Green Options » green living

Grow Your Own Tree Hugger: 101 Activities to Teach Your Child How to Live Green

Wenona Napolitano — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:04:03 +0000

Here’s a fun book you may enjoy. It could inspire you with new ways to teach your child about living green. Or it may make a great gift for another parent that you know who could use some help in the eco-department.

Grow Your Own Tree Hugger: 101 activities to teach your child how to live green by Wendy Rosenoff is full of activities, crafts and recipes that can easily teach children about the environment and about being green without being preachy.

Some of the activities sound like so much fun your kids won’t even know they’re learning.

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Green Talk Radio: Fair Trade Grown Organic Mate Energy Drinks with Guayaki

Sean Daily — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:00:07 +0000

Sean Daily, Green Living Ideas’ Editor-In-Chief, talks about Fair Trade, organically grown Yerba Mate energy drinks with David Karr, Co-Founder of Guayaki.

[Courtesy of our friends at GreenLivingIdeas.com]

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Family Games Night With Eco-Friendly Playing Cards

Heather Dunham — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:47:21 +0000

For some reason, when I think of products that need to ‘go green’, certain types of items tend to top the list. Cleaning products. Plastic children’s toys. Paint and building materials. Baby supplies. Food. Clothing.

Playing cards had not yet entered my mind.

So imagine my amused surprise the other day when, while shopping for a new deck of quality cards for bridge (my husband had even requested a plastic set), I stumbled across Bicycle’s new (launched in 2008) line of Eco Edition Playing Cards.

While there is almost certainly a good level of bandwagon-jumping greenwashing going on here, there is still much good to say about these cards. According to Bicycle:

Our playing cards are crafted from sustainable forest paper, starch-based laminating glue and vegetable-based printing inks. This pack of cards is recyclable.

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Like Organic Milk in Kraft Dinner: Eco-Idealism and Finding Your Balance

Heather Dunham — Mon, 25 May 2009 03:32:37 +0000

Our life is a series of contradictions.

We strive to be eco-conscious in all things, to live in harmony with nature and each other. We endeavour to nourish our bodies with whole foods, locally grown, rich in the nutrients nature gave them, clear of artificial processing and toxic additives. We aim to nourish our children with strong family bonds, freedom, integrity and perceptive discretion, away from the influence of rampant consumerism, peer-orientation and pressure, the wastefulness and shallowness of contemporary western society.

We don’t always quite live up to these ideals.

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Top 10 Ways To Go Paperless

Sonya — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:26:21 +0000

It can be challenging going paperless at home or work, right?

One Jackson Hole, Wyoming business, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, has announced a “Go Paperless” initiative for Arbor Day, April 24, 2009.

The company wants to reduce office paper flow and save trees in honor of the national tree planting holiday.

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Easy Going Green Flashcards Teach Parents and Children

Jennifer Lance — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:31:07 +0000

I’m not a big flashcard fan because Einstein Never Used Flashcards, but then again, we are not all Einsteins. Easy Going Green Flashcards are designed to teach parents and children simple steps they can take to live more eco-friendly lives. 52 flashcards make up a deck, which are printed on recycled stock with vegetable-based ink. The flashcard collection comes in a reusable muslin bag.

My favorite Easy Going Green Flashcard is “Wear the same clothes all day”. I am constantly doing laundry, and I know part of the problem is the frequency with which my daughter changes her outfit. This has gotten better as she has grown older and would live in her pajamas all day. When she was younger, it was not uncommon for her to have worn five outfits in one day when she first learned to dress herself.

Other great tips include “Eat seasonally” and “Don’t waste food”, as well as information on rainforests and cleaning products.

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Compost 101: Don’t Start a Garden Without It!

Megan Prusynski — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:00:29 +0000

No garden would be complete without its own natural recycling system, a compost pile. Without a way of dealing with compost, weeds and scraps are waste. But why create more trash when you can turn your garden and kitchen waste into valuable soil-building fertilizer?

One of the first steps to starting an organic garden should be to begin a compost pile. Composting will break down organic matter into nutrient-rich material that builds soil and nourishes plants. And just like anyone can garden, no matter their situation, there are composting possibilities for everyone! Read on to learn how to close the loop and start composting…

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San Francisco to Launch a Do Not Mail Registry?

Jessica Gottlieb — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:22:52 +0000

This just in, the city of San Francisco is having a hearing Monday that will decide if a resolution calling on California to create a Do Not Mail Registry will come before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. A Do Not Mail Registry would give citizens the choice to stop receiving unwanted junk mail.

Can you imagine?

Because I’m so green I won’t be taking my private jet up to San Francisco, but I am extending an invitation to all you.

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Changents Teams Up with Down2Earth to Promote Grass Roots Action for a Greener Boston

Tom Schueneman — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:40:19 +0000

The City of Boston and Down2Earth, a sustainable living expo coming to the city this April 3rd through 5th, have teamed with Changents.com to help the final nine semi-finalists tell their story and get backers for their ideas as they compete for first price in the “Pitch the City” contest.

Changents is a truly innovative online platform where individuals and grass roots organizations can grow, nurture and expand their own mission for change and is uniquely suited to the task.

I first spoke with Changents co-founder Deron Triff last July for a post in TriplePundit.com called How to Be a Rock Star Agent of Change.

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I Hate Writing a Negative Review

Jessica Gottlieb — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:40:54 +0000

But here goes.

I was sent a sample of Eco Store’s Automatic Dishwashing Soap, and I almost fell over when the box arrived. Peanuts, it was packed to the brim in packing peanuts.

I don’t even know what to say. I was (and am) startled that a company who wanted to be sustainable would ship in a packaging that will outlast my Great Grandchildren. What’s worse is this.

I love the product.

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Low Impact Living: New Green Products That Save You Money

Low Impact Living — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:27:59 +0000

One of the great things about many green products is that they’ll actually save you money, sometimes over the long term (solar panels), but sometimes almost immediately (CFLs). In this economy, finding green products that are healthy, environmentally friendly AND economical is more important than ever. So, here are some new products we’ve come across over the past few months that offer just that - high green benefits AND more money in your bank account!

Energy Cinch Window Blankets. Windows are often an energy efficiency problem spot. Many homes lack the latest energy efficient windows, leading to energy loss and uncomfortable rooms throughout the year. Because window replacements are so expensive, though, it almost never pays to replace a window just for the energy savings benefits. Payback periods can often be ten years or more. There are other solutions - films and solar screens reflect sunlight during hot weather, and insulating drapes are helpful year-round. But Energy Cinch Window Blankets offer another solution. They combine the high insulating qualities of the thickest drapes with the installation ease of an extendable shower rod. You can easily remove them during times of the year when they’re not needed. An Energy Cinch can cut a problem window’s heat loss by up to 80%.

Enersaver Programmable Thermostat. We’ve praised the virtues of programmable thermostats many times before, but it can be a bit difficult to get them set right. We’ve come across this new thermostat from Globe Electric, called the enersaver Spin-N-Click. It uses a scroll wheel and single button to make programming much easier and more intuitive. And, at $49.95, it’s a relative bargain for a full-featured programmable thermostat. At this price, the thermostat will pay for itself in less than a year’s time in most homes.

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Embrace Eco-friendly Child Care

Low Impact Living — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:46:12 +0000

You care about the environment and also your family’s health. So it’s time to embrace eco-friendly child care!

Many daycare and child-care centers around the U.S. are embracing eco-friendly ways, and it’s not a day too soon. That’s why we’re building a huge directory of eco-friendly child care centers around the country. We have over 120 listed so far and we’re adding more every day. Check them out! And if you know of one you’d like to add, please send us an email to feedback@lowimpactliving.com.

The State of Oregon’s Environmental Council has taken a pioneering role in certifying child-care centers with their Eco-Healthy Child Care program. Child care facilities qualify as “Eco-Healthy” by completing a 25-element checklist that highlights 25 steps facilities can take to ensure a safe place for children. Eco-healthy child care centers commit to reducing a child’s exposure to toxins and other environmental health hazards.

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Going Green? Learn from These Pros

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:07:53 +0000

There’s no shortage of news stories, blogs and online resources aimed at helping people go green, but sometimes the best way to learn new habits is to watch someone else in action.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the recent eco-stars across the U.S. whom I’ve discovered in my daily wanderings across the Web:

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112 Helpful Added Uses for Common Household Items

Adam Williams — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:13:27 +0000

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently put out an extensive list — 112 tidbits long — for how to get extra uses from numerous household items: banana peels, nail polish, marshmallows, milk, Alka Seltzer, alumininum foil, dryer sheets, baking soda, beer…

A few examples:

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Go Green Expo Comes to LA

Cassie Walker — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:50:45 +0000

What started out as a single event in NYC last year, the Go Green Expo has bloomed into a 4-city extravaganza, kicking off at the LA Convention Center this weekend, January 23-25. In addition to over 200 booths of eco-friendly goods and services, the Expo features:

Interactive seminars and speeches
Film screenings
Eco-fashion show
Demonstrations & hands-on activities

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Green Home Contest: Win 3 Nights at the Green Hotel Carlton

Low Impact Living — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:00:55 +0000

We want to start the New Year off with an eco-bang, and so we’re launching a new Green Home Contest. Low Impact Living and Joie de Vivre Hotels challenge you to make your home as green as you can! We’re going to reward the greenest home of all with a luxurious 3-night stay at the very environmentally-friendly Hotel Carlton in San Francisco. More on the hotel and the prize in a minute!

Low Impact Living will identify the single family home (and its proud owners) that has the lowest Low Impact Living Index (calculated using our Environmental Impact Calculator), and we’re going to share with you what that family has done to get there. Don’t worry if you haven’t done big projects like installing solar panels or a wind turbine - as the calculator shows, many of the best green home projects are simple and inexpensive. We’ll show you how to identify projects to make your home more eco-friendly. The contest will close on February 15, 2009. So you have time to make green changes!

What you have to do to enter

1. Visit our Household Environmental Impact Calculator and calculate your base LILI (Low Impact Living Index). It will only take you five-ten minutes to use the calculator and create your account.
2. Once you have entered all of your base inputs, move on to the “select projects” page of the calculator. Make sure you only check projects that you’ve finished (or will finish by February 15th) before you log out.
3. Make sure that you log out or save your profile before leaving - if you just move on to another web site without logging out, your inputs could be lost.
4. If you’ve already created an account through our calculator, then you need to return and, log in again. We’ve added some new features recently, and they won’t work unless you refresh your account.
5. The calculator isn’t all-encompassing yet, so there may be projects that you’ve done that don’t show up. If this is true, send us an email at contest@lowimpactliving.com describing what you’ve done. Low Impact Living staffers will review your efforts and award up to a 5% additional deduction for compelling projects.

How we’ll select the winner

The contest closes on February 15, 2009, and we will announce the winner on March 1. This will give us time to check with the finalists to make sure that they’ve completed all of their checked projects. (Past entrants to our green home contests are not eligible.)

If you are a finalist (in our top 10 lowest LILI scores), we may ask you to verify that your projects are actually completed, via photos or receipts / invoices for work performed. We’ll also ask for your address (not to be published!) so that we can verify entered information about your home. If you are a winner, then you have to be willing to let us share your projects and process with everyone via our blog, and to provide us with the photos and project descriptions necessary to do that. You’ll become a green star overnight!

What you could win!

The greenest homeowner will receive three nights at Hotel Carlton in San Francisco. The Hotel Carlton is a member of the Joie de Vivre chain of hotels, which is deeply committed to making sustainability part of its core business operations. In fact, their mission is to “adhere to the strictest environmental standards, engage in sustainable practices and maintain an impeccable quality of guest experience.” The JDV Hotels environmental program includes hotel-wide recycling programs, composting, use of renewable energy, use of recycled paper products, energy-efficient lighting and much more. To learn more about Joie de Vivre’s commitment to sustainability, click here. To learn more about the Hotel Carlton, click here.

So, good luck, and get to greening!

Have Your Health and Eat Your Cake, Too: Nutritionist Jodi Greebel Teaches You How to Splurge Responsibly

Gennefer Snowfield — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:08:03 +0000

For me, eating ‘healthy’ used to mean one stick of butter instead of two. But for the sake of my arteries (and wardrobe!), I decided to ditch fatty foods in favor of an all-natural diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and any other low calorie, high protein substance that typically had a distinct flavor, resembling cardboard.

Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I returned to the comforts of creamy comestibles, luxuriously languishing in lardaceous liquids, where I’ve been happily indulging ever since. That is, until Behind the Burner nutrition expert and author of The Little Black Apron, Jodi Greebel, came along to open my eyes to a lifestyle of healthy — yet satisfying — morsels that don’t require me to go cold turkey on tempting treats.

So, when I had Jodi captive, I picked her brain about nutrition, dining out, being a vegetarian, and how to eat healthy and delicious.

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Eco-Organizing: Domestic Diva, Krista Colvin, Shows You How to Be Green and Gorgeous in 2009

Gennefer Snowfield — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:07:45 +0000

One of the biggest challenges most people face is staying organized. It’s also one of the biggest new year’s resolutions for those who resolve to start their new year off clutter-free. But, for many, it’s an elusive process that either starts off strong and fizzles out, or seems so daunting a task that they don’t know where to begin.

Enter Krista Colvin, lifestyle expert, Founder of Organize in Style LLC and creator of The Shebang, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Doing It All, who sees your clutter as a canvas for crafting a well organized masterpiece that’s as eco-friendly as it is stylish. Best of all, she offers practical solutions that are easy to implement — and maintain — and will save you precious hours to boot. With Krista’s help, the only thing you’ll need to think about is what to do with all that extra time!

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World Peace and Chocolate: sweetriot creates morsels of goodness

Gennefer Snowfield — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:37:43 +0000

What if you could promote peace, foster a multicultural world, support local artists, help underdeveloped countries thrive and save the planet just by eating deliciously rich and organic chocolate candies?

Well, thanks to Sarah Endline, the creative genius and cacao bean extraordinaire behind sweetriot, you can. Oh, and did I mention that the chocolate candies are actually good for you, and rich in health benefits? I know it seems to good to be true, but Behind the Burner gave me the amazing chance to speak with Sarah who shows us how a sweet tooth and a passion for change can make anything possible.

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When Opposites Do Not Attract, Then What: To Each Our Own and Good Luck?

Adam Williams — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:49:39 +0000

I’ve been thinking.

Since I’m not an ironclad expert on … well, much of anything … what I think I bring to any discussion table is the interest in critical thought. And, as I’ve mentioned in past posts here at sustainablog, even that contribution – or the interest in making it – has wavered in recent months.

Then I had a bit of an epiphany – or maybe just a piece of an epiphany with the rest to flesh out as I continue to regain equilibrium in analyzing these lofty world issues, such as related to the environment, politics, culture wars and what the hell happened to Chase Daniel’s run at the Heisman Trophy.

What I realized was this: I’m not wrong.

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