Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Day 7 - Switch to eco-friendly laudry and dishwasher detergent

Not much to say about this one. The laundry detergent comes in powder form, is made locally, and is purported to remove strong odors from clothes. Let's see how it handles the smell of gas/wind/exhaust fumes that lingers perpetually in my jeans. The dishwasher soap is by Seventh Generation, a Burlington, VT company. I have a love/hate relationship with the state of Vermont, so we'll which side of my humours this detergent lands on.

My search and procurement for eco-friendly laundry and dishwasher soap was uneventful. It lead me to Big Carrot on the Danforth, where I dutifully purchased said products, along with some other items I probably didn't need, but couldn't resist, like this. I stared, fearfully, once again, at the Diva Cup, which I know now will enter my future sometime next month, should my body decide to work properly. What excited me most about my visit, however, was the pamphlet I picked up on my way out. Published by the Toronto Vegetarian Association, it is a listing of all vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants in town, along with meal catering, farmer's markets and other great things. Now, I'm not vegetarian, nor do I plan on becoming one, but I have to say, I love vegetarian cuisine, and seriously, if I HAD to give up meat, I would be sad, but I certainly wouldn't starve with all this tasty tofu and lentil curry lying about. The brochure that I mention is available in .pdf format at the website linked above (which is great - save those trees).

After leaving Big Carrot, I wandered east on the Danforth to an eco-store that sold housewares and some clothing. I didn't purchase anything, but I did overhear a conversation between a lady and a sales clerk where the lady was looking to buy some worms for her compost, and this store can order worms for you. Interesting tidbit for future endeavors, I think.

3 comments:

Brandislee said...

Don't fear the Diva Cup! If you actually think about what you've been using up until now (like actually think about it) it's far less ew to use the Diva cup. It's just a little more, uh, hands on. Good luck!

Amy H. said...

I've been using a Diva Cup for years, don't be scared! Once you get the hang of it you'll wonder how you ever used tampons. I got caught unexpected without my Diva cup at work a few months back and I actually chose to use one of those inch thick disposable pads over a tampon, that's how much of an abomination I find then.

Unknown said...

I have only read up to day 7 so far, but thought I must comment on the dishwasher detergent. Instead of buying expensive green alternatives, just use about 3 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda in the dishwasher and vinegar as the rinse aid. We have been using it for ages, and it works very well except on heavily baked on pans.

Gav