Crunchy Chicken recently wrote about
the relationship between personal cleaning habits and environmental impact. She mentions that 30 years ago the idea of skipping a shower was more acceptable than today, which got me thinking about "bad" health/hygiene habits that turn out to be inadvertently good for the environment or "good" environmental health/hygiene habits that turn out bad for the individual's health and wellbeing. I decided to do a top ten "gross" green habits to explore the topic of conventionally nasty things that help save our earth.
- Nasal Nastiness - Last February I talked about switching from Kleenex to Hankies. Many months and a bought of the bird flu later, I've back slid into paper Kleenex, but I had some previously unappealing habits that actually are better for the environment. I'm talking about blowing your nose on dirty laundry and towels. I've actually read about folks doing this intentionally to cut down on paper product usage and why not really? My nose tends to run after a hot shower so I would blow my nose on the towel if I had already used it a few days. It's not extremely sanitary but never killed me.
- Is that National Forest or you just happy to see me? - Society is crazy over hair removal from the pits to the pelvis and beyond. I wouldn't cry about if it went out of vogue. I kind of wonder what my legs would look like if I never started shaving them. Yet, with the cost of razor cartridges and the number of blades increasing, it's economical and eco-friendly to adopt the use of a straight or safety razor. Since I have a strong desire to keep the skin in my armpits and on my legs, I've decided not to go the straight razor route but am looking for an alternative.
- They call me mellow yellow - I've already mentioned how I feel about not flushing after number one. It's purely psychological but if you peed at someone's house and didn't flush their reaction probably wouldn't be "Oh! Thanks friend! You're so eco-conscious." Instead it's more like "Ummm, did somebody pee?"
- Sure? Unsure! - Many people are giving up conventional antiperspirants and deodorants that contain aluminum. In it's place everything from baking soda to Vodka is being used. I've tried Tom's of Maine natural deodorant but still most often use Degree because even aluminum doesn't totally stop me from sweating. The "natural" ingredients certainly don't make a dent in the perspiration.
- Ultra-soft toilet... what?! - Not Charmin or even paper. I'm talking about toilet cloths. Yes, my friends. It's funny that people will deal with cloth diapers but not toilet cloths. In my experience baby poo is 2-3x more lethal than it's adult counterpart. You never hear about cloth adult diapers either. I'm sure seniors love the environment too, but I don't see anyone with cloth Depends. And forgoing the wipeage entirely or improper wiping could lead to urinary tract infections, especially in women. Just sayin'
- That's not a mound of rotting biomass that's my compost pile - Technically if you're composting correctly, it should have a pleasant earthy smell but most people these days like their homes Febreezy not earthy. Even the best smelling compost pile has an odor that may not be drawing people over in delight.
- BYO Container (filled with germs) - I love that people are cutting down on waste by bringing their own coffee mugs and Tupperware containers when making purchases, but every time I read story about such dealings part of me cringes. Bulk bins and self serve bars are already a haven for potential uncleanliness. Now let's add outside unregulated sanitation habits to the mix! Mmmm can you say Salmonella? Honestly, I don't know what the real risk is but it cannot be more sanitary to bring your own container.
- No one not even the rain (barrel) has such small hands - Rain barrels seem like a great way to collect runoff to water your garden, but standing water es no bueno in areas where mosquitoes and the diseases they harbor are a problem. I know there are additives you can use to deter the lil blood suckers but who wants to add something to their water that's going to end up on plants you may eat? West Nile! Weeee.
- Can it, fool! - Home canning is a great idea unless you do it wrong. The potential consequences include botulism which produces a neuro toxin that is one of the most potent known to man. I know what you're thinking. Food poisoning or unintentional beauty remedy!
- Let it all hang out - I keep reading articles about the importance of hand washing after handling wet laundry, and that electric dryers kill some bacteria. I'm not sure line drying has the same magnitude of sanitizing effect. I've read the sun has an anti-bacterial effect but what if it's cloudy or Seattle? Actually, some claim line drying is more clean than using a dryer. However, I do all of my loads on cold and don't get the benefit of hot water and bleach.
Also thanks for all the input yesterday on climate change. I've decided I'm not going to abandon anything I'm currently doing to lower my carbon footprint, but I will be doing some independent research into the science behind this issue.
14 comments:
Great post! It's amazing how things that used to be acceptable changed and now we think that's how it's always been.
But all the rain barrels I've seen have been completely covered to prevent mosquitos and keep animals out of the water.
This is why I don't can. That and I'm lazy.
Oh, also, about the bulk bins? I feel you, but then I realized that I've never had any issue getting candy from bulk bins or getting fruit from a produce section which is arguably worse since people are always feeling up fruit to see if it's ripe or not. So I think it's just what you're used to versus what you're not. Besides there's very little in bulk bins that I get that I eat raw. So I figure cooking it up will kill of any bacteria. (And in the case of bulk beans or bulk rice, I wash that anyway.)
really good point about the cooking and the fruit arduous!
Thanks will! I didn't realize they are usually covered.
Here are my 2 cents. Spend them wisely.
#4 Sure/Unsure: I don't think any of the "natural" products claim to be antiperspirant, they are strictly deodorant. So, you'll still sweat, you just won't stink. This is one area, I have been terrified to naturalize... But, I did a weekend test, using only baking soda on my pits. I even attended a fairly strenuous vinyasa yoga class... And, I'm here to report: NO STINK!!! Sweat, yes, but stink - NONE to be found. I was flabbergasted. I was just sure that there were a whole lot of stinky folks posting on all these green blogs about how they don't use antiperspirant because of the evils of aluminum. So, I stretched my weekend test into this work week and it's gone fairly well. One fair warning though. I did have to rest from the baking soda for a day because I went a little crazy, used too much and guess what, baking soda is abrasive. I had a bit of a rash in the pits. Not comfortable. So, use it lightly and it does prevent the funk. I may use it during the winter and the fair seasons here just to cut down on my plastic garbage. OH... also, I didn't tell my husband I was doing this and he never commented that I stunk.
#7 BYO container... This had never occurred to me. I work in the health care industry and around a lot of weird germophobe types. Some of them don't like people bringing their own bags to the grocery stores because they could be bringing cockroaches from home into the stores. These are hospice nurses and so they see the insides of a lot of people's homes... But I still think your own containers, bags, etc is the best way to go.
#10 Laundry. I think that when you line dry it is probably best to go ahead and use warm water and bleach. I would anyway. I use a dryer though (because I'm lazy) and so I do all of my laundry in cold water.
Man, I guess I'm a gross greenie because I don't find any of your top 10 to be gross or dangerous. I can see where you're coming from with the hygeine thing but I think we are overly obsessed with hygeine, to our own detriment (e.g. antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria).
1. snot rags - you know my stance here and so far I haven't come down with any horrible diseases.
2. shaving - I just don't do it. sometimes I'm a little embarassed but I remind myself that I'm paving the way for society as a whole to change.
3. mellow yellow - pee is sterile, although it does smell so I can understand the objection. I think composting toilets with lots of sawdust or other absorbent material are the best option but I haven't convinced Will yet.
4. deodorant - I haven't found a great solution for this yet but I'd rather smell a little than increase my risk for Alzheimers.
5. toilet paper - I think this is a social thing. I'm trying to work up the courage to use cloth toilet paper. Maybe it will be easier when I have a baby and get used to changing diapers...
6. compost - well managed compost smells pretty good and so do worm bins but it does take some work and might not be appropriate in dense neighborhoods.
7. byo container - it just makes so much sense to reuse containers! I hear the concern, though, and have no idea what the risk factor is. Might be interesting to study.
8. rain barrel - there are lots of ways to avoid mosquitoes. It's a definite issue but it's doable.
9. home canning - this is a case of calculated risk. I think it's totally reasonable for some products (like high acid tomatoes or high sugar jelly or pickles) but it is a little risky for low acid things like green beans. Still, for me it's a question of control. Either I can do something myself and take all the possible careful steps I can, or I buy it at the store and take it on faith that the government has ensured that it was properly done.
10. laundry - I think sun exposure is extremely anti-bacterial. And I don't understand what possible threat people think is lurking in their laundry. I mean, there might be some mildew if you really let it hang around wet for awhile, but you would smell that. What are you afraid of?
Anyway, just my two cents, or maybe more like two dollars at this rate! :)
Maggie said, "5. toilet paper - I think this is a social thing. I'm trying to work up the courage to use cloth toilet paper.
I think cloth wipes are gross. And extra laundry. Just use a spray bottle. I only use toilet paper for #2 now, and it is so SO awesome. One roll of recycled TP lasts me over a month!!
I have to defend the Tom's deodorant for a sec - realizing this is way TMI, but I am a sweaty girl. And I'm always either biking as fast as I can or running places b/c I'm constantly either late or on the brink of lateness, so I've gone through my share of deodorants. I tried some brand - Jason, I think - a few years ago and it was pleasant for no one, but the Tom's works better than any normal deodorant I've ever used (and I've probably tried most brands at some point, over the years). The sweat is less and the only stinkiness I've noticed was on a backpacking trip (where it's just gonna happen). So - totally a matter of personal chemistry, I know, but it works great for some!
Yeah, I think I'm psychologically attached to my Degree rather than Tom's because I still get stinky with Degree too.
Doc,
Here's another one: paper seat covers. Is there any documented case of someone getting seriously ill from a toilet seat? There is an art to using a bathroom in NYC - always look before you sit, and wipe the seat with a coupla squares of paper. And of course you wash your hands after!! But the seat cover? Seems like the death of an innocent tree to me. Not to mention the transport of those things around the nation, perhaps even the world. Let me know if you can find compelling evidence for me to change my lifelong no-seat-cover doctrine.
You've touched on something that runs very, very deep in the USA: our cultural notions of cleanliness and beauty. I like to call it the Beauty Industrial Complex, where health and beauty get smashed up together and then constantly thrown back at us by commercial tv, magazines, and movies. Scary stuff.
cheers,
Megan
In place of toilet paper, would you consider using a lota. The description is here -- the part about it being used in the south Asian subcontinent.
err forgot the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lota_(vessel)#Other_facts
I dunno if I'm too keen to try large scale line drying here in Seattle... It's great in the summer when we get a lot of sun, but the rest of the year is just too drippy and dim. I do use the shower as a steamer for my clothes, tho, and we use gas dryers (they heat up a lot faster and stay hot so the next load takes half as long) and front-loading, cold water washers.
You have to check out a great rain barrel site - http://www.aquabarrel.com
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