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It is important to buy natural, organic, and/or free range meat and dairy as much as possible. Not only are there pesticides to be concerned about, but also hormones and antibiotics that are injected into the animals.
If you’re worried that buying organic food will break your bank, here’s a list of produce that have the highest and lowest pesticide contamination. You can start by making sure that when you buy foods from the “highest” list that they're organic. Although we recommend buying all organic produce, you can save some bucks by buying conventional or natural produce from the "lowest" section. This list was compiled in a study done by the Environmental Working Group. Find out more info about the study and pesticide levels for each food by going to www.ewg.org.
HIGHEST PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION:
Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Cherries
Grapes (imported)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Red raspberries
Spinach
Strawberries
LOWEST PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION:
Asparagus
Avocados
Bananas
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Corn (sweet)
Kiwi
Mangoes
Onions
Papaya
Pineapples
Peas (sweet) |
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| Save money on paper towels and use them as cleaning rags. |
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| You can buy dried goods, cereal, pasta, flour, rice, grains, etc. in bulk – it’s cheaper overall, it stores easily, and there’s barely any packaging…in fact, you can bring your own containers to the store! |
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| You can also buy laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, etc. in bulk – again, reuse your old bottles and buy more for less! |
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| It's a simple 1:1 ratio of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. You can also add 2 - 3 drops of your favorite essential oil for aroma, if you’d like. |
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| Buy soy wax candles, instead of paraffin ones. Not only is paraffin a petroleum by-product and very unhealthy to breathe in, but soy wax is a renewable resource and candles made from it burn longer, more evenly, and virtually soot-free! Since they burn longer, they're actually cheaper in the long run. (NOTE: beeswax candles are also a good alternative, but make sure that the wax is not blended with parafin.) |
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| …all you need is beeswax and olive oil! |
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| Old plastic containers are great for holding pens, or for storing craft supplies, hardware, small toys, etc. |
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| That stands for Community Supported Agriculture in case you're unfamiliar with the term. You’ll be getting fresh, in-season, and often organic produce all season long, while supporting your local economy! Contact farms in your area to see whether they have this option. |
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| They make great to-do lists and note paper. |
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| They have already off-gassed and they’re cool, funky, one-of-a-kind...oh, and cheaper than new stuff. |
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Here are some green practices that also save money, so you can have more to spend on some of the organic things that are a little more expensive (like furniture):
Dry your clothes on a clothesline or drying rack to save money on electricity.
Turn off lights when you’re not in a room and enjoy all of the daylight you can before turning lights on where you are in a room
Carpool, ride the bus, or enjoy non-vehicular forms of transportation to save money on gasoline. |
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