In my everyday life I work hard to care for my little corner of the earth. I’m not perfect, but I try to make a difference. Whether it’s recycling, eating organic foods or supporting companies that share my views, I continue to plug along-taking baby steps towards making the world a better place.

Being green on vacation takes effort

I just landed from an incredible family vacation. Incredible in the sense that we just spent 10 days hanging out, eating well, watching the sun set and doing a whole lotta nothing-together.  What I noticed on this vacation is how easy it was to place most of my efforts to make the world a better place on hold.

Being green on vacation seems to be counter-intuitive. Vacation is for relaxing and letting go of all effort. So why does it take so much more of an effort to be green and make eco-friendly choices?

I think it comes down to being outside of our normal routine. Also, I’m relaxed and just plain lazy on vacation. Isn’t that a sign that the vacation is doing its job?

Now that I’m home I thought I would take a moment to reflect on my eco-errors and make a list of all the things I could have done to make this vacation, and all vacations, greener. I’m bringing this list with me next vacation!

How to have a green vacation

Bring reusable bags

There’s always enough room in the suitcase for a few reusable bags. We did a lot of grocery shopping this trip and it would have been nice to have my arsenal of reusable bags on hand.

Pack reusable water bottles

We all know that you can’t bring liquids through security. The solution is to pack a few empty reusable water bottles for the family. When you arrive at your destination fill them up and use them for the duration of the trip. Say goodbye to those plastic water bottles that are calling your name in every airport.

Conserve those towels and sheets

Many hotels have sheet and towel cards asking guests to consider not having sheets and towels changed every day. I don’t change my towels and sheets every day at home so why would I need that service on vacation? What a simple way to conserve water and energy.

Recycle

Our room didn’t have any recycling options. It would have been simple to designate one of the garbage cans as a recycling bin to use throughout our stay. There were recycling bins on the grounds which could have been used to dump the recyclables from our room.

Bottom line: Vacation is a lot of fun, but we all have to work a little harder to keep it green.

Are you as green on vacation?

Photo courtesy of my groovy husband, Joel.

I’m at the tail end of my wonderful staycation and already looking forward to the next. Maybe next time I’ll take a vacation to a far off exotic (or maybe not so exotic) place.  As a self-proclaimed “greenie” it has been at times challenging to find ways to make my travel eco friendly. Over the years I have gathered travel tips that have helped reduce my carbon footprint while on the road.

Here are my  10 Green Family Travel Tips which I shared with my friends over at Practically Green.

When you’re finished reading the post be sure to take a look around Practically Green’s site. Take the  Practically Green quiz to see how green you really are and discover what your next green steps could be. Let me know what you find.

What are your tips for greener travel?

[Photo used under Creative Commons from Abdallah/Flickr]

I’m headed to Utah to get in my last days of Spring skiing for 2011.  Hope everyone is doing something eco-fabulous this weekend.  See you back here on Tuesday.

Ski season 2011 is in full swing.  Here on the East Coast there is a mixture of  natural snow and the man-made stuff, making the conditions  perfect for any skier or rider.  Skiing truly is a great way for a family to spend quality time together in the great outdoors.

Wherever your skiing adventures take you, there are many ski resorts to choose from. Most of us choose a resort based upon location, but know little about the individual ski areas’ environmental practices and policies.

The Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition put together a guide of  the Top 10 and Worst 10 Western U.S. Ski Resorts based on the resorts environmental policies and practices. It is their mission to  provide ski areas with a standard on which to improve.

They used 4 categories to rank the resorts:

• Habitat Protection
• Protecting Watersheds
• Addressing Global Climate Change
• Environmental Practices and Policies

Here are the 2011 Top 10 Environmentally Friendly Ski Resorts:

1. Squaw Valley-California
2. Park City Mountain Resort-Utah
3. Alpine Meadows Ski Area-California
4. Aspen Mountain Ski Resort-Colorado
5. Aspen Highlands Ski Resort-Colorado
6. Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort-Colorado
7. Deer Valley Resort-Utah
8. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort-Wyoming
9. Sundance Resort-Utah
10. Bogus Basin Mountain Resort-Idaho

According to Norma Ruth Ryan of the Colorado Wild (the umbrella organization for  the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition), for the time being they have no intention of expanding their report card into the Midwest or East Coast.

So I am starting my own Top East Coast Environmentally Friendly Ski Resorts list:

1. Shawnee Peak in Bridgton, Maine is a wonderful family mountain. It has a long list of green initiatives, making it appear to be very eco-friendly.

Disclaimer: I didn’t use the same method used by the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition to make this determination. We ski at this mountain on a regular basis and see first hand how conscientious the mountain truly is.

When planning a family vacation-choose your ski resort wisely. By making eco-friendly  choices, you can encourage the improvement of environmental business policies and practices at ski resorts.

Know any other great, green resorts that should be included?

Interested in the list of the the 10 Worst Ski Resorts-click HERE.

*Top photo used under Creative Commons from Planetlight

By now you’ve heard about Bisphenol A (BPA), the hormone mimicking chemical linked to cancer.  It has been found on dollar bills, canned foods , and cash register receipts. According to The New York Times , there’s more bad news-another carcinogen, formaldehyde, could be lurking in and on our wrinkle-free products including: clothing, curtains, sheets and pillow cases, crib sheets, and baseball caps.

I can still smell the formaldehyde from my high school biology class-preserving that creepy tarantula in a jar. Formaldehyde is used to make clothing wrinkle-free and stain resistant by either soaking the fabric in formaldehyde or exposing the fabric to formaldehyde gases, and then baking the fabric at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It prevents the fibers in the fabric from wrinkling after being washed.

Photo used under Creative Commons from Miss Karen

Wrinkle-free clothing is offered by almost every big retailer- a dream come true for the traveler and for those of us with iron phobia. Big names such as Nordstrom and L.L. Bean offer many no-iron options.

A recent study by the Government Accountability Office,  the investigative arm of congress,  investigated the levels of formaldehyde in 180 different types of products.  They found that over 5% of the products tested  were  treated with an unacceptable amount of  resin that releases formaldehyde.  Most of the items in the 5% were wrinkle-free products such as sheets, shirts and pants.

So why the $%^&*@#  is formaldehyde on our clothing and in other household products?

The scary truth is that the United States does not regulate formaldehyde levels in clothing, most of which is now made overseas. The government has no requirement for any sort of disclosure to the consumer when formaldehyde is used.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF FORMALDEHYDE?

According to the National Cancer Institute, Formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Formaldehyde produces toxic fumes which, even in small amounts, can cause skin, eye,  nose and throat irritations. Long-term exposure and high concentrations of formaldehyde can lead to cancer.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO FORMALDEHYDE?

• Don’t buy wrinkle-free or “ready-to-wear” anything. FYI  Men’s shirts had some of the highest occurrences of formaldehyde.
• ALWAYS wash clothing, bedding and curtains before using.
• Avoid buying furniture that has been glued with formaldehyde-based glue and is painted with formaldehyde laden paint.
• There are companies out there that don’t use formaldehyde-contact manufacturers directly to see if they use it and support those that don’t.
• There needs to be a requirement for the disclosure of the use of formaldehyde in our clothing and other household products just as much as we have the right to know the ingredients in our food.  Time to put on the ol’ legal hat and start writing to those that can make a difference. Anyone care to join?

For now, I’m thinking about busting out that iron and getting to work. My kids have only seen an iron used with Perler Beads.

If this post helped you, please share. And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook!

*Top photo used under Creative Commons from Boujiandnouna

Photo used under Creative Commons from Nancy JonesFrancis

Most of us think of dental floss as one of those relatively insignificant bathroom products.  A forgotten toothbrush on a trip is always replaced; forgotten floss can wait until we get home.  But the bottom line is that flossing can extend your life and improve your gum health-yes it can! Brushing your teeth without flossing is like cleaning 70% of your body.  Everyone should be flossing-if you have teeth you should floss.

The amount of dental floss sold in the US each year could span the distance from the earth to the moon and back four times!  As a result, the production and disposal of dental floss have a tremendous impact on the environment.

The dangers in dental floss?

• Petroleum-Most dental floss is made from nylon, which is a petroleum based product.  Nylon, like most petroleum products, has a very slow decay rate and will sit in landfills for a long time before decomposing. It shouldn’t be flushed down your toilet-it could cause a blockage in the sewer pipes.
• Teflon-Most floss is coated with a type of Teflon-yes, think non-stick cookware-called PTFE.   The EPA has found these coatings to be highly toxic-causing all sorts of health issues including various forms of cancer.
• More petroleum-Waxed floss is generally coated with petroleum based synthetic wax.
• The containers that house the floss are also petroleum based-plastic.

Safer solutions-natural dental floss

• Lessen your impact by choosing floss that is not coated with petroleum derived products
• Use less floss
• Reuse your floss-not so sure about this one.
• Find brands without PTFE-Teflon
• Choose floss coated with a natural wax or no wax
• Look for minimal or recyclable packaging

Here are some natural brands to check out:

• Toms of Maine Spearmint Floss-a nylon floss with a natural wax coating. I use this and really like it.
• Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil Waxed Dental Floss Tape-a naturally waxed floss that contains no alcohol or artificial detergents, colors or synthetic perfumes and no animal ingredients or testing.
• Eco-Dent Natural Dental Care, Gentle Floss -no petro-wax used and eco-friendly floss packaging.
• RADIUS Natural Silk Floss, Waxed, Round, Waxed, Cranberry, 55-Yards (Pack of 6)–pure, natural organic silk that is naturally biodegradable. Silk is frowned upon by many animal rights activists.

Remember you don’t have to floss all your teeth-just the ones you want to keep!

Have you tried any of the natural brands?

Disclosure: If you order floss through the Amazon links I will receive a few pennies.  Thank you!

I am not feeling so groovy or green right now.

I was in a little, itty, bitty car accident a few weeks ago.  Everyone was fine, but my minivan took a beating. Today my van went into the shop for an overhaul-compliments of the sweet- 17 year old-newbie-driver’s insurance company.

My HUGE rental car

Needing a temporary replacement- I was able to “choose” from a slim selection of rental cars. Having 3 children, car seats, a dog, lots of sports gear and needing extra space for extra kids, I was looking for a car that could hold more than 5.  There was only one option-a HUGE, 8 passenger SUV, looking lonely and waiting for little ol’ me to take it home.

My everyday ride is a minivan-filled to the brim with all the conveniences any car driver could ask for.  Before entering parenthood I took a vow that many of us took-I would never, ever drive a minivan.  If I caved I knew it would symbolize my surrender to domestic, suburban tedium-relinquishing every last shred of hip and coolness that was o-so-evident in my pre-parenting years. When child number 3 was on his way the vow fell by the wayside and I got myself my very own van.

As I pulled out of the rental lot in this enormous SUV I caught a glimpse of myself in the glass window.  A thought immediately went through my head: I am in this colossal rental SUV, I own and drive a minivan and both are not very green!

Minivans and SUVs-Not So Green

Our automotive choices have a massive impact on the environment. Both SUVs and minivans guzzle petroleum, get relatively poor gas mileage and rely solely on gasoline for power.  Gasoline fumes are toxic and carcinogenic, causing smog and pollution.

All gas fueled vehicles create large amounts of  greenhouse gases which are the gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect – the warming of the Earth’s climate due to the major buildup of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and other gases in the atmosphere.

What’s a suburbanite with a green conscience to do?

Is it possible to find a car that is cool, hip and ecologically friendly?

My van is logging in somewhere close to the 100,000 mile marker.  Still in great shape,  I am beginning to contemplate what ride is next in line.

Greener Car Options

Alternative fueled vehicles are powered by fuels that are derived from resources other than petroleum. Some of these fuels are produced domestically, reducing our dependence on imported oil, and some are derived from renewable resources.  Often, these fuels produce less pollution than gasoline or diesel.

Here are a few examples of alternative vehicles:

• Hybrids are much more ecologically friendly than their petroleum guzzling counterparts, and in general the emissions of Hybrid cars are  at or below the level set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Hybrids use  electric motor and battery storage to maximize the fuel economy from standard gasoline-burning engines.
• Diesel cars and trucks deliver great fuel economy, 20 to 30 percent better than comparable vehicles with gasoline engines. You’ll use less fuel as you drive and fill up your tank less often. They produce 20-30 percent less carbon dioxide, the major automotive emission classified as a greenhouse gas. Long gone are the diesel cars that were smelly and noisy-they are now quiet and clean.
• Plug-in electric cars let you drive gas-free and without tailpipe emissions. These cars have to be plugged in to charge and the distance they will travel depends upon how much charge there is. No gas is required, making these cars one of the greenest options.
• Flexible fuel vehicles can  run on a fuel mixture up to 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline.

With all these great green options there are still not many choices for my family of 5- plus dog.  Most of the cars available are too small.

Come on car companies-get it together and show us a green hip, cool car that can hold larger families. The demand is there but there is not much available to meet the consumer’s needs.

For now I am staying put in my not-so-groovy green, but convenient, gas guzzling minivan until I find something that will provide better gas mileage and lower emissions.

Do you have a car that fits the bill-hip, cool and ecologically friendly? Must be ready, willing and able to hold three children, a dog and lots of other stuff.

Sources:

A Student’s Guide to Alternative Fueled Vehicles

What is a Hybrid Vehicle

Green Car Buying Guide