Posted on June 11th, 2008
Wet wipes certainly are convenient for your travels, but aren’t so great for the environment- chlorine bleached, full of nasty chems, and made to be thrown in the garbage gets them a big thumbs down from the planet. But there’s a much simpler solution that’ll keep you cool and clean and still on mother nature’s good side: take a face cloth (bonus points if it’s unbleached organic cotton!), wet it, ring it out a bit, add a drop of your favourite essential oil if you like, and place it in an airtight freezer safe container, and freeze it until you’re ready for it. Ziploc bags work well (but only if you promise to reuse them!), or you ...
Posted on May 31st, 2008
It’s almost bikini season – is your car ready? According to AutoZone, extra weight decreases gas mileage. Since every 200 pounds of unnecessary weight shaves one mile per gallon off your fuel mileage, you may want to reevaluate what’s sitting in your car. Do you really need to haul that snow-blower you borrowed from your Grandpa around all summer? Helping your car shed some pounds will increase your gas-mileage (more money in your pocket) and reduce your impact. Remember: every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, so every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference. In this case, lean is green -- keep your car ...
Posted on May 30th, 2008
Today, May 30th marks the annual Drive Nowhere Day. The online organization, Environmental Action has deemed this the day to walk, run, bike, skateboard, surf or take public transit around town (or play hooky - we won't tell) and leave the car at home. Annual consumption of gasoline is approximately 7,637,900,000 barrels, expenditure is $485,312,166,000 and the pollution caused in metric tons is about 2,579,000,000 and that's just in America alone! So if you can, pitch in today, save yourself some money, give that engine a rest and join a growing collective that choose to cruise another way. If you want to take one step further and make a pledge with the Environmental Action group ...
Posted on May 29th, 2008
dunk it in milk. If Grandma's heirloom china is starting to crack, give it a facelift with good, old fashioned Vitamin D. Place the plate in a pan and cover with milk (powdered or fresh or a little less than fresh but before the chunks set in) and bring to a boil. Once it hits boiling point, lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. The protein should mend most fine cracks and the dish can keep on dishing.
Posted on May 27th, 2008
Relive one of the stranger parts of childhood — those creepy Pink Panther commercials on TV. If you were too busy ogling that suave cat to digest what he was selling, consider yourself reacquainted: he was hawking insulation, the kind every attic oughta be stuffed with, even in the summer (those fuzzy fibers stifle air conditioning bills the same way they trap in heat during the frigid months.) A well-insulated attic can reduce greenhouse gases by a half ton per year. If it's good enough for Jacques Clouseau, it's good enough for yeau.
There are lots of eco-friendly alternatives to the pink stuff too these days- check out CFC and HCFC-free soy-based spray foam insulation, as well as blown in ...
Posted on May 23rd, 2008
As you plot and scheme and dream up your 2008 garden, consider which plants might hit it off together the best. Its a method called companion gardening and has proven to help soil nutrition, ward off pests and improve taste. Here are a few examples: Plant sunflowers behind lettuce - the lettuce keeps the soil moist and the sunflowers keep the lettuce shaded. Repel pests through smell - plant onions and garlic to protect strawberries, tomatoes, carrots and roses or use mint to save your cabbage. Marigolds are great pest busters anywhere as well as fragrant herbs like thyme and lemon interspersed throughout. Certain plants can act as decoys, luring pests away from your ...
Posted on May 22nd, 2008
You may have had your
chimney checked when the winter was upon you, but now that the seasons have changed, Santa's portal is chillaxin'. Now's the time to do a quick check to make sure that damper is shut tight, keeping your precious cold air in your living room where it belongs.
Posted on May 21st, 2008
We're always looking for new ways to get our homes squeaky clean without dirtying up the world. Turns out the liquor cabinet has something to offer up in this department. The next time you wanna party hard, strap on the yellow gloves and reach for the vodka. A little splash and slosh can go a long way on faucets and stainless steel or metal and its less toxic than rubbing alcohol (which you would NOT want to ingest). The cheaper and harder the better -100 proof is ideal for its disinfectant qualities and lack of odour. This moonshine will even clean up oil paint spills (though hopefully you've switched to latex, low voc ...
Posted on May 17th, 2008
Try borrowing books instead of buying them – it's free! Americans buy about 1.9 billion books each year, which uses paper made from over 300,000 trees. Producing books is energy consuming, and usually means using petroleum-based ink. Try digging out your old library card and giving it a spin. Most county libraries in the US have made great strides technologically, and allow you to reserve and re-new books online, saving you the late fees, while saving precious trees at the same time.
Posted on May 16th, 2008
Hey Mary Poppins, have the gusty winds and spring showers put a damper on your trusty umbrella? In keeping with one of our sexy mantras ("I choose to reuse whenever possible") we suggest taking your busted rain shield to the garden instead of the curb. Simply remove the fabric, bury the handle in the ground and let your climbers climb. This impromptu trellis is great for vines and flowers – morning glories would make for a particularly beautiful living umbrella sculpture. Neat huh?
