Just curious - how "crunchy" are you?

mmmmm lets see

we use cloth nappies and wipes
I use a mooncup
we recycle everything we can - plastic, tins, paper, card, glass
we have a compost bin and never throw food away - leftovers are eaten another day and waste is either fed to the birds or composted
our house has loft and cavity wall insulation and we are working on making in more efficient with a new boiler going in next week (FC) when we will have a thermostat and aim to keep heating down
we now have a water meter so are working on conserving water
I get the train to work

I know there is alot more we could do and hopefully will

Edited my original post after reading some more of yours.

Hmmm - well I'm quite crunchy and pretty eco too...

We don't own a car
We walk or train/bus everywhere so we walk loads
Sling lots but also use a parent facing pram - have even been known to sling Isabelle and Grace together (and what a workout that was!!!)
co-sleep/slept and still use a monitor for Isabelle as I like to hear her sleeping (that might sound odd but I know what I mean!)
Babyledweaning for both girls
Breastfeeding
clothnappying
csp / mooncup
We do use herbal medicines as they have their place but don't avoid 'conventional' medications either where needed...
Use natural skincare over conventional stuff
We recycle as much as we can so glass, metal, plastic, cardboard, paper - We don't compost though as our 'garden' is too small but would if we had a bigger garden...
We do our shopping on foot too - DH comes back with a HUGE jute bag in each hand and a rucksack full...
Buy A rated appliances
Buy mostly organic veg
Going to grow some of our own veg this year
Have energy saving light bulbs (I thought everyone did these days )
Keep our heating levels low and insulate our house well
Turn off appliances 'at the wall' when not in use...

Clarelou - try http://www.luxurymoon.co.uk for csp, she has a wide range and Heather will answer any questions. She posts on here sometimes I think.

do you have any reccomendations on the fabric? theres so many to choose from!!

My personal favs are bv top with wool back (nice and natural, I don't really like the idea of minki, etc. find cotton goes stiff over time and doesn't feel as nice.) At a push I'll go for fleece backing, has to be bv topped though.

I only use BV tops at the moment - the only reason I use CSP (and my mooncup) really is because it's unparralelled in comfort especially compared with nasty disp pads and tampons... If they weren't more comfortable only equal to I'd be less enthused about using it...



I'm also looking into part-time home schooling but don't know enough about it yet...

Pretty crunchy I think...

- nappies - obviously - plus washable wipes all the time
- we're all veggie, which means more crops to go round everyone!
- use mainly eco cleaning products (although I now use Bold for all washing - in teeny doses - as just wasn't happy with any eco brands)
- I sling
- I make lots of Jasmine's clothes, and have started to make my own
- we reuse carrier bags
- I walk or get the bus rather than drive
- we recycle everything we can
- I use cloth CSP
- I'm still breastfeeding
- I'm trying to shop more locally
- we'll be growing some food for the third year, and are waiting for an allotment
- we don't use 'nasty' skincare
- we use energy-saving lightbulbs
- we try to turn appliances off when they're not in use

Pretty average here, I think.

We use cloth nappies, fleece liners and washable wipes (the latter even when out and about). Oh, and only wool covers, so not even PUL.
We recycle
We use reusable shopping bags. Any plastic bags that we might get become rubbish bags.
I use vinegar to clean with as much as possible. But still use bleach. It just works better. Oh, and I do like Bold for washing with.
We have an allotment, so grow lots of our own organic veggies.
What food we don't grow tends to come from the local farm shop. Although groceries still come from Mr Tesco.
Compost bins everywhere!
The house is well insulated (we had the cavity walls done last year).
Energy efficient bulbs
And appliances
I buy an awful lot of pre-loved stuff for Iris, from toys to clothes.
I use CSP
I also try and make clothes/interlock things for Iris and CSP for me. That's more of a hobby than a crunchy thing, though.
DH is a bugger for turning everything off at the wall. This one drives me insane, if I'm honest, even though I know it's the best thing to do.
I breastfed Iris for a little under 18 months. She went on nursing strike due to a cold, and I didn't encourage her to continue BF, so that was the end of that. I'd had enough. And, to be fair, she didn't seem interested again once over her cold.
We sling.
I boycott Nestle.

We really fall down with using a car. We have one each (well, Iris doesn't! ). But DH has no option but to drive to work and I'd feel lost without mine. We do walk much more at weekends and stuff, though, so I am conscious of it and do try to leave it at home when I can.

Not very crunchy here at all I don't think

- we used cloth on Martha but only from 7 months and still used disposables at night
- we have a condensing boiler and have the thermostat low (18 degrees)
- some low energy lightbulbs but the halogen bulbs in the kitchen and bathroom must cancel them out - need to replace with LED
- no eco cleaning products altho I do use white vinegar a lot but mainly because it is good!!! And Kirsty to answer your question my standby product (courtesy of my cleaner's recommendation) is Flash spray with Bleach, will clean up bathroom scum in 10 mins no bother
- we compost all veg waste and quite a lot of grass cuttings also newspapers
- we recycle most if not all of what we can recycle
- I had a sling for Martha but didnt' use it a great deal. I have had 3 buggies but one has been passed on and one was secondhand
- I freecyle absolutely anything I can, and send tons to the charity shop if I think it's of value
- I am trying to menu plan a bit better to avoid food waste
- don't use CSP sorry, I am a tampon girl, and can't imagine rinsing out a mooncup at work or on a night out
- I never, ever, ever throw fat/ grease down the sink
- house is well insulated but could do with a bit of draughtproofing
- I do use alternative remedies but only really as a supplement and don't really believe in homeopathy (altho I always take homeopathic travel sickness tabs!!!)
- not much organic produce either altho we do shop at the local farmers market once a month
- we have a Tesco delivery about once a fortnight and don't have their bags. Inbetween we pick stuff up at the local supermarket when we are passing
- we are a two car family and both drive to work in the city centre (I work 3 days)

I can see that WAHM stuff is more crunchy, but it's not necessarily more eco - it is less efficient energy wise for things to be individually made than commercially produced. I guess the key is consumption - we try not to buy more stuff than we need, and I would never shop at Primark or similar and then just throw stuff away after a couple of months (as some friends of mine do)

ETA - we hardly ever tumble dry, a couple of times a year at most

What is the bokashi system for composting? We could do with that

What is the bokashi system for composting? We could do with that

http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/ca ... oWFE590AE7

Pretty sure you can find the buckets for cheaper than that though.

What is the bokashi system for composting? We could do with that

http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/ca ... oWFE590AE7

Pretty sure you can find the buckets for cheaper than that though.

It might be worth checking with your local council - ours provides free and subsidised compost bins - we get 50% off the bokashi buckets.