Riding down a sunny road the other day I passed this huge patch of Kudzu and it made me think about all the great products that are coming out of Kudzu nowadays. We can eat it, make baskets from it, make paper from it, use it for medicine and so much more. Bamboo is much like Kudzu in its usefulness and that it is as invasive and grows at the same rapid rate. Weeds also considered invasive, are becoming more popular as people begin to see the beneficial benefits of weeds for eating or for medicinal uses. So, as usual, my mind keeps rolling around ideas and I just couldn’t keep from wondering how things might be different , on this planet, if we had chosen to use the natural resources we have that grows the fastest and most abundantly instead of using the resources that take decades to grow. We spend so much money and effort on developing chemicals that will kill invasive plants, chemicals that turn our soil toxic, it seems like if we could take advantage of …
Back to School means lots of waste – how do you deal?
Back to school means notebook paper, notebooks, post it notes, pens and pencils, and printer cartridges that all has to go somewhere right? How can you teach your children to use wisely and dispose of the used school supplies properly? Buying sustainable school products is also a wonderful way of teaching your children to be more Green. Even with using sustainable products disposal is still an issue. Here are a few suggestions:
- Buy post consumer content or sustainable fiber paper. Banana paper notebook paper and stationary is a great substitute for wood paper. You can also buy 100% recycled paper for your printer and copier. Also, don’t forget to use both sides when possible and recycle when done.
- If possible buy Green printer cartridges and if not you can recycle your used cartridge either by mail or at a local store such as Best Buy.
- Pencils and pens can also be purchased made from recycled or sustainable materials.
- Post it notes now have recycled content and` you can purchase 100% recycled content. This is a great way to Green, as post it notes are
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BP Oil Spill Breaks My Heart
I know this is a tough topic, but one I feel very compelled to write about. Just visiting the Gulf of Mexico ( luckily the Oil has not arrived to this area yet) I just couldn’t help but think that by next year that beautiful area might all be brown and gooey with oil. My daughter and I ,while swimming in the ocean one morning, saw a Dolphin and it put on quite a show for us, jumping high out of the water and turning as if we were at Sea World. It was amazing to say the least. I felt so blessed to witness this rare display. It breaks my heart to think about the millions of gallons of oil pumping into the ocean daily and for months. It also breaks my heart to know that so many people are down there trying with all their might to clean up such a massive spill and it has to feel hopeless. Predictions are that it will make it’s way to Europe eventually.
I think most of us just can’t fathom it …
Back to School Go Eco
Summer is just beginning and already parents are thinking of buying back to school items. What a great time to Go Green. Eco school supplies are a great way to help teach your children about helping the environment. Here are ways to Green your child’s school pack.
Eco Pencils: Our Green Apple pencils are made from cedar scraps from the pencil manufacturing process. No color lacquer is used. You can’t beat the price. Really is a good way to start off your school year.
Green Apple #2 Pencil
Eco Highlighters: Instead of purchasing the plastic ink based highlighters this year, try our Eco highlighters. These wood highlighters use no ink solvents or volatile organic compounds. Great for your student’s starting college supplies. They also are great for your office.
Green Apple Highlighting Pencils
We have a Earth Friendly School Supply Pack. This set comes with almost everything you will need for …
June is Here time for Babies!
June seems to be a time of the year when babies are born, late spring and early summer. I’ve seen so many expectant mom’s walking around. There is so much to do to get ready for your little bundle of joy. A baby’s environment is so important. When your thinking of Eco options here are a few of my suggestions for Greening your home for your baby’s arrival:
The entire home is the baby’s environment. The bed, bedding and clothing are important, especially since the clothing is right against it’s sensitive skin and the bedding, he or she will be spending many hours sleeping while they are young.
Bedding is fun to shop for when your expecting, all the colorful options and themes. Take into consideration the dyes used and the fiber filler inside as well as the fabric itself or the finish on the bed. We have so many options for babies. From Organic skin care, Organic clothing to beds and bedding. We have handmade wooden cribs, Natural Wool and …
Green Products are Affordable!
I’ve been in the Green market as a consumer for a number of years now. I think that there is a common misconception that Green products are expensive. This certainly was the case when the Green movement began. The market is changing and it is very affordable to buy Green now. One of the reason’s I started my site was to offer Parent’s affordable Green Products so that they could Green more of their home.
Our cleaning products are very affordable. We offer many different ways of being Green with your cleaning, combos that save you money, shipping waterless- you add the water, and even refills on some of our cleaning products. Our Simply Neutral and Dragonfly Organix cleaning products are as good as mainstream chemical products, far better for the environment and you.
Our Organic cotton and Bamboo Viscose Infants and Children’s clothing is comparable to main stream children’s clothing. As a mom, I shop for my children and I understand the value of saving money …
Spring is here! Time for Gardening
Spring is here! Time to start thinking of outside activities and gardening, if you haven’t already started your garden. Composting your leftover food is a great way to get compost ready for your garden. There are many ways to compost. You can buy a composter, they range from simple and inexpensive to expensive, just throw your food in and it does the work for you or build one yourself. You may ask how does that help the environment? Well it helps your garden grow better by providing nutrients to the soil. It keeps rotting food out of plastic bags which end up in the landfill which leech methane gases. Ordering beneficial insects to keep those pesty insects away is another great way to green your garden. There is a beneficial insect for every pest insect, and the great thing about beneficial insects is that they help your garden, but also can help you. A Praying Mantis, for instance, eats mosquitoes, flies and moths along with the pests that eat your garden. They are an all purpose pest control. They are …
What to do when your done?
Used to be that this was an easy question. You just threw things in the trash, and took the trash out. Out of site out of mind right? Growing up that was the case for me. Though I have to say my family was more green than we knew at the time. I can remember re-using babyfood jars and mayonnaise jars. We made rags out of old towels and donated old clothing. Still throwing things in the trash was an everyday occurrence. I can’t remember ever asking that question when we wanted something new, we just threw the old away and bought new. No big deal right? Years later mountains of trash, oceans are floating with trash, dead animals caught in a plastic six pack holder, an entire species dying due to their habitat changing, it is a big deal . It is amazing how fast trash adds up. Before my time, people buried their trash in their yard. No big deal, no harm done? I have a home that was built in the late 40’s and it is a …
Winter Indoor Air Quality
I’m a huge outdoor person and winter is hard for me to stay indoors. I’ve learned over the years to take advantage of my indoor time to get caught up, so when spring arrives I’m back outdoors again. Actually, winter has begun to fly by now. While we are indoors for the winter, indoor air quality is an issue with virus, dust and dander floating around. The great thing about using Eco friendly products is it helps with indoor air quality. Bedding is a big issue with indoor air quality, especially mattresses. Naturepedic mattresses offer a wide selection of quality made Organic Cotton mattresses and they have a wonderful guarantee to back their products. You really can’t go wrong with Naturepedic.
Pillows are another issue with allergies and dust mites. Our air quality at night is important because we spend approximately eight hours in bed each night. Holy Lamb Organics has amazingly soft and pure pillows, you just want to melt into them. I chose Holy Lamb Organics because of their purity and quality of products and also because …
A New Greener Year to Come 2010
This time of year I always get the urge to clean out and discard and organize before the new year. I’ve never really analyzed it.. It just comes natural to get rid of things that are not serving me and make room for the new. In that process though, I have to decide where things are going to go now that I’m done with them. Goodwill is just down the street and they are a great cause that we support often. Freecycle is also great and we donate to them as well. It is much more work to take items to Goodwill or post it to Freecycle, but in the long run it is so much better for the environment and my sense of integrity. It also gives others a chance to use something that they may not otherwise be able to obtain. I love that part. Goodwill even accepts cars- yep and it is tax deductible. So when the holiday tree is coming down and the wrapping paper is being stored for next year, think of Green things to …