Stamford Maid Service

Doesn't it seem like kids outgrow their toys and clothing every few months? Are you like me and have a growing pile of things you aren't using, but that you're also not throwing away because you know they'll just wind up in a landfill and you're too environmentally conscious to just toss?

If your home is filled to the brim, give your guilty conscience a rest and turn it into a green activity by giving these items new life simply by letting someone else enjoy them. Yes, dear hoarder, and you do know that hoarding is a disease???, there are actually other people who would love to get their hands on your stuff.

Donating items to a local thrift shop is an excellent way to recycle your unwanted belongings. Donating insures people in your community will reuse these items - and needy organizations in Westchester, Fairfield and Rockland will benefit from your generosity. There are many thrift shops; just go on line and find out where they are. For example, the Goodwill Super Store in Nanuet, Grace's Thrift Shop and Nyack Hospital Thrift Shop in Nyack, Sterling Club Thrift Shop in White Plains, That Nothing Be Lost Thrift Shop in Garrison, Wayside Thrift Shop in Yonkers, Laurel House in Stamford (CT), Greenwich Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop in Greenwich (CT) and the Rummage Room in Old Greenwich (CT) all are ready and waiting to accept your unwanted, but still clean, usable and not broken things. You have to call in advance and find out what they'll accept, though. Not every shop takes every thing.

Then after you are done clearing out your home the green way, let Maid Brigade, the housecleaning company committed to responsible green cleaning throughout Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Fairfield counties, take care of the rest!

As someone who has been concerned about the impact of toxic cleaning chemicals for more than 10 years now, it would seem that eating foods grown free of pesticides would be an automatic choice. Not too long ago I would walk right by the organic fruit to the other bins filled with the brighter, redder apples. And you would have never caught me saying, “Local produce is so delicious!"

It took a visit to an apple farm upstate for my “eureka!” moment and now I’ve changed my shopping routine and will buy local produce whenever it is at all possible – both for the taste and my family’s health -- as well as to support local farmers in our area.

True, locally grown organic produce may be more expensive, and sometimes I have to go out of my way to find it, but I think it's truly worth going that extra yard.

Turns out there is plenty of produce grown on small, family-owned farms, many within 50 miles from us. I am a firm believer in shopping local and this is a great way to support the local farming community. Having these farms basically in my backyard is a fantastic resource I think should be nurtured and cultivated. Shopping at farmers’ markets and actually going to farms to pick out own fruits and veggies for the week are not only fun activities for my family but also educational opportunities that help my daughters better understand our world. While we live in a basically suburban area, they now understand that many of the delicious food we eat is grown just a stone’s throw away.

Buying organic produce has also triggered some excellent conversations with my girls about what organic is and the ugly truths about pesticides. While commercially grown produce may look very nice, that kind of beauty really is only skin deep and they’re not so good for us. Now that we understand about the artificially produced good looks, those foods are not alluring to them – or me – like they once were!

Here are links to lists of local farmers’ markets, farms and farmstands:

Westchester County Farmers’ Markets:
Bronxville, Dobbs Ferry, Hartsdale, Hastings, Larchmont,
Katonah/Lewisboro, Muscoot, New Rochelle, Ossining,
Peekskill, Pelham, Pleasantville, Rye, Yonkers, Tarrytown,
White Plains.
http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/regionmetrowestchester.htm

Westchester County Farms and Farmstands:

Yorktown Heights, Croton Falls, Sleepy Hollow, Pocantico Hills, Granite Springs, Croton-on-Hudson, Hartsdale,

http://allaccesswestchester.com/farms-and-orchard.php

Putnam County Farmers’ Markets:

Brewster, Cold Spring

http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/regionmetroputnam.htm

Putnam Valley

http://www.putnamvalleyresidents.com/FARMERS%20MARKET%202009.htm

Putnam County Farms and Farmstands:

Patterson, Carmel, Brewster, Cold Spring

http://www.visitputnam.org/activities/farmers.html

Rockland County Farmer’s Markets: