Typical Ramblings, Atypical Nonsense: SEEDology

Photo from: mlwhitt

In my post from a couple days ago I told you all how I had been reading over at (seed) and they were inspiring me. Well, here it is days later and I'm still being inspired by what I read. Last year I set up a square foot garden. Okay, so really I (I as in hubby) built the frame, I read a book about it but I was paralyzed by fear of not being able to do it "right", so that's as far as we ever got with the garden.

I've been thinking the last few days about that garden and how I really want to grow my own veggies this summer. Not just because it will be less expensive than buying then at the grocery or farmer's market. But also because I can grow them organically, they will be in my yard so our carbon foot print will be virtually nil. I think it's very important to buy local (when you can) because it supports local farmers but also because it's so much better for the environment. I truly believe that every small step we make towards preserving our plants helps. I want to be a good example of what I believe to my children. I can talk to them all day about things like this but if I don't actually do what I talk about, it's nothing more than words.

So this week I'll be getting out some paper and pencil and making some real plans for our garden this year. It doesn't matter if I don't do it exactly "right" or if only half of it actually grows. What matters is that I'll be taking another step in living an organic lifestyle that is not harmful for the environment. That's what is important. Thank you (seed) for planting a seed within me to make these changes and for keeping me thinking about what else I can do for my family and the environment.

This post was written as my entry in a contest hosted by Hip As I Wanna Be and (seed) to win a sponsorship to BlogHer 2010.

SEEDology: Everything begins with a seed.

I recently read the story of (seed) and how the (seed) company and products were born. It really got me thinking about our life at home. Several years ago I switched to natural cleaners, like vinegar, tea tree oil, and borax to clean the house. Several reasons at the time prompted the change - I was getting migraines from cleaning products, my husband and daughter both have lung issues and the fumes from the cleaning supplies were bothering them daily and I was concerned about the effect these products had on the environment as I used them and discarded them. The bonus that came from switching was the cost - who doesn't like to save money right? Last year I switched from using laundry detergent to using soap nuts (I had already switched to vinegar for fabric softener) and I'm really pleased with how soap nuts work. I try hard to feed my family organic foods when I can. What goes in our body is so extremely important to our health and that includes the chemicals found in and on our foods.

So you might be asking yourself what else could she possibly need to do for her family? The one place I've been letting slide by is in the products we use on our bodies. I've been careful to try and buy products not tested on animals, because I do feel that is important but I've not gone so far as to make sure the products we use are really natural. I know a lot of products claim that title but not all body care products really are all natural. This is where (seed) comes in - they are 100% Natural. Soap isn't really a hard product to find that is all natural but (seed) has an all natural body lotion and an all natural shampoo bar! I am really excited about those two products. Finding a hair care product that is safe for our body and good on the environment is not always an easy task. I've tried no-poo for myself but convincing my family to go no-poo isn't going to happen. I know that I could get them to use a shampoo bar though.

I'm so happy that I have learned about (seed) and that their story has inspired me to take my family's organic living to the next step. You can read their story and look at their products here. I hope that a seed will be planted in your mind to do something good for yourself today and every day.

This post was written as my entry in a contest hosted by Hip As I Wanna Be and (seed) to win a sponsorship to BlogHer 2010.