Sustainable living 101

Clothes
Most people concur that food, water, energy and transport are the key factors in ecological impact, but possibly they do not know about clothing. It's possible that even regular organic food-eaters might be dressed in fabrics loaded with toxic chemicals. In reality, cotton is one of the most pesticide-sprayed crops in the world, and very clear that our clothes too will ecological impact. But currently natural cotton and selection of different fabrics such as bamboo, hemp, and flax is becoming available; as also trendy articles prepared from reused resources.

Personal care
People are becoming increasingly aware of the fitness and environment impacts of personal care products. More prolonging, green alternatives are been provided by an increasing number of companies. Yet when you decide of becoming green, less is always better - going natural gets you one step closer to Nature.

Furniture and décor
Lot of people spend considerable amount on furnishing. Surely purchasing hardwood from Amazon forests is not an ecological process, but one will wonder about the alternatives. No mind, elegant furnishings made from sustainably yielded, reused or salvaged materials are now available.

Waste
Until recently, waste was the major ecological problem. If you reuse it, you were green and if you didn't, you weren't. Now with several issues on the environmental front, matters are not easy. But waste still continues to be a big issue. Each article going to trash have consumed energy and sources in manufacturing and shipping; lot of energy and sources will be used-up in meting-out and disposal either through recycling or landfill. The green idea of 'Condense - Reprocess - Recycle' assumes more importance. Also remember that organic waste can be composted.

Clean home
Once you have put your house in order with organic fabrics and toxin-free furnishing, it is not essential to use chemicals to keep the house clean. Common household clean-up agents are loaded with risky chemicals; look for green, natural alternatives which are equally good in cleaning your house.


Petra Mayfair

Petra Mayfair publishes her work on SuperGreenMe.com and specializes in articles related to ecologically & eco friendly homes and eco friendly offices. She writes about green living and socially conscious business.