Happy Green House Cleaning

Happy Earth Day! #interconnected #earthday #motherearth Poster via @greenpeace

These products are called VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). They include many items that you probably have in your home at this very moment: hairsprays, paints, air fresheners, bug repellant, cleaners, disinfectants, detergents, perfumes, etc. These harmful household products now contribute to about ONE HALF of all air pollution in many industrialized cities; pollution from automobiles approximately making up the other half.... That's crazy There are some simple steps you can take to improve the air quality in your home and reduce the amount of pollutants that you and your family are inhaling and coming into contact with: ~ Make the switch to all natural cleaning products! An even easier solution is to hire us at Happy Green to take care of this problem for you! ~ Avoid any type of product that comes in an aerosol can. ~ Switch to organic/ all natural skin care products and avoid any products that contain 'perfume' or 'fragrance' on the list of ingredients. ~ Purchase an air purifier that removes VOC's from the air. ~ Quit smoking cigarettes. Photo from @curious.earth.hq on Instagram

Here are some ideas of gifts you can give to a friend or loved one this Christmas that are free and eco-friendly: ~Write them a letter or a story... ~Make them something (a drawing, a card, a necklace, etc.) ~Give them a voucher for free babysitting ~Do some chores for them (house cleaning, snow shoveling, walk the dog, etc.) ~Take them on a date day (snowshoe in a park, go skating, walk through town to check out the Christmas lights, etc.) ~Put together a book of your favourite recipes

Some Good News Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeu pledged to ban some single-use plastics in Canada by 2021. Items include plastic bags, straws, and cutlery, but the list is yet to be finalized. Also, businesses manufacturing plastic products will now be held responsible for recycling their products.... Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the European Union all pledged to reduce their plastic usage and signed the Ocean Plastics Charter at the G7 summit last year. Canadians alone throw away more than 34 million plastic bags daily that end up in landfills for approximately 1000 years. Unless you live under a rock, I'm sure you know how severe of a situation we have gotten ourselves into. We are in the middle of a climate crisis and risk destroying our beautiful planet and essentially dooming all future generations unless we start making some drastic changes now. Banning single-use plastics is a great step in the right direction but we don't have to wait until 2021 to implement these positive changes in our own homes. Stop purchasing items like plastic wrap now and switch to a reusable, eco-friendly food wrap such as Goldilocks beeswax wraps. Plastic sandwich baggies can be replaced by reusable bags like Lunchskins. Plastic grocery bags are easily replaced by reusable shopping bags which you can purchase pretty much anywhere. There are so many ecofriendly options out there that there really is no need for single use plastics anymore. Message us anytime for more plastic-swap ideas!!! ~Information from CBC

Every time you toss something into a garbage bin today, ask yourself how you could prevent that same type of waste from ending up there tomorrow. At Happy Green we strive to create the least amount of waste possible. We never use paper towels or cleaning wipes. We use reusable rags and wash them. We buy in bulk and refill our spray bottles. We buy and use products that come in recyclable containers. We buy products that come without plastic packaging. We make the majority of... our cleaners ourselves. When we go shopping for supplies we bring reusable bags. We compost. We recycle. The list goes on and on! Here are a few great tips on how to create less waste in your daily life! How do you live with less waste? ~Image created by @plantedinthewoods

Here are a few easy things we can all do to minimize our ecological footprints. Making small changes like this can have a huge impact on the wellbeing of our beautiful planet. ... ~Image found via @zerowasteworldwide on Instagram

Naturally infused vinegars are some of my favourite things to use while cleaning. They are perfect for cutting grease, cleaning glass, deoderizing, and disinfecting all types of surfaces. Vinegar can even elimate salmonella and E. Coli bacteria. The only places you can't use vinegar is on marble or porous, unfinished wood surfaces. To make your own naturally infused vinegar simply fill a jar half full with dried citrus peels or dried herbs (such as thyme, lavender, or rosem...ary), cover with vinegar to the top of the jar, slap a lid on, and let it sit for 2-4 weeks, occasionally shaking the jar. Then, strain with a cheesecloth and fill a spray bottle about 1/4 full of the vinegar. Fill to the top with water and you're good to go. Can't wait 2-4 weeks? You can also use essential oils in your vinegars! You'll love the smell of these infused vinegars and you'll also love the low cost. Plus you can rest easy knowing it's completely safe for your family, pets, and the environment! ~Image found via @plantedinthewoods on Instagram #allnatural #natural #green #naturalcleaningproducts #plantbased #plants #ecofriendly #sustainable #biodegradable #health #cleaning #cleaningproducts #diy #homemade #healthyhome

Living sustainably doesn't have to be complicated. Here are a couple of really great, simple ways to start: ~Reduce the amount of shopping you do... ~Ditch single-use plastic ~Boycott products that endanger wildlife ~Pay attention to labels ~Use less water ~Bring your own coffee mug ~Drive less ~Opt for having a smaller family ~Make your own ~Replace disposables ~Buy used ~Tell the post office you don't want flyers/ junk mail ~Start a compost ~Shop local Image found via @sustainablecorner on Instagram

Before harsh commercial cleaners were introduced in the 1940's, people used simple household staples such as soap, water, vinegar, and baking soda to clean and disinfect their homes. Cool Fact: Ancient Egyptians used baking soda as a cleaning agent and vinegar was used as a cleaner in ancient Rome. Today, Canadians use about 54 kilotons of general purpose household cleaners per year, resulting in the contamination of our fresh water, soil, air... And ourselves. Many commo...n household cleaners are carcinogenic, hormone-disrupting, and can cause long-term respiratory problems. By switching to simple homemade cleaning products such as the ones found below, you will be causing less pollution, creating less waste, saving a lot of money, and creating a healthier household for your family and pets. ~Image found via @zerowasteworldwide on Instagram

At least half of all plastic is single-use, meaning it will be used only once before being discarded and ending up in a landfill where it will remain for hundreds of years, eventually breaking down and releasing harmful chemicals into the surrounding soil It is estimated that each year 18 billion pounds of plastic enters our oceans. Here are a few easy ways we can reduce the amount of plastic we use ... Image found via @zerowasteworldwide on Instagram

When you run out of your current household cleaning products, make the swap to eco-friendly cleaners that are sustainable, generate zero waste, and are better for your health. Follow us for more ideas on how to do just that! ~Image designed by @wastefreeplanet on Instagram #wastefreeplanet Artwork by @plantedinthewoods

Girls Rule According to the Journal of Corporate Finance, companies with more female bosses are less likely to be sued for breaching environmental laws. ~Found via @curious.earth.hq on Instagram

Happy Earth Day! At Happy Green we love our planet every day of the year-- That's why our products are eco-friendly and non-toxicHappy Earth Day! At Happy Green we love our planet every day of the year-- That's why our products are eco-friendly and non-toxic