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There are many outdoor pollutants that enter our homes. Some are easily noticeable because of their odor while there are others that ride with the wind into our comfort zone. We are exposed to these everyday and among these intruders are emission from vehicles, garbage and dust.
Below are some tips to lessen these at your home.
I. Emission from Vehicles - Combustion of engines produce carbon monoxide. Direct exposure to this pollutant causes dizziness, headache and nausea. And continuous exposure threatens more serious respiratory illnesses.
Green Tips:
A. Do not let the engine running for a long time in your garage.
B. Have a garden around your house. Plants, even grass on the streets, are your first line of defense. But since these cannot absorb everything, it is good to have herbal plants inside the house.
I always bring Holy Basil (Tulsi) inside the house because it is known to be an air purifier. After sunning in the morning, I bring some pots indoors, to provide us with oxygen. At night, I bring out the pots because darkness makes all plants produce carbon dioxide. (For more information, visit Holy Basil.)
Also, herbal gardening can be a form of workout and therapy.
C. Keep enough windows open for air circulation. Bedroom windows should be kept closed if not being used.
D. Install exhaust fans to help drive out engine emissions fast.
II. Garbage - Pollution that comes from foul odor of mixed garbage and burning of household wastes.
Green Tips:
The most practical way to lessen this is to segregate wastes that produce foul odor and those that don’t. There are wastes that may be recycled. This means that what you consider as waste may be used by other people or by the soil.
I suggest that household wastes be classified as:
1. Recyclables that can be sold or donated:
a. Tetrapaks, plastic and crystal bottles, cans, metals, old appliances, etc.
Tetrapaks and canned goods should be washed and dried to avoid the growth of microorganisms that cause disease. Unclean cans and packaging also attract cockroaches and other pests.
b. Used bond papers, school materials, cardboards, boxes, cartons, newspapers, etc.
These recyclables may be sold or donated to the walking junkman (Called Bote-dyaryo man in the Philippines).
Used appliances, etc. may be donated to institutions like Goodwill Industries (Phils.) and Radio Veritas (Phils.) since they solicit, fix and sell these at a cheaper price.
2. Let us give back to Mother Earth. Recycle and make the soil happy.
a. Vegetable cuttings, kitchen and garden wastes.
These may be mixed with soil (with no plants) to decompose. The final product is organic fertilizer (To find out how to make organic fertilizer, check out How To Care For Your Herbal and Herbs.)
b. Rice, fish, chicken and meat washings.
Pour directly into the soil with plants. Our unwanted washings filled with microorganisms contain minerals that are welcomed by the soil.
3. Real garbage for the Garbage Man:
The real garbage are those that have no immediate use in the household like:
a. Plastic wrappers, styrofoam and aluminium packaging.
These should be washed and dried first. Drippings from these packaging like blood of chicken, meat, fish should be placed in a container, then poured directly into the soil with plants.
b. Wet paper and unsanitary materials etc.
c. Dry materials like cloth, tiny pieces of paper, shoes, thread, ribbons, etc.
After segregation, there is little amount of household wastes for the garbage collector. There is nothing to burn, no foul odor, no stress and happy passers-by. All in all, a greener environment.
III. Outdoor Dust - We cannot control dust that go with fresh air entering the house. But we can minimize it by keeping just a few windows open to maintain ventilation.
Green Tips:
1. Screen windows and screen doors can be cleaned by mixing water with baking soda. Years ago, I used vacuum cleaner but its heat made the screen material brittle;
2. Furniture may be dusted off then polished with one teaspoon of olive oil and half cup of lemon or Kalamansi (Philippine lemon). You may follow the above ratio and make your proportion depending on surfaces of furniture you need to polish. Dampen cloth with this mixture and use repeatedly. Clean leftover mixture can be stored only for about a week. This green furniture polish gives a good shine and smooth surface at lesser cost.
Your little effort will surely bring BIG REWARDS - quality air, good health - for you, your family, your community and the ecological system as a whole.
Stay posted for Part III: The Microscopic Organisms, Insects, and GREEN TIPS.
Em-Em
The Gardener, MBA
enchantingrivulet.blogspot.com
Sources:
Jazmines, Tessa, Gases, Toxic Fumes and Trapped Dust, The 3M Handy Book of Health and Personal Care p. 17, Pasig City, MM, Anvil Publishing, Inc.
Britannica, Factors that Influence the Rate of Photosynthesis, Photosynthesis Micropedia 25, p. 800 – 801, Chicago, Illinois, USA, Encyclopedia Brittanica
Todd, Jude C., Polish and Wax, Herbal Home Remedies, p. 264, New Delhi, India, B. Jain Publishers(P) Ltd.