Two Green Boots

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay I have an addiction to shower spray.  This is not the same as being addicted to  shower cleaner , however, and I think it's important to separate the two. Shower spray is simple. You finish bathing, then you grab a bottle and spray the heck out of the walls, tub, and fixtures. You do this in the hope of not having to actually grab a sponge and scrub. Unfortunately, this is a very expensive, wasteful, and futile addiction, and just like any other addiction, the end results don't match up to the dream. No matter how diligently you spray, eventually the tub and shower walls need a full cleaning again. To make matters worse, finding a good shower spray is just about impossible during this pandemic. When I go to the store - any store - I have a choice of a) a store brand, or b) another store brand.  While I swear by many of those for my staple supplies, shower spray is not one of them. I'm extraordinarily picky, because I don't wan

 I t's scary, isn't it? The idea that babies, in general, are consuming around 1.6m microplastic particles per day is enough to panic most parents, myself included. This number was reported in a story published in the Guardian this morning. Image by Dirk (Beeki®) Schumacher from  Pixabay This number is significantly higher than the World Health Organization's estimate for microplastics in drinking water , a report published last year. As it happens, the procedures used to ensure sterile bottles and formula blending actually contribute to this microplastic fiasco: "The team followed international sterilisation guidelines to make baby formula in 10 different feeding bottles. This involves sterilising with 95C (203F) water, then shaking the formula powder with 70C water in the bottle.  Both the hot water and shaking steps produced a lot of microplastics, which are far smaller than the width of a human hair. " (Damian Carrington,  The Guardian ) Yikes! Fortunately, t

  Long, long ago In a garden far, far away, There was a master composter ... Image by Francis Ray from Pixabay Ok, no. There was only me. But I was composting, so that counts...right? Roughly 10 years ago, I created my own DIY composter. It worked pretty well, and I produced some killer compost.  It smelled like gardening heaven...or at least high-quality potting soil. And it saved money on the next season's garden since I had no worries about buying soil or even fertilizer. We're at the end of another growing season, so I'm beginning again. This time, though, I'm not building my own composter. The reason for the change is that my original composter was too small. I needed something much larger. Unfortunately, good composters can cost some serious money. At least, that's how it feels if you're out of work due to a pandemic. In this case, you have 2 options: find an incredibly cheap one, or make your own. Building Your Own Composter If you choose to build your ow

Disposables: They either make you feel like you're wearing a diaper or cause you to constantly check for leaks.  At times they dry you out.  Discomfort is a constant companion.  Disposable period products are, as a whole, a complete tragedy, and yet we still use them. Fortunately, there are better options if you're willing to try them. Menstrual cups, cloth pads, and period panties are a few excellent examples. Photo by  Vanessa Ramirez  from  Pexels Back in 2012 I talked about my introduction to cloth pads . I loved them at first, because they were comfy, super-absorbent, and cute. Over time, though, they faded, becoming much less cute, and became less comfortable, as well. But that was over 8 years ago. Thankfully, today's reusable period products have come a long way. But what exactly makes them so much better? 1. They produce significantly less waste than their disposable counterparts. To quote an article called Planet-Friendly Periods from Stanford Magazine,  "In