I thought I would provide a list of all the areas we will be covering as we work on greening our homes together. This way, you’ll have an idea of what to expect and you will also have a chance to give your input on any areas you don’t see listed that you would like to cover. [Just leave a comment or send me an email with your idea] I’ll post the Master List on the Green Our Homes Page (soon) so you can refer to it anytime you like. As we cover each entry, I’ll update the Master List to point to the specific post.

Here’s the topics we’ll be addressing

Replacing Hazards in our Home

{Making their appearance in alphabetical order}

- All Purpose Cleaners
- Antibacterial Soaps
- Automatic Dishwashing Detergent
- Batteries
- Carpet Cleaner
- Drain Cleaner
- Face & Body Lotion
- Floor Cleaner
- Furniture Polish
- Glass Cleaner
- Laundry Detergent
- Make Up
- Mold & Mildew Remover
- Oven Cleaner
- Pesticides
- Shampoo & Conditioner
- Toilet Cleaner
- Tub, Tile & Sink Cleaner

Reducing Waste

- Baby Food Jars & Plastic Tubs
- Cans
- Cardboard Boxes
- Diapers
- Dry Cleaner Bags
- Glass
- Magazines & Newspapers
- Paper Towels
- Plastic Bottles
- Plastic Shopping Bags
- Plastic Produce Bags
- Sponges
- Toilet Paper * (as suggested by Jen & Joey Go Green)

Around the House

- Air Quality
- Building Materials * (as suggested by Jen & Joey Go Green)
- Composting
- Flooring
- Gardening
- Gray Water
- Home Decor Items * (as suggested by Jen & Joey Go Green)
- Home Fragrances
- Landscaping
- Lawnmowers * (as suggested by Jen & Joey Go Green)
- Light Bulbs
- Programmable Thermostats
- Rainwater Collection
- Recycling
- Repurposing
- Water Conservation
- Water Filtration
- Water Heaters * (as suggested by Jen & Joey Go Green)
- Water Softeners
- Windows
- Upcycling

Whew, well I think that gives us a decent starting point. Look this list over and let me know which feature your most anxious to explore or any additions you would like to see added. I can not wait to get started tackling this list.

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If you’re like me, you’ve probably never put much thought into your batteries. You probably rotate between a few popular brands trying to find the longest lasting, most affordable options on sale at the time. You bring them home, you pop them in to your flashlights, remotes and smoke detectors and Voila, you don’t think about them again until your stuff stops working or your child’s favorite toy starts sounding like some sort of demented demon.

I’ll even go as far to say that once or twice, you have probably forgotten about a pair of batteries left in a gadget that wasn’t working for some time. When you open up the battery pack, you find white, flaky stuff all over your batteries [you know you have]. Did you know, that was battery acid leaking from your batteries? Even worse, do you know about all of the other hazardous materials and heavy metals that could also be leaking from those tiny tubes? Mercury, Lithium, Lead, Cadmium … just to name a few … it’s all in there and well, if the acid found its way outside I’m betting the other stuff will too.

Did you know that in most states, batteries are considered hazardous waste and are not supposed to be tossed into the regular trash receptacles? I never really new this until I became a Hazmat Monitor in the Air Force and had to collect all of my units discarded batteries. Really, the thought had just never occurred to me. I’ve tossed my fair share into the trash, I’ve used my fingers to scrape off the white flaky stuff [Hmm, chemical waste on my fingers ... Great], I’ve even put 9 Volt batteries to my tongue [when I was very young] to feel the shock they give off.

These days, I’m thinking in a whole new, greener light. I worry about what happens to the waste that leaves my house and well, I hope that you do too. I hope that you’ll click to find out what you state says you should do with your battery waste.

I hope that whenever possible, you’ll consider the safer, greener batteries that are on the market today. What? You didn’t know there was such a thing as green batteries? Me neither! That’s one reason I love being an online green spokesperson, I’m made aware of all sorts of products I didn’t know existed. I try them out and then, if they meet my approval, I’ll let you know I think they’re worth while. In the case of green batteries, consider me a Fuji Enviromax covert. Now, let me tell you why …

For me, claiming to be green isn’t enough – these days, a product must not only be free of harmful materials but it must have been produced in a safe manner as well. Fuji has done a great job exceeding my requirements. Not only are these puppies green [meaning they have no ozone depleting compounds] but they’re also manufactured following strict environmental standards and made from 93.3% recycled materials and packaged in recycled materials as well. Green from start to finish, I love that.

They’re also safe to throw in the trash and last just as long, if not longer than other leading batteries and have one of the longest shelf life’s on the market – 7 years!!. Even more importantly, since these batteries don’t contain any mercury, lithium, lead or cadmium, I don’t have to worry about natural resources being mined so I can change my clicker.

Now, let’s take a look at some numbers:

3,000,000,000 [3 Billion] – the number of batteries purchased by Americans each year

8 – average number of batteries discarded for each person in your home

48 – the number of batteries my family will go through this year [I'm betting we'll use more]

What about time and effort you say? What will using Fuji Enviromax batteries cost you in the long run?

Fuji Enviromax – $22 a year per person [$132 for my family] (Based on the US average, see above)

Other Leading Brands – $20 a year person [$120 for my family] (Based on sale prices)

Cost Difference – $2 per year [$12 a year for my family]

That’s right, $2 per person in your house, per year. That’s how much it will cost you for peace of mind knowing you aren’t leaking heavy metals or hazardous waste into your drinking water or putting your children in contact with carcinogenic materials. I don’t know about you, but $2 sounds like a Great price to me.

Now, here’s my favorite number: 23,288 – that’s the number of batteries we can keep out of landfills each year if everyone of us switches from our current batteries to Fuji Enviromax or a rechargeable alternative. See, I told you are small steps would pay off in big ways.

Find Fuji Enviromax at ACO and ACE Hardware stores; select Sears, Target, Do It Best and Tru Value Hardware stores; Dick’s Sporting Goods, Big Y Stores (Massachusetts), Shop Rite and Kings Supermarkets (New Jersey), Shop’ n Save (St. Louis), Marsh Supermarkets (Indianapolis), and other chains. The batteries can also be ordered online at Amazon.com , and direct from the company atwww.greenfuji.com.

Note: Fuji Enviromax batteries recently won two parenting awards from The National Parenting Center and iParenting Media.

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My passion for nature and drive to live as green as possible started at a very young age, you might even say it started before I was born. I like to think I was Eco, when Eco wasn’t cool – but that’s a different story (and one that I intend to tell you all about in a series of post in the near future). But today, I’d like to focus on something important that I think we should all try to the best of our abilities, and that’s making our home as green as possible.

You may not have cared too much about being eco-friendly or trying the next green craze, but I’ll bet that started to change the day you became a parent. Suddenly, you began to approach everyday items with a newfound perspective. I’ll bet you childproof certain cabinets in your home because of the harmful chemicals you’re storing inside them or that you restrict excess sugar and fat from you child’s diet because you know its unhealthy for them. I’m sure you’ve been concerned with all the lead found in children’s toys the last few years and you probably reuse particular items around your home for creative uses with or without even realizing it. If any of the above are true, then I’d like to help you take it to the next level. I’d like to make you aware of some of the negative impacts of our current routines and of many of the quick swaps we can make to change our habits. I’m of the belief that even the smallest steps make a big difference (think butterfly effect) and the more steps I take in the right direction, the brighter the future I can guarantee for my children, and isn’t that what we all really want for them? A bright future and a healthy planet for them to live it on.

In this segment, I will chronicle the steps I’m taking and the changes I’m making in my home to live a more natural, greener life. I’ll report my findings to you – total cost savings, long term benefits and time associated with each change. Hopefully, I’ll educate someone on something along the way and maybe even convince some of you to make a few changes in your life.

I know I’m not the only one on this personal mission and I welcome any and all of your methods towards living a greener life. If you’d like to do a guest post about the steps you’re taking at home or just a quick email/comment about what you’re doing – I’d love to hear each and every story!!

If you have an idea about a step you’d like me to try and then talk about, that’s cool too. I’m open for suggestions. If you represent a green company with a product that supports a greener lifestyle and would like to have it featured in this series. Great, I’m willing and eager to try the latest and greatest green living gizmos. Email kidsstuffworld@gmail.com to get the ball rolling. I’ve got a great list of products lined up – countertop water filtration systems, diy soda makers, green batteries, natural cleaners, IPhone Apps and several projects I’ve completed around my home that I’d also like to share with you.

Occasionally, you might see me talk about a tip you consider old news or common sense, but bear with me because the results of all of our actions (small steps remember) are going to surprise you!

Can’t wait to start this journey with you,

~ Stacy

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