Seventh Generation Cleaning

With the now heightened worldwide awareness of global warming and the impact we humans are having on the earth through our daily activities I have developed an almost obsessive compulsion for using natural and recycled products in my daily life. As I’m sure you’re aware this is not always possible, sometimes due to a lack of knowledge about alternatives to the norm and sometimes due to the lack of a commercially available alternative. It makes being green hard work and requires lots of research. I feel that one of the main reasons green products, be they cleaning products or from any other market segment are not that readily available is that more traditional brands have such a stranglehold on the market are so engrained in the national psyche that its difficult for smaller firms to break through. Also, these larger more established firms see no need to change their ways, why spend more money developing natural/green products when they can cheaply mass produce the same chemically formulated goods they've been selling for years and making huge profits from.

About six months ago I discovered an American company called Seventh Generation that is based in Burlington, Vermont and was established 20 years ago. The company takes its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois: "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference to the environment by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment and making the world a safer place for this and the next seven generations.

Over time Seventh Generation have developed a complete list of natural household cleaning products that include: non-chlorine bleached, 100% recycled paper towels, bathroom and facial tissues, and napkins; non-toxic, phosphate-free cleaning, dish and laundry products; plastic trash bags made from recycled plastic; chlorine-free baby diapers, training pants, and baby wipes; and chlorine-free feminine care products, including organic cotton tampons.

As a whole, Seventh Generation cleaning products perform as well as if not better than leading brand products with the added knowledge that you are doing something to help the environment, although the products are slightly more expensive than your average chemical filled cleaning products they certainly don't carry the now ubiquitous “organic” price tags that prevent a lot of people from making the switch to a greener lifestyle. Seventh Generation cleaning products are becoming more and more readily available at local stores throughout the country and their website has a handy store locator feature here although ordering though Amazon will work out up to $1 cheaper per product.