In last year’s Green Living issue, we challenged you to take green to the extreme. This year, the challenge from us here at New Life Journal is to green some of the last areas you thought could be greened and/or those areas where beefing up the eco-friendly factor hasn’t taken precedence. After all, there’s no time like the present, and there are many avenues to take and options to explore that are easier than you might think. In this article, local experts walk you through the steps for greening three areas that likely fit the above descriptions: your closet, your pet and your business. If you’re up to the challenge, keep reading for some important changes you can start making today.

…Your Pet
with veterinarian Heather Keir Sinclair

Our pets are big parts of our families, but often we get so caught up in making the right eco-minded choices for ourselves that we can forget about making the same choices for our animal companions. Here are some easy places to start the process of greening your dog or cat and your choices as their guardian.

Out for a walk? Bag your dog’s waste in a biodegradable bag that won’t fill up our landfills. Bags and accessories available from BioBag are made from corn and are 100 percent biodegradable and 100 percent compostable. But don’t just stop with the walk. Use a larger waste bag when cleaning up the backyard.

Pet toys and dog and cat beds can be environmentally friendly, too! Earth-safe dyes are available, and many products are manufactured using recycled materials.

Some dog foods and treats are now available in environmentally responsible, biodegradable packaging. The bags and boxes can be recycled and are made of post-consumer recycled materials. Examples include Karma, made by Natura Pet, and The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food.

Try collars made of everything from recycled plastic bottles to luxurious organic cotton. And why not spoil your pet?! Ruffin’ It dog and cat collars and dog leashes are certified as recycled, organic and biodegradable.

To protect your dog from bugs, use herbal products that don’t contain chemicals that could be harmful to your animal or the planet. All Terrain makes a great-smelling and effective spray. Caution: many herbal products are not safe for our feline friends!

In the training stages? Look for biodegradable puppy “pee pads” that are all-natural; they’re an excellent way to start housebreaking and are better for the planet. Simple Solution makes nice soft, absorbent pads. They also make an earth-friendly odor and stain remover for those little accidents!

Don’t forget your vet! Taking your animal companion to a veterinarian who is familiar with environmentally friendly, natural products and holistic healing methods is a step in the right direction in ensuring a long, happy life for your green pet.

Cats love catnip! Stop by your local food co-op or farmers’ market and grab some today, or grow your own—it’s a hardy and easy to cultivate member of the mint family. Cats love to sniff, eat, play with, and roll in the stuff. So, make your cat’s day with the all-natural toy and delicacy!

Several cat litters now available are made from recycled materials, like newspaper or wood chips and shavings. Yesterday’s News is a paper-based option, and Feline Pine is a wood-based example. Both are available as pellets that are absorbent and easy to pick up. For cats that like more traditional litter, look for products made from natural ingredients, like Swheat Scoop, which is made of wheat, or World’s Best Cat Litter, which is made of corn.

Got a smelly dog on your hands? Bathe him or her with a shampoo that is natural and organic, and follow with a conditioner or a body spray; Lani—Dig Your Dog has three great-smelling scents.

Check out these sites for more information:
www.naturapet.com
www.thehonestkitchen.com
www.yesterdaysnews.com
www.naturesearth.com
www.swheatscoop.com
www.worldsbestcatlitter.com
www.allterrainco.com
www.lanidigyourdog.com
www.biobagusa.com

Heather Keir Sinclair, DVM, practices at Haw Creek Animal Hospital in Asheville, NC; an integrated veterinary practice, Haw Creek Animal Hospital focuses on a holistic approach to pet health and wellness. Dr. Sinclair is a Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine graduate and has advanced training in homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Haw Creek Animal Hospital can be reached at 828-298-1678, or visit them on the Web at www.hawcreekanimalhospital.com.

…Your Closet
with home goods entrepreneur Beth Bloom

Closets are an often overlooked area of our home as we strive to make our lives and living spaces healthier. However, there are many small, eco-conscious steps we can take to improve the quality of our closet space on our quests to be better stewards of our environment. Here are a few.

As your towels and sheets show signs of wear, consider replacing them with organic, natural and sustainable alternatives like organic cotton or bamboo, making sure the dye used in the towels and sheets you purchase is nontoxic. It’s easy to give these seen-better-days items new life as well. For example, cut a hole in the center of an old sheet to make a “storage bag” for your winter coat. Or, cut old towels into squares for cleaning cloths or napkins.

It’s great to clean out the clutter and organize your closet space; storage closets, especially, are often dumping grounds and can get messy and crowded. But, when organizing, avoid plastic storage containers and wraps—especially those that are made of PVC, which can leech chemicals into the air during processing and as a final product. The alternative can be as simple as a cardboard box. Handcrafted baskets, boxes and other containers made of natural fibers (like bamboo, hemp and rattan) are also readily available and can be inexpensive alternatives to plastics.

There’s no need to buy another plastic laundry basket. Tote bags, cloth laundry bags, hemp bags or canvas bins are perfect for storing the dirty laundry in your closets.

Whenever possible, strive to buy clothing items that don’t require dry cleaning. Traditional dry cleaning methods are not considered environmentally friendly because of the use of the man-made chemical perchloroethylene, also called PERC. Any PERC that isn’t removed in the dry cleaning process remains on your clothing and can easily make its way into the air in your home. Many clothes that are normally dry cleaned, especially wool sweaters, are actually good candidates for hand-laundering with a gentle shampoo (which is far more gentle than detergent). Instructions for woolen washing with shampoo are readily available on the Web. Also, purchasing gently worn clothing from thrift stores, consignment shops and community clothing swaps is a great way to green your clothes closet. Or, if buying new, look for clothing made from organic cotton or natural and sustainable fibers, like bamboo. Many local boutiques are now carrying eco-forward fashions.

Give your wire hangers another life before sending them to the landfill by taking them back to your local dry cleaner. They go through them quickly and will likely want to take them off your hands. Or, consider purchasing hangers made from a more sustainable resource, like bamboo or recycled plastic (both are available at a typical home goods store). Also encourage your local dry cleaner or favorite clothing retailer to use hangers like EcoHangers (www.hangernetwork.com ) and Ditto Hangers (www.dittohangers.com) that are available on a commercial scale, are made from recycled materials and are 100 percent recyclable.

Don’t forget to look down when thinking of what to green in your closet, as there are many ways to green that pile of shoes! Just like with clothing choices, opt for shoes made out of natural and sustainable fibers, like hemp and organic cotton, and recycled materials. The company Simple, for example, uses recycled tires to create the soles of their shoes, as well as a variety of other innovative recycled and sustainable materials. Also, look for vegetarian and vegan shoe options at websites like www.vegetarianshoesandbags.com.

Beth Bloom is owner of The Natural Home, located at 36 N. Lexington Avenue in Asheville. The Natural Home sells organic, natural and sustainable items for the home, including organic mattresses, bedding, bath linens, home décor and more. Visit them on the Web at www.naturalhomestore.com.

…Your Business
with the team at GreenPlan, Inc.

Adopting the triple bottom line approach is the key step to greening your business. Triple bottom line (often abbreviated TBL) is an accounting approach that measures the success of a business or organization using three criteria: people, planet and profit. John Elkington conceived the idea in 1994 to come up with a more complete method of assessing a business or organization’s practices. Typical accounting uses profit as the sole measure of success. TBL, however, factors in the environment and society, too.

An important concept in TBL is that a business should be responsible to its stakeholders, or all of the people and places that are impacted by the business, and not just its shareholders, or owners.

If you’re interested in adopting the TBL approach to your business or organization, start by identifying your stakeholders and researching how your current business practices impact these people and places. The questions below can help with this important step. Then, make changes to any business practices that have a negative impact on society, the environment or your profit.

For more information on the triple bottom line approach, read The Triple Bottom Line by Andrew Savitz.

Are you paying a living wage, or the minimum hourly wage necessary for a person to achieve a specific standard of living? (For information about the established living wages in our region as well as how you can get involved in living wage campaigns, visit www.justeconomicswnc.org and www.georgialivingwage.org).

Are you recycling and reusing as much as possible?

Is your business located in an area where employees can easily walk, bike or use public transportation and not use a car to get to work?

Are you buying fair trade, organic, and shade-grown coffee? Are you composting your coffee grounds? The coffee industry has done an excellent job of embracing and enabling coffee suppliers to use the triple bottom line. The coffee industry has done this through the promotion of fair trade certification, organic certification and shade-grown certification. Coffee suppliers who adopt the triple bottom line can purchase Fair Trade Certified coffee to ensure that the farmers who grew the coffee were paid a living wage. Coffee suppliers can likewise make certain that environmentally sustainable farming techniques were being used by purchasing organic and shade-grown coffee. By promoting the fact that their coffee is Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic, and Shade-Grown Certified, coffee suppliers can then make a profit selling their coffee to conscious buyers who pay a premium for coffee that was grown in an environmentally and socially conscious manner.

Are your furnishings made from sustainably manufactured, nontoxic substances? Were they made using fair labor practices?

Is your building energy efficient? Was it built using fair labor practices? Was it made from non-toxic, sustainably manufactured materials?

Do your employees get enough time off?

Are you using sustainable energy, purchasing carbon credits, and/or purchasing electricity using the NC Green Power program or Georgia’s Green Power EMC?

GreenPlan, Inc. is a consulting and design firm specializing in planning, design, and development consulting. GreenPlan uses smart growth and traditional development practices to help create sustainable and beautiful communities. Based in Asheville, NC, GreenPlan offers services in public sector planning and private sector land development; for more information, visit www.greenplanwnc.com.

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