Simple Changes

I always find it alarming how much chemicals there are in the products we buy – chemicals that not only hurt us physically but hurt the environment as well.

I’ve been slowly replacing all my regular products with “chemical free” products and I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well they work.  One example is fabric softeners and disposable dryer sheets (such as Bounce).

Did you know that most fabric softeners and disposable dryer sheets are made up of toxic chemicals, which gets transferred to your clothes? When I think about babies and children wearing these clothes and possibly putting them in their mouths, it is quite disturbing.

I’ve switched from disposable dryer sheets to a product called “Static Eliminator” which is reusable dryer sheets. They are 100% hypo-allergenic, environmentally friendly and work really well to reduce static and keep clothing soft. The best news is that they last for more than 500 loads, which means you save money too!

You can find our dryer sheets at any Home Hardware Store (called Natura Static Free Dryer Sheets)  or at your local health food store. If they don’t have them in stock, they should be able to order them in. Alternatively, visit the manufacturer’s web site for this at www.staticeliminator.ca and other environmentally friendly products.

Originally posted in the Airdrie Echo October 3, 2007

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I was walking my dog the other day and passed someone sitting in a car. They were obviously waiting for someone because the car was still running. I didn’t think much about it until I came back from my walk 20 minutes later and the same person was in the car waiting… and the car was still running.

The next day I drove my son to the bank and turned off my car to wait while he did his banking. I was surprised to see how many other cars pulled up and left their cars running as they ran into the bank.

I can understand cars idling when the temperature is -40C otherwise they may not start again. But to do so when it’s nice outside just doesn’t make sense to me. Not when you realize the amount of exhaust if everyone is doing it.

Let’s do our part and turn off our cars when not driving. In that small way we will be doing our part for the environment and enjoying the clean air.

Originally posted in the Airdrie Echo July 25, 2007

Filed under: Earth | Tagged: Environment | Leave a comment »