Going, Going ... Gone Green! Part 2

The Pursuit of Green
No human activity, whether farming, communication, photography, and certainly not cleaning, will ever have zero impact on the physical environment or on people's health. From the very first moment an ancient person dug a hole in the ground with a stick and dropped in a seed, the environment started to change. Of course we humans continually look for better sticks and better seeds but there is no "zero impact" stick-seed combination.

Cleaning is much the same. Turpentine, for example, seemed a good way to remove greasy soils until we got uncomfortable with the residue and the odor. Other solvents have followed, each with a list of benefits and drawbacks. The development of surfactants, alkaline builders, etc., greatly improved on turpentine, but they still have some impact on the environment.

Nothing is ideal but we keep trying to improve, keep on learning how to get greener. The important thing is to pursue improvements that actually have some factual basis rather than emotional appeal. Are botanically-derived surfactants better than petroleum-based products? Even botanical products have an environmental footprint from the required farming, pest control, harvesting, transporting and production involved. As we learn more, we can make better decisions.

Continue reading Going Green Part 3