Green Household Cleaning

One of the simple and easy green things I have done for the past couple of years is drastically cut down my use of paper towels (kitchen roll). I now use a variety of items that I throw in the washing machine every few days. The only time I really use paper towels is on the rare occasions that I deep fry something or the that my dogs throw up. What do I use you ask? Well, here goes...

1. Wash cloths (flannels)- I bought a pack of a dozen or so wash cloths to use instead of paper towels when wiping counters or cleaning some dishes. They are so much cheaper than some of the towels specifically made for kitchen purposes and are a great size.

2. Sponges and textured cloths- I use sponges to do the washing up (no dishwasher here) and found some cloths with a textured backing (by Kitchen Aid), which are also great for washing dishes. These don't really replace paper towels, but I wash them all and reuse them, so they replace disposable sponges. When the sponges are nearing meeting their maker, they move on the becoming cleaning sponges (bathroom or stove).

3. Tea towels (cup towels, dish cloths)- I usually air dry my dishes, but I find tea towels to be most helpful in soaking up spills in any room of the house. I also use them when dusting or cleaning mirrors. I have been gifted or purchased some of my tea towels and highly absorbent cloths, but I also use t-shirts when they have become unwearable.

4. Cloth napkins- When I was living and working in France, I got in the habit of using the same cloth napkin for about a week. This works really well unless you are a very messy eater. I keep a cloth napkin on my desk at work to use at lunch time. I also use them at home and throw them in the wash every few days. I sometimes do use paper napkins because I absentmindedly buy pretty ones when at Ikea or someplace.

Like I said before, I wash these things every few days. I have a bucket near my washing machine where I toss them until there are enough for a small load in the washer. When they are clean, I hang them to dry either inside or outside. Tumble drying might be good for sanitizing, but I feel the sun is equally good. I also don't have a dryer, so I air dry everything (even in the winter when I have a curious system).

Another thing to consider is the length of time you can have your dirty towels standing. Houston is really a very humid place, and depending on your cooling system (mine is window units and doesn't quite cool the kitchen where I have my washing machine), your towels might start to mold or get smelly before you wash them. A good way to avoid this is to fill your bucket with cold water and a half cup of vinegar and some baking soda, if you have it, until you are ready to wash them. Still, keep an eye on the towels because you will lose them if they mold (or you could use them for car washing or the like).

CSA

So, it's been over three years since I've written in this blog. Well, I just got the urge to write because I finally joined (well wrote the check to mail tomorrow) a CSA (community supported agriculture).

I was trying to figure out how to get food this semester since I teach until after closing at my co-op. Just by chance, I checked the CSA I have been stalking for some time and found that they now have a drop spot in my neighborhood, and it's on Thursday evenings when I am not teaching! I am soooooo excited.

I also made an arrangement with the closing manager of the co-op (who happens to be one of my besties) to hold my fruit share on Wednesday nights (I'll get there when they are about to walk out the door), so I'll be able to get fruit at the co-op. The veg is more delicate in many ways, and I like to pick quality leafies, so I am really happy with getting my fruit from the co-op and veg from the CSA.

The CSA is in Brenham, TX, which is about 80 miles from Houston. That's really very local in terms of TX.

I'm really excited about all the winter greens and squashes I'll be cooking up this season. What a thrill to eat seasonally!

What else has happened in the past three years, you ask (or don't). I graduated from my master's program in humane education. I am proud of that accomplishment and all I learned during the program, but I have since begun another program, which I might talk about in another post. The thing I find so difficult about life is settling on one interest. I just have so many, and there are so many things worth focusing on. I really love what I do (teaching English) and I really love humane education. Combining the two is possible, and I do it, but it isn't easy.

Anyhoo, I'll sign out. Things are great here in Houston. I am happy, still with the Valentine I mentioned in the previous post, and I can't complain because in the grand scheme of things, none of the things I deal with are significant in terms of what others have to face on a daily basis.

Not Anti- St. Valentine's

I realise that St. Valentine's Day- not unlike most holidays- is incredibly commercialized. There's a huge pressure to buy gifts and cards for anyone and anybody, a pressure I resist. Now, I realise that in reality we love many people, but I think St. Valentine's Day should be kept for lovers. Please keep in mind that this profession comes from a woman who will recieve her first "real" Valentine next week. I am not making this declaration as a woman who has always had a card, fluffy bear or flowers; I know how it feels to be without a Valentine.

Growing up, I grew excited when Valentine's came around, but not because I would receive cards or candy from classmates or family. I enjoyed seeing the cards that my parents exchanged displayed on the mantle as little testaments to the romantic love they shared. They served as reminders that even as the going got tough, love was a powerful force. Admittedly, they also allowed me to fantacize over my future Valentine's.

When my mother passed away, I found myself looking through her things; I found old letters and cards she and my father had held onto. Among them were hand-made Valentine's with heartfelt, personal messages, presumably from before Hallmark was affordable or had exploded upon England's newsagents.

It is perhaps the memories of those cards that make me want to celebrate Valentine's Day even more than before. I could boycott the day on the grounds that it is too commercialized, but seeing that I realise that love is a beautiful thing, I don't want to do that. Anyhow, the card companies have caught on to the boycott and now produce "anti-Valentine's" cards; do the "anti's" even look at the card aisle?

So instead of a boycott, I suggest that the romantic, responsible consumers among us avoid buying presents, or set a modest budget. Stick with the traditional if you can, or buy something that will last for decades to come. Make a card or buy a recycled card or two. Write from your heart in those cards, keep them safe, and look at them as a chronicle of love. The future you and yours will be glad you did.

And of course, if things end sour and you'd rather forget, the recycling bin ain't going nowhere.

A new semester, a new me

Ok, that title is misleading, but it feels right. I haven't really changed this semester, but I do feel rejuvenated. I failed rather miserably at my car-free experiment, partly due to weather, but also due to me. I am at peace with this and realise that I am not yet cut-out to be a rainy-weather cyclist. Notice that I said "yet."

Teaching is off to a good start. I finally feel organised in the classroom, a feeling I'd been sorely lacking since my mother's death. I certainly miss my mother, but I am so happy to feel more in control and at peace with my life.

This semester, I am taking two classes: Environmental Ethics and Animal Protection. I have almost finised 2 of the books and will write about them here shortly. I feel so at home in this program and am confident that pursuing this degree was the right choice for me.

I have sprouted spagetti squash and apple seeds and have some sturdy little plants going. I am giving container gardening a go; let's hope the squirrels don't get to the plants before I can.

No Car experiement failing :(

The experiment was going well until the weather changed. We have had rain almost every day for the past week. It is awful! Last week schools were closed in Houston due to the cold/ freeze. We're not used to this here, and I am not equiped to ride to work in the rain. :(

On Sunday it brightened up and I rode downtown on an errand, but I am so annoyed with this weather and the havoc it has caused my experiment.

*sob*

Healing touch

Each Wednesday evening, I volunteer at Central City Co-op. CCC is a twice-weekly organic fruit and vegetable co-op here in Houston.
When I volunteer, I usually help a few customers, but most of my shift is "after-hours" as the co-op is packed away into a tiny, chilled room in the back of its venue. It is when I am crating and stacking away all the produce that I reap the non-nutritional benefit of my volunteer shift. Playing with the veggies has become a weekly cleansing ritual for me. I find the calm it provides me very mysterious. No matter how tired I feel, those fruits and veggies rejuvinate me. I know that if I were tempted to take a nap rather than head over to see the veggies (and fellow volunteers), I would be making the biggest mistake of my week. The co-op needs me, but more importantly, I need the co-op.

I am interested in information linking mood and the handling of fruit and vegetables. Tell me what you know.

A new kind of student

I began working on an M.Ed. program in Humane Education(HE) in September. This distance education program is offered by the International Institute for Humane Education in Surry, Maine.

Over the course of the fall semester, I explored the HE field and alternative educational philosophies. This semester my coursework will explore environmental protection. Since Christmas morning, I have had a stack of books on my desk just waiting to be cracked(thanks Dad!). I hope to comment a little on my reading in this blog and might even jump back to some of the books I read last semester.

Keep your eyes peeled for earthy book reviews! :)