As you walk down the grocery store cleaning aisle, you will notice the many cleaning solutions offered. We spend billions of dollars each year in cleaning supplies and trillions of litres of chemicals are flushed down the drains.

Listed below are a few healthy alternatives that avoid harmful chemicals from being released into the environment:

• Instead of using an air freshner, use a cup of vinegar or charcoal which absorbs odours in the room.
• An all-purpose cleaner can be mixed together with a cup of vinegar and baking soda in 2 litres of water.
• To prevent mold, vinegar or lemon juice can be used or you can make a mixture of one part hydrogen peroxide and two parts water.
• To clean wooden floors, you can mix together two teaspoons of washing soda and two litres of hot water.
• To clean pots and pans in the kitchen, you can use salt as the abrasive agent and lemon to scrub with.
• Painted surfaces can be cleaned with baking soda and a sponge.
• Lime deposits in kettles can be cleaned by boiling a half cup of vinegar with two cups of water for five minutes.
• To clean your drains, pour one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar down the drain, wait five minutes then pour down boiling water.
• Use microfiber cloths for dusting as they attract dust without the need for additional chemicals.

Source: Article by Maggie Calloway in the column "Smart Choices for Our Future"

Cherry Hill Coffee, based out of Kelowna is turning a deeper shade of green.

Cherry Hill is offering certified fair-trade (allows the growers to compete globally by offering better trading conditions), organic coffee (which is grown without using pesticides and chemicals). They have 3 delicious organic blends available for the holidays - Jack Frost, Gingerbread and Christmas Blend.

Cherry Hill also introduced a take-out coffee cup made from sustainable materials. The Ecotainer is made from a bio-plastic that is created from corn. These cups are 100% compostable and can decompose into water, organic matter and carbon dioxide.

Finally, they have partnered with a local compost and recycling company to establish a waste management program that takes care of the pickup of your compost. Every week, coffee grounds, ecotainer cups and other organic material can be picked up and converted into nutritious topsoil for local farms.

Source: Article by Natalia Hahn titled "Heard of Green Tea? How about Green Coffee?"