{WIWW} Going Green

I feel like I'm starting to run out of outfits to share with you.  My closet is looking especially skim these days because there are fewer and fewer things that fit!  Although this isn't an outfit I have shown before, it is very similar to a couple previous posts.  The accessories are new though so I'll highlight them :)

This is the purse Chris got me for Christmas that I am in love with!!  I am typically not an impulse shopper, but I immediately knew I wanted this bag!  I love the design and leather trim.  It is a woven fabric, so it has some texture to it as well.

Because it was chilly outside I needed an ear warmer.  My mother-in-law gave me this for Christmas and I think its super cute and feminine.  I love the chunky knit and the flower!

And because I feel like my outfit (which is not the color green...) might not hold your attention that long I wanted to share some "green" lifestyle tips with you.  Its the new year and many people are interested in making lifestyle changes to live in a more environmentally sustainable or "green" manner.  Here are a few easy tips that might fit into your routine.

Purse- Spartina449 Ear Warmer- Kirklands Sweater- LL Bean Leggings- Pea in the Pod Maternity Boots- Nine West Outlet (old)

Going Green...
1. Cloth napkins- Cloth napkins are an EASY way to cut down on the amount of paper waste from your kitchen.  They are not that expensive and for you savvy shoppers- you can certainly find nice ones at Home Goods or even thrift stores.  I'm not really sure how but we've accumulated A LOT over the past several years.  We have a drawer of them in the kitchen.  Because it is typically only my husband and I, I admit that we sometimes re-use them for a couple nights if they don't get soiled.  If they do, they simply get tossed into a basket on the stairs that goes up to the washer/hamper when it gets full.  Easy.  And it looks super fancy if you have guests over for dinner :)  
I also don't use a lot of paper towels in the kitchen.  I use a towel by the sink to dry my hands that gets thrown in the infamous stair basket every morning (and replaced with a fresh towel for the day) or if it gets soiled.  I have several rags under the sink for cleaning up spills that again go straight to the laundry.  We do lots of laundry around here anyways, so the napkins and towels just get tossed right in and I never know the difference.

2. Norwex/Cleaning with Water- Norwex is my new favorite company.  The company's mission is "to improve quality of life by radically reducing the chemicals in personal care and cleaning."  The beauty of it is that you don't have to purchase a lot of "green" cleaning products either!  The microfiber cleaning cloth is their diamond gem.  Their microfiber cloths are woven with a very high thread count (which also makes them super absorbent) containing silver particles, which is a natural anti-microbial.  These cloths are just about ALL I use now for cleaning.  Yes, that's right I clean with water and cloth.  The cloths dry very quickly and because the silver kills the bacteria and microbes they don't smell!!  It cleans windows and mirrors beautifully with no streaks and no ammonia smell.  I keep one cloth in my kitchen that I wipe down counters, table, sink, and baby hands with etc.  Another one in the upstairs bathroom that I use the clean my showers, counter tops, mirrors, and toilets.  And finally a third in the downstairs bathroom that cleans my windows and powder room.  We've been doing this for several months now and LOVE it!  I love that I can clean real quick while Phoebe is there without worrying about her touching some chemical or breathing in some chemical residue.  I use the dry cloths for dusting and they really do capture more dust that my previous methods.  They have made my life and my cleaning routine 10X easier...no joke.

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For the floors I use a steam mop, which I like but now I am really wanting the Norwex mop system since I am so impressed with this company.  I was reading how someone was mopping and had to run back across the floor for something and burned her feet as a result of all the chemicals!!  Ouch!  Do you want your kids eating off those chemicals on the floor?  Wait, what?  You don't let your kids eat off the floor?  Hmm, oh well.

I do still use chemicals in my toilet to clean the bowl.  I haven't found a great alternative; I've heard wonderful things about BioKleen products, but haven't tried any yet.  And I also use Seventh Generation Wipes on the kitchen counter after having out raw meat.  Norwex claims you can wipe up raw chicken guts, rinse, and keep on going, but I haven't gone that far yet.  For normal germs, bacteria, and cleaning it is fine, but raw meat is a whole other ball game... But seriously, you should check out Norwex.  I only have 3 cleaning cloths, but I want a lot more of their products now.  I am sold.

3. Homemade Laundry Detergent- You can read about my homemade laundry detergent here.  It is significantly cheaper than commercial detergents and uses all natural ingredients.  I've been making our laundry detergent for over a year and love it.

4. Use your own grocery bags- This one is not novel folks.  My recommendation is to keep a couple sets of bags in each of your cars so you are never left without.  After you empty them stick them under or with your purse so they make it back out to the car next time you're headed out.  Not only are you saving LOTS of plastic bags, but it is simply easier to bring your groceries into the house and out to the car when you can toss the bag over your shoulder.  You can even find cute ones these days!  I recommend ones that have a wide-base sturdy bottom as well.

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5. Cloth diapers- This might be a stretch for a lot of you and that's ok.  I'll admit that it is certainly not for everyone, but we LOVE our cloth diapers.  (Yes, even my husband loves them.)   I love not purchasing diapers all the time and not throwing them away to pile up in a landfill.  (Plus I really think the chemicals they use in the disposable diapers stink!  I hate the smell of them now.)  Click here to read more about our experiences with cloth diapers.

6. Recycle, recycle, recycle-  Just do it.

7. Compost-  Ok, we started composting last fall after my absolute garden fail.  I have read that compost and good soil are the keys to a successful garden.  I was determined to try again in 2013 armed with  good soil to try to grow sweet potatoes (among other things) that look better than this...

Hence the beginning of my compost pile.  I collect my compostable waste in a small plastic bag lined bowl on my counter.  When we head downstairs to the car go to somewhere I grab the bag and dump it in the compost bin.  We have also added dead leaves from the fall foliage to the compost.  I was going to make my own compost bin from a large tin trash can, but I found this one on Amazon for less money than a whole can I would have to use metal sheers to cut.  Bingo.  I like easy.  The great thing about a compost pile is you just throw stuff in and let nature do its work.  Very minimal time commitment and maintenance.  Here's to the start of a successful 2013 garden...

What tips do you have for "green" living?

Linking up with Shanna,  The Pleated Poppy, and MOHTH