San Diego Blogger: Elizabeth Bates

If you dabble in San Diego’s green circles, you may have heard this name before—Russell Levan—by day, an ecopreneur, by night, an ecoactivist.

On a professional level, Russell the ecopreneur is the man behind the Recycled Products Cooperative based in Encinitas. The Recycled Products Co-op started as a program under The Solana Center, a non-profit environmental organization, and struck off on its own about 3.5 years ago as a for-profit cooperative selling an extensive line of environmentally-preferable office products. Their website has over 2,000 of these items for sale, including recycled paper, breakroom items, cleaning supplies, and my personal favorite pens in the whole wide world, which are made out of recycled car headlights, CD cases, and cell phones.

Russell Levan.

^{Courtesy photo}

Now I know that when I hear the word co-op I tend to shy away, thinking it means pages of paperwork to fill out, membership dues, and responsibilities that I just don’t feel like taking on just because I want to buy recycled paper. I have since been educated in the beauty of, if not all co-ops, at least this one. Membership is free, there are no order minimums, and you can fill out the membership form online in minutes (paperless, naturally!). The cooperative business model helps to negotiate lower pricing on the products that your office uses every day, and it provides affiliate programs for other non-profit environmental organizations.

If you choose to do business with the Recycled Products Co-op, you are also likely to be updated by Russell on all things green happening in San Diego as well as the best things you can do to help save paper (and money!) starting immediately: USE LESS! That is, set your printer and copier defaults to duplex mode (print on both sides), set your margins to narrow, proof before you print, and store files electronically when possible. According to the EPA, just paper and paperboard alone represent 38.1% by weight of the municipal solid waste stream. In fact, many of the items that end up in the landfills are recyclable or reusable in some way!

On a personal level, Russell the ecoactivist can be spotted working on any number of environmental issues, particularly in Encinitas where he works and lives with his family. Currently on his checklist are projects developing zero waste and garden programs for the school district, attempting to eliminate single use plastic bags from our City, State and planet, and going to an innumerable amount of Environmental Advisory Commission, City Council and local activist meetings to help the community and environment.

Mother Nature is lucky to have Russell in her corner.

Are you or, ah-hem, your “friend” still a bottled-water junkie? Probably the most common defense that I hear of for this dirty little addiction is the convenience. You can find plastic bottles of water for purchase in probably more locations that you can find a skinny latte—and in San Diego, that’s pretty impressive! I’d like nothing more than to plant the seed that perhaps the price we pay for bottled water—and I’m not just talking about it in the ‘dollars and cents’ sense—may be higher than you think:

1) It’s ridiculously expensive.

Let’s say gas was around $10.66/gallon at your local pump. Let’s also say that you had another option—you had a gas pump at home that costs you about .25¢/gallon. Which one would you choose? These prices¹ are the actual prices of water per gallon, bottled versus filtered tap water. (If you’re comfortable with unfiltered tap water, that price plummets to .002¢/gallon!)

2) It’s no healthier than filtered tap water.

Did you know that the Earth Policy Institute found that up to 40% of bottled water actually begins as tap water (not the pristine mountain stream pictured on the label)? Considering what we’re spending on these little bottles of luxury, one would expect a bit more, no? As it turns out, bottled water is less closely regulated for safety than tap water is!

The best-selling water filter brand for home use removes microbiological cryptosporidium and giardia; reduces lead, TTHM, VOCs, lindane (pesticide), 2, 4-D, alachlor, atrazine (herbicide), chlorine (taste and odor) and sediment; mercury, copper, cadmium and zinc; and 96.7% of pharmaceuticals. Just to be clear, I don’t know what a lot of those things are that I just named either, which is exactly why I don’t want to drink them!

3) It’s bad news for the environment.

According to the Container Recycling Institute, Americans buy an estimated 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles annually and growing. Only 20% of these make it into the recycling bin, which means that the remaining 20 billion bottles end up in our landfills—and plastic does not biodegrade.

These bottles have done enough damage before they even make it into the landfill—don’t forget there’s the process of producing the bottles originally, and then transporting them around the country!

Take yourself out of the 25 billion-bottle equation above—a new equation is as simple as this:

filter + reusable water bottle = healthier wallet, healthier you, healthier world.

1. Food and Water Watch, “Water Filtration Guide”, July 2008, <http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/WaterFiltrationGuide.pdf> (accessed August 30, 2010).

More than 150 chemicals found in the average home have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities¹. That’s scary news—where are they all hiding? The answer might be even scarier—these chemicals are on the floor, in the air, in the bathtub—sneaking into people’s homes under the guise of common household cleaners.

Not to worry, it’s possible to avenge these elusive perpetrators! In today’s column, we’ll explore the possibility that making your own products could be easy and even fun…probably more fun than actually cleaning.

It’s easy to find recipes for homemade, non-toxic cleaners online, but unfortunately many of these don’t smell any better than the toxic ones they’re replacing! While vinegar is an extremely versatile and safe ingredient in many of these recipes, there’s a good chance it will elicit nose-scrunching from big people and little people alike. But wait—with a little creativity and experimentation these recipes can not only perform but also delight!

First, check the cupboards for the following key ingredients:

* Baking soda

* White vinegar

* Lemon juice

* Vegetable or olive oil

* Ethanol/rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol is petroleum-based)

Next, take the kids to the store to buy any missing ingredients, a few plastic spray bottles and Tupperware containers for storage. On the way home, stop by a natural foods store for some environmentally-friendly dishwashing liquid. Here’s the important part: before heading home, explore their essential oils to custom scent the cleaning products. Kids will enjoy sniffing the different flavors and maybe even combining them for their very own custom blend (maybe “Paige’s Peppermint Potion” will motivate her to clean up that plopped peanut butter)!

The addition of essential oils will not only make the finished product smell lovely and get the kids involved, but will also add an aromatherapy aspect each time they’re used! For example, lavender essential oil is calming and therapeutic for asthma and allergies, citrus is known for its refreshing and uplifting properties, while peppermint is energizing. Use the same scent in each product for a consistent atmosphere in the home, or mix them up for something different in each room! However you choose to do it, just be sure you label the bottles and containers, because while these recipes are non-toxic, they are not to be ingested.

As the owner of a local cleaning company, I can offer the following additional tips based on my own experience:

* When using a homemade formulation for glass and windows for the first time, wipe down the surface with pure ethanol alcohol—mainstream glass cleaners leave behind a residue that needs to be removed for optimum effectiveness.

* When using the homemade recipe for wood cleaner and polish, keep the furry ones away—not because it’s dangerous, but because it tastes good! Ingesting olive oil and lemon juice won’t hurt Sparky, but it does remove that beautiful gloss the table legs had a moment ago.

* Razor blades are surprisingly handy—use them on those near-impossible tasks such as removing burned-on food from inside the oven or the buildup that accumulates around faucets and drains. Use them as a scraper and simply wipe clean with an all-purpose cleaner and microfiber cloth.

* Microfiber rags are a great investment—they use less water/product and since they ‘grab’ onto dust and dirt they reduce cross-contamination. Plus, kids (or adults?) with short attention spans will love that they can make chrome accents super shiny with just a few quick polishes—no products necessary!

Let me know what you think of these recipes, or if you have run into any snags in your quest to clean green—I’d love to help!

SIDEBAR 1

Really All-Purpose Cleaner

* 1 gallon water

* 1/2 cup white vinegar

* 1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid

Mix together in a large container, shake gently and pour into a spray bottle for easy application. The dish detergent in this recipe not only cuts the vinegar smell but also makes it possible to use it on glass and windows as well as countertops, etc.

Bathtub + Sink Scrub

* ½ c. baking soda

* Liquid dish soap

* Essential oil to smell, if desired

In a small plastic storage container, pour in the baking soda and add any flavor of liquid dish soap. Stir the mixture until it forms a paste. Add essential oils for extra aromatherapy oomph if desired!

Wood Furniture/Floors

* 1 c olive or vegetable oil

* ½ c lemon juice

* Essential oil to smell, if desired

Store in spray bottle and gently shake before each use—spray on a microfiber or other soft cloth or mop to apply. Leaves behind a wonderful nutty, lemony smell! Store this one in the fridge to keep the lemon juice from souring.

All-Purpose Deodorizer

* 16 oz Baking soda

* 1/2 tsp essential oil of your choice, if desired

Mix well and store in covered glass jar. Set some out in a bowl for room or fridge deodorizing, shake some in the bottom of the garbage can, or sprinkle onto your carpet by hand or with a sugar shaker, then wait 10-20 minutes and vacuum normally.

Use this to clean the toilet as well by simply shaking about 2 oz. into the bowl. Let a little helper pour in some vinegar and watch it fizz, give it a swish with your toilet brush and flush!

¹Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission