So it's been awhile since I've posted.
Basically, we got stuck in project purgatory, but at least there was green intent behind it!
Remember "A is for Air Quality"? http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2010/05/is-for-air-quality.html Well, in an effort to improve the indoor air quality, we embarked on removing the dust mite laden carpet in Tiger Lily's bedroom, and replacing it with bamboo flooring.
In terms of "green" flooring, bamboo is extremely sustainable because it can grow between 1-2 feet a day. It does not need to be replanted after harvesting because it has an extensive network of roots, and spouts new shoots continually. In addition, bamboo perpetually converts greenhouse gases as it grows, filters the air while making oxygen, and doesn't need pesticides or fertilizers to grow at amazing rates. This is one rugged, useful, rigid, sustainable grass! Not only was our choice of flooring "green", but it saved us some green too. Compared to the oak hardwood we'd originally considered to match the first floor, the bamboo cost significantly less, approximately half as much per square foot. http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2010/05/bamboo-or-bambooooozled.html
As a result of the difference in price, the flooring replacement extended into the hallway, and the next 2 bedrooms. These areas also desperately needed to be replaced, and by removing the dust laden carpet and padding, and installing the green, clean bamboo flooring we've improved the air quality, as well as increased the value of the house.
To complicate the project, we took the opportunity to remove the horrible, contractor-special, "popcorn" ceiling that is sprayed on quickly and cheaply. Besides the fact that we hate the look of the popcorn ceiling, it's impossible to clean off spider webs and dust because the "popcorn" flakes off. So, the unhealthy ceiling needed to be scraped off before the carpet was pulled up. Talk about labor intensive and messy! Fortunately, the ceiling dust that didn't make it in the bag while scraping, fell on the carpet, which was rolled up and removed.
Oh, and lest I forget...after removing the horrible popcorn ceilings, the entire upstairs ceiling had to be primed and then painted (low odor paint). And just for good measure, we added to project purgatory, and primed and painted the walls in two of the bedrooms.
Suffice it to say DIY projects, have many bumps along the way, both human (hubby smashed his finger, I wrecked my shoulder, and we both ached for weeks) and projected related. As we did each room, the kids had to endure being displaced from their rooms, and having their stuff mostly inaccessible in piles and boxes. In addition, we all put up with tools, project mess, and the inconvenience of it all. Even with great planning there were extra trips to the store, plenty of snags along the way, and days it felt like it we'd never finish.
Although it ain't easy being green, and we were in project purgatory for weeks, I can honestly say the rooms look AWESOME, and the pride in greening and beautifying our home is something that can't be measured :)
I absolutely love the SPROUT watch line that I found, and it will most likely end up on my Christmas Wish List! Not only are the watches stylish, reasonably priced at $30-$65, available at large retailers such as Kohls, Sears, Kmart, and Nordstrom, but they are also eco-friendly and offer many colorful options to suit your moods.
One of the things I really like about the line of watches is that the cases and buckles are made of corn resin, which is a renewable resource. It is also 100% biodegradable in the proper compostable environment, but will not degrade from everyday wear and tear since the corn resin is similar to synthetic plastics.
The watch straps are also made from 100% organic cotton, which means no damaging environmental pesticides used to make the cotton for their straps. Sprout reports that non-organic cotton, "is one of the
most environmentally damaging crops to grow, as about 84 million pounds of pesticides are sprayed on US cotton crops alone in one year." Their commitment to detail about the parts of these watches is truly inspiring, and should serve as a terrific example of what companies can provide to their customers.
The natural bamboo dial is also a plus since bamboo is considered to be eco-friendly. Bamboo is a quick-growth plant that helps absorb greenhouse gasses, is renewable within a short period of time, and is grown with little or no pesticides and fertilizers.
Finally, Sprout watches have mercury-free batteries, and are packaged with at least 80% post consumer fibers!
I love the philosophy of this company, and I hope Santa will slip one of these eco-friendly watches into my stocking this year!!! Hint, hint, Santa, I've been a good, eco-conscious, green goddess this year! Winks and kisses Santa!!!
Source:http://www.sproutwatches.com/eco_facts.asp
Bamboo...so you hear all about how "green" it is; it's categorized as a grass, literally it's green, and it's the environmentally friendly kinda "green" as well.
In terms of "green", bamboo is extremely sustainable because it can grow between 1-2 feet a day. It does not need to be replanted after harvesting because it has an extensive network of roots, and spouts new shoots continually. Bamboo perpetually converts greenhouses gases as it grows, filters the air while making oxygen, and doesn't need pesticides or fertilizers to grow at amazing rates. This is one rugged, useful, rigid, sustainable grass!
Bamboo is used for many things; for flooring, cutting boards and other kitchen items, and fabric to name a few. I recently purchased a Scotch-Brite cleaning cloth made from 60% rayon from bamboo, and 40% cotton. The cloth is very soft and works well. I've also seen clothing made from bamboo fabric that is marketed as green and sustainable, and that got me thinking....bamboo almost seems too good to be true...so I did a bit more research specifically on fabric made from bamboo and sadly it is not as sustainable as it may seem due to the processing. The processing to make bamboo into fabric can be accomplished in two ways, either mechanically or chemically.
"The mechanical way is by crushing the woody parts of the bamboo plant and then use natural enzymes to break the bamboo walls into a mushy mass so that the natural fibers can be mechanically combed out and spun into yarn." Fabric made with the mechanical process may be called bamboo linen, but it is a very labor intensive and costly process.
"Chemically manufactured bamboo fiber is a regenerated cellulose fiber similar to rayon or modal. Chemically manufactured bamboo is sometimes called bamboo rayon because of the many similarities in the way it is chemically manufactured and similarities in its feel and hand. Most bamboo fabric that is the current eco-fashion rage is chemically manufactured by “cooking” the bamboo leaves and woody shoots in strong chemical solvents." The solvents can be harmful to the workers, causing neurological and breathing problems, and because of the potential health risks and damage to the environment adjacent to manufacturing facilities, bamboo fabric manufactured in this way should not be considered sustainable or environmentally supportable.
source:http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/bamboo-facts-be.html
After researching the process of bamboo fabric manufacturing I felt a bit bamboozled because I took it for granted that bamboo rayon/fabric was green...now that I know the processing is not green due to the chemicals, I still think that bamboo has great potential as a sustainable resource for several types of products, and in the end is more sustainable than many other options even in light of the processing.
So it's been awhile since I've posted. 
