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Step-by-Step
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Non-Toxic Lifestyle
Protect your health and that of
your family! These checklists, shopping lists, quizzes,
recipes and more will lead you down the path of all natural,
organic living. |
Make Your
Home Energy Efficient
 
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"Are You Paying Someone to
Poison Your Yard, Home, and Family?"
Use Only Natural Pest and Weed Control Methods
I don't know why it never occurred to me
before...if something kills bugs, it can't be good for us or our kids!
Bugs are living, organic organisms just like us. They breathe air, drink
water, and eat food just like we do. Of course, they are much smaller
than us, but still, frequent exposure to something that kills them,
can't be good for us, and even worse, are bad for our small children.
If you look at CHEC's (Children's
Health Environmental Coalition) Website they say, "If you can do only one
thing to make your home safe for your family, avoid pesticides." The best
ways to do that? Don't spray your house with pesticides, don't use lawn and
garden chemicals and weed treatments, and require that everyone takes
shoes off at the door. As the
Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA) puts
it:
"Pesticides are hazardous to human
health and the environment, create resistant pest populations,
contribute to declining crop yields, undermine local and global food
security and threaten agricultural biodiversity. Yet these pervasive
chemicals are promoted by multinational corporations, public relations
firms, and even schools and the government agencies that are supposed to
protect our families, workers and the environment. Pesticides are a more
than $35 billion a year industry."
PANNA recommends
20 ways
to fight pesticides...here are just a few:
- Keep a pesticide free home—there are safer ways to get rid of pests
than spraying your house and yard with pesticides. (Yeah, I know the
pest control guys will tell you the stuff is safe after it dries. But
they DO MAKE MONEY on spraying that stuff...not totally objective are
they?)
- Contact PANNA for
their School Kit and organize parents and teachers to make your
kid's school pesticide free.
- Buy organic textiles because typical
cotton uses more insecticides than any other crop in the world.
- Reject anti-bacterial products that contain triclosan—a probable
cancer-causing agent.
- Eat organic foods to minimize the pesticides that you consume and to
encourage ecologically-sound agricultural practices.
All Natural Pest Control
A VERY EFFECTIVE way to keep bugs out
of your home is to buy some 3 inch copper mesh, roll it up into small
tubes, and stuff them in every weep hole around the perimeter of your
house (and any other openings you see). We live in a wet and wooded area
with those huge tree roaches that like to come in at night. Once we
installed the copper mesh (which only has to be done once...not
several times a year) we only see a roach every now in then...not
several a day.
Here are some other tips from the CHEC
Website:
- Keep your home dry and well ventilated (pests need water to
survive). Increase air circulation by opening windows and doors
regularly, and by using fans. Reduce moisture in your home with a
dehumidifier.
- Seal and/or caulk openings and cracks throughout your home.
Especially check the pipes underneath your sinks and the spaces
underneath your exterior doors. On the exterior, check for any
openings such as the wires going into the house from your air
conditioning unit.
- Annually inspect and repair your home.
- Store garbage in dry garbage cans.
- Prevent indoor plants from harvesting pests.
- Use airtight containers for storing non-refrigerated food items.
- Keep counters, sinks, and cupboards clean.
- Remember that chemical treatments (pesticides) are only a
temporary solution to a permanent problem. A few bugs are better
than a lot of cancer and reproduction problems!
All Natural Weed Control
 I
have found that the very best weed control is a garden tool called a
spade cultivator. The three-pronged claw is awesome at removing weeds at
the root...just wait until after a rain, when the soil is loose. The
weeds will stay gone much longer than using a weed treatment, and it
really doesn't take any more time and not much more effort than using a
poisonous spray or lawn treatment. (And it costs much less too!)
Another great way to deal with weeds in
your yard is attitude: Having the attitude that the health of your
family is more important than the beauty of your lawn!
For tips on organic gardening, read
57 Ways to Protect Your Home Environment (and Yourself).
Not only will your use of all natural
pest and weed control help protect your family's health...it will also
save you money!
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