Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Natural Living Review of 2007

I can not believe it is already February. I wanted to sit down and think about my progress of moving to living more natural. What have I accomplished and what do I want to work toward this year.

Changes in 2007

1. Began an organic garden
2. Started a compost pile which has created some great soil for this years garden
3. Stopped using Chem Lawn and began Soils Alive an all natural alternative. Now I feel safe having Andon run and play in our grass.
4. Began cloth diapers with Andon. I have not bought disposables since April and I will not buy them at all with Brylynn.
5. Began buying organic cotton pajamas instead of conventional cotton for Andon. I hope to buy mostly eco friendly fabrics for Brylynn.
6. Stopped using chemical filled baby products on Andon
7. Switched all of my cleaning products. We now use Seventh Generation laundry soap and dishwasher detergent. For all other cleaning we use vinegar, backing soda, and water solutions.
8. Switched my beauty products. I use my own recipes for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face scrub, toothpaste, lotion, and lip balm. I use Everyday Minerals for my makeup.
9. Switched from using disposable sponges to washable dish cloths
10. I buy everything I can organic with as few ingredients as possible. I make cookies or other sweets to save money and control the ingredients.
11. I look at ingredient labels and do not buy products with ingredients I can not pronounce or do not know what it is.
12. Switched our cats to natural food with no chemicals or preservatives
13. Bought my own shopping bags for the grocery store
14. Bought reusable sandwich wraps for picnics or eating away from home
15. Stopped using Ziploc bags for storing food or anything else
16. Recycling everything we can instead of throwing it out
17. Started my own business using organic cotton yarn


Goals for 2008

1. Order natural nail polish. So I can paint my nails again.
2. Use less paper towels and more washable towels instead
3. Find a way to stop buying bottled water. I hate the taste of our tap water.
4. Get reusable non plastic water bottles for the family
5. Buy non plastic storage containers for leftovers
6. Change the cats litter to something better for the environment
7. Buy more organic cotton and eco friendly fiber clothes, towels, etc and less conventional materials
8. Work on a plan to produce more veggies from our garden and store them using my new food saver.


I also would love to help others begin a more natural life. Even if it is only one or two things you can make a big difference in your life and the environment. So if you have any questions on living more natural I would be glad to help you out.

I am sure there are other things I am forgetting about if you can think of anything else I have or could change let me know.

3 comments:

Steph said...

Wow... now that's a list you can be proud of! One thing you should add to your list: "Encouraged and taught others how to make positive changes in their lives through my blog!" I'm looking forward to learning more this year :) Keep on blogging!

Sarah said...

Great Blog! Can I get your recipes for Shampoo, Body Wash, Lotion, and Lip Balm? I am just starting out and making changes in my home and lifestyle. I am so happy that I found your blog and so excited to get started. Thanks! Also, I noticed you made the change to cloth diapers...any thoughts on washable feminine pads? I researched a couple of online companies but have made no purchases yet... What do you think?

Jenifer said...

I am glad you like my blog. Here is a link to all my different recipes.
http://jspurelynatural.blogspot.com/search/label/Beauty%20Recipes

I have not switched to washable feminine pads, mostly because I have either been nursing or pregnant over the last 2 years and therefore have not had to worry about it. Although I have switched to all natural disposable ones, they are made of cotton with no plastics or chemicals.