By Levi Novey •
June 22, 2008
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Several days ago, I read a story about how Peru’s butterfly exports had increased 43% from January-April of this year. These are the butterflies that are pinned into glass frames for sale as gifts and souvenirs. I wondered if all of these butterflies included those that are exported illegally and those that are endangered. Questions of this kind were on my mind as just several days earlier my family had passed by a street vendor who sold animals illegally.
One of the animals was a baby monkey, caged and frightened. We live in the highlands region of Peru, so the monkey was far from its former home in the rainforest. My wife, who in the past worked as a biologist throughout Peru, told me that she thought this was an endangered monkey. As we walked home, I wished I had brought my camera. This I thought, is a story that needs to be pursued.
By Susan Vallee •
May 31, 2008
I am so impressed with the folks at Kee-Ka! They sell adorable organic cotton clothing and accessories for babies/toddlers/pets with simple graphics (sweet pea, pumpkin and lion are my personal favorites). All metal closures are nickel free and they utilize fair trade manufacturing standards.
But what makes this company truly stand out is the packaging! See, when you purchase a Kee-Ka item it comes housed in this nifty little brown box crafted of recycled paper that is ready to be mailed in three simple steps. No digging for wrapping paper, no searching for tape, no “This looks like my kid wrapped it” thoughts. Nada.
By Deb Hiett •
May 8, 2008
Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home is the new book that helps every parent “de-tox” their home and make a safer, greener environment for their children. It’s filled with simple steps and easy solutions you can implement in your home now. This guide covers all areas including indoors and outdoors, cleaning products, toys, and clothes, as well as cleaner air and water. There is even a chapter about [...]
Urban Agriculturalist is a series on the ways city and suburb dwellers use their land as a food resource.
Behold Gallus Domesticus, the backyard chicken and latest slow food phenomenon. Traumatized by images of chicken warehouses, disgusted by food recalls and perhaps even longing for animal companionship, urban dwellers are becoming enthusiastic chicken owners. Urban Chickens is their gathering place, Backyard Poultry their manifesto and Mad City Chicken their rallying cry. But just where does one procure a baby chicken? How many eggs can a person expect? And what level of companionship are we talking here? All this and more after the jump.
Editor’s note: Today we begin a content partnership with Life Goggles, a site devoted to “Green reviews, news, and interviews.” Each week, we’ll publish one of LG’s product reviews on one of our network sites. As a dog owner, I was immediately drawn to this post, which was originally published on Wednesday, February 14, 2008.
California based Skooperbox apparently spent a couple of years trying to find a green way of dealing with dog mess.
Skooperboxes are small, pop-open boxes made from 100 percent recycled materials. Complete with lid and a scraper, each Skooperbox apparently makes it quick and tidy to clean up your dog’s mess. The boxes are available in two sizes (not sure if one is big enough for a horse though - if not they should think of that…), and are completely biodegradable in a “few days” (more realistically less than a month, but much much quicker than plastic bags!).
By Amy Stodghill •
August 27, 2007
Conventional clay and silica-based kitty litters are not only burdens on landfills, but they come from strip mines (a very non-ecofriendly practice). Switch your cat over to some natural alternatives. These natural based litters are biodegradable, reduce odor and have less dust, which means less irritation for your cat’s lungs (and your lungs too.)
In her article on greening pets, GO’s Kelli Best-Oliver suggests a wheat based litter
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By Amy Stodghill •
July 13, 2007
Yes. You should pick it up. Even if no one is around. Bag it. Scoop it. Compost it. Whatever you do, please clean up that dog poop.
Leaving dog-doo on the ground is a big no-no, especially if you live within the vicinity of others. Aside from the courtesy factor, left behind 'gifts' can cause the spread of diseases and bacteria including tapeworm, roundworm, cryptosporidium, and e.coli. These can
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By Chris Baskind •
June 13, 2007
Editor's Note: Today, Chris Baskind editor at Lighter Footstep writes on the importance of keeping dryer sheets at bay from our pets.
Well-meaning pet owners are using dryer sheets to control pet hair. Is this such a good idea?
We love our pets — and they love us. Which is the main reason dog and cat dander seems to get everywhere: on the sofa, your clothes, and your carpet. Your
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Editor's note: Pets are on everyone's minds, it seems! Today, GNMParents writer Heike Boehmke-Sharp adds to the discussion with her ideas on buying pet food and waste disposal bags. Don't forget to take a look at Jennifer's contribution at GNMParents.
Pets are a man’s best friend! They can be “green” too :)…
I have a 17 year old Husky/Shepard mix, and recently we adopted a new “little” Shepard puppy
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Last week I wrote about how pet owners can make more sustainable choices when it comes to their pets. A few days later, Green Options received an e-mail from James, a pet owner whose Dalmation, Hamish, suffered grand mal seizures from what James believed were toxic flea/tick medications.
Upon further investigation, it turns out that the EPA didn't even regulate over-the-counter pet products such as these until 1996, and was still phasing out
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