Make a stand against big oil – at home

We are all sick about the situation in the Gulf. If you can’t trade in your SUV for a Prius or you aren’t able to carpool to work or take mass transit, here are a few changes that everyone can make at home to cut down on our oil consumption.

Change your household cleaning products and personal care products to non-petroleum based alternatives. I am amazed at how much petroleum is in the products that we use in our homes everyday. Here are a few examples:

* Liquid laundry detergent – If every household switched one 100 oz. bottle to a non-petroleum based detergent we would save 466,000 barrels of oil.

* Trash bags – If every household replaced one package of 20 count drawsting trash bags with recycled trash bags we would save 39,000 barrels of oil -courtesy of Seventh Generation

After you change your cleaning products, take a look at your bathroom counter.

* Switch to natural lip balms. Name-brand balms are made from petroleum products, which harm the environment during production

* Using lotions made from natural plant-based ingredients, they are helathier for your skin and keeps non-renewable resources out of your medicine cabinet

Check out the Good Guide to see how your favorite brands rate and find some great alternatives. Remember that small steps make a big difference!