This guest post is contributed by Practically Green reader Priscilla Matuson.

“A Green Beginning”

Going green before starting a family was my first priority, and I began my journey by focusing on eliminating the toxins in and around my home. The first change that I made was easy: simply have everyone remove his/her shoes upon entering my home. However, the second change, switching to organic lawn care, took more time, research, and ultimately, patience.

My husband, Greg, and I wholeheartedly believed that the toxins in and around our home were harmful, but it was only after we suffered great sadness did we realize that we needed to make greenerĀ choices. For the first six years of our relationship, Greg and I lived at the beach in an older second story condo, and our cats, Daisy and Putty, were healthy. However, a couple of years after we moved into our newly constructed home that sits on an acre of land, both of our cats, who we considered our babies, began losing weight while showing other alarming symptoms. Both eventually died of cancer within a two-year span of each other; Putty of brain cancer and Daisy of cancer of her large intestine. Our veterinarian asserted that it was almost impossible for both of our cats, who were not blood related, to die of cancer within such a short span. Genetically, it is virtually impossible. After conducting much research, I was convinced that their deaths were environmentally related, and the EPA voiced concerns that cyclodiene pesticides might cause long-term damage to the liver and central nervous system, as well as an increased risk of cancer. Even though we were proud that our house was Energy Star certified, we did not maintain it with eco-friendly materials until after Putty’s diagnosis in 2003.

When we decided to eliminate the toxins in and around our home, we knew that our lawn care needed to go green. We started the switch by treating our lawn ourselves because there wasn’t an eco-friendly lawn service in our area, so we conducted many google searches and decided to buy our organic lawn products from gardens alive!. Even though our lawn was the greenest I’d ever seen it, weeds were popping up everywhere. Nevertheless, we were at a loss with limited knowledge of how to switch from a chemically treated to an organically treated lawn.

A year after we struggled with treating our lawn ourselves, an entrepreneur started his own business, Organic Solutions Landscaping, and we were elated to be one of his first customers. Charlie Banks, the owner of Organic Solutions, taught us that the most important way of preventing weed growth is to over-seed and to mow the lawn on the highest setting. By doing so, a shady environment is established and that environment prevents the weeds from germinating, growing as well as spreading. Nevertheless, over seeding is just the beginning, but with a trusted organic landscaper who is knowledgeable in his field, it is easy to have a luscious “green” green lawn.

Around the same time we made our lawn care switch, I discovered several alarming studies regarding toxins found in homes where shoes are worn indoors. After discovering that wearing shoes indoors tracks in toxic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, E. Coli, and lead found in seemingly benign dirt, I implemented a no shoe rule immediately in my home. Personally, I never considered that E. Coli could be tracked into my home after using a public restroom hours earlier. I also never thought that ordinary dirt was harmful, but I came to discover that dirt can contain alarming levels of lead. The Door Mat Study concludes that using a door mat cuts down the toxic lead dust levels in a home virtually in half and taking off your shoes before entering your home cuts the toxic dust down by 60%. So by implementing both rules, you can cut down the toxic dust being tracked into your home by 98.5%, and considering that 2% of the dust in our homes is from inside sources while the remaining 98% is the result of wearing shoes indoors, we can almost eliminate the indoor dust completely. Using a doormat in addition to implementing a rule that prevents everyone from wearing shoes indoors is such a simple solution, and even though some of my friends and family members get annoyed that they must take their shoes off at the front door, I know it’s healthier for me, my husband, and my children.

My daughters have recently turned 2 and 3 years old, and even though they are no longer crawling, they still constantly play on the floor. But knowing that the chemicals have been eliminated from my property and the toxic dust has been dramatically reduced in my home, I have the peace of mind that I have lessened their exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins while they play inside and outside my home.

For a greener life, we are a work in progress, sprouts if you will. However, we feel the beginning of our new life is a healthier one.

Priscilla Matuson

Priscilla is a former high school English teacher who left the classroom after having her first child in 2006. Since then, she has devoted her life to her family as well as reducing her family’s carbon footprint. Interested in healthy living, eating, and cleaning ever since she can remember, Priscilla’s green lifestyle expanded after starting a family. She is a very dedicated “greenie” and enjoys finding ways to live a less toxic lifestyle while embracing every/any green practice that is logical as well as affordable.

Priscilla and her family suffer from a common disease called Celiac Disease. Being forced to go gluten-free left Priscilla and her family no choice but to become even more aware of their diet and the products they buy. In addition to eating a healthier and sustainable diet, Priscilla and her family have made big changes such as switching to organic house cleaning, composting all organic waste, and installing solar panels.

Favorite Green Action Taken: going without electricity/technology for a 36-hour period once a week.

Least Favorite Green Action Taken: lugging electronic waste to a recycling center…

Working On: getting her garden ready for spring and re-educating herself on macrobiotic cooking and living.