Thursday, November 1, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
BIY - Buy Your Home Green
reduce you carbon foot print: swap out toxic everyday household products for greener, cleaner, safer ones while saving money at the same time? its a no brainer.
BIY - Buy Your Home Green
BIY - Buy Your Home Green
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Adele Creates an eco-friendly beach pad
Since her successful comeback at the 2012 Grammy Awards after a brief hiatus from loosing her voice, the 23-year-old has focused on improving not only her home but her health. Dropping an estimated 14 pounds by shifting to a vegetarian diet and making her life greener
Grammy-winning artist added solar panels to new $3M home. The singer is splashing out a rooftop solar array for her new beach side home in Brighton in southeast England. I have to say if it were me and I had as much money as Adele I would be doing the same thing, with the exception of living in England.
Adele’s house is said to be something to behold, apparently she’s having loads of work done at the moment so she won’t move in for a while. But when she does, she’ll have one of the most eco-friendly houses in the area.
I always wondered why most celebrities don't have more eco friendly homes. There is clearly no financial barrier, so it must be what? awareness or ignorance? Especially when you start to think about what it must consume in energy to run their several thousand sq ft multi-million dollar mansions.
How many of us cringe at the thought of opening our monthly utility bills? It feels like we keep paying bigger bills every month with no chance of relief.
Everyone knows that energy bills are rising. However, the actual amount they are rising by is shocking. Electricity bills are going through the roof. As record yearly increases jump for the fifth straight year, households now pay an extra $300 a year for their electricity. According to government data, this is the largest sustained increase since the 1970s.
Water bills are no better. The aging US water system will be overhauled over the next 25 years. The cost? approximately $1 trillion according to the American Water Works Association. Who is going to pay for it? We are- through increased household water bills.
The American Water Works Association says the current average annual household water bill is $335. To pay for this overhaul, everyone will see their bill rise but some will see their water bill triple. For example, in rural areas, a $300 to $550 per year jump in water bills is expected, but i digress. Hopefully Adele's example rubs off on more celebrities or just wealthy people in general out there.
Grammy-winning artist added solar panels to new $3M home. The singer is splashing out a rooftop solar array for her new beach side home in Brighton in southeast England. I have to say if it were me and I had as much money as Adele I would be doing the same thing, with the exception of living in England.
Adele’s house is said to be something to behold, apparently she’s having loads of work done at the moment so she won’t move in for a while. But when she does, she’ll have one of the most eco-friendly houses in the area.
I always wondered why most celebrities don't have more eco friendly homes. There is clearly no financial barrier, so it must be what? awareness or ignorance? Especially when you start to think about what it must consume in energy to run their several thousand sq ft multi-million dollar mansions.
How many of us cringe at the thought of opening our monthly utility bills? It feels like we keep paying bigger bills every month with no chance of relief.
Everyone knows that energy bills are rising. However, the actual amount they are rising by is shocking. Electricity bills are going through the roof. As record yearly increases jump for the fifth straight year, households now pay an extra $300 a year for their electricity. According to government data, this is the largest sustained increase since the 1970s.
Water bills are no better. The aging US water system will be overhauled over the next 25 years. The cost? approximately $1 trillion according to the American Water Works Association. Who is going to pay for it? We are- through increased household water bills.
The American Water Works Association says the current average annual household water bill is $335. To pay for this overhaul, everyone will see their bill rise but some will see their water bill triple. For example, in rural areas, a $300 to $550 per year jump in water bills is expected, but i digress. Hopefully Adele's example rubs off on more celebrities or just wealthy people in general out there.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
THAT'S SO CUEGLY...: 75 Kid Activities
I just hd to post this as a mom, and as moms do, im alwaysthinking of my little girl. If you have kidds your gonna love this website. Its Full of amazing activities to do with kids . Enjoy
THAT'S SO CUEGLY...: 75 Kid Activities
THAT'S SO CUEGLY...: 75 Kid Activities
Friday, April 13, 2012
Even Your Nails Can Be Kind To THe Earth
I go for the most eco/healthy/friendly polish I can find. Even though I don't often go for polish I still love a manicure.
Recently I learned it's really important to not cut your cuticles! It has become common practice among manicurists to do this. It's ok if they gently push them back but your cuticles are there for a reason. They keep dirt from getting into your nails and causing infection. Cutting them also makes them grow back more quickly and uglier forcing you to get another manicure sooner. It's just lazy nail work. It looks great that day sure, but not for long. Have them cut your hang-nails if you want to but leave the cuticles.
Some nail salons use disposable supplies that you can take with you at the end of your mani/pedi. Just ask them to give you the supplies at the end instead of throwing them out. And then you can bring them back each week. I do this and I use mine for a long time.
Zoya polishes work just as well as the toxic stuff. I avoid nail polish that contains dibutyl phthalate/DBP a substance that was banned from most nail polishes in the US in 1996. Formaldehyde a carcinogen and toluene a liquid that smells like paint thinner and can cause neurological harm if inhaled…not good for you!!
These are all toxins that could affect your nervous system and cause serious health problems. They are known to cause headaches, dizziness, infertility, liver damage, skin irritation and kidney damage. Toxic nail polish is basically a regular acrylic paint that is made with synthetic materials. It is harmful to the environment to the consumer and to the workers that produce it. Workers are around all those toxins that go into the polish day in and day out then we put it on our nails and it seeps into our bodies and then harmful chemicals are used to remove it and it all goes into the Earth. Read more at Suite101 - Toxic Nail Polish: Nail Enamel Ingredients That Harm the Environment and Your Health.
If you want to check toxicity levels of the nail products or any product you are currently using you can visit the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. They've compiled a list of 53,332 products!
Recently I was introduced to a polish remover called Priti. Some Earth-friendly polish removers take a long time to get the polish off but this one works really well! You just have to be patient and hold the organic cotton swab with the remover on there for like 10-20 seconds… and then take it off. It works great!!
Here is a list of non-toxic polishes and removers. I have tried most of these polishes but I don't really have a favorite. Try some out and let me know what you think.
Nail Polish
Go Natural
Safenailpolish
Peacekeeper
Suncoat vegan polish
Honeybee Gardens
Sante Nail Enamel
Zoya Vegan polishes
Remover
Go Natural
Priti Soy Remover
Peacekeeper
Suncoat
Sante Remover
Recently I learned it's really important to not cut your cuticles! It has become common practice among manicurists to do this. It's ok if they gently push them back but your cuticles are there for a reason. They keep dirt from getting into your nails and causing infection. Cutting them also makes them grow back more quickly and uglier forcing you to get another manicure sooner. It's just lazy nail work. It looks great that day sure, but not for long. Have them cut your hang-nails if you want to but leave the cuticles.
Some nail salons use disposable supplies that you can take with you at the end of your mani/pedi. Just ask them to give you the supplies at the end instead of throwing them out. And then you can bring them back each week. I do this and I use mine for a long time.
Zoya polishes work just as well as the toxic stuff. I avoid nail polish that contains dibutyl phthalate/DBP a substance that was banned from most nail polishes in the US in 1996. Formaldehyde a carcinogen and toluene a liquid that smells like paint thinner and can cause neurological harm if inhaled…not good for you!!
These are all toxins that could affect your nervous system and cause serious health problems. They are known to cause headaches, dizziness, infertility, liver damage, skin irritation and kidney damage. Toxic nail polish is basically a regular acrylic paint that is made with synthetic materials. It is harmful to the environment to the consumer and to the workers that produce it. Workers are around all those toxins that go into the polish day in and day out then we put it on our nails and it seeps into our bodies and then harmful chemicals are used to remove it and it all goes into the Earth. Read more at Suite101 - Toxic Nail Polish: Nail Enamel Ingredients That Harm the Environment and Your Health.
If you want to check toxicity levels of the nail products or any product you are currently using you can visit the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. They've compiled a list of 53,332 products!
Recently I was introduced to a polish remover called Priti. Some Earth-friendly polish removers take a long time to get the polish off but this one works really well! You just have to be patient and hold the organic cotton swab with the remover on there for like 10-20 seconds… and then take it off. It works great!!
Here is a list of non-toxic polishes and removers. I have tried most of these polishes but I don't really have a favorite. Try some out and let me know what you think.
Nail Polish
Go Natural
Safenailpolish
Peacekeeper
Suncoat vegan polish
Honeybee Gardens
Sante Nail Enamel
Zoya Vegan polishes
Remover
Go Natural
Priti Soy Remover
Peacekeeper
Suncoat
Sante Remover
Calculate Your Carbon Foot Print
There's a lot of lingo that goes with being green and eco-friendly. The term 'carbon footprint' gets thrown around a lot, but many of us don't really know exactly what it means so I wanted to share some information with you.
Your 'carbon footprint' is a measure of the impact your day to day activities have on the environment and climate change. I recently found this handy Carbon Footprint calculator online. All you have to do is answer a few simple questions and you'll have an estimate on your 'carbon footprint' in minutes.
If you don't like the estimate you get and want to reduce your 'carbon footprint', here are a few easy tips to reduce it:
-Avoid using the dryer and air dry your clothes if possible
-Wash your clothing in cold water
-Replace light bulbs around your home and office with Compact Fluourescent or LED bulbs
-Turn off lights when you're not in a room or even if you're going somewhere for a short amount of time
-Regulate the temperature in your house - even 2 degrees can make a huge difference!
-Clean and replace your air filters on a regular basis so they work more efficiently
-Turn off the faucet while you're brushing your teeth - this will save 25 gallons of water per month!
-Carpool!
-Unplug and turn off all electronics when you're not using them
What is your 'carbon footprint'? And what are you doing around your home or office to reduce it?
Thursday, April 12, 2012
10 fun ideas for the first day of school
More inspirational ideas if you have kids curtisy of the daily buzz. I love this website. not sure this has anything to do with our whole sustainable green theme of this blog but i found it with the 20 things to do with toilet paper rolls link
10 fun ideas for the first day of school
10 fun ideas for the first day of school
20 things to do with toilet paper rolls
Clever ideas, tittle pretty much explains it all check it out this link.
20 things to do with … toilet paper rolls
20 things to do with … toilet paper rolls
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Organic Cotton vs Coventional cotton
With so many environmental terms being used to describe items, here is some information and some definitions we thought would be helpful to you and your family.
What is Organic Cotton? Organic Cotton is cotton that is grown without the use of harmful pesticides and have not been genetically modified. The growth of conventional cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop and accounts for a large percentage of the world’s pesticide use. The use of organic cotton reduces the amount of these chemicals entering the watershed and also from irritating fragile skin.
What is Conventional cotton? Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of insecticides on 3 percent of our arable land; that's more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a t-shirt, and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans. And that's just not bad for the planet; 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries, many of these from cotton farming, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chemical-Free Dyes Chemical-Free Dyes are often used in organic clothing and toys for babies. These dyes are made from vegetables and minerals with a water base. These natural elements are used in place of their synthetic chemical counterparts to give color to fabrics.
Soy Fiber Soy Fiber is a by-product of the refinement of soybeans for consumption. This is an example of turning something that was once a “waste” product into something that can be used and worn, and then can biodegrade if left uncovered in sunlight.
Chlorine-Free Whitening Chlorine-Free Whitening is a more environmentally safe method of bleaching cotton fibers than chlorine-based bleaches, because a chlorine-free whitening process can prevent chlorinated hydrocarbons from entering the environment. Companies like Seventh Generation, use a chlorine-free whitening process.
What is Organic Cotton? Organic Cotton is cotton that is grown without the use of harmful pesticides and have not been genetically modified. The growth of conventional cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop and accounts for a large percentage of the world’s pesticide use. The use of organic cotton reduces the amount of these chemicals entering the watershed and also from irritating fragile skin.
What is Conventional cotton? Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of insecticides on 3 percent of our arable land; that's more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a t-shirt, and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans. And that's just not bad for the planet; 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries, many of these from cotton farming, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chemical-Free Dyes Chemical-Free Dyes are often used in organic clothing and toys for babies. These dyes are made from vegetables and minerals with a water base. These natural elements are used in place of their synthetic chemical counterparts to give color to fabrics.
Soy Fiber Soy Fiber is a by-product of the refinement of soybeans for consumption. This is an example of turning something that was once a “waste” product into something that can be used and worn, and then can biodegrade if left uncovered in sunlight.
Chlorine-Free Whitening Chlorine-Free Whitening is a more environmentally safe method of bleaching cotton fibers than chlorine-based bleaches, because a chlorine-free whitening process can prevent chlorinated hydrocarbons from entering the environment. Companies like Seventh Generation, use a chlorine-free whitening process.
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