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Myths About Asbestos

With asbestos-related diseases occurring more frequently than ever, asbestos has been a popular topic of discussion lately. Unfortunately, there are still many misconceptions about the mineral. Awareness is an amazing, life-saving thing, but it’s important to be aware of the truth.

Below, we debunk three common myths about asbestos:

Myth # 1: Asbestos is banned in the United States.

As a known human carcinogen, you’d think asbestos would be banned in the United States. More than 50 countries outlaw the use of the fibers – but we aren’t one of them.

We do ban a few asbestos products: corrugated paper, rollboard, commercial/specialty paper and flooring felt. However, everything outside this range is still fair game. Companies may independently choose to use asbestos alternatives to protect their workers and avoid lawsuits, but it’s purely up to them.

Legislation did once seek to implement a nationwide ban on all asbestos products. However, asbestos lobbyists had the law reversed just a few short years later.... read more

5 Reasons to Build an Indoor Kitchen Garden

Building an indoor kitchen garden doesn't have to cost a lot of money. It can be as simple as a few pots on shelving units near the windows, or it can be as elaborate as you wish with heat lamps and UV lighting. There are many bonuses to investing your time into cultivating an indoor kitchen garden whether you are looking to increase the "feeling" of the room or would just like to add fresh ingredients to your cooking.


1. Organic Eating - Of course, eating organic depends on the chemicals you put into your fruits and vegetables. However, you may be inclined not to use such chemicals within your home. Growing your own veggies will provide you with edibles that are unscathed by the devices of humankind. In reality, you can't get any cleaner tomatoes and such outside of utilizing your own garden. Having it in the kitchen only makes it easier for you to add these components into your cooking plans.... read more

Why You Should Carbon Offset Your Flight

carbon offsetting flightsWe all love to travel to broaden our horizons, our experiences and our cultural boundaries, but planes consume fuel, generate carbon emissions and pollute the planet. In fact, air travel is the fastest growing source of the greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for climate change. If you dream of heading off to a far flung and exotic part of the world but you’re worried about the damage you’re doing to our planet, you should think about carbon offsetting your flight.

 What is carbon offsetting?

Carbon offsetting scheme providers, such as Carbon Footprint, Carbon Neutral Company and Climate Care agree that while everyone inadvertently produces carbon dioxide emissions (some more than others of course!), there are ways that you can help to reduce the earth's total emissions to balance it out. By making a small contribution to one of these offsetting scheme providers, you can render the carbon emissions produced by your flight neutral. This is usually a tiny percentage of the cost of your flight and can be simply done online after making your purchase.... read more

Four Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas

Most everyone around the world understands the importance of going green. They want to try to keep this eco-friendly idea running throughout all they do. This includes wrapping gifts, home items and being aware of what items you use or reuse. For those who are looking for a way to go eco-friendly with their gifts it is easier than you might think. Wrapping paper is not the only way you can wrap you gift for giving. There are actually many ways you can present your gift to a friend or family member while staying environmentally friendly. Check out these wonderful options for the next time you need to give a gift. You will be glad you did when you see how easy it is to go green with gift giving. 

Reusable Gift Bags 

While gift bags are quite popular a new trend is arising. Reusable bags are a great way to give your gift but also give a little something extra. These bags can be found in many department stores and are a great idea to put with your gift. They can reuse the bags for shopping, trips to the library or even pass it on to a friend. These bags have an endless amount of use to them and are not going to end up in the trash can. They can be used for trips to the beach or a picnic to the park. They typically have designs on them as well and you could even have them personalized. Many stores offer them so you can use them again and again to buy your groceries. Some stores even give you a discount for bringing in your own bags. ... read more

Greener Homes and Gardens

greener gardenThe perfect hybrid of green, healthy and beautiful are qualities that we should look for in our day-to-day lives. Providing a lovely living space while nurturing our families and helping them grow is the formula for a good life. Sadly, not everything is made of sunshine and daisies, and the water you drink and the veggies you eat, might not be as pure as you think. According to the EPA, there are pesticides used on your food can have negative effects on your health and the environment. Although the use of pesticides have been reduced since 2007, the EPA uses close to a billion pounds per year of commercial pesticides on crops in the U.S.

Pesticide manufacturing plants have even been known to make the National Priorities List (NPL), a list of places labeled extremely toxic by the EPA. To help in the  reduction of toxic sites, there are remediation companies, like Sevenson Environmental, that can restore valuable plots of land.

A Bounty In Your Kitchen

If you don't have a yard, or you'd like to keep gardening during cold winter months, there are plenty of kitchen or spare-room friendly gardening options for you. You've probably seen the infomercial for the Topsy Turvy Tomato grower, which can be grown indoors and found online for less than ten dollars. The same company also makes a Topsy Turvy Strawberry grower that can hang from just about anywhere. For the devoted kitchen gardener, Urban Farmer makes a mushroom growing kit for less than 30 dollars. You can grow up to two pounds of fresh mushrooms in as little as ten days.... read more

Top 5 Online Sources from Which to Purchase Eco-Friendly Home Cleaning Goods

There are obvious benefits to living in a clean environment. Besides the fact that it’s more comfortable, a clean space is healthier to be in. Dust, dirt, bacteria, and other forms of unclean irritants can lead to various health problems, some of which are more serious than others. With that in mind, it is not surprising that cleaning products of some sort can be found in nearly every home and workplace.

The good news is, eco-friendly cleaning products can be used to clear away dirt, germs, and grime just as effectively as those products made from harsh chemicals. These products are safe to use, and they are kind to the environment.

 

Keep your home clean and healthy with eco-friendly cleaning products.

About EPP

EPP stands for Environmentally Preferable Purchasing. This is a sort of guide provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is designed to help the federal government in making green purchases. Besides just considering how a product impacts the environment, other things are also taken into account, such as its performance, availability, and price competitiveness.

These same considerations can be used to determine quality eco-friendly products for the home. In other words, begin by ensuring that the product is kind to the environment. Consider the ingredients used, but also consider things like the packaging and shipping methods.

For instance, concentrated formulas and refillable bottles are one green option. Recycled-content packaging is another. Bulk shipping is a green initiative. Pumps are more eco-friendly than aerosols, and all products should provide clear labeling that includes information about how to use the product as well as how to properly dispose of the product.... read more

4 Inventive Uses For Solar Energy Around The House

As consumer awareness of energy efficiency rises many people are being motivated to help the environment and save money on their electric bills at the same time. Regardless the motivation behind the goal, those of us looking to get a better handle on our energy bills should consider solar energy.

Solar screens

The number one access point for heat entering your home is through the windows. Fortunately you can prevent a good quantity of heat from entering your home making it easier to keep cool by investing in solar screens. Not only do solar screens your home cooler during the summer months, but they also create a custom look for you home, protect your carpet, furniture and blinds from UV damage and provide an increase in daytime privacy.... read more

Celebrities Who Try to Build Green

celebrity green housesIn addition to a privileged zip code, the ultimate expression of success may now include a commitment to “building green.” 

The smart-celeb- set including Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, and Johnny Depp insist on the use of recycled materials and “off the grid” energy solutions. The rich and famous now compete to achieve the coolest eco-friendly environments while addressing major pollutants such as asphalt-shingle waste in roof replacements and grey-water waste. 

Green building improvements are rapidly challenging traditional ostentation and decor as a new hallmark of power and prosperity. Home renovation advocates compete to build sustainable mansions for eco-friendly stars with features like living roofs and radiant geo-thermal heating. Eco-friendly values and resource-efficient building methods have come to define design, construction, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction of new and existing structures. ... read more

Sustainable Sources of Energy

sustainable energy - windHumans require energy to engage in normal activities in their daily lives. This includes traveling that is required to get to work or school, cooking food, construction of buildings, and the manufacturing of all the mundane products in use each day. Energy is needed to power the daily lives of the individuals who live throughout the world. The consumption of energy is growing every day and this means sustainable sources of energy are needed. Sustainable sources of energy are those that are renewable.


1. Water

The use of water for power has existed long before the invention of electricity. Water has been used for powering mills and other machinery located next to a river. Stream is a byproduct of water that is being used to generate electricity and has been used to power locomotives. The construction of dams in many countries around the world proves that water can be harnessed as a sustainable source of energy. A dam to hold back a river creates a reservoir. The water in the reservoir is sent through large pipes into a turbine to generate electricity that is stored in a battery or sent to the power grid.... read more

Grey Is The New Green

Green is the colour associated with the environment, but why not grey? Used and grey bathwater can look pretty unpleasant, but in the coming decades the thought of our bathwater being recycled may become increasingly more common. There are already a number of methods in place that can facilitate the recycling of water which we use in the home. 

Grey water is water that is recycled, typically the water that's used for washing clothes and dishes, and/or for showering and bathing. There are a number of methods used to prevent the water from being wasted, which range from a simple bucket to the type of grey water recycling system made by the likes of Lowara and Armstrong. Grey water systems are one clever way through which water can be recycled. These systems can be used to redirect water from butts, and redirect used bathwater and washing machine water, to create a water system that caters for the needs of everyone in a home.... read more