Tag: summer

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Eco Tips

How To Care For Your Pet During The Hottest Time Of The Year

Summer-tips-dog-fan-Basset-Hound

Summer is great to play outdoors with our loving pets, but it’s important to always keep their safety in mind. Some animals are not well-equipped to deal with the heat, so it’s up to us to care for them so they have a pleasant and safe summer.

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Don’t leave your pets in a parked car – It doesn’t matter if it’s only for a minute, temperatures inside a car parked in the sun can rise faster than you think. Your pet might get dehydrated, suffer organ damage and even die after thirty minutes in the sun.

Limit exercise – On the hottest days, give your pet a break and adjust the intensity and duration of the exercise. Walk your pet early in the morning or during the evening if possible. Remember that asphalt can get very hot and burn its paws, so try to walk through grass. Keep your pet under the shade, especially if they have white ears, as they are more susceptible to sun damage. Always carry extra water and a bowl with you, so your furry friend can rehydrate.

Keep water available and fresh – Have multiple bowls of water around the house and backyard, so your pet can be hydrated. Change the water frequently so it’s always fresh and maybe stick a couple of ice cubes in there if you are going to be busy for a while. If your puppy doesn’t find baths stressful, giving them a cooling spray with the hose might help them out.

Keep your dog indoors – Dogs respond differently to heat than humans. For example, they only sweat through their footpads so they cool themselves down by panting. When it’s too humid outside, that might not be enough and they might suffer from heat stress and physical injuries. Keep your puppy inside and keep a dry climate inside the house with a de-humidifier. Fans are not really effective in keeping dogs cool, your best bet is air conditioner, even if it is more expensive.

Watch out for heatstroke – If you live in a place with extreme temperatures, your pet might be susceptible to heatstroke, so keep an eye out for the telling signs. Rapid heartbeat, glazed eyes, lethargy, lack of coordination, excessive salivation, excessive thirst, difficulty breathing, vomiting, a purple tongue and unconsciousness are all signs that a dog might be suffering from heatstroke. If you suspect that might be the case, quickly move your pet to the shade or inside with air-conditioning. Apply cold towels to your dog’s head, neck and chest. Run cool water over them and let them lick ice cubes or drink small amounts of water. As soon as you can, take your pet to the vet. You might save his life.

Categories
Eco Tips Lawn & Garden

How To Use Less Water During Summer

save-water-drought-desert-summer

Certain regions of the US are going through a pretty severe period of drought right now. And even if that wasn’t the case, summer is the time of the year when we all get a little careless with our water consumption. If you want to reduce your environmental impact all year round, here are some great was to save water during summer.

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1. Pick the car wash – Nothing wrong with wanting a clean and sparkly car, but you need to be smart when you wash it. Before taking out the buckets and sponges, consider that washing your car by hand uses around three times more water than the automatic wash. Even better, the automatic car wash is quicker and easier too, so it’s a win-win.

2. Pay attention to your toilet – Faulty toilet tanks can silently leak water into the bowl without anyone noticing. To check for this, open the tank and pour a few drops of food coloring in the water. Wait an hour and check the water in the bowl. If it’s dyed, you have a faulty tank and you need to fix it. Never use the toilet as a trash can, tissues, q-tips and every other waste should go to the bin, as they can ruin the pipes.

3. Cut down your showers – Most people know that taking a shower is much more efficient than taking a bath when it comes to water consumption. But did you know that you can save up to 150 gallons of water per month by cutting your showers by only two minutes? Two minutes won’t make a difference for your shower routine, but they sure will make a difference for the planet.

4. Green Laundry – Only wash full loads to avoid water waste and avoid the “permanent press” setting, as it uses more water during the rinse cycle. Check the hose and pipes behind the machine to make sure they are not leaking or about to burst open.

5. Get a reusable water bottle – You probably know that getting a reusable water bottle cuts down waste by reducing the amount of plastic disposable bottles that get thrown away. But did you know that it takes three to five times more water to make a plastic bottle than the amount you are drinking?

6. Smart lawn sprinklers – If you use sprinklers to water your lawn and garden, make sure they are positioned correctly. They should only be watering your grass and plants, not your walls, cobbled path, driveway or sidewalk. Install a rain sensor on your automatic system, as it will detect when it’s raining and shut down. Finally, only water your plants early in the morning or after the sun goes down, so the water doesn’t evaporate as fast and it can be better absorbed.

Categories
Eco Eats

Up Your Summer Fruit Game, Like, Right Now

fruit-salad-summer-slices

Fruit salads are so last summer. Simply putting some fruit in a bowl and eating it with a fork is not enough anymore. If you want to jazz up your fruity summer treats, here are some great recipes to up your summer fruit game.

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Bomb fruit popsicles

All the refreshing taste of popsicles without all that added sugar, this easy treat is a must for any freezer. The best part is that you can make them any flavor you want, all you need is fruit and fresh fruit juice. Slice up your fruit and mix some berries in for good measure. Arrange the mix inside popsicle molds and pour your favorite juice until you fill them up. Now stick them in the freezer and wait around six hours until they are frozen solid. These are perfect to make once and keep in your freezer for those moments when you are screaming for ice cream but still want to avoid extra sugar.

Banana blueberry vegan ice cream

Speaking of ice cream, you can make it yourself using only two ingredients. Slice up two bananas and stick them in the freezer overnight. Put the banana slices in a blender, add half a cup of blueberries and blend away until you get a smooth, uniform consistency. Keep it in the freezer and munch away while watching Netflix. You can make other flavors by replacing the blueberries with other fruits and even adding cocoa powder to make chocolate ice cream that is way healthier than Ben & Jerry’s.

Leftover fruit smoothie

Whenever you go overboard and buy way more fruit than you are able to eat, you can save some to make leftover fruit smoothie. Before your fruit goes bad, grab those you know you won’t eat, slice them up and freeze them. Next time you are craving fruit, take your frozen slices out, mix them with some fresh fruit and add a tablespoon of honey if you want to sweeten the deal. Now blend them with some fruit juice until you reach perfect smoothie consistency. You can mix up the ratio of fresh and frozen fruit to get the texture you want, remember that the more frozen fruit you add, the thicker the smoothie will be.

Two ingredient berry jam

This is the easiest jam recipe ever. It only takes an hour to make and it will result in delicious homemade jam you can keep to eat on breakfast toast or give as a gift to impress people. You need two cups of fresh raspberries, blueberries, cranberries or any kind of berry you want. You can even mix and match. Put them in a pot on medium heat and mash them a bit so the juice come out. Depending on the texture you like, you can turn them into complete mulch or not. Cook them until they have a uniform consistency, then add one cup of sugar without taking the pot from the fire. Try to add the sugar slowly while sprinkling it over all the berries, but trying to avoid the sides of the pot. Stir and cook the mixture together until it has reduced by ¼ of the original volume.