CWF challenges 40 to 50

Week 40: Recycle Oil and Antifreeze
Got leftover antifreeze in your garage? Don’t dump it! Service stations and recycling centres will take both oil and antifreeze for you and dispose it properly
Week 41: Stop Hosing Down Your Driveway

A toxic potion of brake fluid, oil, grease and antifreeze can cause havoc on a watery ecosystem. When you hose down your driveway, this chemical concoction eventually leads to our lakes and rivers. It might be a little extra work, but cleaning up spills properly is well worth the effort. For dry spills, simply get out your broom and dry sweep the area; for wet spills, clean it up with kitty litter and an absorbent cloth.

Week 42: Swap chemical cleaners for good ol’ elbow grease

Sure chemical cleaners take the work out of cleaning the oven, but many degreasers and disinfectants are wreaking havoc on aquatic organisms. Not only do they pollute aquatic habitats studies have found 70 per cent of American streams contain traces of the surfactants that make chemical cleaners suds up - but they also toy with the hormones in fish. So roll up your sleeves and clean soap scum in your shower with some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease.

Week 43: Trade antibacterial cleaners for a homemade cleaning potion

Not only does bacteria boost your immune system, but some bacteria can actually benefit the environment. Antibacterial ingredients, such as triclosan, have been found in 58 per cent of our steams. Mix your own cleaning potion with one part vinegar to one part water. Can’t stand your home smelling like vinegar? A few of drops of lavender or rosehip essential oil should mask the scent!

Week 44: Ditch the Drano and unplug your clogged drains environmentally

Your thick head of hair might be great for styling, but it’s awfully gross when it plugs up the drain in the bathtub. Still - there’s no need to rely on industrial lye and acids to unclog your shower drain of hair and debris. A simple plunger or plumber’s snake will do the trick.


Week 45: Check your dishwashing detergent for phosphates

Get your dishes squeaky clean with dishwashing detergents that are chemical free. Although most laundry detergents and dish soaps no longer contain harmful phosphates in their list of ingredients, some detergents still contain the ecosystem disturbing chemicals. Once phosphates get into lakes and streams, they can spark a boom in algae and weed growth.

Week 46: Make the Switch to Recycled Toilet Paper

Did you know Canadians use 3.4 billion rolls of toilet paper every year? It’s true! The average person uses 100 rolls of toilet paper annually. So how can we make a difference? Swap your virgin bleached variety for recycled. If we all switched out just one roll, we’d be able to save 48,000 trees and nix 4,500 kilograms of air and water pollution that goes into creating it.

Week 47: Combat dandruff with tea tree oil instead of mainstream dandruff shampoos

Many mainstream dandruff shampoos are full of toxic ingredients like coal tar, selenium disulphide and zinc pyrithione all synthetic ingredients that are harsh on aquatic species and ecosystems. Fight the flakes by washing your hair with natural tea tree oil shampoos instead or add a few drops of tea tree oil to your regular shampoo.

Week 48: Fight bad breath with a tongue scraper instead of mouthwash

Think bad breath is bad? The stuff that’s in mouthwash is worse. After ingredients like anti-parasitic thymol swish around in your mouth as you gargle, they make their way into our lakes and rivers and can be toxic to aquatic organisms. Start scraping your tongue with a tongue scraper everyday instead to combat stinky breath.

Week 49: Lay Off the Lather
Primping with clarifying shampoo, deep conditioner, moisturizer with SPF, and exfoliating body wash might make you feel like a million bucks, but have you thought about the laundry list of ingredients in them? All kinds of complex chemicals wash off your body and into our rivers and oceans every time you shower. Opt to reduce the amount of product you use or treat yourself to a shopping spree all-natural formulas only.

THE LAST ONE!!!

Week 50: Wrap it up recycled style!

All the wrapping paper, tags and trimmings involved in gift giving makes for a lot of wasted paper come Christmas morning, after the kids have torn apart their presents. With this bow tutorial, you can have an eco-friendly holiday while wowing your tikes in just 12 minutes flat.

You can read more about CWF, it's 50th anniversary and the challenges here:
http://www.cwf-fcf.org/en/about-cwf/50th-anniversary/the-anniversary-challenge.html