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Eco Tips Featured

7 Reasons To Care About The Environment

ecology-care-environment

There are as many reasons to take care of the Earth as there are people living in it. We all know that, of course. But sometimes we forget the actual impact we have in the world. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some very tangible reasons to care about the environment.

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1. The Maldives

The Maldives are probably the most vulnerable populated area when it comes to global warming. Rising sea levels threaten this little islands and eating away their land. Some very bleak predictions estimate that the Maldives will disappear below sea level in less than fifty years. People are already emigrating in preparation of losing their home.

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2. Java, Indonesia

This is the world’s most populated island and as such, the world’s most polluted one. People produce so much trash and waste that it completely surrounds the island and it’s not even possible to practice water sports without a wave of pollution taking the fun out of it.

Accra-Ghana-landfill-dump-electronic-trash

3. Accra, Ghana

Electronic waste is growing every day and we don’t even notice it. We’ve become accustomed to changing our computers fairly frequently as they develop faster and cheaper. But the other side of the coin is landfills all around the world filling up with our electronic waste. Nothing wrong with a new computer, we just need to learn to recycle the old ones.

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4. Willamette National Forest

Only less than 1% of Willamette forest in Oregon, US remains intact. Most of it was cut down for agriculture and urbanization and the rest was lost to fires. Forests like this take multiple generations to grow, and now it’s not likely that we will ever get back even a fraction of what was lost.

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5. The Amazon, Brazil

This rainforest is considered by many as the lung of the world. It plays a key role in the production of oxygen and climate regulation all around the world. And yet, every year we are losing a bigger part of it. Companies want to cut it down for farming land, urbanization and mining, and local governments are doing little to stop them.

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6. Ken River, California

This is what an oil field that has been active since 1899 looks like. Drilling for oil has devastating consequences for the local environment that won’t just go away once we stop. And this is on top of all the other evils of fossil fuels we are so familiar with, like increasing emissions of greenhouse gasses.

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7. Svalbard, Norway

The increase in temperatures because of greenhouse gases causes glaciers around the world to melt at an accelerated pace. This introduces large amounts of fresh water into the oceans, causing shifts in currents and climate. And, of course, a rise in sea level, which affects land close to the water, such as The Maldives.

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Articles Eco Tips Featured

Wearable Planters Let You Take Nature Wherever You Go

Wearable-Planters-Colleen-Jordan-pin-colorful

You have your garden, you have your house plants. Maybe you have floral arrangements everywhere in your home. But do you ever feel like you want more? Do you love your plants so much that you wish you could take them out for a walk some times? Because even if you don’t, you might change your mind after you see this artist’s work.

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Colleen Jordan, a designer and artist based in Atlanta has created Wearable Planters, a truly unique fashion statement that combines jewelery and plants. Basically, you can now wear your garden. In style.

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She creates every planter by 3D printing. They are all made out of nylon and dyed by hand, to later be sealed with acrylic varnish, so they are weather-proofed and keep their vibrant hues over time.

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The planters are also designed with a flat bottom, so you can take them off and decorate your desk or your table with them. They actually are the tiniest, most adorable flower pots in the world.

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But still, the most interesting thing about these little planters is that they are basically living, breathing jewelery. And you get to grow the plants yourself.

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Every planter comes with its own seeds and thorough instructions to grow the tiny plant in it. And you don’t even need a green thumb, the creator says it takes no effort to grow the little guys. They can’t ship them with the plants ready to wear, as that could get them sick.

Wearable-Planter-Colleen-Jordan-bike

On her Etsy page and on her website, you can browse and buy Colleen’s beautiful designs. You’ll find necklaces, lapel pins, brooches, rings, and even decorations for your bike.

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Carrying a little plant around your neck is not only a truly unique fashion statement. It can also be a nice way to be in contact with nature, even as you go around your city life. They are a reminder that the world is a better place when we take the time to take care of it. And even if that wasn’t the case, at least wearing plants is an excellent conversation starter. Plants bring us happiness, after all.

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Eco Tips Featured Uncategorized

Going Green:5 Small Steps That Make Big Differences on the Environment

Going green simply means choosing to live your life by taking steps to be more environmentally responsible. Being more eco-friendly is intended to decrease the ecological impact you make on the earth and its resources. Going green may seem confusing or overwhelming to some, but it doesn’t mean you have to take drastic steps. The first step to going green and preserving the planet is to start small. Many of the small changes you make will have a large impact on preserving Earths natural resources.

Reusable Shopping Bags

One of the easiest, yet most effective things you can do to start going green is to stop using plastic grocery bags. Using reusable shopping bags will not only reduce the amount of plastic bags you have stored throughout your home, but it reduces the amount of plastic that lays dormient for years in a landfill as well as reduces the impact they have on marine ecosystems. Reusable grocery bags are inexpensive and they are more sturdy than plastic bags.

Clean Water

An easy and inexpensive solution to buying bottled water is to invest in a recycled container and an inexpensive water purifier. It will save you money, allow you to drink fresh water whenever you want and reduce the amount of plastic being thrown in local landfills.

Cleaning Products

Most household cleaning products contain a vast array of harmful chemicals. Each time you use these products, chemicals are being released into your home as well as into the environment. Try using homemade cleaners, such as vinegar, baking soda and/or lemon. These products are much less expensive than store bought cleaners and they clean better. For example, using lemon juice on the stove surface will dissolve built-up grease and remove cooking odors.

Energy Use

If you are fed up with paying outrageous utility bills each month, there are several things you can do that will not only conserve the use of energy for future generations, but lower your utility costs. For example, by changing all of the light bulbs in your home to LED bulbs and unplugging electronics when not in use, you could save several hundred dollars each year in utility costs.

Transportation

It is convenient to get in the car and drive to work, school and shopping. However, each time you drive, the fumes from the car are being released into the environment and damaging the ozone layer. Not to mention the cost of gas and maintenance for the car. By using public transportation just one time a week, you will be doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint and you will save a few hundred dollars each year on gas and maintenance.

It is virtually impossible to completely change your lifestyle overnight and you are not expected to do so. However, by making a few small changes in daily living habits, you will make a huge impact on an array of environmental problems. Simple things often make the biggest difference, such as practicing the 3’Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) and using organic household cleaners.

~Rene W.

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Featured Lawn & Garden

How to Make Soda Bottle Greenhouses

After you have grown your own veggies for a few years, you may be tempted to start your own seedlings. After all, a packet of vegetable seeds is much less expensive than a six-pack of vegetable seedlings, and you will get 25 or 30 seeds in each packet. Starting seedlings in peat pellets on a windowsill is fairly easy. However, if you don’t have a grow light, your seedlings will quickly become leggy. Most windowsills just do not have enough sunlight for a growing seedling, but the seedlings may not be quite ready for the outdoors. The weather of early spring can be notoriously fickle, and seedlings can freeze on an unexpectedly cold night or become damaged by an unexpected hailstorm.

Soda bottle greenhouses can help your seedlings grow tall and strong by allowing them to be outdoors with plentiful sunlight. However, they also provide protection from unexpected cold snaps and harsh spring storms. Additionally, they are an eco-friendly way of reusing trash that would end up in a landfill.

To make soda bottle greenhouses, you will need one empty soda bottle for each seedling, a craft knife, and potting soil. You can start your seedlings in peat pellets on your windowsill. Alternately, you can directly plant the seeds in the soda bottle greenhouse.

To make the greenhouse, first remove the label from the soda bottle and rinse any soda residue from the inside of the bottle. This sticky juice could attract ants; the ants will not damage your plants but will definitely be annoying.

Using the craft knife, pierce the bottom of the soda bottle to create a small drainage hole. Next, about halfway up the bottle, cut around the circumference of the bottle. Do not cut all the way around. You probably just need to cut about 85 percent of the way around the soda bottle. You can then fold back the top half of the bottle.

Fill the bottom half of the bottle with high-quality potting soil. Dampen the soil by pouring water into the dirt until it comes out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the bottle. Next, plant your seedling or seeds in the dirt.

Carefully move the top of the bottle back over the top of the seedling. Do not allow the plant’s leaves to become pinched in the plastic. Set your soda bottles outdoors in a sunny area. The soda bottle will protect the plant from cold weather and bad storms. You can leave the top of the bottle on if cold weather is an issue. However, if it gets hot, you will want to remove the lid to allow for ventilation and airflow. When the garden spot is ready and the last frost date for your area has passed, cut away the top of the soda bottle and plant your seedlings in the garden.

~April F.

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Eco Tips Featured

How to Green Your Easter Baskets

With Easter right around the corner, store shelves are lined with baskets covered in cellophane and packaged with disposable toys and candy galore. If you are looking for something that is a little more environmentally friendly this year check out these tips!

Green Your Easter Basket

Before rushing to the store to buy an Easter basket, why not stop at your local thrift shop? There are always tons of Easter baskets waiting on the shelf ready to go to a good home. When you buy a used Easter basket it helps keep them out of landfills and helps reduce the impact on the environment. There are also things around the house you can use to make an Easter basket (for example you can make a bunny out of a recycled milk jug).

Green Your Easter Grass

The green plastic Easter grass found in a lot of Easter baskets are normally made from petroleum and generates a lot of emission and landfill waste every year. To help reduce your carbon footprint try to reuse the grass you have from last Easter. If you didn’t keep last year’s Easter grass you can line the basket with paper from your shredder (green is the best).  If you don’t have a shredder handy, try the office or a friend as well! When you are done with the paper lining you can put it outside in your compost bin or recycle it!

Green Your Chocolate

Try to buy local chocolate. If you don’t have any local chocolate stores at least try to find the Fair Trade seal of approval on the chocolate goodies. If you are going to buy chocolates, buy in bulk to help reduce the amount of packaging used. Instead of buying all the sweets, make them yourself!

Green Your Goodies

Instead of buying plastic toys that are bound to break and need to be replaced, try and put reusable toys or activities in the Easter basket. Items like puzzles, board games, and playing cards can be reused for years to come. Even better put some gloves, a gardening shovel, and some planting seeds (make sure to check what can be grown in your area this time of year.) We are sure you are going to be planting those seeds early Sunday morning!

Check out our Pinterest page for great Easter ideas!

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Featured Lawn & Garden

Gardening With Nature–Companion Planting

Planning your garden to include a very diverse mix of plants can do more than just add interest to it. If you plant certain types of flowers, herbs, and vegetables together, they will actually enhance the productivity of your garden. Planning a garden so that particular plants are located in proximity to one another is called companion planting. Companion plants repel pests, attract beneficial insects, and enhance the growth and flavor of one another.

Here are some tips for companion planting, so you can make the most of your garden this summer.

1. Basil is a friend to all

Basil is a friend to almost all garden plants. This aromatic herb repels flies, mosquitoes, and thrips. Basil does especially well near oregano, peppers, and tomatoes. Rather than planting long rows of only tomatoes and peppers, plant your rows with peppers, tomatoes, and basil together.

2. Corn loves beans.

Beans are legumes, which mean that they take nitrogen from the air and put it in the dirt. Since corn feeds heavily on nitrogen, plant beans where the corn was grown last year, and the corn where the beans were grown.

3. Garlic and roses make quite a pair.

If you plant garlic near your roses, the garlic will repel aphids and Japanese beetles. In fact, any plant, including fruit trees, that is plagued by Japanese beetles, will be benefited by garlic. Scientists have found that plants’ roots actually take up secretions by the garlic plants and release them through the plants’ pores.

4. Marigold makes sense for all.

Marigold benefits many plants in the garden because the roots of these lovely flowers kill damaging nematodes that may live in the soil. Additionally, the flowers of this plant repel whiteflies and tomato hornworms. The Mexican variety of marigold is rumored to repel rabbits and Mexican bean beetles.

5. Dill can do it!

Dill improves the flavor and production of cabbages, cucumbers, and lettuces. However, it does attract the tomato hornworm, so you shouldn’t plant dill near tomatoes. Dill can repel squash bugs, so you may want to put a few plants in your hills of squash and pumpkins. Dill flowers attract beneficial bugs like predatory wasps to your garden, and the plant is a food source for the larvae of swallowtail butterflies.

6. Lettuces love lots of plants.

Lettuces pair well with beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, and onions. You can also plant lettuces in the shade of tall sunflowers, since lettuce plants do not do well in the blazing heat of summer.

Companion planting can help you avoid using toxic chemicals in the garden by attracting beneficial insects and discouraging invasions of pesky insects that will damage your plants. This planting style works with nature to bring more food to your table and more beauty to your garden.

~April F. 

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Featured Gadgets & Gear

The Good and Bad of Air Purifiers

Spring time is here again and so is seasonal allergies! Coughing, sniffling, stuffy nose, watery eyes and other symptoms making it hard to sleep and be comfortable at home? You need to get an air purifier. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America almost 19 million Americans have been diagnosed with allergies. Many people with allergies take medications, avoid allergens or use air purifiers. But do air purifiers really work and if they do what kind should you buy?

What is an Allergy?  Having an allergy means your immune system tends to adversely respond to a specific protein in your environment. “These proteins, otherwise known as allergens, can cause skin or respiratory problems in otherwise healthy people. An allergic reaction can manifest itself as an itching of the skin, a swelling of your nasal and lung passages, wheezing, anaphylactic shock and death”.  An air purifier will not work for food, drug or skin allergies; but, it can help with hay fever, asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergies to pollens, dust mites, mold and pets.

Which ones work? Some of the most effective air purifiers on the market for allergies and asthma are HEPA filtration systems. You can use a HEPA filter system in your furnace or attach it to an HVAC unit, which circulates air throughout your home. Portable, room-sized HEPA filtration systems are also convenient for the office. The downside is these purifiers can run you anywhere from $50 to $200 dollars and don’t forget about the replacement filters too!

Some other options. For those with asthma and allergies, the Austin Healthcare Mate has a carbon filter and two pre-filter, which do not need to be changed for three to five years. The IQ Air HealthPro Plus features a hyper HEPA filter that can trap particles smaller than 0.3 microns; however, the filters need to be changed every six to 18 months. Finally, the BlueAir 403 air purifier captures 99.97 percent of 0.1 micron particles, and works more quietly than the other brands (Fidler).

Which air purifiers to avoid? Although electrostatic air filters clean the air in your home, they tend to produce ozone, which has been shown through Consumer Reports testing to irritate lungs and actually make asthma and allergies worse (and it’s bad for the environment too)!  The report claims that the ozone can mix with chemicals in home cleaners and might possible produce formaldehyde. This formaldehyde can then seep into your bedding, couch cushions, carpets, etc. Avoid gas-phase absorption air filters as well. They do not trap contaminants; rather, the filters work to convert the contaminants into harmless compounds. They typically rid the home of smells, not allergens.

Sources: ehow.com, (http://www.ehow.com/about_6502007_do-air-purifiers-work-allergies_.html).

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Featured Recycling

Recycling Your Old Electronics

According to the EPA, of the roughly 2.25 million tons of used and unwanted electronics each year, 18% is collected for recycling and roughly 82% winds up in landfills. We all have that junk drawer in our home, filled with discarded cell phones and chargers we don’t want to throw out (don’t!) but don’t quite know what else to do with. Here’s what you do: Recycle them for cash. Sites like SecureTradeIn.com, YouRenew.com and Gazelle.com will pay for your used phones and other electronics.

Even if you find your old hunk o’ junk has been sitting so long it has no value, remember that the parts in it are still valuable (and potentially toxic if not disposed of properly) so clear the clutter and recycle your electronics — or look into donating cell phones to charity.

Where to Donate

Freecycle.org and sites like it (including Freesharing.org and Sharing is Giving) make giving away your stuff super easy.

Goodwill has teamed up with Dell in the Dell Reconnect partnership. Computers, keyboards, monitors, and printers are among the items accepted at more than 2,600 Goodwill locations.

National Cristina Foundation will find an organization that can use your computer, printers, and other peripherals and software, as well as cameras, fax machines, answering machines, and more. The group will arrange with you for pickup or delivery of the equipment.

Recycling for Charities will donate cash to a charity of your choice, with a percentage of the market value for every item to be refurbished or a set amount for recycled items, ranging from a penny to $100.

The Salvation Army accepts computers, monitors, printers, DVD players, VCRs, typewriters, stereos, copiers, radios, and more. Call your local office or check the organization’s website for more information.

 

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Featured Recycling

6 Surprising Items That Can Be Recycled

Ever looked at an old pair of eyeglasses and wondered if it could be recycled or have a collection of old wine corks and didn’t know what to do with them? We have compiled a list of some surprising things that can be recycled.

Eyeglasses

When your prescription changes or you decide you want new frames, don’t just throw away your unwanted glasses! New Eyes for the Needy is committed to providing corrective eyewear to people who need them in the United States, or elsewhere on the planet or in developing countries.

Foam Peanuts

Even though they protect your fragile package from breaking, foam peanuts have to be one of the most annoying things ever when they escape from their box. Since they have been such a nuisance filling up our landfills some companies are making the “foam” peanuts from vegetable starch. The peanuts made from vegetable starch are non-toxic and biodegradable (if you put one in water and it disintegrates you have the earth-friendly ones)!  If you have the other kind of foam peanut you can call The Peanut Hotline (not a joke!) at (800)828-2214 for a list of places that will take them off your hands.

Holiday Lights

Got burnt out holiday lights? The folks at HolidayLEDs will gladly take your old lights, shred them, and sort the remaining PVC, glass, and copper. Those raw materials are taken to another recycling center and resurrected as something new. They start collecting lights at the end of October and it accepts lights until the end of February.

Crayons

Don’t toss those broken and stubby Crayolas! Instead, mail them to the National Crayon Recycle Program, which takes unusable, broken crayons to a better place. They’re melted in a vat of wax, remade, and resold. The program has saved over 47,000 pounds of crayons.

Fishing Line

Fishing line is made from monofilament, a non-biodegradable plastic that you can’t put in your everyday recycling bin. At Berkley Fishing, old fishing line is mixed with other recyclables (like milk cartons and plastic bottles) and transformed into fish-friendly habitats. So far, Berkley has saved and recycled more than 9 million miles of fishing line.

Wine Corks

Your recycling center probably doesn’t accept wine corks, but companies like Terracycle and Yemm and Hart will. They turn cork into flat sheets of tile, which you can use for flooring, walls, and veneer.

 

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Eco Tips Featured Lawn & Garden Recycling

How to Create a Simple Compost Pile

Composting is a wonderful way to reuse kitchen scraps as well as discarded leaves, grass, and garden debris. Combined, these ingredients create a nutrient rich soil that your garden and indoor and outdoor plants will benefit from. There are many different ways you can make and maintain your own compost pile at home.

For inside your home, especially when a backyard is not accessible, you can make a hide-away trash bin in your kitchen to through away table scraps, any leaves you may pick up, newspapers, paper towels, cardboard and any other biodegradable materials you may find. Add water to keep your compost moist but never a watery consistency. It normally takes a couple of weeks for the compost to be ready. Use the compost soil at the bottom of the pile and use it for indoor plants or discard the soil at a local garden center or forest.

If you have a backyard, here are some different ways to create a simple compost pile:

  • For a homemade, standard compost pile, you will need three, five foot 2×4 wood slabs, a spool of mesh or chicken wiring and a staple gun. Cut the 2×4’s in half.  Find a secluded spot in your yard to put your compost pile.  Depending on how big you want your compost pile, measure and mark the area before building.  Once you’ve measured a space, place three pieces of the wood parallel to one another with enough space in between.  Place the mesh wiring on the inside of the wood slabs and then staple them to the wood.  Once assembled, begin composting!
  • If you don’t want to create your own compost pile, you can buy one from a Home Depot or Lowe’s hardware store.  You can also order compost bins online at compostbins.com or goodcompost.com.