Are you one of those people who would like to do things to help our planet but don’t know where to begin? With all the media hype about conserving this and a greener that, it can be an overwhelming thought. Well, that’s how I felt, at least. I wanted to do my part but had no clue how or where to begin. Also, those fancy “green” homes that are being built really aren’t in my budget. I’m also not one of those granola types that knows how and where to shop for such earth-friendly specialty items (no offense to anyone out there, that was just the best example I could come up with). In other words, I had no one to teach me these things. What I do know is that, unlike a presidential election where my single vote really doesn’t count, every little thing I do to help our Mother Earth DOES count. Maybe not right away, but in the long run my efforts will make a difference. Multiply my efforts by just 100 people, then by 1000, and slowly many of us can begin to make a huge difference. And in turn, teach our children the same.

This is how it started for me: One day I was grocery shopping and looking for some training pants for my son when I came across a brand of diaper I had never seen before called “Seventh Generation” (.” Although they were diapers, I was intrigued enough to pick up the package and read all about it. I was very impressed by what I read. Needless to say, I put the package back because I needed training pants. When I got home, I got on the computer and looked up “Seventh Generation.” I found their website and was amazed at the amount of products they manufactured. Items such as toilet paper, laundry detergent, house cleaning products, feminine products, and yes, diapers. It seems that they had everything EXCEPT training pants. Anyway, I was inspired. From that moment on I decided to replace my current house cleaning products, laundry detergent and dish liquid with Earth-friendly, biodegradable products. I tried brands like Citrix and Planet and a couple of others and was extremely disappointed in their quality and poor performance. So, when I came across Seventh Generation I knew I had to try it. I found the dish liquid at a health food store. The first time I tried it, I knew that it would be my brand for life. It created a rich lather in my sink and cleaned my dishes so well that I couldn’t believe it was Earth friendly, and it’s lavender scent was so pleasant. I’ve also used their laundry detergent and am equally impressed with the quality of the product. (They also have dye and scent-free versions of their products.) It’s still kind of hard to find their products in mainstream stores but the Target in my area carries a few of their items. You can’t purchase their items from their website but Amazon.com carries almost the entire line of goods. Look, I’m not trying to change the world overnight but if someone like me can slowly turn “green” without any help from the outside world, then anything is possible. We can’t change our lifestyles and habits immediately, but by taking baby steps in the right direction, not only will we be helping our Mother Earth, but we’ll be creating safer environments for ourselves and our families, thereby living healthier lives. Ceasing to depend on harsh chemicals in our homes can have a drastically positive impact on our planet and ourselves.

You can learn more about Seventh Generation and their products by going to www.seventhgeneration.com .