Sleeping Naked is Green...

So as discussed earlier, I spent the end of last week reading Vanessa Farquharson's Sleeping Naked is Green. The following is the mini-review I wrote on Facebook: After following Green as a Thistle throughout many of her 366 daily changes, I enjoyed reading the further insights provided by her book. Her dry British humor and Canadian bent often left me laughing, although I frequently wondered how her fellow friends and family felt about such personal descriptions in her novel. However at the completion of her story, I felt that it was a worthwhile read and I took away several new suggestions toward living a lighter life.

Vanessa's book also got me wondering about how many of her green changes, my husband and I are currently implementing in our home and how we are doing on consistency of use. So I started looking through her lists and this is what I came up with:

-I use an eco-friendly toothbrush and razors (Preserve)

-We both use natural shampoo, soap, and face soap in the shower (Burt's Bees)

-I use natural toothpaste (usually Tom's but when I couldn't find it here, I've fallen in love with Jason's)

-We clean with eco-friendly cleaners (glass and multipurpose)

-We use eco-friendly laundry detergent (usually Seventh Generation but my sister just sent us some homemade stuff too) and we wash in warm/cold....However we also hang about 50% of our laundry to dry on clothes lines in the garage which is something Vanessa didn't do in her challenge

-My husband utilizes paperless billing

-We always turn off the lights when we leave the home

-Although we do have a car, we share one vehicle (which is a financial blessing but at times a major difficulty too)

-We have about a 50% success rate of using our tote bags together and we turn down bags when we remember (and don't use produce bags); while environmentally debatable (believe me, I know plastic bags are bad!) we use the bags we do bring home for pet waste removal

-We both use our reusable water bottles, although my husband still prefers those toxin leaking plastic ones over his Klean Kanteen! (although in getting that link, I just discovered they just came out with a new version of the Kanteen that has all the traits he loves about the Nalgene!! woo hoo!!)

-We rarely use disposable eating ware, unless out somewhere and I even wash out and make the husband and his friends reuse their plastic beer cups (although he recycles them when I'm not looking sometimes!)

-We recycle pretty much everything we can

-When taking coffee from home, we use our reusable coffee cups

-We only drink fair-trade, organic coffee when at home

-We primarily eat organic, free-range eggs and organic yogurt

-I use an Oregon based mineral make-up (Alima) for face and eyes and the rest of my make-up products are natural options; I also forgo make-up remover

-I'm collecting our used batteries, but I'm not sure where I can recycle them

-Our housing utilizes CFL light bulbs (and monthly changes of our air filters)

-I've attempted natural deodorant; instead most days I don't use it and then just use the unhealthy mainstream stuff on days when I know I'm really going to need it

-We attempt to let it mellow when it's yellow (although some days this is just practiced during the night)

-Most our music is bought from Itunes, we read the news online (although I do pick up and then recycle the once a week, free on post newspaper), and we rarely buy new video games or movies (instead we use Netflix--although I'm not entirely sure how environmentally friendly this option is although I hope they recycle the paper packaging)

-I attempt to fill the coffee maker and/or kettles with only the water that is needed, and I use our left over water from our next-to-the-bed glasses to water plants in the morning

-When we do fly, we use the most direct flights, I request vegetarian meals, we just use carry-on luggage, we both bring our own headphones, and we use electronic tickets

-We rarely order take-out or delivery

-I always air dry my hair and almost never use a curling iron or anything like that on my hair; I don't dye my hair

-We basically only iron my husband's uniforms (although this could be because I seriously despise ironing)

-I also don't use nail polish nor wear perfume or fragrance

-At least half our furniture we got second-hand and most our art work are photos/art from individuals we personally know

-For the most part, we don't wear shoes in the house

-We donate clothing and other items to others that can use them or to thrift stores

-We save the boxes and packaging we get in the mail in order to use them to mail packages out

-I've also saved and reused the same moving boxes and packing paper for the last 9 years

-We have houseplants

-We reuse our bath towels and kitchen towels for about a week a piece

-We have a bamboo cutting board

-We don't use hand sanitizer or air freshners

-We share and borrow a lot of stuff with our friends down the street

-I attempt to make sure the shower curtain is pulled straight to dry

-We let dishes soak that need extra time

-I knit scarves and dishcloths and I mend/darn what I can

-We close the blinds and curtains at night to insulate; during the hottest parts of the day I close the ones where the most heat enters the house in order to keep it cooler

-I also keep the emails in my inboxes and sent boxes to a minimum based on what I'll still need or want to remember

Additionally there were several changes that Vanessa took on that I'd like to be able to implement, even if only a bit more frequently:

--Eco friendly kitty litter (and other animal food & products)

--Increase tote bag usage!

--Create a compost for our food scraps

--Turn off/unplug most unused electronics until they are in use

--Eat/drink only organic, free-range dairy and meat products

--Decrease water and electricity usage

--Switch to recycled paper products

--Resign up to block junk mail at current address

--Give greener gifts

--Buy more food in bulk (although this isn't an option locally)

--Buy more organic, local food (although again, not really an option unless we drive an hour)

--I'd love to find biodegradable pens!

--Donate to worthy causes

--I'd love to use biodegradable garbage bags (again they don't sell them here!!)

--Attempt more ethical, eco friendly housewares, clothing, and shoes when we need to get something new; or buy used when feasible

--Jam/Can/Preserve and cook more from scratch

--Turn down the water heater

--Use a rain barrel to collect water

--Use alternative energy methods (although again, not currently feasible)

So while there are several things we definitely could be implementing (although some of it is not easily feasible based on available resources), I actually was surprised by how much one or both of us is already doing. There were several things that I will not be implementing--either cause I'm not ready to go quite that far or because its not available here, but we'll definitely be implementing some of these additional things as we can. And while you're at it, why not pick up a used copy of the book and see how you rate?! ;-)