Jan
30
Story of Stuff
Filed Under Green Living | Leave a Comment
The Story of Stuff is an educational, short (20-minute) video that looks at global production and consumption:
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world.
The video was put together by the Tide Foundation and Funders Workshop for Sustainable Production and Consumption. Accompanying the video are links to additional resources and a blog.
Nov
28
Non-toxic Homecare
Filed Under Green Living, Home | Leave a Comment
If you’re concerned about reducing toxins and pollutants from commercial cleaners, check out this guide to non-toxic cleaning solutions, polishes, and other home care solutions you can make yourself. Be sure to explore the rest of the EarthEasy site, to find recipes, tips on energy saving, gardening, lawn care and low-environmental-impact recreation.
Aug
28
There are numerous products sitting around every household that are super heroes of the natural cleaning world. Most people just don’t realize that they don’t need to go out and buy so many cleaning products, because their kitchen pantry is filled with natural alternatives.
Natural cleaning has several benefits, it is better for the environment, it cuts down on harmful chemicals in the air we breathe and it keeps more packaging products (plastic bottles…) out of our landfills. It’s also cheaper, why spend money on a separate cleaning product for every task. The benefits go on and on, grab a good book about natural cleaning and find out more of its benefits at your local library. Read more
Aug
28
Los Angeles Now Accepts More
Filed Under Green Living, Los Angeles | Leave a Comment
The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation which oversees the collection and processing of waste and recyclables from its citizens will now allow more items to go into the Blue Bin for recycling. After having expanded its recycling program on July 1st to accept polystyrene foam aka “Styrofoam”, you can now place plastic grocery bags and hangers into the bin as well.
Jul
30
Unclogging your toilet the fun way
Filed Under Green Living, Home | Leave a Comment
So the dear hubby decided to go out and purchase toilet paper other than the recycled Trader Joe’s toilet paper. This ***unrecycled*** toilet paper was much thicker than the recycled stuff we usually get. Lo and behold, the toilet developed a stubborn clog that no amount of plunging would disloge. With visions of getting a Toilet Auger wedged into the porcelain basin, I decided to research alternatives to clearing the clog that didn’t involved lots of potentially caustic chemicals. The recipe for unclogging toilets with stuff you already have in your home:
- Remove as much of the water standing in the toilet basin as possible.
- Dump 1 cup of dishsoap and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, boil a large pot of water (3-4 gallons).
- Let the hot water sit for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Plunge to dislodge the clog.
- Flush the toilet a few times to make sure the debris flushes through the system.
- Repeat process for those really stubborn clogs.
Jun
25
What to do after that cup of Joe
Filed Under Beauty, General, Green Living, Home | Leave a Comment
Curbly has a post on a variety of uses for your coffee. From gardening to beauty, find out what to do with those soggy grounds.
May
31
Green Car Congress
Filed Under Cars, General, Green Living | Leave a Comment
If you’re looking for more information about hybrids, biodiesel, and other “greener” transportation options, visit the green car congress:
Green Car Congress: http://www.greencarcongress.com/
Apr
28
Top Ten Greenest Cars
Filed Under Cars, Green Living | Leave a Comment
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s 10th annual “Greenest Cars” list:
All of the cars that made this list are by Asian auto-makers. Where’s Detroit on the trend towards cleaner, more gas efficient vehicles?
Apr
24
Lovely Lemons
Filed Under General, Green Living, Multipurpose | Leave a Comment
I absolutely love lemons. If I had to pick a favorite fruit, it would hands down be the lemon. There are so many varied uses for lemons around the house and on you as a beauty aid. Listed here are some of my favorite uses for lemons outside of eating them:
- Bring the shine back to dull pans
Do your stainless steel pans and pots come out dull after being washed. Skip the chemical solutions and try this simple solution to removing the dull residue. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into the bottom of the pan or pot. Swirl the lemon juice to coat. Put your pan or pot into the dishwasher and wash as usual. The acid in the lemon juice will remove the dull residue and your pots and pans will come out brilliantly shiny! As a bonus, when you cook tomato sauce there’s no need to add the lemon juice. The acidity of the tomato juice will achieve the same results. - Deodorize your garbage disposal
If strange and unpleasant smells emanate from the deek recesses of your sink then it’s time to grind up a lemon to remove the odors. Cut a small lemon into about eight pieces. Start running the cold water and (while the disposal is OFF) put the lemon pieces down the sink. Turn on the garbage disposal and run it until all the pieces have been ground up. - Whiten your nails
Lemons are great for removing nails that have turned yellow from too much nail polish. Squeeze the juice from one lemon into a small bowl. Remove all traces of nail polish from your fingernails. Soak your fingertips (so that the entire nail is covered) into the bowl of lemon juice for about 1 to 2 minutes. Wash your hands and then apply some lotion to your hands to replenish moisture. - Bath Soak
The high antioxidants in lemons make for a great bath soak to detoxify and rejuvenate skin. Squeeze the juice from one large lemon into a hot bath. Add the remaining lemon peel to the bath to release the lemon oil from the skin. Use a body brush to scrub the skin while you are in the bath. The circular action of the brush will stimulate your circulation while the lemon juice helps to clarify the skin.