From the category archives:

Green Home Audit

Green Home Audit: excess packaging in the bathroom

by Jennifer on October 23, 2009

In My plan to cut out excess packaging, I discussed my plans for cutting out excess packaging this year. However, first I need to know which packaging I have that’s excessive and can be cut, so a small green home audit about said packaging is in order.

soap with natural ingredients

I went through my bathroom and found the following packaging – along side each I’ve made notes about which I can cut and which I’m not so sure about.

Packaging in my bathroom:

  • Organic Body wash – this was an unnecessary impulse buy and one I don’t need it and two I can cut it by using unwrapped bar soap, homemade body wash, or fill a reusable container with body wash at the natural food store.
  • Organic Shampoo – I rarely use shampoo and don’t need a special kind so I can get a refillable bottle instead.
  • Conditioner – I have naturally curly hair (blah) and use a super charged, really good organic conditioner. Since I can’t find a decent conditioner in bulk, I don’t know if I can cut this. One option is to make my own conditioner. I make hair masques, but I’ll have to look into conditioner.
  • Organic face wash – I should make my own like I used to, but not sure if I want to. I like my current face wash.
  • All natural facial grains – I LOVE these facial grains, but I can make my own in a reusable container, they’re not as good IMO, but close.
  • Organic shaving cream – well, I could quit shaving, or figure out how to make my own. This is a bath product I haven’t ever tried to make though, so I’m not sure. We’ll call this a maybe.
  • Razors – I use recycled razors from Preserve. Right now I like shaving, so I suppose I’ll keep them, but I don’t love how the Preserve razors work. My goal is to find an eco-razor I like better.
  • Bath scrubby – I usually have a washable bath scrubby in the tub, most of the time made of natural hemp – right now though for the last year I’ve been using one made with organic cotton fibers. Since I use them to death and rewash, I’m not concerned.
  • Lip gloss – OMG I have so much lip gloss that it’s embarrassing. I LOVE lip gloss, especially my Tarte lip gloss. I think though what I’ll do is just commit to buying new Tarte and one take along organic lip gloss when I run out, then recycle the packaging. Another option is to make my own lip gloss more often.
  • Deodorant – This is one of the biggest baddies in my bathroom. I don’t buy organic or natural because I’ve never found one I like that works. Trust me, I’ve tried a ton too.  The perfect goal would be to find a healthier one that works in less packaging, but I’m not holding my breath.
  • Keep on reading this post!

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Green Audit Know-How

by Jennifer on October 13, 2009

Green audits are pretty darn easy to conduct. With any audit you simply investigate and assess a situation, person, organization, system, process, company or enterprise, product, or project. Whew, which sounds heavy duty, but it’s really not that tough.

Green audit

The end result of a green audit is not change, but the tools to create change. For example you can do a green home trash audit, but all you’re doing is gathering information about your trash and recycling methods and habits. After the fact is what matters. You can take the information gained from an audit and ignore it or use the information to focus on areas where you could change or be more efficient.

While all families are different, and thus will have different audit results, there are still components of any typical green audits that will apply to everyone.

Benefits of a green audit

An audit clues you in to how you’re currently living, what sort of consumer you are, or gives you powerful information about a green company or product. It tells you how you, your home and your community, among other things stack up – i.e. are you a green champion or a green liability?

Using a green audit Keep on reading this post!

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