Green & Clean

It’s already happening. I spent a few minutes outside with the kids, and ended up with two itchy mosquito bites.

However, I don’t believe in reaching for some aerosol spray of nasty chemicals to keep the mosquitoes at bay. I wouldn’t use those products myself, and I will definitely never let it touch my kids. So there are a few natural ways to deter those pesky mosquitoes

1. Plant Herbs That Mosquitoes Hate
The oils of certain herbs are a complete turn-off to mosquitoes. Luckily for us, they usually happen to be herbs that we love! Plant lemon balm, catnip, rosemary, thyme, or garlic near any seating areas, and mosquitoes will steer clear.

2. Remove Sources of Standing Water.
If you just do this one step, you’ll see a drastic reduction in the number of mosquitoes you have to contend with. They are attracted to standing water because they lay their eggs in it The eggs hatch, and, you guessed it — you have even more mosquitoes bugging you. A few common sources of standing water:

* Saucers for flower pots

* Bird baths

* Kid’s buckets and other toys

* Small swimming pools

Keep in mind that you don’t have to eliminate your bird bath. Just make sure to change the water every day or so. Mosquito larvae need still water to hatch. If you disturb the water, the eggs won’t hatch. The other sources of standing water are good to eliminate if you’re able to.

3. Burn All-Natural Candles with Citronella Essential Oil
Citronella candles really do work. Place a few around your patio or wherever you happen to be working in the garden, and you’ll see fewer mosquitoes.

4. Rub Some Lemon Balm on Any Exposed Skin
That lemon balm I mentioned in step one is also very useful when applied directly to any exposed skin. Simply crush a leaf to release the essential oils, and rub the leaf on any exposed skin. You’ll smell lemony fresh, and the mosquitoes will hate it!

Earth Day has just passed and now is the perfect time to reassess our habits and look for ways to be more eco-friendly by cutting back on waste and energy consumption. And what better place to start than in our homes?

Tip 1: Save Energy By Washing Your Laundry in Cold Water Only

Almost all of the energy used by a washing machine goes towards heating the water, so by simply turning down the temperature, you can really make a dramatic impact on energy use. In fact, washing in cold water costs 5 to 10 times less than using warmer settings. Learn how to green your laundry from start to finish.

Tip 2: Save Water By Using As Little Water Possible To Wash Your Dishes

If you have a newer dishwasher, chances are it uses less water than you would hand-washing. Modern dishwashers use only about 3 to 10 gallons of water per load. Some easy tips for your dishwasher: scrape plates instead of pre-rinsing, use energy-saving options when you can, and only wash full loads.

If, however, you don’t have a dishwasher or would rather wash by hand, try to assess how much water you’re currently using and see if there’s any way to cut back. If you wash by filling up the sink or wash bins, figure out how much water they hold and how many times per day you wash. Or, if you just wash under the running faucet, keep in mind that faucets use about 2 gallons per minute. Get more green tips on dishwashers.

Tip 3: Save Waste and Water By Switching From Bottled to Filtered Water

The bottled water industry is extremely wasteful. It involves millions of barrels of oil each year and the process actually wastes water. Since bottled water is often consumed on the go, most bottles do not actually end up getting recycled. Fortunately, for most of us reading this article, water flows directly into our homes — an amazing gift when you consider all of the places in the world where that is not the case. So why not get yourself a filter and a reusable bottle and fill up from the cheapest and most convenient place — your faucet.

Tip 4: Save Energy and Waste By Switching from Regular Batteries to Rechargeables

Rechargeable batteries embody one of our favorite principles: reuse. While traditional batteries can only be used once, rechargeable batteries, as the name implies, can be used again and again. By using the same batteries over and over again, you cut back on the waste created by disposable batteries. When your rechargeables are eventually used up, though, it is important to recycle them. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, any batteries “can cause serious harm to human health and the environment if they are dis­carded with ordinary household or workplace waste.” Find out where to recycle batteries (and almost anything else) at Earth911.

Tip 5: Save Waste By Buying in Bulk

Packaging has gotten a bit out of control these days. More and more we’re seeing items that are wrapped with layer upon layer of unnecessary materials. One way to combat that problem is to buy necessities in bulk. If it’s something you use a lot, it’s worth it to upgrade to a larger size or multi-pack. This tip isn’t just relegated to wholesale stores either, although that’s a good place to start. Bring your own containers to stores like Whole Foods, where you can buy items like beans and grains in bulk-and skip the packaging all together!

Join the Future Friendly Challenge and commit to making one of these changes for 90 days. And, just for signing up, Future Friendly will donate a liter of water to Children’s Safe Drinking Water.

What other energy-saving tips can you share? Tell us about your energy-saving tips.
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I think we’d all like to benefit from going green by cutting down on our monthly energy bills. The average kitchen has counter tops and cabinets full of gadgets and small appliances. Here is a list of energy sucking kitchen appliances should you ditch (donate away) and which should stay.

First, let’s consider at the materials and resources that use energy to prepare a meal. While the term “cookprint” is often used to remind us to eat more plant-based, locally grown and sustainable food, it also represents which appliances and gadgets to cook with. Consumer Reports chose “cookprint” as a top buzzword to describe the energy needed to prepare the food we eat.

Ditch These Kitchen Appliances and Gadgets

1. Coffee Grinder
OK, it’s early in the morning and it’s awfully easy to plug in the coffee grinder to pulverize fresh beans. Just think how much faster you’ll wake up if you have to do it yourself. Bodum makes preparing and drinking coffee a stylish experience. Check out their hand-crank coffee-grinding beauty.

2. Can Opener
Electric can openers are convenient but they don’t save time or effort when compared to a quality manual can opener. Classic swing-away can openers like grandma used to use still get the job done.

3. Electric Knife
Some cooks swear that the electric knife must come out when the Thanksgiving turkey is ready to carve. But really, why use an electric one when a nice sharp knife can do the same job? Try a hand-held knife sharpener and a good knife.

4. Juicer
Are you surprised to find an electric juicer on the list? This is an easy switch that won’t screw up your healthy juice regimen. Hand-held juicers require a little muscle, but they produce big energy savings.

5. Electric Mixer
An electric mixer has a single mixing attachment, so in order to make something like whipping cream, a hand-held mixer is your best bet. Old fashioned hand mixers works like a dream.

Keep These Appliances and Gadgets in Your Kitchen

1. Rice Cookers
Although rice cookers use electricity, they are an eco-friendly alternative to firing up your stove to make rice. Finding a rice cooker with a stainless steel–not “non-stick”–insert is the healthiest choice, because most “non-stick” pots are made with Teflon or aluminum. Teflon contains PBDE, a prevalent contaminant known to cause to the human body and the environment.

2. Counter top Grills
These grills are inexpensive and an energy-saving solution to turning on a stove when you want to just make, say, a grilled cheese sandwich. Be aware that George Foreman and similar grills can be coated with Teflon. What’s an eco-cook to do? Get a stainless steel countertop grill.

3. Waffle Irons
The same advice applies for waffle irons as grill pans, especially if you eat waffles often. We have an old, old cast iron waffle iron that makes the best waffles. If you can’t score one of those, I would suggest finding a secondhand waffle iron with cast iron inserts.

4. Hand-Crank Blender
Again, the older “historical technology,” does a fine job.

5. Mortar and Pestle
A mortar and pestle can be a manual food processor. It’s been used for centuries to make everything from ground spices to mayonnaise. The mortar and pestle’s best feature: It will never require replacement parts.

Are you seeing a trend here? The oldies-but-goodies are making a strong comeback. And making these small changes can significantly lower your cookprint and pave the pathway to a green life stlye.

There are shockingly few places in the United States where you can escape  mechanical devices, where you can be in a ’silent’ place–though perhaps naturally quiet is a better description.

It’s great for you mind, body, and spirit to slow down, quiet down, and think about conservation. Something which I hold dear to my heart and I encourage everyone to do.

But if you live in a city like i do, you’re unlikely to find five seconds of natural quiet, let alone the five minutes which is the current US average for the longest period without mechanical punctuation.  Though experiencing the natural quiet of wilderness, or even semi-wilderness, may be the ideal, you can still reap some mentally green benefits from silence.

Sitting Quietly Is About Awareness More Than Hearing
After all, when you are sitting quietly in nature part of what you are doing is listening to what is happening around you, but if you are truly quiet and considered about it what you are doing is listening to the silence of yourself. You are observing yourself, silencing the inner monologue and just being. In cultivating this sort of awareness you can really be any place.

Do it now. Close your eyes. Just hear what is around you.

In the space around me right now I hear traffic going by outside, horns far away, a cough on the street below, another beep, the gentle hum of my laptop, a truck pulling up, idling at the traffic light, starting again, voices on the street, someone calling out, child’s voices, a dove (one of a pair) that often land on my windowsill to sun themselves, the heat pipes creaking and trilling.

Notice the Space Between Sounds Not the Sounds
Sitting a bit longer begin to notice the spaces between the sounds. You begin withdrawing your association from I am hearing that sound to just hearing it. You begin to hear a faint continuum punctuated by sound, not the other way around.

On some level it may seem more enjoyable to let the sounds of running water, of trees, of grass blowing, of birds, but for cultivating awareness–something which really is one of the greenest things you can do, becoming more aware of your actions and their cascading effects–any place will do.

Do you meditate and/or find time in your day to close your eyes and give yourself a few minutes of peace and quiet??  I have found that it can uplift your spirit and energy level which can make you a better parent, employee, and lower your overall stress levels.  So go ahead and reward yourself with a few minutes of “you” time!!

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House plants are a great way to clean the air in our homes. But when you go to the nursery to buy a houseplant, what are you likely to find? Plant after plant after plant that require bright light. You may come across a plant that claims to need “medium” light, but be assured that those medium light plants will start looking pretty sorry if you try to put them in a room with a northern exposure, or, more commonly, in the corner of a room or cubicle.

There’s an easy way to check to see if you have low light or not. Hold a piece of white paper in the area where you are thinking of placing a plant. Put your hand over it. Does it cast a sharp shadow? You have bright light. Kind of fuzzy shadow? Medium light. And a very fuzzy or almost non-existent shadow means you have low light.

With that in mind, here are five plants that will manage to grow successfully in a typical dim living room.  As long as you provide these five plants with the water and fertilization they require, they’ll liven up your room and clean your air in return. Not a bad bargain.

Five Low-Light Houseplants

1. Pothos:This trailing plant is most commonly found in nurseries as a variegated plant. It will hold up just fine in low light, and can even stand drying out a bit (so if you’re one of those who forget to water, this is a good one for you.) Note that the variegation will start to be less noticeable if the plant doesn’t get a lot of light, but even a plain pothos is a pretty attractive plant.

2. Peace Lily: There are plain and variegated versions of this plant, which, at least around here, is common in office buildings and shopping malls. It will take low light just fine, though it won’t bloom if it doesn’t get enough light. The one thing about peace lilies is that they look absolutely terrible once they get dry, so keep them evenly moist. If you’re a lax waterer (like me…) this may not be the plant for you.

3. Cast Iron Plant: If I had to pick an unkillable plant, cast iron plant (Aspidistra) would be it. I swear, this thing could survive in a dark closet and not be watered for a couple of weeks, and come out just fine. Needless to say, I have a few of these in my house.

Watch Video: Indoor Gardening Tips from Emeril Green

4. Lucky Bamboo: While it’s not actually a bamboo at all, (it’s actually a Dracaena) lucky bamboo is very easy to grow. If you’re familiar with this plant, you know that it doesn’t even need to grow in soil. I have mine growing in a shallow pot filled with pebbles and water, and it is very happy. They do well in even the darkest corner.

5. Chinese Evergreen: There are many varieties of Chinese Evergreen, including variegated ones. These plants absolutely thrive on neglect. They dislike direct sunlight, and, as long as they’re kept moist but not soggy, will live happily just about anywhere.

There you have it: five houseplant options that will work in even the dimmest corner of your home. So, go ahead and stock up on houseplants!

There are several ways to save energy and water in the laundry room, from careful selection of your machines to using cold water. When your old washing machine clunked out, you cleverly replaced it with a front-loading model bearing the Energy Star label. Congratulations! You’re already using 50% less energy and water, and saving $110 a year.

But if you’re a renter or otherwise saddled with an oldie, you can still make running a load of laundry even more efficient. About 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water.

So wash clothes in cold water whenever possible and reduce the number of times you run the machine by always waiting until you have a full load. In addition use only eco-friendly laundry detergent or make your own.

When gone untreated mold and mildew can be hazardous to your heath. However, if you follow a few of these tip from Julie Edelman, author of  The Ultimate Accidental Housewife: Your Guide to a Clean-Enough House you can protect yourself from allergies caused by mold and mildew.

Removing Mold From Your Shower Curtain:

Julie Edelman recommends cutting an inch of fabric from the bottom of the curtain so that it isn’t being immersed in water and therefore not allowing mold to accumulate as much. She then recommends filing a spray bottle with Listerine and spraying that on your shower curtain. According to Julie, the anti fungal properties of the mouthwash help keep your shower curtain free of mold.

I personally prefer using vinegar as a green cleaning agent to remove mold, however, i know that some people don’t like the smell of vinegar, so mouthwash might provide a minty alternative. Mouthwash may also provide an alternative cleaner if you need a quick fix and don’t have any other items around. Plus, it’s better for the environment if we find multiple uses for items we have rather than purchasing new ones.

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