Revisiting Earth Day

Earth Day was celebrated once again in April and the 2024 campaign, Planet vs. Plastics, advocates reducing plastic dependence which most everyone agrees is a very good thing.

My post for this date focused on ways to personally reduce the use of consumable plastics. At the time, I listed some alternatives, a few of which we were already doing plus several others that were being considered. 

I asked fellow bloggers for their suggestions and the comments were informative especially on the topic of dryer balls. The majority had never used them, some had never heard of them, others said they did nothing for static, a couple of folks said they'd been using them for years.

At the time, we were still using dryer sheets and planning to switch to dryer balls which was done shortly after that post. That decision included avoiding any that were manufactured in China, which took some doing, as so many things come from that country. It's a personal decision to avoid China-made products when possible, knowing it's not always possible 

This brand, Smart Sheep, was purchased online (Amazon). According to the website, the company is the result of a partnership between two women, Kalpena in Nepal and Christine in the U.S. Kalpana manages the felting process of the dryer balls in Nepal. Christine imports, inspects, and packages them in the U.S. These dryer balls use New Zealand wool.

According to online information this product is manufactured through ethical fair-trade practices and provides good job opportunities for women in Kathamandu, Nepal. I sincerely hope that is the case. Just in case, you're considering a switch to dryer balls, Smart Sheep offers these fun options, which cost from $5 to $10 more than white wool ones. Guess which ones I'm buying the next time.

Staying on laundry, a couple of months ago we were using bottled liquid detergent; while considering a switch to detergent laundry sheets as there were a lot of pluses including the fact of no liquid measuring, so no chance of spillage. Also, less space needed to store plastic containers as detergent sheets usually come in cardboard packaging, less storage space is a plus for apartment dwellers like us. Plus, several bloggers recommended them.

For those not familiar with detergent sheets, these come in pre-measured, dissolvable sheets. Some cons were that they might not dissolve in all water temps or not remove stains and odors. I've used them in cold and warm water temps with no issues. Of course, our laundry doesn't get heavily soiled since we're not working outdoors and there's no children in our home. Others may have different results.

Once again, there was a decision on which product to buy. Again, I wanted a U.S. made product and, on a friend's recommendation, tried a brand made in Canada (close enough). In the future, I may search out other brands, but so far these have been working well for us.

Just so you know, detergent sheets definitely are more costly than liquid detergents. While for us, the extra expense is worth the expense, this may not be true for everyone.

Last, but not least, is that we've stopped using plastic grocery shopping bags, unlike in 12 other states, NH has not banned these in grocery stores. (If you plan to travel, know that single use plastic bags are banned in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington.)

Yes, we were a bit late in returning to using tote bags which oddly enough we were using all the time, pre-pandemic. When we couldn't use them we lazily fell into the practice of using grocery store plastic bags. An upside is that these were then used for trash disposal and that, in turn, meant we didn't buy plastic trash bags. Once the supply runs out, we'll look for alternatives.

Staying on the subject of grocery shopping, we stopped using single-use plastic bags for vegetables and fruit. Instead, this set of mesh bags, also bought online, is brought to the supermarket along with the tote bags, better late than never. 

These are easily washed, air tried, and ready for reuse unlike plastic bags which were always discarded. 

According to the product information, the contents will easily scan at the register; however, that doesn't seem to be true. In the time we've been using them, the cashier has always had to open the bag to scan the item(s).

Finally, this last item has nothing to do with laundry or grocery shopping — it's a change in a bathroom item, switching to a fabric shower curtain liner instead of a plastic one. The plastic one was able to be laundered regularly, but it was still plastic. 

This polyester fabric (non-plastic) one can also be laundered and it dries quickly, also it's more attractive, so I bought it in two different colors, blue and cream

These are some measures we've been taking to lessen our use of plastics and other items harmful to the environment. There are, of course, many others. 

Once again, I invite your comments and/or suggestions on things that work for you. 

Celebrate Earth Every Day

Theme of 2024 Earth Day — Planet vs. Plastics

April 22, is Earth Day, a date celebrated worldwide today. This year's theme is Planet vs. Plastics, which advocates reducing plastic dependence. Earth Day includes a wide range of events coordinated globally and celebrated by up to 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. 

It seems that every day should be celebrated this way.

Gaylord Nelson

How it all began. The start of environmental activism, Earth Day, dates back 55 years. It was started by the late Wisconsin U.S. senator and governor Gaylord Nelson, a conservationist and who was recognized as one of the world’s foremost environmental leaders. Nelson organized the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 enlisting the help of Denis Hayes, a Harvard graduate student and activist, to organize campus teach-ins and expand the conservation movemen. The event was aimed at educating people about environmental issues and ways to conserve. The date of April 22, sandwiched it between spring break and final exams to maximize student participation. Nelson died in July 2005.

Earth Day strengthened the call for environmental activism, which led to the introduction of two laws. The Clean Air Act (1970) is a comprehensive Federal law that regulates all sources of air emissions. The Endangered Species Act (1973) provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats both domestically and abroad. 

This past weekend, I read several online articles about how to reduce the use of consumables especially plastics and paper as well as posts from fellow bloggers on what they're doing.

Reducing plastics in our home has been underway. In recent weeks, I've been working to reduce the use of plastics and paper as well. These have been small ways, but starting somewhere is better than not. 

Our pantry housed some reusable Rubbermaid® plastic food containers, which were purchased a number of years ago and have held up well  considering their age, but due to aging, the plastic lids were subject to cracking when pressed down. They were taking up space and hardly in use and I switched to glass storage containers, washable, reusable and non-plastic, except for the lids. The former plastic containers left the pantry and went to the recycle bin.

If anyone reading this post has good (or bad) experiences using any of these (maybe all?): wool dryer balls, detergent dryer sheets and microfiber cloths, I am interested in your comments.

Starting with wool dryer balls to replace the use of fabric softener and dryer sheets. I've been using hard plastic ball for the past few years along with limited use of liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets. Reading many recent articles, it seems that wool dryer balls, tightly woven balls of felted wool, have become very popular and when used in the clothes drying cycle can replace both commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets.

Benefits of dryer balls  . . .

Those I've read about include: faster drying time, eliminates static, fragrance free, eco-friendly and sustainable, non-toxic, biodegradable, natural fabric softener, quieter than other types of dryer balls and, unlike dryer sheets, they are reusable so reduce the environmental impact. Best yet, once a natural wool dryer ball reaches the end of its lifespan, it takes much less time to decompose than a polyester dryer sheet. They are expected to last 1,000 or more loads and replacement is recommended when the outer layer starts to come apart

Staying on the subject of laundry, a necessary chore for all, there's laundry detergent sheets and while I bought a small packet of to use on our travels, I haven't made a switch to home use. My usual practice has been to buy a large detergent container and refill a smaller bottle, which is easier to take to the laundry room. There's no washer/dryer setups in each apartment, instead there's a central laundry rooms on each floor, thankfully, the laundry room is very close to our apartment. 

Do laundry sheets work as well as liquid detergent? There's a lot of pros to support their use. Some online stories claim they are just as effective in fighting stains, removing dirt and grime and preventing clothes from fading as their liquid or powder counterparts.They are take up less storage space, making them ideal for individuals with limited storage areas for apartment dwellers like us.

A plus is that they come in pre-measured, easily dissolvable sheets, eliminating the need for measuring and the risk of spillage. Detergent sheets seem to be environmentally friendly with reduced packaging, leading to less plastic waste compared to liquid detergent bottles. The concentrated form requires less water for production and transportation, reducing the overall carbon footprint. Detergent sheets are space-efficient occupying less storage space compared to large detergent bottles, ideal for those with limited storage.

Some cons to laundry detergent sheets. The sheets may also fail to tackle tough stains and odors as they lack space for active ingredients like enzymes and cleaning agents, commonly found in liquid detergents. Some may not dissolve in all water temperatures causing uneven distribution of detergent. Many of the detergent sheets are subscription-based, which can make it difficult for some to purchase them. While Amazon and other online shopping sites makes it easier to buy these products, many may not be available in stores. Finally, the sheets can be more expensive than liquid detergents, which often go on sale at local grocery stores or have available coupons.

Microfiber Towels. I've been using some of these limited household chores, mainly dusting furniture. But admit to buying paper towels for kitchen use. The flat-top stove is usually cleaned with soap and water and then paper towers sprayed with vodka (the least expensive brand). It really does cut grease, among other household used. It can also be used for drink mixing.

Pros to microfiber towels is that they can be washed a thousand times before losing its effectiveness, it lasts longer than cotton and is said to be more absorbent, uses less water and chemicals than cotton mops and cloths. Also, the tiny fibers pick up more dirt and food residue than most cloths.

Cons to microfiber use. The biggest concern regarding microfiber is microplastic pollution. This occurs because all microfiber products can shed the microscopic microfibers in the wash and can make their way to the ocean.

Plastic Bags. The state we're living in, NH, allows the use of plastic bags at grocery stores. In total, there are more than 500 citywide ordinances banning plastic bags in the U.S., as well as 12 statewide bans on single-use plastic bag bans — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. We have tote bags which were being used until you-know-what when stores here would not allow them. We still use cloth tote bags for short trips, especially when buying anything at a BJ's wholesale store, which doesn't provide any bags, but always has discarded boxes for customers to use.

When we do get plastic bagged groceries, we use them for trash disposal instead of buying the very large plastic trash bags. If we return to using tote bags we would need to buy trash bags.

Biodegradable more eco-friendly than compostable? 

When a packaging company says that a product is biodegradable, what's meant is that it will break down when placed in a land fill.  Compostable means something different. Often, what a packaging company means when their product is “compostable” is that it can be turned into compost. Since it’s broken down into its natural elements, it causes no harm to the environment. The breakdown process usually takes about 90 days. Composting is a faster process, but only under the right conditions. Both of these types of products are better for the environment than plastic counterparts that can take hundreds of years to disintegrate.

Your Turn — Do You have pros or cons to any of these products ?

If so, please share in the comments. Your opinions are valued vs. online reviews