The New Green House

Let's be honest: going green isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do. Adopting an environmentally-friendly lifestyle requires a change in mentality, an increase in effort and a new set of consumer products. Luckily, the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority is on your side.

In addition to distributing and collecting those green bins of cans, bottles and newspapers from our neighborhood sidewalks, the CVWMA also coordinates household hazardous waste disposal and electronics recycling. So, when you're trying to get rid of your toxic household solvents and old computers, you have a place to go.

Eco Home Resources Eco-Housecleaning Kara's Green Home karasgreenhome@gmail.com Exterior Cleaning and Sealing Eco Clean of Virginia www.ecocleanva.com Eco-Lawn Care NaturaLawn of America www.nl-amer.com to locate providers Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation www.dcr.virginia.gov Recycling and More Central Virginia Waste Management Authority www.cvwma.com

While there aren't any collections for hazardous household waste, which includes fuel, antifreeze, pesticides, household solvents and paints, on the books for 2007, Kelley Hope , the director of public affairs for the CVWMA, offered another solution for dealing with toxic cleaners.

"Make an effort to use up what you've got it, use it responsibly and then just don't purchase it anymore," she said.

The CVWMA's Web site (www.cvwma.com) supplies recipes for homemade non-toxic cleaners, like those mentioned in Part One of this series.

"We started offering this information when we received a grant from the Department of Environmental Quality, back in 2000 or 2001… It certainly is a healthy choice for their family and their environment, using some of the old grandmother-type recommendations," said Hope, who used just such a recipe for cleaning her daughter's cloth diapers. "To whiten those, the recommendations are to use lemon juice and put them out in the sun, or use baking soda, and I found both of those to be really surprisingly effective." Electronics Recycling The CVWMA has also taken on the task of collecting used electronics, like computers, TVs and telephones, through special collection events.

"We did a survey through all of 2006 and in the survey we found that three-quarters of the people were really active recyclers; they always put their stuff out for curbside," said Hope. "But the surprising thing was that 45 percent don't recycle things like appliances, electronics and household hazardous waste. The disturbing thing was half of them didn't know that there are collection facilities available for those products."

It could be that many of them also don't realize the harmful effects of electronics on the environment. According to the CVWMA's Web site, TVs, cell phones, laptops and other electronics can contain dangerous metals like mercury, lead and chromium. When electronics are sent to landfills, the harmful materials can ultimately lead to land and water contamination.

This spring, the CVWMA will host seven electronics collections throughout central Virginia. Look for the schedule at www.cvwma.com. The Green Home: Outside the Home While sending computers to landfills and putting toxic products down the drain can lead to land and water contamination, using toxic products outside the home can be just as harmful.

"Anything that gets in the water supply really has a far-reaching effect," explained Hope. "It can contaminate drinking water, kill aquatic life…And then it starts the whole food chain reaction. You kill the bugs, and the bigger bugs can't eat them. The smaller fish can't eat the bugs…then instead of it being a flat-out environmental issue, now you've got problems with recreational fishing and snorkeling…"

Richmonder Dave Washburn also experienced firsthand the effects of toxic cleaning products.

"I started out as a contractor, a painter and a plaster repair guy," said Washburn, the founder of Eco Clean of Virginia , a non-toxic exterior cleaning and sealing service. "I always did the cleaning myself, and my hands and my allergies couldn't take it anymore. I just decided to make a switch."

Washburn, who started Eco-Clean of Virginia last September, is pleased with the level of interest he's seen from the community.

"A lot of people who are calling are interested in just changing their lifestyle," he said. "The cool thing is that it's people of all ages, so it seems like a lot of people are paying attention to what's going on. Then you have the people who have asthma or bad allergies or sensitivities to chemicals who are very happy that more services like these are being offered."

Washburn employs non-toxic products to clean windows and siding and to seal exterior wood, rather than relying on traditional products packed with synthetic chemicals. He swears by oxygen bleach for its ability to attack mold, mildew and odors – all without causing any harm to his hands or the environment.

"People think if a cleaner's sudsing up, it's working or if it smells, it's killing germs," he said. "That's not necessarily the case."

Washburn also sees the economic value of using environmentally-friendly products.

"People spend a lot of money on their landscaping – why would you want to spend a lot of money on your mulch and all that stuff and then run bleach on the outside of your house or spray it with a mist of ammonia?" he asked. "The other thing is that it ends up sitting in the ground for a couple generations."

This also begs the question: What are you putting on your lawn?

"We Americans love our lawns," says Linda Collins , co-owner of the NaturaLawn of America franchise in Richmond, Virginia. "But often what we do to them to keep them green and weed free can be unsafe for our children, pets and the environment."

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation advocates the use of organic fertilizers, which improve the physical structure of the soil and require fewer applications. Chemical fertilizers can end up in our lakes and rivers, particularly when over-used by homeowners and lawn companies.

Maryland-based NaturaLawn of America, one of the nation's leading organic-based lawn care companies, uses an eco-friendly approach to lawn care, which includes soil testing – also advocated by the DCR – spot treatment for weed control and organic-based products.

"Every yard is treated for itself," said Howard Shilling , who owns the franchise with Collins. "Why cover the whole yard in weed control when the weeds are just splattered here and there? We are responsible at what we're doing."

If you're not up for full-service lawn care, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation offers a comprehensive guide to responsible yard care, A Virginian's Year-Round Guide to Yard Care , via its Web site (www.dcr.virginia.gov). Eco-friendly products are also available through Washburn's Web site (www.ecocleanva.com) and that of NaturaLawn of America (www.nl-amer.com).

Did you miss Part One? Find it here