I finally changed my shower curtain liner, and finally for the better of the Earth.  For the near-decade I have lived in apartments, I have used cheap vinyl liners behind my shower curtain.  For the last nearly four years, we have done so for two bathrooms.

We change our shower curtains several times a year due to the speckly, ugly mildew and hard water stains that form.  That means that we annually chuck our petroleum-derived phthalate-laced toxic vinyl plastic into the landfill.  So do many of you, I have no doubt.

Have you thought about your shower curtain?  What is it made from?  What is the liner made from?  Are you able to wash yours in the washing machine?  Do you simply throw it out?

I have pondered this for a couple years and finally changed to a better, more sustainable, washable option.

What it is:

• 100% Polyester (I know, not perfect)
• washable – Yay!
• reusable for years – Yay!
• a few dollars more than the plastic vinyl type, but a happy investment

What it is not:

• vinyl / PVC
• American-made
• natural fiber
• recycled material – they make these though
• disposable – Yay!
• smelly weirdness like new toxic vinyl curtains – Yay!

These are trade-offs I can happily take.  Apparently, I just realized with some research, I am not the only one looking for a happy trade-off:  Green LA Girl is going anti-vinyl curtain too and found a… nutty… one!

Actually, the most informed, best article and review I’ve found on shower curtain options, your personal health, and a healthy environment is from The Daily Green.  Really, Deirdre Dolan did a fantastic job researching, trying, and sharing some great info.

What would it take for you to change your shower curtain?  Do you have any other suggestions you would like to share?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Shaving is another territory where our daily actions can have an immediate and huge impact on the environment.  Such a small choice, you would think, but consider all the people using razors and shaving products daily.  What if everyone used plastic disposable daisy razors and cheap, canned foam?

I’ve had this draft saved for over six months, but it took seeing Tiny Choices post on swapping razors to finish this up.

I’ll keep this easy… check out the Tiny Choices post.  Check out Allie’s post.  These two will be super comprehensive.

My vote?  I am a HUGE fan of Recycline’s Preserve razors.  My sister bought me a pack so we could get off our Gillette Sensor addiction.  I relate to Tiny Choices and her Gillette:

I have a Gillette Sensor lady’s razor and I dare say I’ve had it since the early 1990s – it’s been with me through high school and college, for sure, and ever since then. It’s served me well, and more so because it isn’t a disposable (the USEPA estimates that 2 billion disposable razors end up in landfills every year).

But Preserve has a great product, made of recycled plastic.  The double razor replacement heads can be a little rough, and you will notice the difference in quality if you had been using Gillette.  Spring and get the triple blade replacement heads.  You’ll totally dig them.

Or, just get really hairy when your razor is done, and save the water and waste.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue Allen

Another area of debate and balance for new parents, are cloth diapers the only way to feel guilt-free in an eco-conscious world?

According to two great posts by Allie at Allie’s Answers, using cloth diapers and cloth toilet-product (think: wiping your booty with flannel instead of TP and washing it later) actually leaves a LARGER carbon footprint than using disposables.

WHAT?!  We all assume cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposable diapers.  Luckily for us, Allie reminds us of a couple brands that make disposable diapers less toxic — for both our children and our Earth.

Something for you parents to consider… read what Allie found out.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

I follow up the first Tasty Tuesday post with a Wet Wednesday: a recap of Asheville’s Twestival and pledge to help more people have access to clean drinking water. 

If you do not know what Twitter or Twestival is or how important Charity: Water is, check out my previous post here.

Also, however, I found a GREAT post today on The Good Human regarding the greenwash known as “Fiji” bottled water.  All bottled water is, as far as I am concerned, evil.  To present your bottled water company, however, in a masquerade of “every drop is green”, you better be able to deliver.  As we find out, “Fiji” water may be the most atrocious of bottled-water companies.  The Good Human says

So when they say that “Every drop is green”, nothing could be further from the truth. To their credit, they are doing several things to try to be more environmentally friendly, but marketing water sold in a plastic bottle as “green” is definitely not one of them. Add in the fact that a study by the Environmental Working Group found that bottled water had the same amount or more of chemical contaminants than tap water does, and you can really see the greenwashing in full effect. I wish bottled water companies would just come out and say

The Good Human has other posts regarding bottled water from 3000 B.C., 12 Reasons to ditch bottled water and bottled water with medications, fertilizer and disinfectants.  Great reads.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue