@ Vin — Thanks for mentioning Monsanto. I’m working on a post about them. Their practices are truly frightening.

Re: health hazards — that’s one of the reasons I became so interested in these topics. I found out, through the cosmetics database, that not only was the sunscreen I’d been using on my young daughters not particularly effective, it also rated as a “high hazard” for health safety. Yikes! We are now using much safer and more eco-friendly products than we were before.

Monsanto comes to mind when you mention “greenwashing.” They are literally destroying the planet and our food supply, but if you go to their website, you’d think they’re supportive of sustainable and organic farming methods.

I’m glad you pointed out the toxins in personal care products and the EWG Skin Deep database. It’s not just about the environment, it’s about our health too, and the personal care products we use every day are destroying both. So few people realize this!

Thanks for the link to the homemade laundry detergent. I’ll have to try that!

As to paper towels/napkins: Next time you run out, just don’t buy any more of them. Make it an experiment. That was my wife’s idea about a year ago, and we haven’t bought any since.

It sounds obvious when you say it out loud, but it surprised me that “grab rag, clean up spill/mess, throw rag in hamper” is just as convenient as “grab paper towel, clean up spill/mess, throw paper towel in trash.” The only switch necessary is to find a place (near where you keep paper towels now) where you can store a bag of clean rags.