apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This is probably a better question for the new "green" section, but I'm curious what folks have to say. I've been making an attempt to use more green/natural cleaning products. Anyone know a more natural alternative to Febreze?

is it just me or is green living becoming a really touchy subject here on AT? i always see people being really hard on others for doing the best they know how - which, i would think, could start making people think "well why try anyway, then?" isn't the point here to get people's brains to incorporate that mode of thought? and shouldn't it be more of a "lead by example" instead of scoffing at people for trying to do so because they're not doing "enough?" yeah, it does bother me that more than 3/4 of the cars in the whole foods parking lot are gas guzzlers, but isn't it better that they are there (or other health food stores) instead of at Wal-Mart? and what if some people like leather tiles (not that i am condoning leather tiles...) - isn't it better to show them where to get them recycled instead of NEW? we should be applauding people for where they are improving the quality of life and encouraging them to do more, rather than berating them for not doing enough.

i'm sorry i just really wanted to get that off my chest after reading that post on leather flooring.

apointe-

In the theater world, wardrobe personnel use a mixture of vodka and water to remove odors from costumes that can't be laundered. I hear that it works very well.

I also took a look over at ideal-bite, which has lots of eco tips. They have various products that you can buy but they also suggest fabric softener and water. I'm skeptical that fabric softener is so eco-friendly, but maybe it depends on which brand you buy.

http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/i_smell_pee_you/

Does anyone know what happens to the items in a store window, especially at a large department store, where there are many across the country, that aren't sold within the store, when they're done with the display?

This time, there's a huge pile (literally, a pile) of ghost chairs in the window, some branded with a logo, some not, and I'm wondering what happens when they're done with the chairs? How can I get my hands on those type of items???

For DC-area folks: According to today's Post, there are two new decor stores that have opened in the area:

Hunted House - mid-century modern furniture - www.huntedhousedc.com

Bratt Decor - high-end baby/kid stuff - www.brattdecor.com

Eliza -
Thanks for the link! Looks like yet another blog to read on a daily basis :-)

is it just me or is green living becoming a really touchy subject here on AT?

It's inherently a touchy subject, and we've brought it into our own studio apartment, so to speak.

My theory is that the sudden fashionableness of announcing what one is doing to "save the planet" is an unconscious response to the threat of terrorism. Feeling helpless about all things political, one tries to find something else important to change, and what's more important than the global environment?

The last time the U.S. was bogged down in a seemingly unwinnable war, there was also an upsurge in interest in natural fibers, back-to-nature, grow-your-own veg, compost in the kitchen. The legendary AT hostility toward owning books is also reminiscent of Hippie Era feelings that past knowledge had betrayed us, so it was time to toss all that and invent a new future.

That's not a criticism. Social change has to come from somewhere, and the green movement (whatever its origins) at least comes from life-giving impulses rather than destructive ones.

Wende, I like your analysis a lot.
And I'll say it again, I wish AT would not jump on the "save the planet" bandwagon. However life-affirming the impulse, does it have to appear everywhere (and especially in our tiny studio apartment)?!

i guess my point was more that people are beginning to fight and argue over it, when it really seems very contradictory. idealy, if i were to have it my way (and i know, i can't) it would be "hey, look at this neat blanket/lamp/lightbulb/book shelf/what have you - and! guess what! it's sustainable!" instead of "you're going to hell in a handbasket if you use toilet paper." that's really more what i was getting at - all this labeling GREEN and NOT GREEN and getting snarky because some people aren't as educated about it is really defeating the purpose. guide people to living a life not in excess- because that's really the problem - excessive consumerism.

i also agree that it is EVERYWHERE and it's beginning to seem to me like, at first, it was "oh this is great and everyone should do it, let's hold hands!" and now it's reached the point of the cycle of "green is not really green and be wary of anyone saying otherwise."

really, though, is it that important where someone bought the table they're trying to refurnish, or is it more important that they are refurnishing it instead of letting it fill more space in a landfill and buying another one?

i, too, like wende's analysis a lot - as i often do - and i guess from being really sick yesterday i couldn't really tell if i had represented myself clearly so i thought maybe i should clarify.

Any hints on inexpensive large dining room table options? My husband and I are buying a small house, but we've decided that we would really like to have a large, sturdy dining room table that doubles for dining or sitting with our laptops. I would love to just buy a Parsons table from Room & Board because I love the simple lines, but it's definitely out of our price range, especially when you tack on six chairs or so!

Building, by the way, is an option - but only for the table. We'll have a small garage that just begs to be used as a workshop, and I'm pretty handy. I've never built anything before, though, so I've been looking for incredibly dumbed-down instructions for building a table. I'm not silly enough to attempt building chairs on my own.

Ha, thanks for the welcome, I always wondered if I'd make it up there after two Cures and a Color contest...

apointe,
Febreze is a deodorizing product... baking soda will deodorize in areas where the dry powder will not cause damage - sprinkle, wait awhile and then vacuum. My dogs have started peeing on the deck so I am now rinsing and using vinegar in hopes of discouraging this behavior. There are many simple old fashion products which can be used in surprising ways.

Thanx for my welcome too! :) Apointe, sorry I can't remember exactly where but there was a post somewhere here recently on making laundry spray out of water, vodka and essential oils. A sort of home-made eco-febreze! Probably not one for your favourite raspberry Stoli, but worth a try! (Am envisioning the looks I'll get wondering into the off-licence: "a bottle of cheapest vodka please, my good man, for spraying on my clothes!")

Incidentally, I think the post was a fantastic dogma-free example of promoting steps to living green-er without, as Elizabeth so nicely puts it, telling people they're going to hell for using the wrong bog-roll! I think this is a good way forward. Wende, I found your comments really interesting, I'd never thought about it that way before.

I'm glad you highlighted this issue Elizabeth, cos it was getting to me too! Looking at the Green Questions post, it seems you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. But I think the best idea is, to borrow a phrase from the fabulous Ms. Dusty S., "little by little". (Have to go put that song on now!).

i'm glad i'm not the only one it's bothering. :-)