I used to buy many products to make my home smell oh so lovely. I would think that if I didn't use these products, then my home would smell bad and people would think I don't clean my house good enough. Plug in's and air fresheners were on my shopping list each payday. You see the commercials, you get this idea in your head that I need to buy it. But the fact is that big business really doesn't care if you get sick or not, they just want your money. And you know the tool they use to get you to buy these things is? Fear. They make you feel as if people will judge you or if you don't clean your house good enough, you will die. Bravo bravo to you big business. Clever idea. But guess what? People have wised up. They have figured out what you are doing and realized that your products are synthetic and toxic for you and your pets.
Have you ever noticed that when you hear of something that could threaten your family, there is always a exciting new product that will come save your family? Hmmm convenient.How about find out what the threat is and act accordingly. Read up about what it is, and find out how you can fix it. Did you ever notice when the swine flue was all the rage , all you saw was commercials about antibacterial sprays, lotions and wash? So everyone thought that if you bought these items, you were gonna be protected. Hey guess what? Soap and water does just the trick. How about not touching anything or anyone and just wash your hands if you do? Did you run and get everyone shots? Guess who was making all the money off your fear? Doctors, and big companies. Don't get me wrong, you should take all the precautions when you think your family might be in danger. I called our doctor and asked them what they thought we should do. We took our 4 girls in to get shots and kept them up on their vitamins and ate healthy.My husband was able to get the shot for free but I did not get the shot at all. We did not make our kids be scared to be around anyone and made no big deal about the situation. I didn't want to use the fear tactic on our kids. We informed them and talked about what steps we needed to take to protect ourselves.
One thing that really gets me is the business's trying to collect on being green. We call this the "green cloak". Where they push this green message all over your face in hopes that you will want to buy it. Even though the company really is not green. Yeah there might be some natural ingredients but take a look at all of them. Take a look at the company itself. What steps do they make to make a greener planet? Do they use recycled packaging? Are there any toxins in their product? You need to think of all these things when you decide to buy anything. This rule alone has saved me a ton of money and stopped a ton of money from going to big business trying to collect on my fear. My fear of bad companies. I only buy products that are good green companies and make actual green products that are safe for my whole family to use. I no longer believe commercials, marketing or avdvertising.
So what do you think about this? Are you guilty too of giving in to the fear tactic? Any companies you know that have a green cloak? Speak your mind and help others against this fear tactic.
5 comments:
I do fall into the fear tactics at times. Not so much with the flu (I refused the shot this year and was the only one not to even catch a cold).
I do question my green choices and desires, wondering if I'm doing them because I believe in their benefit and find them practical and an improvement on our quality of life... or is it just because the item or act will lower my score on Low Impact Living and give me some sort of green street cred.
Like the composter...
Costco has my dream of a composter for $95. I desire this thing and wonder if I should carve a portion of my paycheck on friday to get this thing. As much as I will try to convince myself that we'll be on top of things and make our own compost for the summer garden... I honestly don't believe we're at the point where it's worth it. It would be more like a greenie's version of the big shiny car.
I just keep reminding myself that I can still make good choices...without the composter. My six tomato plants will survive without the contraption.
So I try to use plant based cleaners like Natures Source and Green Works. (think those are plant based) What is your prefered house hold cleaner???
Danielle-Well to be honest I use mostly Seventh Generation products. I am in love with this company in so many ways. From how they treat their workers, to the recycled packaging, and of course the amazing safe cleaners they make. Win win company! But I have stumbled upon a new thing. Its called the Activeion. I will be doing a green review shortly and tell you all about it. Its basically little sprayer that uses tap water to clean your home. Yep, just tap water.
I also make my own cleaners too. Vinegar is a must in my home. I can feel good about letting my girls clean the house with homemade cleaners. No more worries about toxins.
Wonder-ful-I too question my choices every time I get ready to buy something. I want to keep this earth as green as possible with my choices but also want to keep my green in my wallet too. Its a struggle but in the end the earth will always win.
In our last home we used a garbage can with holes drilled into it for our compost. We did this so my dog would not get into it. Secure lid is a must. It was a $10 investment that worked very well. When we were looking to buy our current home I was shocked to find a 3 bin system compost in the back side garden. Yahoo! Its a wooden framed 3 bin system with metal mesh. I literally shreaked inside! Now if I could figure out a way to get my food into the compost without going outside in the cold.....its a work in progress.
I too use some Seventh Generation. And recently purchased stuff to make my own cleaners at home (Castillo oil, distilled vinegar, etc) i found a spray bottle at Xmas tree shop that has measurements and directions rite on the bottle for different non toxic cleaning recipes:) As for composting, my fiance is big into it. Rite now he just has a pile going outside in the back near where our vegetable garden is. I think he plans on building something out of wood to contain the compost. Although, i got this catalog "planet natural" and it has biodegradable bags. You line a garbage can with them, throw compostables inside, and your supposed to be able to just throw the bag in the pile outside and its supposed to do as the compost does. If you have heard of such a thing, what are your thoughts? BTW, i have to say i LOVE this blog. Im not usually a blog reader, but when i came across you on facebook..i got hooked! Thanks for all the goodies you post, and I learn a lot every time you post!!!
Danielle-Thank you so much for being such a loyal reader! Anytime you have any questions just ask away! I'm on Facebook constantly and to be honest its much easier to answer any questions on there. Plus you can talk directly to me.
I have not heard of that bag but it sounds pretty cool. Only thing I think would be a problem is after a while you would need to mix up the compost so it can break down easier. Not sure how that would work if the bag is intact.... definitely worth trying though.
Its really nice to get feedback from everyone. Sometimes I rattle on about just about everything and wonder if people even listen to me. I am not the best writer and as my husband says I write like I talk. Or as my friends say I have a big words coming from such a small person. lol
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