Don't use fabric softeners

I have not used fabric softener for at least a year now.  Funny thing is, since I switched to all-natural laundry detergents like Seventh Generation, I have not needed it anyway.  My clothes come out clean, fresh, and non-static-clingy.  If you are skeptical about giving up your fabric softener, check out this link.  If you are really intent on using something, try baking soda or white vinegar instead. Of course, don't mix these with bleach as the fumes will knock you out.  But you should not be using bleach anyway, should you?  Not if you are trying to be eco-conscious.        

To clean or not to clean those recyclables

I have always wondered whether this was a necessary step before putting something into the recycling bin.  Does it waste more water and the energy to get that water to my apartment than the energy that my recycling will save?  I did not know, but I figured that rinsing out my recyclables was the right thing to do for the people at the recycling center who had to go through my “trash.”  As it turns out, according to Slate’s “Green Lantern” column from 2/3/2009, I was both wrong and right.  No, you don’t really have to wash out those recyclables.  They wash them at the recycling facility before they are processed.  However, sometimes it will be months before that material gets processed.  So yes, washing out your recyclables helps keep the recycling facility a cleaner, more sanitary, less stinky place for those workers that have to inhabit the same space every day with your “trash.”    

Recipes for all-natural, homemade laundry detergent

Dry Detergent

 

1 c grated Fels-Naptha bar soap

1/2 c Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (not baking soda)

1/2 c 20 Mule Team Borax

 

Mix and store in airtight container or bag.  For light loads, use 2 T and for heavy loads, use 3 T.

 

Liquid Detergent

 

3 pts water

1/3 bar Fels-Naptha bar soap

1/2 Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

1/2 c 20 Mule Team Borax

1 qt of hot water

2 gallon bucket for mixing

 

Mix soap in a saucepan with the 3 pints of water.  Heat on low until dissolved.  Stir in the soda and borax, until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat.    Put the quart of hot water in the bucket, add the soap mixture and mix well.  Fill the bucket with enough additional hot water to make about 1.5 gallons of mixture.  Set aside for about 24 hours to allow mixture to thicken.  Use 1/2 c of mixture per load.   

 

No perfumes, dyes, etc.

Homemade detergent will not make suds.  

Fels-Naptha is pure and makes little to no suds.

This is great for the newer high-efficiency washers as well as older models.

You will notice the need to lessen or stop using softeners all together.

 

Use up to 1 c of white vinegar in the final rinse to remove all traces of detergent, if so desired.

Conscious News

All people seeking to live green will have to strive every day to live consciously as well, for the earth and its inhabitants are one organism.  

From the December 2008 issue of Conscious Choice magazine - 

There is an organization called the Theosophical Society in America in Wheaton, IL.  They encourage open-minded inquiry into world religions, philosophy, science, and the arts in order to understand the wisdom of the ages, respect the unity of all life, and help people explore spiritual self-transformation.  They are located at 1926 North Main Street in Wheaton, IL 60187 or visit their web site at www.theosophical.org.  

Help alleviate global poverty.  Check out the following web sites:

MicroPlace

Kiva.org

Oxfam America

Heifer International

CARE  

Global Alliance for Africa

Local and sustainably-minded businesses: The Enterprising Kitchen (TEK) and Mint.

For the kitchen: Lotus Foods Stainless Steel Rice Cooker and Vegetable Steamer-stainless steel is the only non-reactive cooking surface, does not rust, tarnish, peel or pit and is 100% recyclable. $79.95 at www.lotusfoods.com

A book for those of us who long to be able to meditate, but can't sit in a quiet place without having our minds go into overdrive: Nine Designs for Inner Peace: The Ultimate Guide to Meditating with Color, Shape, and Sound (Destiny Books, 2008) by Sarah Tomlinson. Tomlinson is the founder of the Ayurveda-Yoga Institute of New York. She believes that creating yantras (elaborate geometric patterns designed to help those who draw them cultivate a sense of centeredness, inner awareness and peace) is beneficial for energetic people who have found traditional sitting meditation difficult, or for those people who are seeking a new way of tapping deeper into their creative and spiritual selves. 

An American-made breakthrough in the solar energy industry

Arch Solar Command enables the solar energy industry to access cost-effective components that, until now, have not been readily available in the United States.

Arch Solar Command Unleashes the Power of the Sun

 

Ft. Pierce, Fla.  -- (Feb. 2, 2009) -- Arch Aluminum and Glass has found a way to mass-produce its new proprietary mirroring technology for use in solar concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) cells.  Arch’s new technology, marketed under the name Arch Solar Command, enables the solar energy industry to access cost-effective components that, until now, have not been readily available in the United States. Arch Solar Command is the only company in the United States to offer solar energy fabricators, coupled with the ability to deliver large-scale orders.

Arch is currently one of the leading producers of mirrors in the US.  “We realized several years ago that mirroring technology had huge implications in developing solar power,” said Tony Lawson, director of solar operations for Arch.  “After significant investment in research and development, we developed a new way to silver and coat bent glass, which is extremely difficult to do.  Our mirrors optically focus sunlight onto a concentrator containing active solar cell materials that convert the intense light into electricity.  Once we had the scientific breakthrough, our next step was to make our process repeatable in a manufacturing environment.”   To accommodate its new technology, Arch converted a portion of its existing factory to produce the mirrors.

Arch President and CEO Leon Silverstein has long been committed to developing environmentally safe products.  Solar Command is no exception.  The paint backing for these techniques are lead free, which allows the company to mass produce environmentally friendly lead free mirrors capable of withstanding extreme temperatures. "We’re now positioned to play a role in accelerating the growth of the solar energy industry, while ensuring the sustainability of our products at the same time,” Silverstein stated.

Arch’s success has also helped the company maintain its workforce, and has enabled plant workers to learn sophisticated new technology.  “We’re proud that we’ve been able to leverage our expertise in mirroring to help not only our employees, but to keep jobs in our local community,” continued Silverstein.  “Our company is family owned, and our employees are our extended family.  We intend to keep it that way.”

The company also plans to keep its business “American-made.”  “Traditionally, Europe has lead the way in developing solar technology,” says Lawson.  Currently, most of the production for solar energy comes from China and other low-wage countries. The Arch Solar Command team plans to keep all research, development and production in the United States, and eventually will use its existing distribution network to transport its solar products throughout the United States. “Many companies entering the solar industry don’t have the ability to deliver goods efficiently and effectively,” says Max Perilstein, vice president of marketing.   “Our thirty one years of serving the building industry throughout the country means we have the infrastructure to ensure our customers receive their orders on time and intact.”

Arch Solar Command's efforts have generated interest globally from investors in technologies for solar collectors and concentrators for utility-scale power plants. The Solar Command division sells the solar mirrors directly to manufacturers of solar power generation equipment from its production line in Fort Pierce, Fla.   The company is also looking to partner with companies who may want to license the manufacturing.

Arch Solar Command is headquartered in Ft. Pierce, Florida and is a division of Arch Aluminum and Glass, one of the nation’s premier glass and aluminum fabricators.  Solar Command continues the legacy of innovation and environmental stewardship at Arch, which since the 1970s has manufactured and fabricated glazing and extruded aluminum systems for buildings while incrementally improving quality and finding cost-effective solutions for its customers.   For more information, visit www.archsolarcommand.com or call the Solar Command "Sunshine Line" 1-866-629-ARCH.