A Beginner's Guide to Green Living
by Rebecca Henry
Genre: Nonfiction, How-To, Green Living
Just
like the color, there can be multiple shades of green living. This
book provides you with simple, easy, and fun recipes for all aspects
of your home life. You will find plant-based recipes for basic
cleaning products, skincare, herbal crafts, and even learn how to
plant and maintain the herbs in your own garden. I designed this book
to help motivate and educate you in the ways of green living, and
also to share my sixteen years of experience in walking through this
forest of green living myself. I hope you’ll find inspiration
within these pages and create your own shade of green living!
I
have traveled the world collecting recipes and ways to incorporate
organic, plant-based, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly options into my
daily life. Being a mother, I understand the importance of wanting to
create a clean and green home environment. Most people are not aware
of the hidden toxins lurking in their skincare and cleaning products.
This book exposes those toxins and the health risks they pose.
Besides providing recipes, I also suggest eco-friendly, plant-based
commercial brand alternatives, making the switch to a green lifestyle
easier for people to adapt. More and more people are realizing the
need to go green, yet they are unsure how to begin. Some people are
afraid that they cannot break their habits to adopt a green way of
living. I want to reach those people and show them that green living
can start with a conscious mind and a simple change to what they add
to their grocery cart. It does not have to be an all-or-nothing
switch.
But it is not just about the care of our health, this book also focuses on social issues in third world countries, eliminating zero-waste products in the home, the need for fair trade and organic clothing, toxic chemicals accumulating in the environment affecting aquatic life, animals, and waterways. I explain how to change your daily lives effortlessly and slowly, providing inspiring recipes and crafts, to help make a difference with these cultural and environmental issues. I encourage people with black thumbs to get into the garden by providing easy projects like re-growing spring onions from kitchen cuttings. It is my passion to show people that they can have two green thumbs!
Introduction:
Just like the color, there can be multiple shades of green living. The purpose of this book is to provide you with simple, easy and fun recipes for all aspects of your home life. You will find plant-based recipes for basic cleaning products, skin care, herbal crafts and even learn how to plant and maintain the herbs in your own garden. I designed this book to help motivate and educate you in the ways of green living, and to share my sixteen years of experience in walking through this forest of green living myself. I hope you’ll find inspiration within these pages and begin to create your own shade of green living!
My journey towards a greener lifestyle began at twenty-five with the birth of my daughter. Since then, I’ve moved overseas and traveled the world. My time living in England, Singapore and Germany birthed a new chapter of my life making it greener at home as well as for my body, as a creative outlet and in the garden. This book contains recipes that I have spent the last sixteen years collecting and refining by taking various techniques and cultures into account. I chose to follow a green path because I believed it was the right option for my children, but through the years I have discovered green living is not only good for the health of my family, but it is also beneficial for the environment, animals, and my mental wellbeing. I live this lifestyle because it connects me to nature through the use of plant-based, homemade products.
Green is commonly associated with nature, tranquility, and health. Beginning your path to a greener lifestyle will help to improve your overall wellbeing. When I wash the dishes, the lovely aroma of basil and rosemary lingers in the air and I sigh in contentment, feeling positive about the aroma I have created in my home. There are days when I don’t have the time to make my own homemade batch of dish or laundry soap, and on these occasions, I opt for an eco-friendly, organic store-bought option.
Beginning your journey to green living does not mean you need to switch over to all homemade products, nor do you need to make every change listed in this book and insert them overnight. Start slow, substitute non-eco store-bought products with recipes from this book that excite you! Let them jump off the page and inspire you to create something green and clean. It has taken me almost two decades to reach the shade of green I am living, and I am constantly learning new ways to incorporate additional ideas into my lifestyle. Green living can start with implementing one or two homemade plant-based options into your daily routine. The entire purpose is to feel good about the changes you are willing and want to make, without the guilt of those you don’t or becoming overwhelmed by trying to do too much. If you decide, after reading this book that opting for a greener fabric softener is the change you want in your home, then that is a positive step into green living. I wrote this book to give you options and it’s up to you which options you apply to your life. But always remember that every change you make is a positive one and it’s a step forward into green living.
How Green Living Contributes To A Zero-Waste Home
Green living has important benefits. It’s eco-friendly, cruelty-free, sustainable and has the added advantage of being homemade. But green living also promotes a zero-waste lifestyle by helping to reduce the amount of plastic and non-biodegradable items we collect in our homes. By substituting and replacing disposable items in your house for more sustainable, plastic-free alternatives, you are reducing your carbon footprint by decreasing the amount of pollution that is being dispersed into the air, water, and the soil. A common misconception is that you can recycle all plastic. However, most plastics are not recyclable and end up in rapidly filling landfills or high energy using - incinerators across the world. Making a conscious effort to avoid buying unnecessary plastics and other non-biodegradable materials can help to eliminate the overuse of our planet’s natural resources. Just remember, every plastic item you see will never completely go away. It’s on this earth for good, even if it takes on some new form or another. I hope that the next generation will end this plastic age.
Plastic surrounds our daily lives; from the food we eat, the clothes we wear, to the bikes and cars we ride in, to the beds we lay on at night. Plastic is on our dining room table and in our showers. It is almost impossible to eradicate all plastics from your life, but you can make conscious choices to eliminate the number of plastics you bring into your home. Every little bit helps! Change begins with making the conscious decision to do things differently and that is walking the path of a greener lifestyle.
Why Going Green Matters
Choosing to apply and follow a green path can be a significant lifestyle change. But a green lifestyle can have long-lasting personal and environmental benefits. Not only are you promoting your own health, but you are reducing the environmental risk to animals and their habitats, as well as the oceans and other natural environments. It is this understanding that is causing people to make the switch to a greener way of life.
I often get asked whether my small efforts really matter or make a difference and my reply is always the same, that whilst my efforts might seem trivial to some when you combine it with all the other people living a similar lifestyle, we can make a difference. By wearing fair trade clothing and vegan shoes, putting solar panels on my house, cooking with plant-based ingredients, and gifting homemade eco-friendly products, I am sharing my green lifestyle with friends, family, and the surrounding community.
Selecting the greener options can also have longer-lasting implications. It impacts manufacturers by showing them what their consumers are interested in. This allows for sustainable items to be manufactured in larger quantities, making them cheaper in the long run. Money talks and spending a little more on glass eco-wear containers as opposed to plastic ones are noticed by manufacturers. We have the power to choose what products we want to buy, and that is another way we can make a significant difference in reducing non-sustainable waste.
People can have their own reasons to go green. Some might opt for products with natural alternatives and begin the journey of green living due to food or skin allergies, or serious health problems such as cancer. Others might be more environmentally conscious or be more concerned about animal life or the Oceans. There can be a variety of reasons behind why you’ve decided to adopt a greener lifestyle, and whatever your reason may be, it’s got you to this point of improvement.
Going green allows you to minimize and eliminate some of the toxic chemicals that can be found around the home. This includes; both in and outdoor cleaners, personal skincare and makeup. By doing this, you reduce your carbon footprint by creating less air and water pollution, reducing animal cruelty by taking away the need for animal testing and lessening your reliance on GMO and pesticide-contaminated food. Thus, lowering the chemicals you’re putting in your body. The long-term effects of toxic chemicals found in our household products, cosmetics and food can pose serious health risks to people. Selecting organic, plant-based, eco-friendly products and food reduces your exposure to these toxic chemicals and the accumulation of carcinogens in our bodies, resulting in better health overall.
For The Home:
Going green can seem like an impossible task. When we stop and look around at our surroundings, we realize just how many plastic and non-biodegradable items we use daily. Trying to make the switch to a zero-waste home can feel daunting. My secret to green living is to start slow and small. Start by picking a room in your house. Next, write up a list of all the plastic items in this room. I like to begin in my bathroom and make notes on what I can replace with biodegradable packaging and homemade products. Shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, toothpaste, facial wash, shaving cream, body wash, body lotion, and sunscreen are the top items I see when I walk into my bathroom. Start by making these homemade recipes and store them in glass containers and jars. Make a pile of daily items you use, such as razors, toothbrushes, hairbrush, combs, loofah sponges, dental floss, cotton balls and cotton swabs. Take a moment to absorb all the plastic and non-biodegradable items we use every day in just one room of your home. You can make simple, but powerful and impactful switches to these items with zero-waste products. Remember not to feel pressured to make change everything in one go. The cost of replacing every item in your house might be overwhelming, so start small. Remember the main rules for going green. Reuse, recycle and repurpose what you already have before buying more. And when you can replace old plastic containers, do so with a zero-waste container, such as glass. These may seem like trivial changes, but it makes a significant impact on the planet. If everyone changed one room of their home, think of the accumulated waste that they are preventing on a global scale. Green Living can start in one home, in one room and have long-lasting implications for our life and planet. Never doubt that every change you make is positive.
Balancing Yoga Mat Cleaner
A natural and non-toxic way to clean your yoga mat, while uplifting your senses with harmonizing essential oils.
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Yields: 4 ounces
Ingredients:
• 4 oz. amber or cobalt blue glass spray bottle (this protects the essential oils from harmful UV rays from the sun)
• 2 tbsps. witch hazel
• 1/3 cup distilled water
• 5-10 drops lavender essential oil (any essential oil of your choice)
• Small funnel (optional)
Instructions:
1. Using a small funnel, pour the witch hazel into your glass bottle.
2. Next, pour the distilled water into your bottle, it should be about ¾ full.
3. Now the fun part! Add 4-6 drops of your favorite harmonizing, calming essential oil blend. I used lavender for this recipe, but you can select any essential oil you want. If you can’t think of any, I have included some essential oil blend combinations in the index. Pick your favorite combination or, if you are feeling inspired, blend and mix your own selection. The beauty of this project is that you can prepare several yoga mat cleaners for different yoga workouts and practices.
4. Test a small corner on the bottom side of your mat with the cleaner, to make sure there isn’t any discoloring or negative reactions.
5. After you have patch tested your mat, shake the spray bottle before using as this aids the essential oils to distribute and mix into the water. Because the spray is not emulsified, the essential oils will separate from the water and witch hazel. Shake the bottle well before each use to mix and combine the ingredients.
6. Directly spray the cleaner evenly over your entire mat.
7. Wipe dry with a hand towel and breathe in the desired mood-lifting fragrance of your own essential oil blends. When using after a yoga practice, allow the mat to dry completely before rolling it up. Namaste and happy practice!
Green Living Tips:
• I recommend adding at least two drops of antibacterial essential oils to your cleaners, such as tea tree oil, lemongrass, peppermint, or eucalyptus. When in doubt, you cannot go wrong with lavender essential oil and tea tree oil for a combination. If you are making yoga mat cleaners as gifts, you can refer to the ingredients and their beneficial properties. I like to print it out and paste it to a piece of cardstock and include it with the yoga mat cleaner.
• A wonderful idea is to gift a bottle of your homemade mat cleaner to your yoga instructor or even your entire class. Since the sprays are so inexpensive to make and purchasing tinted glass bottles in packs of six or more saves money, this makes a simple and rewarding project to do at home. You can get imaginative with your new yoga mat cleaner bottle and add labels using chalkboard stickers and tie a stem of fresh cut lavender with twine on the outside of your bottle for a touch of serenity.
Green Living Notes:
• As with any sport or physical activity, it is imperative to keep your equipment clean after each use. Your yoga mat is an extension of your practice, it is your sacred space where you not only become grounded with the earth but also your mind, body, and soul. Take a minute to reward yourself for taking time out of your busy schedule and showing up on your mat by pampering your senses with a little TLC. Inhale the tranquil aroma of your cleaner and breathe in the harmony your mind needs to unwind and settle into your practice.
Green Living Comments:
• One reason I make my yoga mat cleaner is to help create zero-waste in my home. Even when organic, most cleaners are sold in plastic bottles. Making your own cleaner reduces the purchasing and the use of plastic bottles. The manufacturing process of some plastics used for cosmetic and cleaning products contains raw materials such as crude oils and natural gases. These resins account for a high percentage of a plastic bottle’s carbon footprint. By making your own yoga mat cleaner and using glass bottles instead of plastic, you are helping to reduce the damaging effects of the overuse of plastics on our planet. Every little change you make to reduce your carbon footprint matters, and this is an excellent step to helping our planet.
• I thoroughly enjoy cleaning my yoga mat before each practice with aromatherapy yoga mat sprays. I feel balanced as I sit on my mat, grounded, with my hands resting palms down towards the earth, inhaling the aroma of lavender breathing life into my practice. With each deep inhaling breath, my mind and body relax into a state of tranquility. The stresses from the day melt away with each inhale I take. Before I created my own, I would spend a fortune on organic, aromatherapy yoga mat cleaners that would last me a couple of months at a time, and if you are anything like me, you enjoy having a collection of various aromatherapy sprays to use. I began creating my own cleaners because I loved the variety of scents that I could create. It is also far more affordable and negated the guilt I felt at spending forty dollars or more just on yoga mat cleaners. With this being such a quick and easy project to do, I never lack the motivation to mix up my own batches and make extras for friends at the same time.
Contents
Introduction
How Green Living Contributes To a Zero-Waste Home
Why Going Green Matters
Caution & Safety
Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Products
Tools, Equipment & Ingredients
Products & Brands
Benefits of Plants and Essential Oils
Essential Oil Combinations
Essential Oils for Healing
Other Ingredients and their Benefits
Chapter One: For the Home
Balancing Yoga Mat Cleaner
Mood Lifting Room Spray
Lavender Rose Linen Spray
Green Living Simmer Pot Recipes
Green Living Laundry Detergent
Aromatherapy Laundry Booster
Going Green Laundry Stain Remover
Lemon & Basil Multipurpose Cleaner
Citrus & Thyme Window & Mirror Cleaner
Eco-Friendly Disinfecting Spray for Toys
Green Living Wood Cleaner
Natural Floor Cleaner
Going Green Carpet Cleaner
Baking Soda Grout Scrub
Tile and Tub Eco Scrub
Daily Shower Cleaner
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Non-Toxic Fizzy Toilet Cleaning Tablets
Kitchen Pots & Pans Eco Scrub
Baking Soda Oven Cleaner
Natural Dish Soap
Lavender & Basil Hand Soap
Garden Foaming Hand Soap
Peppermint Oil Spider Repellent
Bug & Spider Repellent
Chapter Two: For the Body
Lavender & Rosemary Hand sanitizer
Coconut Insect Repellent
Headache Roller Relief Ball
Rosewater Facial Wash
Rosewater Astringent
Rosewater Botanical Moisturizer
Green Tea Blossom Body Splash
Lavender and Rosemary Tea Bath Bags
Green Tea Bath Bombs
Green Tea Exfoliating Melt & Pour Soap
Vegan Basil Lotion Bars
Refreshing Mint Body Butter
Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub
Oatmeal Face Mask
Coconut Lime Bath Salt
Lavender & Mint Deodorant Bar
Chamomile Herbal Infusion Shampoo
Basil & Mint Coconut Milk Shampoo
Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse
Orange & Lime Chocolate Dry Shampoo
Hydrating Coconut Oil Hair Mask
Rosemary Shaving Cream
Lavender Coconut Milk Body Wash
Fresh Mint Mouth wash
Zero-Waste Mint Toothpaste
Chapter Three: For your Creative Side
Turmeric Dyed Scarf
Black Bean Dyed Tank Top
Eco-dying Paper
Black Bean Dyed Tank Top
Vegan Wax Food Wrap
Energizing Wax Melts
At Sea Room Diffuser
Coconut Mosquito Repellent Candles
Mint Leaf & Chamomile Herbal Candles
Lavender Sachets
Drying Herbs from the Garden
Chapter Four: For the Garden
Beginner’s Herb Garden
Re-growing Spring Onions from Kitchen Cuttings
Re-growing Garlic from Kitchen Cuttings
Re-growing Lemongrass from Kitchen Cuttings
Re-growing Ginger from Kitchen Cuttings
Re-growing Potatoes from Kitchen Cuttings
Green Garden Insecticide Spray
Fruit & Vegetable Rinse
Fresh Cut Flower Food
How to Properly Cut Flowers from the Garden
Rebecca Henry is an American author living in the UK. Her books range from vegan cookbooks to fantasy to sci-fi to Rebecca's latest release with Urban Edge Publishing, Louisiana Latte: A Chick Lit Comedy About Sisters, Stilletos, Coffee, and One Fabulous Diva! You can find all Rebecca's books on Amazon.
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