30 Days to Natural

From buying more organic produce to trying my hand at cloth diapering, I've slowly been dipping my toes into the waters of going green. Awhile ago, I started writing about the little lifestyle changes I was making after getting nauseated by the fumes of my cleaning products. MomCentral's latest blog tour about the new Clorox website 30 Days to Natural piqued my interest, so I decided to check it out.

You start by 'planting a daisy' and then have the option to have daily 'going green' tips sent by either phone or email. The site also gave a great overview of the new Clorox GreenWorks products including a list of ingredients, their applications and where you can purchase them. I also thought it was impressive that they had partnered with the Sierra Club and Design for the Environment, which I thought gave it all a little more credence.

My first email tip was "Stoke a green fire. Enjoy a cozy fire, but make sure it burns cleanly by using artificial logs made of wood only. Avoid those that contain paraffin, a petroleum-based by-product." I like that they aren't radical tips, but point out all the little things you can do on a daily basis to contribute. I know, for myself at least, that being environmentally friendly has been a much easier prospect when I don't have to take the all or nothing attitude.

When I logged onto the website on my second day, I had the following tip "Freshen up your air freshener. Create your own natural air freshener with water and lavender or lemon." See? Completely do-able.

There's also a one-page kitchen check-list flyer with simple tips like loading the dishwasher after each meal, but not running it until it's full. Easy steps like this make easing into the green world a lot less daunting. I've read some articles or lists of ideas and all I thought at the end was 'That sounds like a lot of work!" When you add the workload to parenting your kids and all that entails, it can be overwhelming and off-putting, albeit worth the effort.

Recently I decided to start using gDiapers, in conjunction with cloth diapers, while still using disposables at night. It will definitely be something to get used to, and I'll track my costs for a couple of months, but I can't see how I could possible spend more than disposable diapers on water and electricity since I have an energy efficient front-loader and All Free and Clear costs about $11 for the mega jug of concentrate at BJ's (I know, the name kills me every time too!).

While 81% of moms surveyed reported that they were 'green', it's important to remember that there are many shades of that color. I think our good friend Kermit didn't have all the facts; being green can be easy!

*The bag pictured can be purchased for $10 ($3.65 of which goes to the Sierra Club).