earth day roundup

h|h hearts an eco-friendly home . . .

longtime readers know that i believe that every day is earth day, but since the collective world is more mindful of mother earth today i thought it would be nice to share some of my favorite eco-friendly finds that are good for our 'aina, you and your 'ohana.

we do our best to choose sustainable products whenever possible, but after many many years of trial and error i know that green, alas, does not always mean effective or quality goods. these products have become my gold standard which means they are better than conventional offerings, and, rest assured, you would definitely find my top 10 around my home if you ever peeked into my cabinets.

read the full scoop on my favorite home and beauty goods after the jump!

1 - last year, i found myself spending countless hours in the gardenweb's laundry room forum filled with endless threads of sage advice by the laundry-obsessed. there was lots of love for charlie's soap so i ordered up a bag and after a few washes said goodbye to method after needing just half a tablespoon to clean a load of laundry in our little he all-in-one washer/dryer. it's super concentrated yet leaves our clothes free of residues which explains why it is popular with the cloth diaper set and often stocked in shops catering to keiki.

{source - online or at a handful of island stockists}

2 - my mister often finds himself shooting on location in dusty conditions which makes for a collection of dingy socks. chlorine bleach is a no-no in our home and a certain oxygen bleach was not getting the job done. another happy discovery from the laundry room was ecover's non-chlorine laundry bleach which whitened and brightened all those darn socks. the secret is that it's free of fillers unlike its competitors and made with 100% percarbonate.

{source - online at drugstore.com, whole foods or check the shelves at your local natural grocer}

3 - charlie's soap handles the majority of our laundry but ecover's delicate wash is tapped for garments that require gentler care. i haven't missed woolite since i made the switch a few years ago and i love that only half a capful of the plant-based formulation is needed to launder all my finicky washables (fyi, ymmv with less efficient washers).

{source - online at drugstore.com, whole foods and most natural grocers including vim & vigor in aiea}

4 - anyone else think there's a good reason for the "ew" in mildew? naturally it's clean's mildew cleaner uses enzymes to break it down and requires practically no effort on my part. it's non-toxic and works which means it has become my go to spray whenever mildew strikes our nest.

{source - online at greenfeet, whole foods or check the shelves at your local natural grocer}

5 - we use our recycled tubtrug (made from 100% post-industrial waste) as a catchall for recyclables which doubles as a handy way to tote everything to the recycling bin but its uses are really quite endless (garden, car/pet wash, cooler, beach tote, etc). when a mysterious fire appeared on our patio it instantly transformed into a water bucket . . . although, in retrospect, i would suggest calling the fire department after dealing with the effects of smoke inhalation for more than a day after only a few minutes of fire fighting duty.

{source - alas, no tubtrug stockists in hawaii but an abundance of colors and sizes may be ordered in the online shop}

6 - even though you'll never lay eyes on it once tucked into a gadget, i love the clean, modern look of rechargeable eneloop batteries. one use batteries are so 20th century and tech geeks everywhere share my crush for eneloops which are said to be the best rechargeable on the market. they can be charged up to 1000 times so do the math and stock up.

{source - amazon and occasionally at costco and target where rebadged eneloops (look for a duracell case with a white top & made in japan marking on the package) are known to make a rare appearance.}

. . . & au natural beauty goods!

7 - i will confess that years of double coupon deals meant we had a stockpile of toothpaste from when we shopped at the big box grocery store. once we brushed our way through all the tubes, we found most natural pastes to be dreadful until i happened upon nature's gate organics advanced care toothpaste and its minty paraban/sulfate-free botanical formulation. clean teeth, happy dentist!

{source - elusive in-store so click over to vitacost for the best price}

8 - finding worthy beauty alternatives that are paraban-free is quite the task so, after a few disappointing trials with an assortment of sample sticks, i splurged on lavanila's the healthy deodorant which managed to eliminate all the naughty ingredients (no aluminum!) and still smells delicious with a hint of coconut vanilla goodness.

{source - lavanila's online shop and sephora - although i have yet to find it in-store}

9 - if, like me, you are vexed by the oilies boscia's oil-free daily hydration spf 15 keeps your skin matte with the added bonus of a physical sunblock (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide). it's also filled with antioxidants and free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

{source - boscia's online shop, sephora or ulta}

10 - while i work my way through an endless supply of eco-friendly hair conditioner that didn't make the cut and the mister is growing out beard 2.0, alba botanica's moisturizing foam shave is patiently waiting for our return. it's the only option that has been approved for a manly shave and the sea mist scent smells just like the ocean.

{source - vitacost, whole foods and your local natural grocer}

alrighty, your turn! i am still on the hunt for a good organic shampoo and conditioner . . . do you have any eco-friendly, reader-approved favorites to share?

p.s. gather up all those worn shoes for this sunday's recycle-a-shoe event at honolulu hale. and, origins also accepts those hard to recycle beauty containers through its in-store recycling program at ala moana.

Comments

[Kat]

I love all these Earth friendly ideas! Thanks for sharing. I find it interesting that most of the packaging designs above incorporate either blue or green (or both)! What is it about those colors that make you feel so calm and peaceful :)

[kat]

I like Mrs Meyer's Clean Day's Ironing water & Dish soaps. They are very fragrant and earth friendly.

[Maile John]

I love Meyers Clean Days too! I only use Meyers laundry detergent and it makes everything smell heavenly. I am so proud of Hawaii's residents. I think we have always embraced a green lifestyle. Thanks Hapa Hale for informing us of your favorite green products. Must try some.