Tree-free nose-wipes
Wendy Gordon, General Manager, National Geographic's TheGreenGuide.com
It's back to school time, which brings the return of those nasty colds that travel from kid to kid through the entire class. Did you know the average American uses 50 pounds of tissue paper per year? That equals a lot of felled trees if every pound comes from virgin pulp.
That fact drove me to start buying recycled-content paper products. I've learned with time to look for the highest content of "post-consumer waste," or PCW:
Marcal products are entirely recycled, and although they contain a relatively low level of PCW content, that brand is the one most commonly found in conventional grocery and drug stores.
Natural food stores will provide you with a greater selection of products with a higher PCW content, offering brands like Seventh Generation, Earth First, and -- at Whole Foods only -- 365.
If you're really dedicated to the cause, online retailer Green Earth Office Supply sells a Finnish brand of toilet paper called Heron's, which is 100 percent PCW and even comes without the pesky, albeit recyclable, cardboard roll.
For a complete list of recycled-content (and chlorine-free) paper products, you can download thegreenguide.com's Paper Products Smart Shopper's Card.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Tree-free nose-wipes.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://greenmoms.ivillage.com/system/mt-tb.cgi/5048
Another green household item that's great for the kids is dropps laundry detergent. They come in individual packets that dissolve in the washing machine. I was amazed at how much lighter the package is than the typical detergent jug or cardboard box, and much less wasteful. They have no enzymes, which often irritate my daughter's skin. I found the info and ordered some on dropps.com, but I think they are also sold at Whole Foods and Target.
The best tree-free nose wipe is a handkerchief. We cut way down on tissue use when we started using them for my daughter's 9-month runny nose. Plus, she had much less soreness and redness. I guess Grandpa had it right :-)
Over 90% of poisons happen at home. According to a 15-year study presented at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference, women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The study concluded that this was a direct result of the increased exposure to toxic chemicals, many of which are found in common household products.
More than 9 out of every 10 suspected poison exposures occur at home with household products. I have completely switched to Non Toxic HouseHold Products. If you are interested in changing your toxic products to non toxic products, I would suggest ordering Non Toxic Products if you have children or concerned for you helath.
The site to buy Non Toxic Household cleaning products is http://www.shaklee.net/ecohealthy/getclean
Hopefully, our next generation will be healthier and better educated about Toxic Chemicals at Home.
I prefer to shop my Office supplies products from OfficeDepot and OfficeMax stores at couponalbum.com..with good discounted prices..
instead of paper tissues, send the kids to school with a good old fashioned cloth handkerchief or two - wash it and re-use it.
Convictions of the Heart also has some great cleaning products. Environee and also the Ipax cleaning product. Not too expensive and the concentrated products are worth it as they clean great and are easy on your pocket.
Sorry, the web address for Convictions of the Heart is www.coheart.com
Great web site!
I need to find an alternative to Melamine dishes for kids. I think we all love the fact that they don't break but I am concerned about the Formaldehyde in them amongst other ingredients. Thanks
great stuff
Hankies are great. I buy a box of 35 each winter and keep some in each coat.
put one in the pocket of each coat your child wears to school or in a backpack.
Hi there! Your site is cool!
Shaklee products have made a huge differnce in my family's life. From the air purifier to the meal shakes (even the kids love them), to the vitamins and the cleaning products.
One of Oprah's favorite things...read more at www.shaklee.net/newyork
Hey I'm jumping on board the Shaklee advertisers here. GO GREEN for Green in your pocket.
The best way to save the green with George Washington on it and Create Green for the planet.
www.shaklee.net/creativehealth.
Hey I'm jumping on board the Shaklee advertisers here. GO GREEN for Green in your pocket.
The best way to save the green with George Washington on it and Create Green for the planet.
www.shaklee.net/creativehealth.
We also blog about creative ways to save time, money and the planet at www.greenbabyguide.com. In our family we use cloth handkerchiefs for colds, toilet paper made from recycled paper, and have managed to use rags instead of paper towels. Thanks for your insightful blog on going green!
cotton kithen towels and cotton hankies are all I have ever used. They are cheaper and do the job better. You cant raise bread under a paper towel.