SASKATOON – Make one little change and do it for five minutes a day. It can have a ripple effect and help the environment, said Judy Montgomery.
Purchases made at the grocery store are like votes either for or against the environment. Every product has an impact, said the volunteer home economist with the Saskatchewan Environmental Society who spoke to women attending Crop Production Week in Saskatoon recently.
“Women have a lot of responsibility in terms of the environment and the community,” she said.
Shopping for local products is very important because it cuts down on transportation energy and helps the local economy. She cited Splash laundry detergent made in North Battleford and a natural beeswax skin cream made in Nipawin as good examples.
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Montgomery had a list of environmentally safe products for the home.
Soaps, cleaners
- Facial Soaps – The pure ones are best such as Ivory and a product sold by the Girl Guides.
- Laundry detergents – Washing soda is a safe detergent which also makes a good cleaner in the bathroom and kitchen. It works as well as the abrasive cleaners which usually contain bleach which harms the environment.
- General cleaners – Borax is a cleaner which offers a number of advantages. Combined with salt, it is a mild disinfectant. It’s a little gritty said Montgomery but it freshens the air as well.
Baking soda followed by a vinegar and water “spritzer” is another good choice. But don’t store the baking soda in your cleaning section. You could get an interesting soapy taste in your cooking.
Use unbleached paper
- Paper products – The best kind are unbleached because the chemicals used to whiten are dangerous. Waste disposal is also a problem.
Use rags instead of paper towels for clean-up chores, hankies instead of paper tissues, and cloth napkins instead of the paper ones.
“We have to do the laundry anyway,” said Montgomery.
- Food wraps – Those little plastic “hats” with the elastic around the top are good refrigerator covers as is anything reusable. Instead of the plastic wrap, Montgomery uses the wax-type wrappers from cereals like shredded wheat. They make a good cover in the microwave and can be used more than once. Other cereal wrappers can be used as the bag to coat meat and poultry. It only works once but that’s one more use than normal.
- Lunch bags – Re-usable nylon or other fabric instead of paper bags can be used over and over again, combined with sandwich containers, not wrap. Juice bottles should be brought home again and reused. If you get too many, they can be returned to the recycler.
- Shop for local products – Produce from farmers markets, local crafts and of course food grown in your own province all save on transportation energy and help the local economy.
Montgomery said making a few changes in the home might make for more work but can also make for a lot less money spent.
Judy Montgomery, home economist with the Sask-atchewan Environmental Society, offered a list of products that are environ-mentally safe for the home. She spoke during Crop Production Week held recently in Saskatoon.
