Accidentally Green

Making Healthy Decisions That Honor God and Happen to Help the Environment

Should You Use Nonstick Cookware?

When Prince Charming and I got married, we didn’t register for pots and pans. We each had our own apartments for years and were combining two households. When thinking about gifts, we asked for things we really wanted (like Fiesta Ware and a Kitchen-Aid mixer) or needed (like furniture and lamps). We thought we’d be content with things like my old set of steak knives and our hodge podge collection of nonstick pans. We bought a couple new nonstick pans with some of our wedding money, and ... Read more

Five Easy Steps to a Healthier Home

If you’re getting started with healthier lifestyle choices – or even if you’ve been trying to make changes for a while – here are five easy steps to reduce toxins in your home: 1. Green your cleaning products. By law, manufacturers are not required to list all the ingredients in their cleaning products. And there are no penalties for companies that do not report harmful ingredients or alert consumers to potential health hazards. The simplest way to avoid toxic cleaning products is to use ... Read more

Pumpkin Pancakes

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I CRAVED breakfast foods all day long.   My due date was on Thanksgiving, and I embraced the tastes of the season while being extremely pregnant. I remember not feeling quite right on Thanksgiving, so I missed the family Thanksgiving dinner. At home alone, I made myself pumpkin pancakes topped with a homemade cranberry sauce. They totally hit the spot.   Even though massive contractions started later that night, I didn’t have a ... Read more

How NOT To Be Green: Hurt Yourself, Your Family, and the Environment with Antibacterial Soap

Triclosan, an ingredient used to stop the spread of bacteria, initially was used as a surgical scrub and was registered as a pesticide in 1969. When the huge anti-bacterial kick started over the past two decades, triclosan spread into countless products like dishwashing soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, cosmetics, body wash, deodorant, shaving gel, children’s toys, kitchenware like cutting boards, socks, shoes, mouse pads and computer keyboards,  – and 75 percent of all liquid hand soaps. (If you’re ... Read more

I May Be Green, But I’m Not THAT Green: Natural Toothbrushes and Dental Floss

Over the past two Septembers, I’ve honestly shared that “I may be green, but I’m not THAT green.” I’ve discussed reusable toilet paper, reusable feminine hygiene products, no deodorant, no soap, no shampoo, no plastic straws, and non-plastic coffee makers. Today I’m tackling dental hygiene choices. I remember how shocked I was when I realized that dental products – we’re talking toothbrushes and dental floss – are plastic. Here I was, on a crusade to remove as many of the toxins from my ... Read more

I May Be Green, But I’m Not THAT Green: Coffee Makers

Last September I posted a popular series, “I may be green, but I’m not THAT green.” I discussed the benefits of reusable toilet paper, reusable feminine hygiene products, no deodorant, no soap, no shampoo, and no plastic straws – but that I just can’t follow those practices. (After a lot of feedback, I did end up trying – and changing to – reusable feminine pads.) I’ve heard a couple other truly green practices that I just haven’t implemented – not because of the principle, but strictly for ... Read more

A Cheapskate’s Guide to Organic Foods

Recently, I’ve been explaining the concept of organic food to my young children. “Organic food is plain old food,” I explain. “And food that is not organic has been sprayed with a bunch of poison. I don’t want us to eat poison, so that’s why we buy organic food.” The problem is I don’t exclusively buy organic food. With skyrocketing gas and food prices and a limited budget, I can’t afford to buy it. Yet as a concerned shopper, I wantto buy organic foods and drinks for my family. God’s good ... Read more

How NOT To Be Green: Hurt Yourself, Your Family, and the Environment with Hair Color

I was allowed to start wearing makeup when I was twelve and a half – the same time I was allowed to get my ears pierced, subscribe to Teen magazine, and start getting perms to achieve the big hair trend of the late eighties. It all happened during the summer before I started junior high, and the new beauty treatments were an exciting rite of passage. I liked curly hair but naturally had hair with an unruly wave, so I got spiral perms twice a year. It didn’t matter that the permanent solution ... Read more

I’m Not Pinterest Perfect

A friend and I have been discussing how easy it is to get sucked into a perfect Pinterest mindset. Most  Pins are visually stunning – from perfect looking food to perfect looking home décor to perfect looking crafts and perfect looking outfits. The problem with this Pinterest Perfect ideal is that life is far from perfect. If my meals taste amazing, they don’t look perfect. My clean house can look close to perfect for only so long before dishes begin to pile up, toys are ... Read more

How Not To Be Green: Hurt Yourself, Your Family, and the Environment with Bleach

Today I’m kicking off a new feature on Wednesdays – How Not To Be Green. Instead of pointing out healthy things to do, once a week I’ll spotlight one way you can hurt yourself, your family, and the environment. Of course, I don’t want you to hurt yourself. So ultimately, Wednesdays are all about showing you what you should avoid. One product that will cause a lot of harm is bleach. Readily available at stores – and in many cleaning products – bleach seems like it should be a good thing. It ... Read more

What In the World Is a Soap Nut?

For as often as I get discouraged when I learn about how products are made with harmful ingredients, I also get so excited when I discover how perfectly God makes certain things. For example, I love knowing that a simple basil plant repels insects, stabilizes blood sugar, soothes a sore throat, and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, along with many vitamins and minerals. To me, that’s amazing. When I found out about the sapindus tree, I was equally amazed. The sapindus ... Read more

5 Ways to Make a Greener Trip Back to School

Another summer has come and gone, and most students are heading back to school. (Not mine … my husband starts back after Labor Day, and we’ll tailor our home schooling schedule to that.) To me, memories of back-to-school include shopping and a host of brand new things – Trapper Keepers, pencil boxes, school supplies, book bags, underwear, and a couple outfits. By the end of each school year, supplies definitely get tattered, and new things are needed. But is there a way for students to ... Read more

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