALWA

Switching to eco-friendly dry cleaners who don’t use heavy chemicals – RARELY USE DRY CLEANERS

Using a PVC-free shower curtain liner – N/A

Turning off my air-conditioning during the summer – TRYING TO USE IT LESS

Recycling anything and everything that can be recycled — no excuses – CHECK!

Switching to an all-natural, minimally packaged eyeshadow – RARELY USE OR BUY

Switching to a natural bar soap and investing in a 100% recyclable travelling case for it

Sleeping naked – CHECK!

Using a natural, mineral-based suntan lotion

Not having any more baths – NO BATH TUB!

Letting my hair air-dry – MOST DAYS I DO

Getting rid of face wash and makeup remover, using my bar soap instead

Ordering smaller, more eco-friendly business cards

Not using nail polish (or nail polish remover) – NEVER WEAR NAIL POLISH

Only watering my plants with greywater – NO PLANTS, BUT COULD FIND OTHER USES FOR GREYWATER

Only going to eco-friendly spas – N/A

Picking weeds (in mom’s garden) by hand rather than with pesticide – N/A