Environmentally Friendly Products

Environmentally friendly products are those things in life that do not harm the environment either in the manufacturing process or in their use. While we may think some of the things we use in our day-to-day lives are not harmful to the environment, unless we know exactly how they were made we cannot know what harm that process may have caused the earth.

For instance, the clothing we wear may seem quite innocent of harm, yet the dyeing process of many garments releases toxic wastes into the environment. And even if we buy only clothing made of natural fibres, how do we know what happened during the growing process? Did the farmers use harmful pesticides or herbicides that are now part of the earth and waterways?

Certainly they may have had to use such things to even get their crops off the ground, but there are often ways and means of controlling bugs and diseases without the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides, that farmers don't use even when they could.

Environmentally friendly products can be found in the supermarket or online. Disposable bowls made from sugarcane fibre, cutlery made from cornstarch and chalk, bin-liners made from cornstarch, food pails made from renewable plantation timber and many other products are available for the environmentally conscious person to purchase.

Using environmentally products can be as simple as choosing a fly spray with low toxicity, or choosing to source recipes for homemade products to get rid of your garden pests. Beer will kill snails just as well as poisonous snail bait that can kill your dog or cat if they eat it.

Environmentally friendly products can also be anything that harvests the earth's resources instead of them going to waste. This group includes such things as: -

• Rainwater tanks that can catch rainwater run-off from your roof and keep it to water the garden, flush the toilet or use in the laundry.
• Solar lighting and heating come under this category. They use renewable energy from the sun to save electricity that is produced from burning coal.
• Greywater recycling systems to take your waster water into the garden or to flush the toilet.

Other groups of environmentally friendly products replace previous technology with a solution that is less poisonous, or non- poisonous. For instance: -

• Passive termite barriers that control and kill termites without leaving poisonous wastes in the soil. These are also installer-friendly with no sharp edges.
• Fly screens in the home keep insects out so there is less need to use poisonous sprays.
• Thermo-reflective insulation instead of those with dangerous fibres that can affect the lungs.
• Glues, paints and sealants that have low or no VOC (toxic fumes).

Once you begin to look for environmentally friendly products you'll be amazed at the diverse range available.

Mel C writes about Environmentally Friendly Products, sustainable living and renewable energy.