Go green on a budget with these baby steps
Many people will argue that the greatest barrier to living a greener lifestyle — one that involves more organic or environmentally friendly food or home and personal care products — is the prohibitive cost.
Experts acknowledge that manufacturers and consumers do pay more for natural products, but they hope, as the market shifts toward more nontoxic alternatives, prices will become more affordable. While the upfront cost of natural living can surely pay off down the road in the form of better health, anyone seeking instant-savings gratification still has options.
To celebrate Earth Month, I asked a few experts how we can live a healthier lifestyle on a budget: Christopher Gavigan, who with actress Jessica Alba, co-founded the Honest Company — makers of safe, nontoxic and effective personal care and cleaning products — and green living expert Indie Lee of indielee.com.
Lee began her journey as a green expert in 2009 after surviving a brain tumor that may have been caused by environmental toxins. Gavigan has long been a champion of children’s health and development. That led him to partner with Alba, who describes in her book “The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You” (Rodale, $23) how motherhood made her question “greenwashing” in many products considered safe for children and pregnant women.
“Most people think living greener is about safeguarding the Earth, but my approach is about living for your health, which ultimately has positive impacts for the planet,” Gavigan says. Gavigan and Lee agree it is possible to live green without spending too much green. Here they each offer a few baby steps to help you get started:
Personal care/office
- Purchase glass nail files that you can wash and reuse. It may cost an extra $2, but it will never wear down, Lee says.
- Use a crystal goblet or cute mason jar to sip water at your desk rather than continually purchasing water bottles.
- Look for clothing brands that offer affordable, sustainable products without sacrificing style. Lee suggests H&M Conscious, which offers stylish designs at a moderate price.
- Rather than buying a huge pack of pens that will end up in a landfill, purchase a chic fountain pen and buy inexpensive refills, she says.
Household
- Open your windows to improve indoor air quality, which often has higher VOC (volatile organic compound) levels than outdoors, Gavigan says.
- Take off your shoes at the door so you don't track pollutants such as lead dust, animal feces and other chemicals into the house. An added bonus is a cleaner home, he says.
- Dust … often. Many of the products inside your home, and the materials used to make the building itself, are slowly degrading and breaking down into small, microscopic particles. The dust can be contaminated with toxic flame retardants, heavy metals, pesticides and countless other chemicals, Gavigan says.
- Switch to nontoxic cleaning and personal care products like those from Honest.com. Read labels and learn to avoid products with questionable ingredients: chlorine, ammonia, phosphates, SLS, parabens, BPA, synthetic fragrances/dyes, and petrochemicals.
Discuss online at the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog. Our Deal Spotter section in Thursday's AJC is full of great local deals and exclusive offers.
About the Author
Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta.
