April 22nd is Earth Day!
One of the fun things I've been doing lately is participating in a Mom Central Canada blog tour and discussion group about Majesta. If you don't know Majesta, just take a quick peek down the tissue aisle. Past the expensive brands with cutesy mascots. Towards the eco-friendly end of the aisle, you will find Majesta products.
Don't think eco-friendly means rough and sandpapery. I had the chance to try out Majesta's facial tissue, bathroom tissue and paper towels. Here's what I thought.
- The facial tissues are much nicer than the cheap store brands (softer and thicker), but not quite as soft and thick as the premium brands that you want when you have the worst cold and anything but the best will chap your nose. We found the tissues to be a good choice for the budget and for the everyday nose.
- The bathroom tissue was way softer than I expected. It is not as thick, soft and strong as Charmin, but here's where things get interesting. One of the things we had the opportunity to do with this blog tour was a 'shake test', where we put a few sheets of Majesta in one bottle, and a few sheets of Charmin in another, filled both with water and shook them up. The Majesta disintegrated, just like it will in the septic system, breaking down quickly and not clogging pipes, or hanging around too long in the waste stream. The Charmin held up like fabric. So if you think about clogged pipes or what exactly happens to all that tissue that we flush away and forget, consider that little test. I think it speaks volumes.
- The paper towels were good for small messes, but for me didn't quite hold up to big messes or long use. Again it's because they are designed to break down quickly. Pros and cons.
- we have a programmable thermostat and lights on timers, to minimize wasted energy
- our house is fairly new, and we had an energy audit last year as well. We upped our insulation in the attic and basement, and plugged a lot of small gaps, saving money and heat.
- all of our appliances are high-efficiency models
- we use reuseable grocery bags (even produce bags), food containers, and minimize plastic in our household
- we have a backyard compost bin, as well as a green bin. Between those and the recycling bin, we throw out very little garbage.
- We planted a tree last year in our yard, and are planting two more this year (I can't wait!)
- We are vegetarian
- I work at home (no commute), and my husband has a minimal 15-minute commute to work - for which he drives our small, efficient car.
Now if you need a little more incentive to check out Majesta, they have a contest going on right now where you could win $15,000 towards any 'green' home project, for example, landscaping or home improvement projects!
You can enter daily until June 27th for your chance to win!(only Canadians are eligible)
Awesome! I can think of a few things I'd love to do around here with that kind of green. I would do a lot more landscaping in the yard, providing habitat for birds with shrubs and trees. I would love to put some bat houses up in the nearby woods. I think it would be a lot of fun to get trees for all our neighbours in this new subdivision and help plant them. I'd love to get some furniture for our nearly empty living room that is made of natural, sustainable materials. I'm not sure if that last counts, but it sure would improve things around here in a green way.
What are the things you do with your family to be environmentally friendly? What would you do if you won the $15,000? I'd love to hear your ideas.
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