Live Green. Love Green.

When it's time for a change in your home and you are concerned about the earth, you want to find eco-friendly chic decorating tips you can follow.  Luckily, numerous decorating companies understand your desire to protect the environment - they make products from recycled materials and offer sustainable goods.  The following tips will make your home both eco-friendly and beautiful. 1. No matter which room in your home you are redecorating, chances are you will want a luxurious rug in which to sink your toes.  Eco-friendly rug manufacturers make hypoallergenic rugs with materials that keep the environment in mind.  Choose rugs that do not use formaldehyde and other toxins to protect your family and the planet.   2. Re-use and re-purpose items you may already own.  If you are trying to find ways to separate the living space in a large room, a screen divider is the perfect solution.  Make a screen divider out of one or more screen doors. Add a panel of fabric over each door and

Wait!   What's in that delicious muffin you're eating? Or those potato chips you're crunching on?  Or that canned soup you're slurping?  Maybe, a lot more than you thought!  Chemical additives are used to affect flavors or preserve products, and although they do have certain uses  these additives can negatively affect your health.  It's important to pay attention to and be aware of what is actually in your 'food' and to look for alternatives that aren't filled with harmful additives.   Listed below are some common food additives that could be dangerous to your health: 1. Titanium dioxide.   Titanium dioxide is a common ingredient in sunscreens, but it's also used as a food additive.  You may find it in salad dressings, powdered sugars, baked goods and other items. The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers titanium dioxide a dangerous food additive and recommends that consumers avoid eating it. The agency labels it as a cl

The world today has many challenges and struggles, in providing and sustaining human life adequately. Therefore there is a sense of urgency to understand and practice better and more conscious efforts to recycle anything and everything. Simply put, recycling is the process of collecting, separating and reusing as much as possible the originally manufactured product whenever possible. It can also constitute the evolution of product that can come from the reuse or recycled material. Going green is one of the hottest topics explored today. Almost everyone is into this new “fad” and this is of course a very positive behavioral pattern if correctly nurtured. Educating one’s self is perhaps the first and most prudent step one can take when venturing into the going green platform. There is a lot of information available on the various aspects of going green such as green thinking, environmental efforts, sustainable living and many others. A popular way of making use of unused clo

National Green Week  begins the first full week of February and runs through the end of April.   Schools are encouraged to celebrate a Green Week at any point during this time by engaging their students with lesson plans, projects, and activities that highlight sustainability.  Teachers who are interested in participating n the largest environmental education movement can join 10,000 other schools and 5 million children who are already a part of it through the Green Education Foundation (GEF).  The GEF has several sustainability focused programs and themes that provide 5 days worth of standards-based lesson plans, activities, suggested reading lists, sustainability tips, contests and more.   Anyone interested in learning more about this empowering program should check out  http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/greenweek.html  for more information. For more green living tips follow me on  Facebook  &  Instagram  and be sure to subscribe to my  Website  for your  FREE Gree

You can be very eco-friendly by buying all used clothing.  That way you don’t contribute to the manufacturing process or need to worry about what the clothes are made of, because buying them used means that you’re using something that is already there.  You’re not encouraging more to be made by buying it used, and you’re keeping it from the landfill a little longer. But, if you really do need and want to buy something new, you can find eco-friendly clothing if you know what to look for. Organic Fibers – When you buy organic and renewable fibers such as cotton or bamboo, you’re helping avoid too many problems.  This is because there are no pesticides going into the environment, which makes these fibers better.  Recycled Fibers – One exception to using organic is to use recycled fibers.  There are processes that turn old plastic into soft fabrics that are safe and environmentally friendly.  These recycled fibers make excellent choices. Recycled fabrics usually use less water

Each year the second full week in February is dedicated to celebrating National Second Hand Wardrobe Week. You can celebrate this inherently ‘green’ week by swapping clothes with family, friends and neighbors, donating clothing to local charity organizations, or by buying clothing from a local thrift store.  By avoiding conventional new clothing items we can conserve resources, prevent pollution, save money, help others, and get creative.  Buying second hand can be especially helpful when outfitting your child( ren ) since they tend to outgrow items at a rapid pace.  If you’re a parent you can give outgrown clothing new life by donating it to local families or a thrift store.  I mentioned in one of my January posts that I was trying to come up with some sort of clothing resolution to reduce my consumer impact.  I’m so guilty of buying an abundance of clothing I don’t need and hanging on to clothing in the back of my closet that I will never end up wearing.  Admittedly, s

There are lots of ways to go greener at home. The kitchen is one of the best places to do this. Go beyond recycling to greening your everyday kitchen and dining items. Green Dinnerware We are not suggesting you ditch your dinnerware, but if you have to replace it, look for dinnerware that is made from 100% recycled glass. Green Containers Try BPA-free plastic containers to cut down on food packaging like foil and wax paper. Also use them for packing lunches for the whole family. Create your own make and freeze meals by cooking in bulk and dividing them into homemade TV dinners. This will be healthier, save money and cut down on packaging waste compared to buying frozen meals in the supermarket. Cooking and Serving Utensils Rosewood is a durable and sustainable material, which makes it an ideal choice for cooking and serving utensils. Invest in rosewood utensils such as salad servers, spoons, spatulas, cake servers and anything else that suits your lifestyle and level of

February is National Care About Your Air Month! According to the EPA, indoor air pollution is the #1 environmental health problem in America.  This is especially alarming when we consider that we spend 90% of our time within our homes and offices.   It’s even scarier when we consider that this air pollution affects our children more than it affects us as adults.   Here are a few common causes of indoor air pollution: - Pets - Building materials & furnishings - Cleaning products - Burning scented candles - Cooking (especially with a gas stove) - Fireplaces/wood burning stoves Here are a few health related issues associated with indoor air pollution: -  Asthma - COPD  (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) - Fatigue - Dizziness /headaches - Nose  bleeds - Allergies - Lung  cancer It is extremely important that we keep our indoor air quality as safe & healthy as possible for our personal health and the health of our families.