The Green Living Workshop

Remember the Green Living Workshop?

I managed to attend the session held at Smitten in March and was very glad that I had squeezed out the time for it. Delphinia of Four Cow Farm and Militza of Little Green Dot, who together conducted the session, were both clearly very passionate about the subject at hand. It was inspiring listening to them as they sought to share the wealth of their knowledge with us that morning.

The two big thrusts of their message: (1) There are far too many cleaning products in the market and far too little known about the long term effects of the exposure to the mixture of chemicals contained in these products. (2) Just by using a number of natural ingredients, you can create effective cleaners which are safe for you and your family, as well as the environment.

Delphinia started off telling us the bad news, identifying some of the questionable and possibly harmful ingredients in our everyday cleaning products. I honestly wanted to zip out immediately to rid my cupboards of the cleaning liquids, sprays and creams, which I have quite a few of! She pointed out something which I did not realise before, which is that commercial cleaning products generally do not list their ingredients. However, they frequently carry warning and hazard notices highlighting the toxic nature of their contents. I found both these points troubling. Especially when I have a baby who is very fond of putting everything in her mouth. That is the reason why we try to keep floors, surfaces and other items clean in the first place. It made my heart sink to think that the cleaning products might be harmful to her.

Militza then stepped up with the good news, namely that it was possible to create our own non-toxic cleaners from food products which are found in our kitchen cabinets. It was simply a matter of harassing the qualities of food items such as vinegar, baking soda, and even good ol' lemons.

Some of the good natural ingredients, and how they can be used.

(Taken from the Guide circulated after the workshop)

She shared some tips and ingredients, then we all tried our hand at infusing baking soda and also making an all-purpose cleaner with vinegar, water and lemon. I've been happily putting the all-purpose cleaner to work on my glass surfaces, and using the baking soda as a detergent booster and am happy with the results.

For those not inclined to go the DIY route all the way, they also shared some information on brands and good shops carrying natural/organic products.

It was an interesting and productive morning which I enjoyed thoroughly. The fact that I met a couple of familiar faces at the workshop made it all the more fun for me.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, the good news is that there is another run of the Green Living Workshop happening this Wednesday:

Date: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Time: 10am
Place: Smitten Cafe at 60 Robertson Quay, #01-11, The Quayside.
Cost: $25

Go to www.meetup.com/green-living-singapore or e-mail Delphinia at delphinia@fourcowfarm.com to sign up.

Also, do check out Green Living's Facebook Page for more information as well as updates on further sessions which they might be conducting.