CLEAN TIPS / Eco Tips

The Green Kitchen - tips for the perfect eco-friendly kitchen

Sustainable and Stylish Entertaining

Indoor Air Quality and Health - your guide to cleaning the air

The Green Kitchen; Hints for Modern Eco Living.

By Gina Cacho (BSc)

The kitchen is  the hub of the home.  More than merely a place to prepare food – the kitchen is about time spent discovering the joys of the kids’ school day or sharing a relaxing cup of tea with your best friend. Creating an  eco-friendly and safe kitchen is essential in this time of increasing environmental and health concerns . Simple changes can   help  to conserve water, reduce power usage and decrease your families’ exposure to potentially harmful synthetic chemicals.

Green Food Ideas

1.Avoid wasting food

We’ve all been guilty of leaving food on our plate. The reality is that every morsel of food has required water, petrol, electricity and often synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to become our meal and reach our mouths.  When we waste food, we are also wasting precious resources. The ‘eat only half of what is on your plate’ diet is environmentally unsound. If you want to eat less, try using a smaller plate.

2. Buy Fair Trade products

The type and quality of food we eat is also extremely important. Purchasing Fair Trade products, such as tea and coffee, guarantees a fair price and working conditions for the producers from developing countries.

3. Buy Local and Organic produce

Organic foods are produced without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilisers  thereby protecting our waterways from phosphates, a major contributor to algal bloom problems in Western Australia. Organic food not only tastes incredible, it  is also better for your health, with no pesticide residues and  higher mineral and vitamin content.  Buying locally is important and reduces the need for transportation of food, a major cause of green house gas emissions.

4. Eat less meat & when you do, make it Organic

Meat production uses a high level of resources including the feed and water for the animals. The World Watch Institute reported that it takes around 15.4kg of grain to produce one kilo of beef. Additionally a University of California study found that it takes approximately 215 thousand litres of water to produce one kilo of beef while producing one kilo of lettuce uses only 1045 litres.

5. Use a worm farm or Compost Bin

Worm farms are incredibly easy to set up and will allow you to turn a large proportion of your food scraps into wonderfully rich ‘worm juice’ and castings that your plants will love. If the idea of worms is too much, indoor compost buckets that sit under the sink are a great alternative.

Green Appliances

Energy and water efficiency and sleek design are no longer mutually exclusive.

• Choose energy and water efficient models and service them regularly
• Use water saving devices such as flow regulators for your tap.
• Place the fridge in a cool position away from sunlight and the oven.
• When boiling the kettle or when cooking, only use the exact amount of water you need, any extra is wasted water and power. Boiling a full electric kettle produces around three full balloons worth of green house gas emissions!

Reduce – Reuse- Recycle

• When shopping, opt for products that are minimally packaged.
• Use re-usable bags when shopping and consider taking re-usable organza bags to use for small items like loose beans and fruit.
• Wrap kitchen scraps in newspaper or purchase biodegradable bin liners made from corn starch.
• Purchasing staple products in bulk also reduces packaging.
• Once you have used something, see if you can re-use it and when you have exhausted every possible use for an item – it is time to recycle!

Reducing Plastics

Plastics aren’t just bad for the environment, they can have concerning health effects too. Phthalates are a group of  synthetic chemicals commonly found it soft plastics. They  have been found to disrupt the endocrine system due to their ability to mimic oestrogen. In high doses this can create changes in fertility levels, developmental abnormalities,  increased rate of undescended testes and feminising traits in baby boys.

• Avoid soft plastics such as disposable water bottles and take-away containers.
• Don’t heat fatty foods in soft plastic containers (phthalates are fat soluable).

Clean Naturally

Headaches, asthma, eczema, dermatitis and coughing fits are just some of the immediate responses to the potentially dangerous chemicals in our everyday cleaning products. The long term health effects of regular exposure to these chemicals are largely  unknown.  Dish liquid can release carcinogenic benzene vapours, when combined with hot water and most dish liquids use Sodium Lauryl Sulphate as their foaming agent which is toxic to aquatic organisms. Chemical based cleaning products can create indoor air pollution and overuse of anti-bacterial cleaning agents has recently been associated with the increasing incidence of asthma.

• Choose Natural cleaning products.  A truly natural product will usually list all the ingredients used.
• Use bi-carb soda as a cleaning agent and a mild abrasive, vinegar as a rinse aid for the dishwasher and lemon as a great natural bleach for those yellowing napkins.
• Avoid synthetic chemical based pest control, natural options are available at health food stores.

Creating a green kitchen is a wonderful way to protect the environment and your health.

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Sustainable and Stylish Entertaining

By Gina Cacho (BSc)

Minimising environmental impact and maximising style is the hallmark of sustainable entertaining. Goodbye campfires, unshaven legs and tasteless soy patties,  Green entertaining is more hip than hippie. After all, Green is the new Black!

Be it an afternoon in the garden enjoying high tea or an extravagant cocktail party, the way we choose to celebrate, can nurture or disrupt the environment. The aftermath of many parties is a sea of empty and half empty bottles, plastic plates, half eaten meals and usually a great deal of mess! Unfortunately according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics,  95% of all this solid waste, ends up in landfill.

The good news is that having a divine event and being ‘green’ are not mutually exclusive.

Here’s your ‘how to’ guide for sustainable and stylish entertaining

Invites should have a huge impact, but not on the environment. Using recycled and non-bleached papers or creating e-invites, is a great way to start, but if you want to make your  invite really stand out, theme it appropriately. Here’s some ideas to get you started;

? Baby Shower: buy second hand cotton baby clothes and use an iron on transfer to get the invite onto the clothes!

? Kids Party: try using pages from old colouring books as individual invites.  Ask the kiddies to bring the invite along and colour it in as a gift for the birthday boy or girl, so they can start their own ‘art collection’.

?  Christmas Party: incorporate old Christmas cards on a base of recycled paper for  unique invites.

Decorations can make or break the look of a party, however the habit of buying throw away decorations, is a little tragic from an environmental perspective, so use your inner creative genius and get hunting for green ideas. Try the following green alternatives;

? Soy or beeswax candles with pure essential oils are a great alternative to the toxic petrochemical derived paraffin varieties which often contain hormone disrupting synthetic fragrances.

? Small Garden Stones make great place cards, just write names on with a permanent marker. At the end of the night you can place them back in the garden.

? Organic herbs make a fantastic centre piece that also allows diners to self garnish.

? Used bottles  sprayed with a non-toxic paint make funky sustainable eco vases which look great in clumps around the house or in the backyard.

An inviting aroma can have the most incredible effect on mood. Unfortunately the majority of room sprays are full of dangerous synthetic chemicals, many of which are known to disrupt the endocrine (hormonal) system. Pure essential oils or freshly baked goodies offer a natural alternative.

Plastic and paper dishes are difficult to eat from, look terrible and persist in landfill for hundreds of years.  If you really can’t face the piles of dishes that follow a major celebration, opt for biodegradable palm leaf or bamboo plates and serving dishes that look fantastically modern and easy to use.

Going organic is vital for truly sustainable entertaining. Certified organic food is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers thereby protecting the environment and your health. Organic food not only taste incredible, it also has higher antioxidant levels and in many cases higher nutrient levels than conventionally grown food.

Beer, wine, cider, softies, spirits, tea or coffee? Whatever drink takes your fancy you can now get an organic variety. Lower preservative levels, negligible pesticide residues, environmental protection and a little moral high ground all in one drink! Perfect for those who like the idea of saving the world one drink at a time. For the kiddies,  frozen organic raspberries in water make a  luscious looking pink drink, that tastes and looks celebratory, without the frenzy inducing additives and plastic bottles.

The aftermath of a party is often daunting with or without a post festivity headache!  It’s tempting to just chuck everything in the bin. To ensure that you recycle everything possible, have your bins set out before the party starts, one for  recyclables, one for compost food scraps and one for true rubbish. That way, it’s less work for you, and by getting your guests involved in the recycling process you’ll be setting a very respectable standard.

You probably already have everything you need for a great sustainable party, so open your cupboard and your mind and you’ll be an eco-host in no time! While eco-entertaining may not be the first thing on the mind of environmentalists, it is certainly an enjoyable way to save the world and in reality it’s the little things we do everyday that count.

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Indoor Air Quality and Health

by Gina Cacho (BSc)

Our homes are our havens. Perhaps more than ever before, we feel the need to take cover from the manic outside world and rest in the comfort and seclusion of our family abode.  With the average Australian now spending 90% of their time inside, indoor air quality is more important than ever before.

Changes in the way we live have unfortunately created increases in the level of indoor air pollution in both the home and office. The US Environmental Protection Authority now list Indoor Air Pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health. The CSIRO estimates that the health cost of this may be as high as $12 billion per year.

Many of us are familiar with cigarette smoke, heavy metals, mould and dust as sources of air contamination. Few people are aware of the silent, continuous off-gassing that occurs from the PVC underlay under most carpets and from the glues used in our sofas and in particle board furniture. Many lacquers and paints used throughout the home and office also release noxious gases for years after their application.  Additionally harmful vapours from conventional cleaning and personal care products are serious causes of indoor air pollution.

Biological pollutants are one group of indoor air contaminants. Examples include bacteria, mold, mildew and house dust. These contaminants may trigger allergic reactions including allergic rhinitis and some types of asthma. Symptoms associated with repeated biological pollutant exposure include coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath, lethargy and watery eyes.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), a group of emitted compounds that vapourise at room temperature, also contaminate the indoor air. Exposure to some VOCs has adverse effects on short and long term health. Indoor concentrations of VOCs are often 10 times higher than outdoors. Paints and paint strippers, moth balls, pesticides, dry cleaning solutions, cleaning products, toiletry and cosmetic products, furniture and building products can all be sources of VOCs. Common VOCs in the home such as formaldehyde (found in furniture and building glues and varnishes) and benzene (released from dish liquid and paints) have been listed as carcinogens.

In 1986 the World Health Organisation officially recognized Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) to describe signs and symptoms that occur in individuals as a result of spending time in a ‘sick building’.  Symptoms can include fatigue, drowsiness, and headaches, respiratory problems including runny noses and sinus congestion and skin irritation. These symptoms usually disappear when the individual leaves the building. The causes of SBS are wide and varied and include inadequate air quality and ventilation, recirculation of stale air, chemicals from cleaning products, off gassing of building materials and furnishings, perfumes,  cosmetics, indoor pesticides, unflued gas heaters, industrial fumes and a number of other common everyday products . It is likely that many people suffer from SBS without realising it.

Reducing air pollution in your environment

There are many simple steps we can take to improve our indoor air quality and therefore our health and that of our family.

The first step is to minimise the entry of potentials pollutants into our homes.

• Ensure your home is a smoke free zone 100% of the time.
• Use door mats at every entry point to the house; this prevents the entry of pesticides and dirt particles via our shoes.
• Convert to non-toxic cleaning, personal care and pest control products for the home and garden.
• Replace synthetic air fresheners with beeswax candles and pure essential oils. Alternatively pure vanilla extract in a saucer will keep your home smelling sweet.
• When buying new furniture ask for products that have used non-toxic glues and sealants. If this isn’t possible, buy floor stock that has had time to off-gas. You’ll probably get a good discount too.
• When building or renovating use non-toxic paints and sealants. On wood use plant based hard oils or waxes rather than polyurethane finishes. Install physical termite barriers rather than chemical versions and choose hard floors with rugs. If you must have carpet, opt for a low emission product and leave the house during and after installation if possible.
• If your garage is connected to the house always keep the door closed and be sure to never overfill your petrol tanks as this increases the level of circulating vapours.
• Avoid the use of unflued gas heaters and if using a gas cook top an effective exhaust fan is essential. Ensure all gas appliances are regularly serviced and well maintained.

Secondly ensuring good ventilation is essential to allow optimal air exchange.

• Ensure good ventilation by keeping inside doors open and opening windows regularly. The use of exhaust fans is also useful in bathrooms and kitchens.
•  Maintain average temperature and low humidity within the home through the use of well maintained air conditioning and dehumidifying systems. Fixing leaks and drips will also ensure average humidity levels.

Thirdly air filtration can be an effective way to reduce indoor air pollution.

• Invest in a high quality vacuum with a HEPA (High efficiency particle attenuator) and consider purchasing a high efficiency air filtration system.

These simple steps will facilitate the development of a healthy indoor home and work environment. Best of all as the weather warms up you can spend more time outdoors to maximize your clean air intake.