Nordstrand Black - March 2020

YOUR GUIDE TO SPRING- GREENING

3 Eco-Friendly Home Swaps to Make When You Declutter

It takes a special kind of person to enjoy spring-cleaning. For most of us, the satisfaction of a clean house doesn’t quite outweigh the hours of scrubbing, sorting, and slogging through heaps of unnecessary stuff. If you’re struggling to find the motivation to start your spring- cleaning, try flipping the paradigm: Instead of spring-cleaning, think of what you’re doing as spring-greening, and make some eco-friendly swaps along the way. Here are a few ideas to get you started. 1. SWAP YOUR PLASTIC SPRAY BOTTLES FOR BULK OR DIY CLEANING PRODUCTS. According to a Statista report, in 2019, the household cleaners market was worth more than $31 billion, and it’s continuously growing. You can save money on cleaning supplies by taking the green route. When your current

stock runs out, try buying bulk cleaners or making your own. Both options will save plastic because you can reuse your bottles, and they can help you avoid the harmful chemicals found in most cleaners. Visit UnderATinRoof.com and read the blog post “Zero Waste Cleaning Supplies + Recipes” to get started. 2. EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE LAUNDRY DETERGENTS. If you’re used to using a plastic jug of liquid laundry detergent, it’s time to step out of your comfort zone. This spring, try exploring greener alternatives like plant- based bulk laundry powder (Molly’s Suds is an excellent source). Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can even try adding all-natural cleaners like soap nuts or English ivy to your laundry loads. For more on the former, search “soap nuts” on 1MillionWomen.com, and read

up on ivy detergent at Permacrafters. com/English-Ivy-Laundry-Detergent.

3. SAY GOODBYE TO PAPER TOWELS. Paper towels are a mainstay in American homes, but do we really need them when a good old-fashioned rag can do the job? According to the Ocean Conservancy, 13 billion pounds of paper towels are tossed in the U.S. each year! This spring, quit paper towels and keep a stash of dish rags under the sink to do your dirty work. When you’re cleaning out your closet, you can even cut up old T-shirts and add them to your rag stash! If you’re brave, try giving up tissues, too — an old-school hanky does the trick. If you’ve made all three of these swaps, don’t stop there! To continue your green journey, visit any of the blogs mentioned above and start browsing.

We recently represented a client who’d had a bad fall in a supermarket. She was walking past a broken ice machine and slipped on an unnoticed puddle of water, coming down hard. When she attempted to hold the business accountable for damages, she was faced with an all-too-common rebuttal: “You weren’t watching where you were going!” and “There was no water on the floor, you slipped because you were wearing high- heeled shoes.” Time and time again, we see these tactics used by businesses trying to pin the blame for a bad fall on injured people. They know that to be held accountable, the injured party has to prove the business created the dangerous condition that caused the accident or knew about it and failed to address it. This can be quite hard to prove, especially when it’s your word against the word of a major company. That’s why, in cases like these, we hire expert witnesses to prove your case. The defense argued that plenty of people had walked by that broken ice machine, and security footage didn’t show any water in the area where many other people had walked. Thankfully, our expert was able to point out that our client had also passed by a flower display. The water used to keep these displays hydrated could have easily led to a slick floor, contrary to the business’s claims. The expert also disproved the defense argument about the slippery shoes by finding that the store failed to use non-slip tile that was required for customer safety. BLAMED FOR THE FALL

In another case, where a client had slipped while perusing the aisles of a major retailer, we brought in an expert to testify about how these stores lay out their shelving, signs, and products to get shoppers’ attention. With the help of this testimony, we were able to make the case that the average person could not be expected to remain cautious inside such an intentionally distracting environment. In a third instance, a display played an even more direct role in an accident. An elderly client of ours tripped over a wooden palate while examining produce. The octagonal box holding the crops was resting on the square wooden palate, and the mismatched base caught our client’s foot and brought her to the ground. In a fourth recent case, we represented an elderly woman who tripped over a wheel stop in a parking lot. The wheel stop was located just outside the exit of a store, and our client did not see it on the way out due to its unexpected placement abutting the painted white line of the parking stall. True, her attention was momentarily distracted by the person loading groceries in the car next to hers, but our expert was able to refer to industry standards for wheel-stop placement and point out that it’s reasonable for people to be distracted by their environment. All of these incidents resulted in serious injuries, from fractured wrists to broken hips. In each case, the lawyers representing these big stores attempted to put the blame on those who took the fall. Thankfully, we knew to expect this and enlisted the help of experts who could testify to the responsibility that businesses must bear for hazards on their property to protect their customers.

2 • NORDSTRANDLAW.COM

Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com

Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator