Kermit the Frog may tell us that it’s not easy bein’ green, but Virgil and I are finding out otherwise! Simple changes in our lives can have a lasting positive impact. Here are 12 of our favorite ways to “green” up your life. How about challenging yourself and your family to try one a month for 2012!

1.    Make your laundry “greener.”

       Our mothers used to think about “bluing,” a harsh chemical for whitening laundry. But today, the important aspect is “greening”—making the laundry process eco-friendly.

       Celadon Road laundry detergents come in five varieties: four soothing scents (Cedarwood, Jasmine, Lime, and Lavender) and unscented. Even better, these products contain only natural ingredients and eliminate the need for fabric softener. Our detergents are made to clean clothes just as effectively in cooler water temperatures and come in containers that are recyclable and reusable. By the way, this detergent formula was created to ease the suffering of a child with eczema.

       See our detergents: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Clean.

2.    Find easy ways to save water.

       Celadon Road makes showers both luxurious and earth-friendly. Save water with our Macaw, Monarch, and Roadrunner Showerheads.

       Also, when it’s time to replace your kitchen faucet, choose one that is touch-activated. A “touch” faucet can be turned on or off with the touch of a finger, an elbow, a wrist, or even your nose! What’s the “green” benefit there? Let’s say you’re washing and rinsing dishes. As you finish rinsing each dish, how easy it is to turn off the water instead of letting it run!

       See our showerheads: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Relax. (By the way, we don’t carry the touch faucets, but you can find them from many sources.)

3.    Teach your children well.

       Kids learn a lot from adults. How about teaching them to ask for toys, blankets, and books that are eco-friendly and every bit as fun?

       See what we have to offer for young ones: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Nurture and Grow.

4.    Replace paper and plastic bags.

       Celadon Road offers excellent replacements for paper and plastic bags: Large Organic Produce Bag and Reusable Shopping Bag (a large bag that easily squishes down to a very small carry pouch you can stow in your glove box).

       Last year, 12 million barrels of oil were used to make the nearly 90 billion plastic bags consumed in the US. And making paper bags takes four times as much energy! The best choice is reusable shopping bags made of cotton, nylon, or durable, mesh-like plastic. Keep a few reusable shopping bags in your car so that they’re on hand for your next shopping trip. And if you happen to forget your reusable bag (as we all do!), choose paper if you will recycle it or plastic if you will reuse or recycle.

       See the Celadon Road bags: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Move.

5.    Change to “green” cleaning products.

       Celadon Road has efficient, natural, good-smelling products for cleaning your whole house: All-Purpose Cleaner, All-Room Cleanser, Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner Concentrate, Degreaser, and Lemon Mint Glass Cleaner.

       See them all: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Clean.

6.    Give up paper towels.

       Celadon Road offers convenient and “green” alternatives: Chef's Power Towel, Euro Sponge, Flour Sack Towel, Dish Dumpling Sponge, Loofah for the Kitchen, Naked Sponge, and Ravioli Scrubby.

       Paper towels create waste. Instead, use the Celadon Road products and get some reusable microfiber towels. They grip dirt and dust like a magnet, even when wet. When you’re finished with them, toss the towels in the wash and reuse them again and again. They’re great even for countertops and mirrors. When you absolutely must use paper towels, choose recycled products. If every home in the US replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100 percent recycled ones, we could save nearly 550,000 trees!

       See our sponges and towels: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Clean.

7.    Get creative!

       Got thoughts to jot down—or lists—or the opening line for your next novel? Choose journals and notepads in many sizes that are fair trade, made from tree-free paper as well as recycled fabrics. Celadon Road has many to choose from!

       See our journals and notepads: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Create.

8.    Eat out less often.

       Celadon Road makes it simple and “green” to carry your lunch: Organic Lunch Tote, Reusable Sandwich Wraps, Reusable Sandwich & Snack Bags, and Bamboo To-Go Utensils.

       By carrying your lunch and eating at home more often, you can easily save money and control portions, as well as food quality!

       See our totes, wraps, and bags: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Move.

 

9.    Use a reusable coffee mug and reusable water bottle.

       Celadon Road products: Stainless Steel Mug, To-Go Cup, BPA-free Stainless Steel Water Bottle, and Insulated Water Bottle.

       By using a ceramic mug at home and a stainless steel reusable mug on the go, you prevent a lot of waste. One daily paper or Styrofoam cup adds many pounds of waste per year. On the other hand, if you buy your coffee on the go, some coffee shops discount your purchase when you bring your own mug.

       Personal finance experts point out that buying coffee on the go is one of the easiest ways to waste money. Brew your coffee at home, and you’ll save hundreds of dollars a year. Choose coffee products that have less waste (not the new “designer-type” coffees that brew from single use containers) to make your choice “greener”!

       Carry a safe, reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water, and you can save another few hundred a year, and prevent a huge pile of plastic waste.

       See our mugs and bottles: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Move.

 

10.  Give up conventional toilet paper.

       Changing to recycled toilet paper can actually change the world! If every US household bought just one four-pack of 260-sheet recycled toilet paper, instead of the typical tissue made from virgin fiber, it would eliminate over 60,000 pounds of chlorine pollution, preserve 356 million gallons of fresh water, and save nearly 1 million trees. And the best news is that a four-pack of recycled toilet paper costs about the same as a four-pack of conventional toilet paper.

11.  Nurture yourself through nature.

       Do you know about the vast array of dangerous ingredients in skin care, hair care, and bathing products? Simplify through nature with products that are safer and at least as effective. Celadon Road offers a whole host of these products for men and women.

       To see what we have to offer: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then click Relax (for mainly women’s products) and Groom (for mainly men’s products).

12.  Give gifts responsibly.

       Whether you’re looking for a baby gift, a toddler gift, jewelry, tablewear, a pet gift, pampering skin care products, or even reusable gift bags, Celadon Road has many things to offer. Browse my whole website to see the many items that are perfect for gift-giving that is both eco- and people-friendly: www.MyCeladonRoad.com/PawPrintsLife. Click Shop Online. Then browse!

By the way, we’d love to know how you do with these resolutions. And we’d love to hear your “green” questions and your “green” ideas. Feel free to email us at Rebecca@PawPrintsLife.com!