The Journey Begins -- the quest towards a greener lifestyle.

•             No One Can Do Everything.
•             Everyone Can Do Something.

With that in mind I'm going to take a deep breath and calmly go forth and make some changes. I need to pull back a bit as once I get an idea I prefer to throw myself into it with a  category 5 rated frenzy! Unfortunately I, like many of you,  cannot afford to replace everything outright. Instead as an item comes up that needs to be replaced I will have to look at it with a critical eye and see what can be done to make it an item that will win as many green points as possible on the eco-friendly scale! My number one concern is to decrease indoor air pollution for the benefit of my own health and those around me.  It's hard because indoor air pollution is such an abstract entity -- after all how do you really see formaldehyde, asbestos, radon or any other chemicals that may be lurking in the corners of your home? One thing that I do go on is by smell!  I detest over-perfumed anything!  I hate even going down the cleaning products aisles of your average supermarket and I absolutely detest going into candle or incense shops. I find it hard to believe but statistics say that 3 out of 5 canadians use some type of air freshner in their home and the market is worth $200 million!No wonder the rate of asthma has doubled since 1980.

Greener Lifestyle Step #1 - eliminate artificially scented indoor airfreshners - whether in the form of candles or electric plug-in's - they are toxic.

The chemicals they spew into your living environment are suspect for many medical concerns (long term and short term) so do yourself and those you love a favor and look for better ways to freshen the air. The number one way is to throw open some windows! And if you really love smells wafting through your house -- save a few apple peelings, add a little cinnamon and boil in a pot on your stove. A potpouri crockpot would be a wise investment (approximately $10 new or scout around second hand stores for one) if you enjoy scenting your home on a regular basis.  If candles are your thing it sounds like beeswax is the way to go.  I was surprised to read that beeswax is the only wax that is proven to emit negative ions that clean the air when burned.

"Breathing the fumes from burning paraffin candles
is essentially the same as breathing the exhaust fumes
from a diesel engine."

Bill Reno Entomologist/writer
Alive magazine #218
December 2000 issue

I'm thinking I should order a case of beeswax candles and give them out throughout the christmas season to everyone I love and care about.  I'm also going to order some beeswax birthday candles for the little prince's third birthday coming up soon! Especially after I learned how paraffin candles are made. Did you know that paraffin is the wax that forms inside the pipes at oil refineries? I had no idea where it came from actually. It is collected, chemically cleaned, then often chemically scented before being sold as candles. Sounds like a recipe for disaster if you're trying to keep your indoor air as pure as possible.  I'd say nix the paraffin and look for some beautiful beeswax or soy wax candles made without artificial colors or scents.

Click on this link if you want to delve a little deeper into the hazards of scented indoor air freshners.