When the sun finally shows itself for a day or two it seems to trigger the cleaning gene in the human species. Snow shovels go into the garage and brooms and rakes come out. Windows and doors fly open to let a winter's worth of stale air escape and the people inside start scrubbing, sweeping, dusting and polishing everything in sight.
Stores devote entire aisles to cleaning products.
Manufacturers bombard consumers with advertisements, coupons and free samples to convince us that our houses will not be really clean unless we use their products. The claims, instructions and warnings are confusing, conflicting and daunting. The Center for Ecological Technology, with offices in Pittsfield and Northampton, is a resource for practical solutions to environmental issues. Center staffers have been working with state and community agencies to collect toxic products for proper disposal - and educate consumers about wiser choices. With the help of a grant from the USDA's Rural Development program they are focusing their attention on reducing the volume and toxicity of the waste stream and coming up with alternative ways of dealing with waste.