G Whiz

I have a review blog, but I thought this would go better here - no one's giving me anything to write this (heck, they don't even know I exist), and it IS a product that's touted as being "green".

~The Product: gDiapers

~The Hype (stolen from their own website): "The most eco-friendly diaper available, gDiapers provides parents with a diapering solution that is good for babies, parents and the planet. You can have the flexibility of a disposable diaper with a 100% biodegradable gRefill, or opt for reusability with super soft and trim-fitting gCloth inserts. gDiapers are plastic-free, elemental chlorine free, latex free, and perfume free.

Use a biodegradable gRefill or re-usable gCloth inside our newborn tiny gPants and our cotton little gPants. All materials are breathable, just like sports clothing, so babies are far less likely to get diaper rash. And did we mention they're cute? Babies can flaunt their eco-friendly diapers in a rainbow of adorable colors. Because green diapers don't need to be bland.

No landfill required.

50 million diapers get tossed each day and each one takes up to 500 years to biodegrade. Ick. Home compost, toss, or flush the biodegradable gRefill for the smallest footprint on earth. gDiapers break down in 50-150 days...You can also compost the wet ones or simply toss the soiled refill. It will break down in the landfill a lot faster than the 500 years for a conventional disposable diaper. Or learn more about re-useable gCloth."

~The Price: Variable, but Diapers.com and Babies-R-EverywhereUs were pretty close. Prices quoted here are from Diapers.com.

$17.99 for one pant.nappy, no refills (gPant and plastic liner only).
$14.99 for one pack of 40 biodegradable/disposable refills.
$20.00 for six plastic liners.
$29.99 for 6 cloth refills.
$79.99 for a six-pack of the pants only.
$129.99 for a "Sweet Bundle" with 6 pants (3 orange, 3 green) and 4 packs of biodegradable refills.
$135.99 for a "Sweet Bundle" with 12 cloth refills.
$149.99 for a "gBaby bundle" with 6 pants, 80 biodegradable refills, and 6 tinygPants (sized for newborns).

In other words, not cheap (especially when you realize they come in sizes, so you have to purchase pants and liners more than once as your baby grows), but at about $20 for 60 disposable newborn nappies, it's comparable...and over time it may even be cheaper if you're using the cloth inserts.

~Our Thoughts: We were lucky - several friends were kind enough to gift us with both gPants and refills. Ours came in two-packs (two pants, four plastic liners, and a spatula looking thing called a Swish Stick)(you'll find out what the spatula looking thing is for in a minute). The plastic liners snap in, so if one gets schmutzed or deteriorates, it can be cleaned or replaced. Replacement liners are also available online. We received both cloth and disposable refills - this was the prime reason I was interested in gPants; we travel/camp several times a year, and hauling soiled cloth nappies about with us did not seem like fun...but I didn't want to use conventional disposables, either. gPants seems like a nice middle way.

The pants come in a variety of colors with cute names like Guppy Green and Grubby Knees Grey. We have Goddess Pink, Guppy Green, Gooseberry Purple, and Golly Molly Pink. Check out their website for more color info. The pants have Velcro tab closures, so no pins, awkward buttons, or snaps. Thank you, NASA, for Velcro! The tabs take a little getting used to - where a traditional disposable has tabs that go back to front, gPants have tabs that go front to back (so baby can't get to 'em, remove 'em, and use soiled nappies for painting the walls with)(not that THAT ever happens). They're soft, with lovely knit cuffs so little legs don't chafe, and (because the plastic liner is removable) machine washable. They aren't as bulky as some cloth nappies, either, which I like.

We tried to use them from the start, but the waist-band irritated Sprout's umbilical stump and she hollered about it - dear Goddess, did she holler about it - so we used regular disposables with the little cut-out until the stump fell off and she was fully healed.

We have both cloth and biodegradable refills. I like the cloth ones for home/short trip use and the biodegradable ones for longer trips away from home.

The instructions with the cloth liners called for 6 hot water washings (no soap, no other laundry), then a hot dry before use. I don't know how earth-friendly that is...even though we had 4 sets of 6 refills (2 small, 2 medium), it hardly made a load, and even though our washer has an adjustable water level...that's a lot of hot water! All the washing serves a purpose, though - the liners we got are felted hemp (yay, hemp!!) and needed shrinking before using. Better to pre-shrink, yes? Yes!

The cloth liners are soft...nice for baby's bottom. Sprout likes 'em, anyway. They don't hold as much soil/liquid as a disposable nappy, so you'll need several packs of 'em if you want to use 'em exclusively. We haven't had a poop with one of the cloth refills*, yet, so I can't tell you how easily they come clean...

The biodegradable liners are nifty, but as with the cloth they don't hold as much so you really have to be on top of nappy changes. Sprout lets us know when she needs a change if we slack a bit - little miss does NOT like to be damp or soiled! There are several ways of disposing of these refills - trash 'em, flush 'em, or compost 'em.

Trashing 'em may seem contrary to being green, but they are supposed to break down faster than traditional disposable nappies, and there is definitely less waste. It's certainly the easiest of options, especially when they're poopy.

Flushing 'em requires some dexterity, and isn't a good option if you're squeamish, it's heavily soiled, or you're holding a baby (because it really takes two hands) - first you have to scrape off solid waste with the spatula thing, then tear down the sides of the refill and dump the inner core into the toilet. Swish with the spatula thing to break up clumps, flush, and while it's flushing, drop the outer part on top. Down it goes. Not very useful if you're in a public restroom, but not too difficult at home. I haven't had a poopy one to flush, yet*, so I can't relate the mess factor on that score...but the wet ones haven't been too awful.

Composting was another of the reasons I wanted to try these. They don't suggest you compost poopy ones, but according to their directions wet ones can go into the pile just fine. We haven't had a go at this, yet - in all honesty, we're a little leery of putting them in our garden compost pile, so we're going to start a separate heap for them...just as soon as we get a little more time in the day. Who knew new babies were so much work? Oh, wait...we did...

Some online reviews complained about leaking, but we haven't had an issue with that...yet. I won't be surprised by it, though - in my experience, all nappies leak, even disposables. Usually when you've got the baby all dressed up, or forgot a change of clothes for her, or have just run out of wipes.

~In Summary: I like 'em enough to keep using 'em, although I do think they're on the pricey side. They are a nice alternative to disposables, and while they aren't as budget friendly as I'd like (What can I say? I'm notoriousle cheap!), they do fit into a mainstream green lifestyle.

Check it out:

Sprout, stylin' in her Goddess Pink Little gPants.

*Not that the baby doesn't poop, because then I'd be at the doctor's office, not writing a blog...but we used regular disposables at night until we ran out of 'em, and she seems to like pooping when she wakes up, so the gPants haven't had much of a workout on that front.



Disclaimer - no one at Casa de Crazy was asked to write, nor recevied compensation for writing, this post. gPants, Diapers.com and Babies-R-EverywhereUs don't know we exist and probably wouldn't care if they did know who we were. All opinions offered here are as biased as they come, because we write what we think.

How Mulch Do I Love the Garden?

Someone, the Evil Genius and I had a bit of an adventure today, finding the local recycling center. We pay for trash removal and for recycling, but the waste management company only recycles certain things, and those certain things don't include a number of perfectly recyclable items. Unacceptable at Casa de Crazy!

So we loaded up the truck (borrowed from Mum) and went in search of greener pastures.

We didn't have too much trouble - one sign pointing down the wring road sent us in a big circle - and the folks there were really helpful, letting us drive the truck back to the big glass bins instead of making us load each bottle, one at a time, into the smaller one.

We even had a place to put the boxes holding the glass so they'd be recycled too.

And, bonus! They give away free mulch there!! All we have to do is show up within certain hours, sign a waiver, and drive around back. They'll load it up and everything. Sweet! Especially because it gets hot here in Redneck Central, and our ground is red clay, which doesn't hold moisture well. We're hoping to go next week and get a load.

The garden will be thrilled.

Have You Seen This?

I was wandering in the Blue Nowhere and found a solar assisted heat pump!

I have an old heat pump. It sounds like a jet engine when it turns on or off. I am certain I will have to replace it soon. Sigh.

It sure would be nice to replace the old unit with the solar assisted one. I haven't found info on the cost, yet...but I'm betting it's a wee outside my budget of "Free, or better yet, pay ME to use it!"

Kudos to Lennox for getting into the game.

And hey, Lennox? If you'd like someone to test your product, feel free to e-mail me.

Shh, Be Vewwwwy Quiet, I'm Huntin' a Turkey!

Have you ever read the label on a commercially packaged turkey?

Here's what's in a frozen, whole Butterball Turkey (per their own website - thank you for your honesty on your packaging and for making it easy to find on your site, Butterball!!), a supermarket standard: Turkey (I should hope so!), Water, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphates, Natural Flavorings.

If you look at any other commercially packaged frozen whole turkey, you are likely to find something similar.

You know what I want in my turkey? Turkey.

That's it. That's the only ingredient I desire.

Have you tried finding a turkey that's just a turkey, of late?

I have.

Good luck with that.

It's not just turkey - plenty of companies who process and package beef, pork, and chicken do it, too. I understand the reasoning behind it - it adds weight which means the consumer pays more, it helps preserve the meat so it will last longer in the cooler, and it ensures that the largely inept consumers buying the stuff won't end up with tough, inedible meals.

I know how to cook, though, and prefer to pay for meat and only meat. I also prefer to buy fresh rather than packaged in plastic, and to season my own meals in my own fashion. I don't want a turkey that has been injected with chemicals that I don't need in my body. I have been roasting these things since I was a teen, and haven't have a dry one yet...and if I should screw it up enough to dry it out, that's what gravy is for. I know how to make that, too, but if I didn't it comes in a jar or powder packet for my convenience (I weep for future generations that grow up on that stuff, though...it's just wrong).

I didn't have the money to order an heirloom, pastured, organic, not genetically altered or manipulated, honest to goddess turkey from Slanker's this year...dang it...but I'm determined to do my best to find a non-injected, non-flavor enhanced bird to feed my family for Thanksgiving...so tomorrow, I am going to hunt turkey like all modern hunter-gatherers...I'm going to stalk the meat departments of every grocery store I can find.

Wish me luck.

Let Me Sleep On It

Last year, T and I (mostly I) decided that we needed a new mattress. We shopped around, weighed our options, and came to the conclusion that we would get one just as soon as we won the lottery. Mattresses - good mattresses - are expensive!

Fast forward to last weekend. The tax refund came in, and we decided to go a-mattressing. We chose a locally produced mattress and box-spring to be delivered, a set that should last us a good twenty years or so unless we each put on weight equivalent to a baby elephant...and I'm losing, not gaining, so there!

Ahem.

Only after we made our purchase did I think about how "green" our mattress might be, and wondered if there was a better choice. A little slow on the uptake, maybe? Maybe - but it was locally produced, and that should count for something, right?

Well, just so you don't make the same mistake, here are several websites that market to the green bedding crowd: Keetsa, Ecochoices, and Lifekind.

I am eyeballing some organic cotton bedding, in case I win the lottery next week...I have a friend or three who can help me dye it any color/s I want...as soon as I find environmentally friendly dyes...

Renovate This

So I'm watching Renovation Nation on Planet Green, and I'm annoyed.

They never seem to show (barely) middle income families like mine...it's always people who have plenty of dosh to go green. Right now, they're showing a family in California that put in in-ground cisterns for rainwater and an in ground watering system for their lawn, a grey water system, and solar panels.

It cost them what T makes in a year to do the panels, although they'll get some rebates so it will end up costing only half his income. Sigh.

Anyone want to subsidize the greening of my home? Please?

Convenience

Hey there, anyone who's reading this! I know it has been a long time since I posted, but I'm not certain anyone actually reads this, and so am not certain anyone has missed me. Oh, well.

On Halloween I had some friends over. We carved pumpkins and I had a fire in the portable fireplace on the driveway. We ate dinner out there.

I opted for paper plates - I wish I could say I had truly green motives, but honestly, I didn't want to run twelve loads of dishes through the machine or hand wash them all. Paper was easier. When we were finished eating, we threw the plates onto the fire - no landfill, anyway. The utensils we used were compostable plastic - cool, huh?

I used the leftovers from dinner to make soup - recycling, right?

Sometimes, going green is all about the convenience - not having to wash something, knowing it will compost or burn, using a product that will not clog up the septic system or the sewers.

Speaking of septic systems, sewers, and the things we put in them...

I do not enjoy green-friendly toilet paper. The nicest I've used is almost on par with a diner's paper napkin, and the worst is like those brown paper hand towels you find in public restrooms. Is there some reason it can't be soft? I understand why it's not pure white or colored - who needs all that bleaching or the dye? I don't want scented paper, because I am not interested in a perfumed bottom - really, who is? And why? But something that doesn't feel like it's exfoliating my nethers would sure be nice.

Meanwhile, it's slow going around here - our roommate likes to sleep with his giant, almost too big for the room television on, and sometimes the light. He leaves his desktop and laptop computers running all the time, and often doesn't turn off the bathroom light or fan. He has also, on occasion, turned on his space heater to warm the room, then left it running while he turned on the A/C because he was too hot. Whiskey tango foxtrot, y'all - short of a death threat, I just don't know what to do about him!

Want more people to care, to at least make an effort at greening up their lives? Make it convenient, make it comfortable, and make it cheap.

Talkin' Trash

Ah, trash.

Lots and lots of trash.

All over the side of the highway, secondary roads, and even at the end of my driveway.

What is it with people and their inability to contain their waste? How hard is it, really, to keep a grocery bag, a paper sack, or a rubbish bin in the car? Heck, if you've just hit the drive through, they provide the paper sack to put trash in - the bag wherein your food came!

How on Earth does someone thing it's OK to leave a dirty nappy in a parking lot? Usually right where it will be run over several times, spreading its horror all over tires, pavement, and people's psyches?

How is it that I can neatly bag my trash, place it in the bin, make sure the lid's down and nothing is loose or available for a quiet midnight snack for the local wildlife and pets-off-leash, I still end up with batteries at the end of my drive, flattened and scuffed by multiple tires?

Once in a while, I'll find litter in my yard or in the middle of the cul-de-sac, something random and odd and not at all from my household, a little gift from the trash-fairies.

It is disheartening to see how much is dumped on the side of the road, flung from windows, blown from the backs of trucks, or trickling out of the trash-trucks that are overladen with all of the waste we generate. Cans, cups, plates, clothing, plastic bags and bottles, wrappers, and all sorts of other fluttering reminders that humanity was here and didn't give a damn.

We carry bags with us when we hike the trails at the nature center. They start out empty, but they always get filled. I found a nappy in those woods. I didn't pick it up - I gave it serious thought, but considering its disreputable state and the length of the hike back, not to mention that whoever had so thoughtfully left it had managed to place it far from the path and directly in the middle of a flourishing patch of poison ivy, well...I gave it a pass. But I did report it to the staff at the center...they have tools for picking up litter, tools that negate the need for gallons of hand-sanitizer after. We find many cigarette butts. I won't let the Evil Genius pick those up - do you know how many germs live in saliva? The human mouth can be a cesspit! I pick them up and toss them, and get annoyed.

Hey, litterbugs,

Smoke if you will, smoke if you must - but do not inflict the damage from your addiction on me or my environment!

If you give your kid a juice box, make sure you collect the little plastic straw wrapper thingy.

If you give your kid a piece of candy or any other wrapped food, make sure they toss the wrapper where they ought or give it to you to dispose of. You could try teaching by example.

Don't let your plastic grocery bags get away from you - I see them blowing along in the air, tangled in trees, and floating in the water all the time.

You could even try recycling some of that stuff you've been dumping on the side of the road!

Come on, would you walk into my house and dump your trash?? Would you find it acceptable if someone came into your house and deposited their waste in the living room? So consider the great outdoors our global family room, would you please??

Either that, or I'm going to start following you around, collecting your trash, and dumping it in your bed when you aren't looking.

How It All Started

You could say I was born.

I had an odd childhood, a peculiar mix of wealth and privilege (lobster once a week, leg of lamb often, dining on fine china using actual silver flatware, new clothes just because the old were soiled, and champagne on a regular basis - in crystal flutes, no less) and scrabbling-in-the-dirt poverty that often left our heads spinning and our thoughts wandering along the lines of "A Kool-Aid sandwich on stale bread is perfectly nutritious, right?" Which state we were in was determined by whether we lived with the Grandparents (wealthy) or Mum (not at all wealthy).

I often claim I was raised by feral hippies. And Republicans. At the same time.

I had no concept of environment being something one should be concerned about until I was in my teens, but I often picked up litter because it was just rude not to.

I remember swimming off the coast of Florida and having to stop at a tar removal station before we left to beach to get the sticky black stuff off the bottoms of our feet. Bleh.

I am much more aware of the impact of my life on the world around me, now. I know why the tar was there, and that it didn't have to be. I understand about recycling, both for financial and environmental reasons. I never bought into the idea that there were starving children in China who would be happy for the food I was wasting, but at least I understand why waste is folly.

Being Pagan has added a layer of complication to the idea of being green - the Earth is at once my home, one of my Goddesses, and my temple. I really don't want to use up, deface, pollute, and completely ruin any of those sacred things.

Now comes the fun of reconciling the need for my family to live a realistic life with being as green as can be. In a perfect world, this wouldn't be an issue. There are plenty of people in the world who will scoff at my idea that there's a middle ground, a way to minimize impact while still maximizing comfort and ease.

I have been thinking a lot about this very thing.

I really believe that going green is nowhere near mainstream enough, and it should be. If environmentalists want Mr., Mrs., and Mizz Middle America to get on board, they're going to have to find a way to make green affordable, easy, and comfortable. So far, not so good.

It's all well and good for Ed Begley Jr. to crow about his solar panels and all that...quite another for the average homeowner or even renter to install, maintain, and benefit from solar panels.

Not everyone can compost - we don't all have the space, the time, or the inclination, and composting can become expensive if you don't want a pile of waste sprawling all around the landscape.

Recycling can cause as much damage to the environment as waste, considering the pollutants dumped into the air by diesel powered trucks - and reuse isn't always feasible.

My particular branch of the Pagan tree has a rule...our only one, in fact. In plain English it says "As long as you aren't hurting anyone, do what you like." Think about that. Hurt no one. It's not possible. Just by existing, I am hurting someone. My life is a balancing act - how can I mitigate the harm I do?

Going green is much the same - how can I balance what I consume and how it impact my world (and fellow dwellers thereon) and my desire to be comfortable, my inability to raise my own organic foods, use natural materials for home and living? It's nearly impossible to live a modern life without plastic.

In the coming posts, I hope to share ways my family (and the families of my friends) has found to add a little green to our daily lives.