Green Options

It’s hard to watch television, read the paper, or go online without coming across facts about global warming prevention. You may already feel like you’ve got the basics down. Some of the more interesting global warming facts may have escaped your attention, though, as they don’t get quite as much coverage. The more time you spend digging into global warming causes and effects, the more you’ll realize that climate change goes beyond some of the most catastrophic (and newsworthy) problems associated with it. Global warming will transform your life at basic levels that we’re just beginning to understand.

Global warming causes you may not have known about

You’re likely aware that many of your daily activities — driving your car, cooling and heating your home, operating electronic devices — produce greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide. You may not, however, be aware of some other major global warming causes that you encounter regularly. For instance,

• The meat on your plate: Deforestation, especially of tropical rainforests, is one of the major causes of global warming, and residents of countries such as Brazil and Costa Rica often destroy these forests to create grazing space for cattle. Choosing to eat less meat, and purchasing the meat you do eat from local sources, should be a part of your plan to lighten your own carbon footprint.
• The food and yard wastes you throw away: When you send food wastes, grass clippings, and other organic materials to the landfill, they’re much more likely to end up producing methane because they’ll decompose in an anaerobic (or oxygen-free) environment. Composting those wastes, whether by sending them to a large-scale operation, or adding them to your own compost pile or bin, will allow for oxygen-rich decomposition… which prevents methane emissions, and “closes the loop” by creating material you can use for garden and plant fertilizer.

My allergies seem to get worse with each new year… maybe that’s my bodies way of letting me know I’m doing something wrong.

This year, I’ve decided to set the medication aside and combat my Spring allergies naturally.

We are learning that many of the issues that crop up with our bodies have a direct correlation to our diet, so it makes sense to remove irritant foods and substances (like chemical cleaners) and add beneficial foods, herbs and supplements.

Here are some tips for fighting allergies naturally:

A new treatment for peanut allergies involving small doses of peanuts has shown promising results.

Peanut allergies are the most prevalent food allergy in the US affecting one and a half million people.  The allergy is a disease affecting the immune system after exposure to the proteins in peanuts.  It is also the most deadly allergic reaction.

Open any pregnancy or baby book, and you’ll find that list: the baby essentials, the things you absolutely cannot live without.  While many accessories are easily recognized as frivolous, certain items are truly indispensable: the basic necessities for life with a baby.

Or are they?

In this weekly series, we’ll be looking at several baby essentials that really aren’t.  They may be useful in certain situations, but if money or space is tight, or if you’re just looking to simplify and reduce consumerism and waste, here’s how to get along just fine without these so-called “essentials.“

In Part 1, we questioned the crib.   Part 2 bemoaned the bucket.  Part 3 scrutinized the stroller.  Part 4 ditched the diapers.  Part 5 scrubbed the tub.  Part 6 busted the brain boosters.  This week, we banish the baby food!

Drippy.  Itchy.  Stuffy.  Groggy.  Sound familiar?  If you regularly suffer from springtime allergies, the answer is probably yes.  While loading up on the Claritins, Benadryls, or Zyrtecs is one option, you can also try some local honey.

When bees ingest the nectar from flowers, they’re also ingesting some of the plants’ pollen.  This nectar is later regurgitated by the bees and stored in their honeycombs.  After the bees use their wings to evaporate some of the water from the nectar, honey is created.

Ah, Spring is in the air…Ah…Choo!

As winter gives up its grip, seasonal allergy suffers turn a leery eye out the window at blooming grass and trees, sigh, and start digging out last year’s allergy medication. Children allergic to pollen and molds may do more than sigh.

If your child suffers from seasonal allergies you too are getting prepared. Kids usually develop allergies before their 6^th birthday but, can develop new ones throughout their lives. . And, as I can attest to as a lifelong sufferer, moving to a new location doesn’t help….those prone to allergies tend to find something to be allergic to wherever they are.

While drugstores carry shelves full of over-the-counter medications to alleviate the symptoms of seasonal allergies, there are some natural choices that, in many cases work as well or better.