No phosphorus for us!

There are things we can do now, in the middle of winter, to ensure everyone's outdoor spaces are healthier come spring. I'm not talking about grand gestures here, but simple things that have the potential to make a big impact.

Topping my list is switching laundry detergent. Yes, that's what I said: laundry detergent. Now what, you may wonder, does laundry detergent have to do with healthy landscapes? Let me explain.

Followers of my blog know about the issue of phosphates in laundry detergent. It's called sodium triphosphate, or STPP, a compound that softens hard water. Problem is, when mixing with waterways, phosphorus encourages algae blooms and low oxygen levels, which kill aquatic life--and ultimately make their way into our human lives. Of course, this is a well-known issue, first brought to public attention 40 years ago, when lakes and rivers turned bright green with algae. In addition, phosphates sourcing has been linked with higher greenhouse gas emissions--not good for our global-warming situation.

 In the past thirty or so years, states--and some European countries--have passed regulations significantly reducing their use. In our country, Seventh Generation has been offering phosphate-free laundry detergent since it began in the 1980s--it's even packaged in a recycled paperboard container. I don't know many people who use it because it doesn't have the name recognition of the heavily marketed products. It also doesn't have dyes, whiteners and fragrances, which can contain phthalates, also known to harm environmental and human health.

A possible game changer: Enter Proctor and Gamble with their latest Tide laundry detergent called Pur Clean. Marketed as "The first bio-based detergent with the cleaning power of Tide," it's unscented, perfume- and dye-free, made with renewable wind power electricity, packaged in a recyclable bottle constructed of post-consumer recycled plastic, and claims to be made in a "zero-manufacturing waste-to-landfill site." My research indicates this means there is no little or no byproduct from its manufacture.

My concern: this product is only 65% bio-based, meaning the water and plant-based surfactants and solvents, pH adjusters, etc. make up that amount. What's in the rest of it? Still, this is a newsworthy development because P & G claims the largest share of the North American market and 25% of the global market share. Having tried the product myself, I can attest it cleans just fine.

Also note: this product is slightly more expensive. Go onto the product website, www.tide.com, and check out coupon sites to claim valuable savings. And if you have to pay a few bucks more, consider the tradeoff: cleaner water for generations to come.

Ultimately, this is a simple step each of us can take to help ourselves. Yet as C. G. Jung so eloquently stated, "Simple things are always the most difficult. In actual life, it requires the greatest discipline to be simple." Make the commitment. Great strides begin with that first, simple step.