Remember Malcolm of Ecostore — the greeny who shared his story of living in a New Zealand ecovillage? Well, besides talking permaculture, Malcolm also talked green cleaners with me — a topic I'm borderline obsessed about after having researched many stories on what's in cleaners (and how it can affect the health of your home.) When I get into a conversation with a friend about green cleaners, the first thing I'm typically asked is whether any green cleaner works. I think that's an old misconception that green equates to ineffective. Technology has come a long way, and you can pack your cleaners with effective ingredients that are not toxic (it just may cost a smidge more.) I'm personally not a big fan of homemade cleaners — I think that's where you can run into the problem of cleaners being ineffective. But I have a number of green cleaning brands I'm quite loyal to and love— and Ecostore is one. Here's more from Malcolm on cleaning green — and below is info on the giveaway!
What makes green cleaners better for the planet?
Most
cleaners and body products and pet products are still based on the
petroleum industry. You can burn it in your car or use it for cleaning
your home. When you use plant-based cleaners, you're carbon neutral.
You want to be healthy. Using green cleaners gets rid of unnecessary
chemicals in your life.
Do plant-based green cleaners work?
Nature is not a sissy.
[my favorite green swap quote!] Some of those oils that come from
nature are a powerful thing, and chemists are getting better at making
them more effective.
If you could remove one toxic cleaner from every cleaning caddy, what would it be?
I
would always go for the laundry detergent. The residues on your clothes
are on your skin 24/7. You’ve got to be naked not to have this active
stuff next to your skin. Change your laundry detergent for the biggest
impact. The detergent residues are up against you all the time —
unrelenting. EDTA and optical whiteners are strong residues that can
affect your nervous system.
[a peek at the ecostore line of cleaners — green, effective, and cute packaging to boot!]
And here's Malcolm on being greener in his everyday life — I love his tip about using the library. I'm guilty of being attached to my Amazon wishlist, and I think it's true that borrowing books is a better option.
1. three simple ways you've gone greener
+ walking — our house is deliberately close to the ecostore office (and my
favourite café for my morning coffee) so that allows me the time and pleasure
of walking more.
+ I use the public library. I believe that consumption is overvalued in the
western world and contributes a lot to the problems of waste. I read a lot and
it feels better to borrow books rather than buy them.
+ I buy quality secondhand goods rather than new ones whenever I can.
2. what was your last green purchase
I
bought a Hybrid car. I believe in buying less often and spending my money on
quality items that will really last. In addition to being a dream to drive
(after years of grinding along in my old diesel van running on recycled fish
and chip oil) it helps me feel better about travelling 3 hours every two weeks
so that I can spend time at the eco village.
3. one green initiative you'd like to see enacted in your community
composting
toilets — I had this idea that if the council provided a system to remove the
waste it would make it more possible and more inviting for people to move away
from flush toilets. Saving on an incredibly precious resource — water — and
creating valuable compost.
+ edible
gardens in public parks. We have a fruit here called the feijoa, which kids love,
and I think it would be great to see them freely available, preferably planted
on walking school bus routes.
4. best green gift you've given, received, or coveted
My wife bought me a really heavy duty raincoat and rain pants because she knows I hate getting wet and it means that I can still walk to work in the rain even though I'm really tempted to drive.
5. hardest habit to break to be more eco-friendly
Travel. My work takes me all over the world, for which I am really grateful, but at the same time, I'm aware of the impact flight travel is having on climate change. And my passion for spending more time at the eco village means I travel between there and the city (a 3-hour drive) about every two weeks. Luckily, I have planted thousands of trees over the last 25 years, so I have a bit of Carbon up my sleeve.
6. three ways you want to be greener this year
buy less. buy quality that lasts. insulate my house better. invest in water tanks to catch the roof water for the garden.
Ecostore is offering a kit of their Ecostore green cleaners + body care to one lucky Haystack Needle reader! Here's what it will include (one of each): lemon cleanser, laundry liquid, oxygen whitener (my favorite!), dish liquid, lemon citrus spray, lemongrass soap, and orange rosemary shampoo. Simply leave a comment here and you'll be entered. I'm running the giveaway until Monday, April 27th, and will pick a random winner then. The giveaway is now closed -- thanks everyone!
{green swap photograph by charlotte jenks lewis}
yesterday's q+a: renee loux
tomorrow's q+a: carrie of raksha bella organic bedding
what's green swap? find out more here
