Eco-Friendly Living

[babyanj]

from www.wisegeek.com

The term “eco-friendly” is used to describe activities which are good for the environment. It is a shortening of “ecologically friendly,” and you may also hear terms like “environmentally friendly” or “green” used to describe similar activities. There are a range of ways in which activities can be eco-friendly, ranging from products which are constructed in an environmentally friendly way to making lifestyle changes which are designed to benefit the environment.

I've seen posts here and there about eco-friendly ways of doing things but I haven't found a thread here in GT about it.

Anyway, I've always been interested in eco-friendly stuff because I love watching nature and animal shows. I joined an environmental organization when I was in college and that's when I found out that there were more ways to save the earth.

I've started blogging more about it but I would like to hear from fellow GTers 

I'll post more later but for now, please check my blog posts if you have time.

http://unfairytalesandramblings.blogspot.com/search/label/environment

[red_dragon8]

^ i checked out your blog and admire your passion for the environment. being a minimalist, i am doing my share to help our mother earth by consuming less thus reducing my personal carbon footprint.

[babyanj]

^kudos to you. I actually bookmarked your blog, it was a good read on simplifying life which is included in first tenet of being eco-friendly which is "Reduce"

---Simplify
---Reduce Purchases
---Replace Disposables
---Buy Used
---Borrow From Friends
---Share
---Bulk Purchases
---Tree-Free Home
---Buy Only What You Need
---Avoid Creating Trash and Reduce Waste
---Junk Mail
---Address Early Consumption Habits

[greenpease05]

Recycle!

[babyanj]

recycling is always good but before that... think about what you purchase ---
do you really need it?
can you reuse it?
is it recyclable?

[blatherina]

What I struggle with is fast food. I wish I had time to cook my food and take it with me, pero eck. Fail. Pinapabawasan ko na lang yung plastic bags na ginagamit nila. OA naman kasi minsan, 1 bag for fries, 1 for burger, 1 for soda.

Ayoko din ng idea ng "moon cup" for periods. Parang madumi. Naimagine ko yung monthly flow sloshing around inside me. Yech. Stick to pads ako. Mas maganda siguro ang tampons ano? Mas maliit, mas konting space sa landfill. o_O;

[betty]

choose biodegradable detergents.

[betty]

babyanj, just a thought regarding your blog....since you have allergic rhinitis, it is better to use tissue, to stop spreading the germs or to stop the virus coming back to you, instead of face towel.   imagine sneezing on a towel, after it has dried, you will sneeze on it again. the virus is still there.

[blatherina]

Yun yatang mentrual cups, online purchase. May mention siya sa beltran medical website under "services" pero link lang to the website.

I have allergic rhinitis too. Cotton or lint-free cloths work well for allergies. Iba kung cold kasi medyo unsanitary nga because of virus. I find antihistamines sort of a necessary evil. It makes me sooo sleepy but then I DO want the sneezing and the nose-running to stop.
 

- use of biodegradable detergents & organic bath soap/products
- use of Downy 1-banlaw for water conservation
- bringing reusable bags for grocery/general shopping
- carpooling or using public transpo
- buying pre-loved clothes/shoes/bags/etc
- buying locally-made products
- carbon-offsetting
- maintaining a garden & a compost pit
- saving rain water from gutters for watering plants
- waste segregation

Any other suggestions a baby-stepper might make? 

[denxa_1]

it's good to hear these efforts from you, guys. i'm an interior designer, and in our firm, we try to be advocates of "green design". most of the time din, i do design under the "returdesign" concept where, basically, we re-use and upcycle products/items through modification, deconstruction, etc. to create let's say a chair, or a table, or a wall feature. it's less costly din for the client, if ever, d ba?

by 2011, a friend and i will be developing a concept store where we will have a separate collection of home furnishing made from upcycled and sustainable materials.

personally, i use organic products for my personal needs, i lessen plastic bag on purchases lalo na pag konti lang naman yung bibilhin and pwedeng dalhin by hand or ipasok sa bag (if hindi sa mall). and use energy saving cfls para lighting sa bahay.

kudos, fellow gtalkers. with the baby steps that we are doing. we can help in reducing the environmetal problems in our country.

[betty]

sis whats a baby-stepper?

kasi advice sa sister ko ng doctor nya,  tissue daw use nya...allergic rhinitis pa naman is hereditary diba?

[blatherina]

^sis betty, just someone taking baby steps towards a goal. 

Dad ko kasi may allergic rhinitis din. Siguro depende sa tissue? May tissue kasing madaling mag-shred or maraming fiber kaya naa-aggravate yung condition.

@ denxa_1

I love it. I love deconstructed, repurposed items, yung medyo tumbled/scuffed/scruffy. Parang 12th hand leather satchel that a world-traveller has taken everywhere.  I think the store is a great idea. Are you familiar with nightwoodny? Ganun ba ang mood ng items nyo or more upscale? Or halu-halo?

We use CFLs din, I'm thinking of upgrading to LEDs though.
Keber ko sa mall SAs, lalo na sa SM pag may reusable bag ako. Wag nang iplastic! Para san ba ang green bag nyo, diba? heheh

my gaz, pangarap ko ang solar panels saka hybrid car. Wala atang subscription eklavu dito sa pinas pag solar energy diba? Sa States meron e.

[denxa_1]

@blatherina: yup, i <3 nightwoodny items. gusto kong gamitin yung weathered-type interior concept nila sa ginagawa kong glass treehouse right now..

for the store, halu-halo. pero we're thinking yung concept nya is to produce items na surprising yung outcome. we're still conceptualizing and sourcing right now.. ill definitely let you guys know once we're ready to hit the market. as for the solar energy items, i'm lemming for a garden light with solar panels in yummy colors. kaso wala pa akong garden or deck.

[blatherina]

Naku wind energy yata yung sinasabi kong may subscription fee.
Kung pwede lang I'd totally go off the grid. Kaya lang you still need backup energy source in case cloudy, etc. Hay, pangarap!

^Sige tama i-announce mo pag mag-open na kayo. Sana di masyadong pang-mayaman ang price. hehe

[chocobaby]

it's good to hear these efforts from you, guys. i'm an interior designer, and in our firm, we try to be advocates of "green design". most of the time din, i do design under the "returdesign" concept where, basically, we re-use and upcycle products/items through modification, deconstruction, etc. to create let's say a chair, or a table, or a wall feature. it's less costly din for the client, if ever, d ba?

by 2011, a friend and i will be developing a concept store where we will have a separate collection of home furnishing made from upcycled and sustainable materials.

personally, i use organic products for my personal needs, i lessen plastic bag on purchases lalo na pag konti lang naman yung bibilhin and pwedeng dalhin by hand or ipasok sa bag (if hindi sa mall). and use energy saving cfls para lighting sa bahay.

kudos, fellow gtalkers. with the baby steps that we are doing. we can help in reducing the environmetal problems in our country.

Supernice naman ng idea mo. It's good to hear na kahit papaano, other people are looking more into upcycling and a greener living. Hay, yung mga customers ko nga sa clothing store ko e kailangan ko pa minsan ipaliwanag yung benefits ng upcycling clothes. Cheers sa thread na ito!

[blatherina]

^Wow galing naman. I wish I could sew! Pero titingin pa lang ako ng sewing basics na book (pattern-making) tumitirik na mata ko. 

[snowyice]

When I resigned and start reading a lot of stuff from the internet I have actually learned a lot.  I started in switching to organic food and now organic  or safe products na like detergent soap, shampoo, veggie wash and etc although its more expensive at least I have made my share to keep our planet last longer.

To our sisses who chose to be Eco-friendly two thumbs up! 

[showermist]

I recycle. And I bring my own water now. Less plastic. That's a start.

[denxa_1]

@chocobaby: hi!! are you the owner of pinupgirl manila? i'm a fan!

recycling/upcycling materials for new products/dresses is definitely the way to go. medyo negative lang yung reaction ng ibang tao for now since they see it as, well, recycled. pero if we re-package naman to make it look ultra presentable, then people wouldn't be squeamish about it.

@blatherina: around march siguro yung store. we're aiming for cubao. and yep, definitely not expensive yung price . after all, we're trying to support the local industry by using locally and readily-available supplies.

skl: a cute convo happened the last time i went to a bazaar. i bought a dress tapos yung sales person told me "Miss, for mother earth po tayo." i thought he was referring to the green dress that i bought.
 yun pala, that was his way of telling me na wag nang-iplastic yung dress since i have with me a large canvass bag. It's a good thing pati sa mga bazaars, they promote din na wag nang gumamit ng plastic bags for small purchases.

keep your suggestions coming mga sisses!

[airish_2]

i want to have an eco-friendly living kaso madalang ako makakita ng eco-friendly products sa market.