In the last few years there has been much discussion about cutting down on our oil dependency. The finger always points to our gas consumption but what about all of the other petroleum based products on the market? One 42 gallon of oil is used to make 19.4 gallons of gas, the rest (over half) is used to make other products. There are at least 6,000 products on the market that contain petroleum. In 2008 the U.S. was  the largest consumers of petroleum in the world. Cutting down on the amount of gas you use in your car is not always possible, but making choices to purchase products that do not contain petroleum is possible, and not as difficult as you think.

Here is a sampling of products that do contain petroleum. How easy would it be to make a switch to purchase alternatives that would mean less petroleum consumption?

1. Clothing-organic clothing is not treated with formaldehyde (a petroleum based product), nor does it contain polyester

2. Curtains-buy organic if you can. It is the same as the clothing, this fabric will not be treated with formaldehyde, a petroleum based product.

3. Shampoo-read your labels and be on the lookout for ingredients from the list below. This is great shampoo & body wash for your baby.

4. Diaper cream-look for organic or read the labels to avoid the ones listed below. CJ’s butter, Angel Baby and Nature’s Paradise offer great cloth diaper safe options.

5. Lotion- again, if you check for organic, or read the labels there are some great lotions out there, like these from Earth Mama (this smells so good I use it for myself as do other women in my family) & Nature’s Paradise.

6. Crayons-buy soy crayons like the one from Clementine Art.

7. Toothbrushes-Preserve toothbrushes for adults are a great way to avoid petroleum based products and keep plastics out of landfills. You can get these great ones from Kushies that are silicone, perfect for your little ones.

8. Candles-the paraffin wax in candles is petroleum based. Instead buy soy or beeswax candles.

9. Petroleum Jelly-there are tons of solutions out there that only contain natural or organic ingredients, check out labels to identify what is in the products you use.

10. Deoderant-try a natural deoderant. It can often take a few attempts to find one that works for you, but if you are interested in cutting out aluminum or petroleum that is a great way to do it.

11. Insect Repellant-try a brand like Buzz Away, it is toxin free and it works!

12. Fertilizer-there are many natural ways to fertilize including compost and other natural fertilizers. Often they can be less expensive too!

13. Trash Bags-try corn based bio-degradable trash bags. These also allow whatever trash you are throwing out that is biodegrable a chance to actually biodegrade. In my house we don't use trash bags in any room but the kitchen. At Franklin Goose we don't use trash bags at all.

14. Toothpaste-read your labels. I just read mine this weekend and while there was not any petroleum based ingredients I found out there was sodium lauryl sulfate in my "natural" toothpaste.

15. Detergent- There are many great detergents out there, here are two examples: Rockin Green or Thirsties