Cranes: A Green Solution for Your Facility

As industries throughout the world have become more sensitive to environmental issues, interest has grown in the development of “green” overhead lifting solutions. Most commonly, one finds such approaches in manufacturing. As a manufacturer prospers and grows, it often looks for ways to design, create, assemble, and ship its product more efficiently. This often involves the consideration of environmental issues, both within and outside the facility.

Even a small manufacturer needs to move materials efficiently within its facility. Typically smaller companies will start out buying fork trucks. They are a familiar type of material handling equipment, and are a smart investment for a young company. As the business grows, however, fork trucks may prove insufficient for the larger scale of tasks they are asked to perform. Even increasing the fleet size may not meet all the needs of an expanding facility. With so many forklifts on the job, the facility will need multiple battery charging stations.

At some point the strain on equipment demands a different type of solution. The purchase of a crane or some other type of overhead lifting system can eliminate some of these problems. For example, envision a warehouse where fork trucks are responsible for moving materials, but storage capacity is limited by the height to which the masts on the fork trucks can lift pallets. If the fork trucks allow pallets to be stacked five high, after five, no more layers can be added to the stack. That leaves two options

1. Expand the facility to increase floor space
2. Purchase a material handling system that allows use of the space that is unreachable.

Expansion means the use of more land and, by extension, creation of a larger carbon footprint. By purchasing a large overhead crane or a “stacker crane,” pallets could be stacked all the way to the ceiling, provided that you had the appropriate racking. This is just one way lifting solutions can provide a benefit to the environment.

For another example, let’s look at the emissions produced by a fleet of fork trucks. These emissions are an environmental concern, and while today there are new green fork trucks, they are not the industry standard. In fact, many fork trucks manufactured over the last 20 years are still in use on factory floors. Imagine a whole fleet of fork trucks, each emitting different types of exhaust into the air. They not only leave a carbon footprint but they also require proper ventilation for the facility. This creates a need for regular emission testing and also a financial investment in contaminant detection equipment. All of these purchases would be unnecessary if the facility were equipped with an overhead lifting system.

An additional problem with fork trucks, as those who’ve worked with them can attest, is they are notorious for leaking oil and grease. Facility owners must be concerned with ground contamination, both now and for the future.

Fork trucks are not easy to recycle. Even after breaking a fork truck down into parts, there are things that cannot be recycled, particularly the battery and the contaminants inside of it. While there is some movement toward the manufacture of green fork trucks, which do not require the same type of battery charging, older fork truck batteries remain a disposal hazard to the environment if handled improperly. With a crane, on the other hand, the majority of its structure is steel. Most of the components of that crane can be broken down and recycled into other products, giving cranes a recycling advantage over fork trucks.

Manufacturers have environmentally significant choices to make. By selecting the most effective overhead lifting solution for their facility, they are not only increasing mobility and saving money, but they will also substantially decrease the facility’s carbon footprint and greatly decrease the chances of contaminants entering the soil and ground water. Your employees will also benefit from the green choices that you make. By reducing emissions, you are improving the quality of the air your workers breathe each day. A greener work environment can thus translate into reduced medical insurance costs, less sick leave, and decreased absenteeism.

This post was contributed by SPANCO, an overhead crane company that offers anything from a gantry crane, to a jib crane, to a bridge crane.

How to Make Your Small Business Greener through Sustainable Printing

When you make just a few small changes to your business printing habits, everything you print becomes green. Sustainable printing practices make sense for the environment, but they also make financial sense. Using less means spending less; over time, those pennies saved on printing become dollars earned. New equipment, inks and even fonts can pare your printing expenditures significantly.

Generating less paper waste is one of the soundest strategies for making your business greener. Whenever possible, encourage communication via email. Your company newsletter will reach just as many clients if you email it to them and it will save paper and money. When you must use paper, cut down on the amount you use by printing on both sides. Faxing a document probably doesn’t require a cover sheet; if it does, save the cover sheet and use the back as scratch paper.

If your business still requires printing, choose sustainable paper products for your printing needs. Recycled paper now costs about the same as virgin paper and is offered in just as many size and color options. Go with recycled paper for brochures, presentations, blueprints and menus. Environmentally friendly clients take notice when you make the effort to go green, so you should indicate your green efforts on your materials. Making the switch to sustainable printing could increase your business as it saves you money.

You may not think much about the quantity of ink you print on each page, but it makes a difference. You’ll save up to 50 percent of your ink costs through the use of Ecofont, specially designed fonts that print with tiny holes in the letters. Just as your eyes perceive still frames as moving pictures when they’re run at a certain speed, you will see Ecofont as solid letters even though they’re full of un-inked holes. Ecofont software works with all common fonts and all printing equipment. The designers of these sustainable fonts estimate that 12-point Arial, the most commonly used font, costs 28 percent less ink when printed as an Ecofont.

The type of ink you use also matters. Printing inks have their greatest environmental impact at the beginning and end of the product’s life. The initial manufacturing process and recycling printed material both cause potential environmental concerns. Soy-based inks come in as many colors as traditional inks, but are non-toxic to produce and easier to recycle. Vegetable inks remain light-fast, so they’re suitable even for important documents. Although they’re slightly costlier than conventional inks, their price is coming down. Using soy inks in conjunction with ecofonts defrays any extra expense.

Go with online printing for specialty products instead of maintaining your own in-house printing equipment. You’ll get professional quality from an online printer without having to buy and maintain your own machines. Using an inexpensive desktop printer for small jobs, while relying on online printing for larger print jobs, means one less costly color printer that will eventually wind up in a landfill. Moreover, proofreading from your desk can reduce the chance of waste due to printing errors.

Saving money as you save the environment is an excellent reason to go green. If you’re truly invested in going green, use the money you’ve saved to do something else for the environment such as planting new trees around your office or funding a recycling drive in your neighborhood.

Jessica Wiener is an specialist in online printing and writes for Print360.com.

How To Choose Window Treatments That Will Enhance Your Green Credentials

When homeowners purchase window treatments for various rooms, they can choose curtains and other window treatments wisely, to be good for the environment and more efficient in managing energy use, or loss. Using natural fibres like cotton, linen, silk or wool rather than synthetic fabrics will help, as will choosing wood blinds over vinyl ones. The initial cost of installing natural fibres or wood may be a little more, but the energy savings and better carbon footprint will make up for the difference.

When fabric curtains or draperies are used, the natural fibres are the best green choice. They take less chemicals to produce and are made of a renewable resource. Natural fibre window treatments do not have the harmful off gassing that many synthetic fibres can. When it comes time to dispose of natural fibre curtains, they break down in 13 years or less, while plastic and synthetics can take 100 years. Window treatments are exposed to large amounts of sun and heat, so it is a good idea to line them with a good cotton lining fabric. Lined curtains and draperies are more energy efficient, saving energy costs over the span of their use. A lined window treatment will keep more heat in in the winter and more heat out in the summer. Fabric window treatments can also be very effective in controlling light coming into a room. For absolute light control, there are black out linings. The key to having the best light and energy control is to have a window treatment that is properly sized.

Another very good green choice for window treatments is wood blinds, either horizontal or vertical. Wood and bamboo are natural, renewable materials that can be made into blinds to cover windows, sliding doors or French doors. Wooden blinds can be combined with natural fabric curtains if desired. One very nice energy efficient window treatment is an inside mounted wood or bamboo blind with a curtain outside mounted. When both are closed, no cold or heat is getting past them. The manufacturing of wood blinds is very eco- friendly with few harmful chemicals used, so there are less chemical bi products being released into the air. Wood products degrade in 13 years rather than the 100 years plastic takes.

When choosing window treatments to enhance one’s green credentials, it is important to do a little homework. Look into the manufacturing practices of the fabric manufacturer and the window treatment maker. Choose companies that only use green practices and few chemicals in their manufacturing process. Purchase from companies that have policies to cut down on waste and adhere to strict recycling regimens. If wooden or bamboo blinds are to be used, make sure the manufacturing company used ecologically friendly practices from cutting the lumber and bamboo, all the way through making it into blinds. There are many companies making window treatments, so it only makes sense to choose the ones with the best environmental practices. There are even some companies using recycled materials in their window treatment products.

Have you found any green window treatments that you really like?

Countertops That Help Sell Homes

If you’re thinking about replacing your kitchen countertops than you should consider how they will affect the resale value of your house.

Certain countertops are way more desirable than others. One of the first things that a potential home buyer is going to look at when they enter the kitchen is your countertop.

Don’t let them down! Awe them with your highly functional and beautiful countertops.

The two most desirable countertops are granite and quartz. You can’t go wrong with installing either countertop in your home.

Why Countertops Sell Homes

Home buyers are looking for high quality countertops for two reasons. The most obvious reason is how beautiful they are. Granite and quartz countertops make a statement. Their bright and vibrant colors will catch the eye of even the most discriminating prospect.

Their luster will cause them to take their hands out of their pockets and run them across the surface of the stone. A highly polished stone screams out to be touched.

They’ll Make Life In The Kitchen Easier

Both countertops will make your life easier in the kitchen as well. Discriminating house hunters will know that they’ll be able to leave their cutting boards in their old apartment before moving in. They’ll be able to chop and cut their food on top of the countertop.

They are also going to like that they can put scalding hot pans on top of the countertop, right out of the oven. The next time that they cook an apple pie they can remove it from the oven and place it right on the countertop.

Do you know where they’ll be able to leave their trivets? That’s right. They can leave them sitting in their old apartment right next to their old cutting boards.

Stone Countertops Are Low Maintenance

People will also appreciate the amount of work that they’ll have to do to keep stone countertops looking like new. It’s pretty much next to none. With the quartz countertops you won’t have to do any maintenance other than keeping them clean. With granite you have to seal them once a year with a granite sealer.

When you compare quartz vs granite the maintenance is usually the only difference that you’ll find. The coloring is different too but both are fantastic. Which colors you like better are only a personal preference.

If you’re interested in discovering more about quartz vs granite, visit the authors website about quartz countertops.

Eco-Conscious Restaurants in Chicago

I was recently dog-sitting for a woman whose refrigerator is perpetually empty.  The woman offered me grocery money while sitting for the weekend because, as she put it, she was “just a take-out kind-of-a-girl.”  Of course the first thing I thought of was how much Styrofoam, plastic bags, paperboard, plastic tableware, gas from delivery boys, etc, this woman was single-handedly pumping out into the environment, while also feeling obliged for the offer of grocery money.  This experience came to mind when I stumbled across the Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op which helps restaurants connect with cost-friendly and local sources of sustainable products and services.  Right now there are 20 certified restaurants in Chicago- certification depends on efforts to reduce waste, energy and water use, improve recycling, and support organic farming. There is a four-star scale, to achieve the highest level 300-points must be earned.  If you are also a “take-out” or generally eat-out kind of person, here is the list with links to websites by neighborhood locations of the 20 certified green restaurants around the city- It should be noted that when searching theses restaurants not one had a lower than 4 star rating on all yelp, yahoo, and other online reviews.

Loop:
Roti Mediterranean Grill
Trattoria No. 10
Poag Mahone’s
Sopraffina Marketcaffee [5 different locations in Loop]

River North:
Frontera Grill
Topolobampo
Keefer’s Restaurant

Wrigleyville and Edgewater:
Uncommon Ground

Andersonville:
Big Jones

Pilsen:
Simone’s Bar

Roscoe Village:
Bleeding Heart

Near West Side:
Avec
Roti Mediterranean Grill

West Town:
Dining Room at Kendall College

Evanston:
Blind Faith Cafe

‘Burbs: Northbrook and Vernon Hills:
Roti Mediterranean Grill

Another organization dedicated to conscious-dining is Slow Food Chicago.  This all-volunteer organization provides insight to local food resources for restaurants, lists of those restaurants by type of food that go above and beyond in their daily regime to help  contribute to a better environment, hosts events to support such efforts, farmers you should know, etc. These are only the few things available on their website, not to mention the many links to like-minded organizations.  Here is their list and links to their descriptions of recommended restaurants:

AMERICAN
North Pond
Blackbird
Lula Cafè
Naha
Vie
Green Zebra
West Town Tavern
Erwin
Hot Doug’s

ITALIAN
A Tavola
Coco Pazzo
Follia
Merlò
Spiaggia
Va Pensiero

FRENCH
Everest
La Petite Folie
Bistro Campagne
Le Bouchon

LATIN AMERICAN
Borinquen
El Rinconcito Cubano

CHINESE
Ed’s Potsticker House
Lao Sze Chuan
“Little” Three Happiness

Easy Recycling Tips for Housewives and the House-Bound

Pretty much everyone is aware of the many green benefits and financial advantages of recycling, and yet not enough are springing to action. Most of us still find it so much easier to throw everything we no longer need into the trash and let landfills carry the environmental burden.

As with all these things, the path to a greener lifestyle starts with small steps. And it starts at home, a place where there can be no shortage of opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Here are a few tips to help you get started.

• Reuse those Ziploc bags. That is what they’re made for: to be used over and over until the seal or zipper no longer works. Unlike traditional plastic bags, Ziploc – or similar reusable packaging products, like Glad – is something that you can just wash and keep using, whether for packing lunches and snacks, storing leftovers, covering up hors d’ouvres, storing garden seeds, or even wrapping up the buttons and threads in your sewing kit. Yes, it’s plastic, but it’s designed the way plastic is supposed to be used: to last a lifetime.

• Use cloth instead of paper napkins. Yes, even for everyday meals. You don’t have to have a guest to take these out of the drawer. While cloth napkins are more expensive than their paper counterparts, in the long run they’re still more environment-friendly. And you can wash them for future reuse. Paper napkins, meanwhile, which you have to stock up on, use lots of water in production, plus chlorine for bleaching and virtually unrecyclable plastic for covering.

• Print out coupons on used paper. Do you have stacks of used office paper, flyers, and old printed documents at home? Put them to good use and print the coupons that you have collected on the backside of these sheets of paper. Don’t forget to adjust your printer to eco-friendly settings!

• Use biodegradable “trash” for your garden. Those kitchen scraps, paper products, and leftovers? Make these the cornerstone of your organic gardening efforts. About forty percent of your trash can’s contents can be used to make your own compost. Save those egg cartons, too, so that you can use them for planting seeds and watching your garden grow.

• Refuse to be given plastic or paper bags at the grocery store. Bring your own reusable one instead. Do away with the surplus and help cut down the 100 billion plastic grocery bags that end up in landfills every year. Do you know that the average American walks away with 10-20 plastic bags from the grocery store every week? That’s a total of 600-1200 bags a year, each one of them taking 100 years for its life cycle to end. If you want to feel good and look good at the same time, try out one of these Bazura Bags, which are indestructible and non-biodegradable recycled grocery bags made by a women’s cooperative in the Philippines.

• Donate those old clothes. It’s perfectly all right to want to keep in fashion and ditch last season’s garments. But don’t simply throw those old clothes into the garbage bin. Donate them to the local recycling center or to your favorite charity. Even if it turns out that no one bought or used your second-hand stuff as part of their own wardrobe, manufacturers and textile recyclers may still come to give these used clothes a green reincarnation.

• Switch to powders. Next time you’re doing the household shopping rounds, opt for more environment-friendly alternatives to those liquid detergents. Like powders, which must not have cost half as much water to produce. Even better, make your own homemade laundry soap.

Keeping Holiday Waste Low

With the various winter holidays and correlating feasting of families and friends a-coming, there are some actions you can pursue to keep waste from building up.  If you are hosting meals or even housing family and friends, there might be a solid build up of used tableware, glassware, paperware, etc. It might be tempting to purchase extra paper products or plastic cups to avoid hassle but instead of having people drink out of a few or more plastic cups per person a day, why not buy a few extra glasses to store for those extra guests and putting on a name tag (or write names with dry erase marker) so that they may use the same one throughout the day?  At .59 cents a glass, buying ten glasses would cost only $5.90.

Some other cheapie Ikea steals are plates and bowls at only .79 cents a piece, and a 16 piece cutlery set at $3.99- all of which are dishwasher safe, microwave safe, suitable for hot foods, and made of glass, stoneware, and stainless steel.

If you are lucky and don’t need that extra dinnerware, you will still probably need napkins and paper towels.  I was once a house-guest for a month a little old lady’s house who only used cloth napkins which she washed once a week.  Granted, only one per person was necessary as everyone was over the age of 10, but using the same napkin every night was fun when planning seating, as everyone had a different pattern and seat, so mixing it up was quite a playful event.  Using the same napkin will also help keep guests more aware of spilling and wasting food on table cloths or on themselves. You could get creative and just cut squares out of old fabric or clothing no longer in use and simply sew seams, buy a set of plain ones and iron or embroider on festive decals or initials,  or buy them- these are on the more expensive side at $5.00 each ($20.00 for set of four) but are quite lovely if you are willing to spend the money.

Credit to JuliePeach

You can also set up extra recycling bags so that once it builds up no one feels the need to just throw something away.  Try to keep electricity usage in different rooms to a minimum by encouraging family-room activities, which should keep people less occupied by computers, telephones, and television (computers and televisions should also remained unplugged when not in use!).  Ask relatives to bring in any blankets brought for car rides if low on bedding so heat can stay at an appropriate temperature.  If you have any other general thoughts, please comment and make suggestions!

What You Should Know About VOCs

Chances are, as a homeowner, you’ve heard a thing or two about VOCs – or volatile organic compounds: that they’re everywhere in your home, and that they’re harmful to the health, and that you ought to eliminate all these hazardous chemicals before someone gets sick.

But there’s no need to panic and start calling contractors in space suits. Below we’ve outlined frequently asked questions about VOC – as well as a number of useful tips on how to create a sense of health, safety, and comfort in your home.

What are VOCs?

Volatile organic compounds are organic – or carbon-based – chemical compounds containing significant vapor pressures, which can then have an adverse impact on the environment and your health.

What are the kinds of VOCs?

There are many kinds of volatile organic compounds, man-made, anthropogenic, and natural. Among them are: aldehydes, acetone, benzene, ketones, hydrocarbons, styrene, xylene, and limonene. There is, however, no comprehensive list of VOCs, which – along with its low concentrations and slowly developed symptoms – makes it a demanding area of study and research.

Where are VOCs typically found?

According to the EPA, the highest concentrations of volatile organic compounds are usually found indoors – either in offices or homes. These can be 2 to 5 times greater than what is usually found in outdoor air. In homes, VOC results from specific kinds of furniture, wall coverings, paints, lacquers, paint thinners, cleaning supplies and cleaning agents, pesticides, adhesives, markers, and photographic solutions. VOCs can also be emitted by carpets, upholstery fabrics, composite wood products, sealing caulks, cosmetics, aerosols, solvents, vinyl floors, air fresheners, moth balls, and disinfectants.

What are the harmful effects of VOC?

While VOCs are not typically toxic, long-term or chronic exposure to these compounds can contribute to a variety of sensory irritations and respiratory and allergic reactions. Children and infants, in general, suffer from the harmful effects of indoor VOCs. Moreover, studies show that prolonged exposure to high concentrations of these compounds can increase risk of cancer (leukemia and lymphoma), liver damage, kidney damage, and even damage in the nervous system.

What steps can I take to reduce VOC emissions at home?

There are various ways to minimize the health risks associated with volatile organic compounds. These usually entail source control: removing or reducing the number of VOC-containing products found at home, especially those that are leaking and those that are no longer being used. When shopping for household items and products, meanwhile, it’s recommended that you buy only what you need – and that you look out for environment-friendly products that are labeled as having low concentrations of VOCs.

Other great ways of lowering the concentration of VOC at home include:

• Following manufacturer labels and storing VOC-containing household products in airtight sealers
• Opting for floor models, composite wood products, and solid wood items that contain low-VOC finishes and non-toxic sealants. Steer clear of furniture pieces that contain formaldehyde
• Allowing for additional ventilation at home by opening doors and windows, letting in more fresh air, using fans, and keeping the indoor temperature and relative humidity as low as possible

Green Flooring Materials For Your Home

Do you happen to be contemplating flooring materials for your home? At the same time, are you concerned about the eco-friendliness and sustainability of your remodeling project? Don’t worry. There are plenty of green flooring materials today that you can choose from. Here’s a quick list:

Wood

But it comes from trees, right? How can wood be “green” at all? Well, manufacturers are going green, too, and more and more hardwood flooring options – both local and exotic – are being introduced in the market. Reclaimed hardwood, specifically, is one of the most eco-friendly materials available right now: it is durable and readily reused and recycled. More importantly, reclaimed hardwood floors come from recycled timbers of old structures, like dilapidated houses, barns, etc.; there’s no need to cut down new trees, as planks are created from materials that would otherwise have ended up in junkyards. If you’re unsure about the wood flooring options you’re looking at, check out products that have passed the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.

Linoleum

Yes, it’s making a comeback, and remodeling homeowners everywhere should be happier for it. Not only is linoleum a great flooring option for your kitchen or bathroom; it’s also pretty green, too, especially if you think of how it’s made from natural linseed oil, cork, tree rosin, limestone, and jute. Linoleum is also biodegradable, non-toxic, and low-maintenance – a cheaper alternative to hardwood flooring that can at last as long as 40 to 50 years.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a plant that grows fast, making it a greener and more renewable flooring option than wood from trees. Apart from its natural self-replenishing qualities, bamboo is also hard and pretty durable, making it an excellent alternative to hardwood floors. Be careful, though; some manufacturers use formaldehyde to put bamboo together, so make sure you choose the ones with low chemical levels.

Cork

Made from the bark of the cork oak tree, cork is usually found in wine caps and thumb-tacked office memos. But as flooring material? Cork is a sound alternative, too. It has excellent insulating properties, a natural woody smell, a comfortable feel and elegant look, and a reliable durability. Cork is also a renewable choice for flooring, because you don’t actually have to harm or cut down the tree in order to collect the cork. As always, go for natural cork flooring that has low or no PVCs.

Tile

Tile isn’t just for kitchen countertops; it makes for excellent green flooring, too. Available in a wide variety of styles and colors, tile floors – made from clay, sand, limestone, etc. – are durable, long-lasting, aesthetically stunning, and maintenance-free. The great thing about tile floors these days is that many manufacturers are beginning to improve their kilning processes, so that production no longer uses as much energy and emits as much carbon and toxins.

Rubber

Don’t worry: rubber flooring isn’t going to make you bounce around at home. It is sound- and shock-absorbent, making it a versatile flooring material for your home – in the kitchen, the playroom, and other parts of the house. Available in tiles or as sheets, rubber becomes eco-friendly when it’s made from recycled materials, which – with proper maintenance and care – can last a lifetime.

Carpets and rugs

Okay, carpets are notorious when it comes to how un-friendly it is to the environment. But these days, a lot of carpets and rugs are being made from recycled or post-consumer plastic, nylon, cotton, and wool, which is naturally sustainable. Some are even made from old secondhand carpets! Moreover, a number of eco-friendly carpets do not require chemicals at all. If you’re looking for alternatives to traditional carpet flooring, try something like abaca, which is made from paper twine, hemp, sea grass, and sisal. Other eco-friendly options include carpets made from jute and coconut husks. As always, remember to opt for carpets that use little or no VOCs, and have been dyed with vegetable dyes.

Stop Using Dangerous Bathroom Products and Make Your Own Instead

There has been lots of hype building up about the toxins in cosmetics we often blindly believe are fine when we make our CVS cheapie purchases.  Annie Leonard wrote a compelling piece in the Huffington Post, The Story of Cosmetics: What’s Really in Your Personal Care Products, in July about the various cancer-causing chemicals listed on the back of typical baby shampoos labeled as “Gentle, Pure, Natural, Dermatologists Approved, No More Tears” etc.  After watching this video I’ve become quite interested, to say the least, in making my own basic home products, something which I used to have less interest in just because the time it would take to make.

Re-Nest.com posted an article, Eight Products You Think You Need-But Don’t as a repost of article found at GOOD.  The listed “unnecessary” products include lip balm, foot cream, toner, body scrub, leave-in conditioner, shaving cream and aftershave, and body wash.  As many comment-ers articulated though, every body is different, especially in different environments, where some of the “unnecessary” products may indeed be quite necessary. What intrigued me were the comments with various suggestions on how to make your own safe as well as green bathroom concoctions and if you aren’t up for making some of them which products are safe and green to buy.  I have compiled some of these ideas to check out below.

For Shampoo:

• Dr. Bronner’s soap
• Baking Soda
• Apple Cider Vinegar

*It should be noted that many people commented that Baking Soda dried out their scalp/hair and wasn’t the best used alone [without a conditioner concoction] for those with curly hair.

For Conditioner:

• Any and all of these oils were listed for conditioner, as well as for ANY dry areas including lips; Sesame, olive, coconut, jojoba, almond, and avocado oil
• This mix is good for leave-in;

3 tablespoons of honey
1/2 avocado
3 table spoons of olive or coconut oil
1/2 a banana (remove the seeds)
puree and leave on hair for 30 minutes
rinse well and do a quick conditioner wash after – I only do this because it does smell a little like salad, but it leaves dry hair feeling amazing!

For Body Cleansing and Scrubbing

• Dr. Bronner’s soap
• Sugar scrub with olive oil (or whatever other carrier oil of your choice: almond, grapeseed…) and berry sugar (finer than regular sugar and not as coarse) plus with a few drops of essential oil if needed. I think it is a 2:1 ratio of oil to sugar – make it pasty and keep it in a jar
• Brown sugar coconut oil

For Shaving:

• Sugaring is similar to waxing
• Dr. Bronners soap and or shaving cream
• Lush shaving cream
• Hair Conditioner

For Face Cleansing:

• Witch Hazel as toner
• Rosewater as toner
• Dr. Bronner’s soap as wash
• The Oil Method: Various combinations of castor oil + a secondary oil for face wash; castor oil + sunflower seed oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for secondary oil)

Oily Skin: Try a blend of 30% Castor Oil to 70% Sunflower Seed Oil.
Balanced Skin: Try a blend of 20% Castor Oil to 80% Sunflower Seed Oil.
Dry Skin: Try a blend of 10% Castor Oil to 90% Sunflower Seed Oil.

For more details try this site http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

For Toothpaste:

• Dr. Bronner’s soap
• Baking Soda
• Baking Soda with salt and seaweed

So, if you’ve read all of these you’ll have noticed that Dr. Bronner’s, surprisingly economically priced, pretty much acts as an acceptable agent for nearly all of these bathroom products (and beyond as you will see below).  It seems uncomfortable at first to brush your teeth with the same stuff you would wash your clothes with (it also can be used as laundry detergent), but people swear by it- not only the infinite comments found online but I know at least 10 people who use it regularly in their bathroom regimens and not one is a patchouli splasher.  The website considers it an 18-1 use product, paraphrased as such:

• For everyday body-washing: Get wet and pour soap full-strength onto hands-washcloth-loofah. Lather up, scrub down, rinse off, and tingle fresh & clean.
• For other uses, dilute from one part soap into 40 parts water for light cleaning, to cutting it in half or using it full strength for heavy-duty grease-cutting jobs.
• 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables
• 1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap
• Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath.
• For shampoo, though we now recommend our new Shikakai soaps for this, many people are fond of using it as such. The method of application is to wet hair and scalp very thoroughly, squirt some soap into hands and work into a lather. Wash hair, then rinse well. Afterwards use our new citrus hair rinse and leave-in conditioners as directed.
• For the laundry, use 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup for one regular load; adjust as needed depending on hardness of water. I’ve been told that adding a dash of baking soda makes it even better.
• For toothbrushing, apply a drop or two of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap to a wet toothbrush. Brush as you normally would, rinsing accordingly. Be careful about using more than a couple drops of soap, as you might start foaming at the mouth. Many people with sensitive or softer teeth like to use our soap as a toothpaste because it lacks abrasives.

Another less utilitarian more girly-friendly brand is Lush.  Although on the pricier-side it is also earth-friendly and appears to use safe ingredients (I couldn’t find the full ingredient listings for single products online, just a general “book” of the ingredients used).