Poor Fido is scratching away, and you know you need to do something to get rid of his fleas. But, do you want to put poison on man's best friend? Probably not. The hazards of traditional flea and tick products are really startling.
Luckily, there are some non-toxic and green alternatives to flea control.
Neem: Neem is a tree native to India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Pakistan. It's used for medical purposes so commonly in India that some of its nicknames are "Heal All" and "Nature's Drugstore." You can buy pet shampoos and oils made of neem and it will not only kill and repel fleas, but it will help soothe your pet's skin which is likely irritated by all of the scratching!... read more
Tricycles for adults? Electric bikes as a replacement for cars?
Two and three wheel electric powered bikes, also referred to as ebikes, motorized bicycle or light electric vehicle (LEV), have been gaining popularity. The market for ebikes is growing faster than the one for cars and trucks and it's one of the booming Green sectors.
Motorized bicycles are powered by an electric motor (in the past, some used a small internal combustion engine) and they are distinguished from electric motorcycles and scooters by being capable of being powered by pedals alone, if required.
Electric bikes and tricycles have the potential to revolutionize transportation in our neighborhoods, places of work, and ‘going’ around town. A significant percentage of car rides are for short trips to local destinations, running errands, accessing your town’s shops or business districts, getting to medical appointments, riding to work, etc., often with only one person in the car.
Touted as a substitute to automobiles, electric bikes and trikes enable us to drive a car significantly less. In some cases it may replace a car altogether.
As a transportation mode, ebikes have a direct impact on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Automobiles contribute to air, water, and noise pollution. The motored bike’s footprint is so minor when compared to that of a midsize car, which creates thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in its manufacturing process and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an additional 20 pounds per gallon is burned while driving.... read more
A scary piece of information: Americans spend over 3 billions of dollars on Halloween (statistics from 2006 and 2007)! This includes parties, candy, decorations, and, of course, costumes.
As our environmental and health awareness increases, we may want to choose alternative and greener ways to celebrate a fabulous Holiday, and also demonstrate to our friends and family how to be considerate to nature on Halloween.
Here are 5 unusual tips to Green your Halloween:... read more
Who else hates that plastic packaging (called blister packs or clamshell or oyster packaging) that things like electronics come in? I think they're so annoying, dangerous, unnecessary, and bad for the environment. There's even a name for the anger associated with opening these packages: wrap rage! Who hasn't had a bout of wrap rage when trying to open up the packaging for something they were initially excited about?... read more
We live in a disposable society. Right now, the norm for many products is that they're for one-time-use. From napkins, to water bottles, to coffee filters, you use them once and then dispose of them immediately.
While we do keep some disposable items in our home, we try to use them as seldom as possible. Depending on what you are cleaning up, paper towels, paper napkins, and even dirty tissues can be composted, so when you do use a paper towel to wipe up that marinara sauce you just spilled all over the counter, you can toss it in the compost bin instead of the trash.
Of course, it would be even better to wipe the counter with a kitchen towel. A paper towel is a one-time-use product, but a good kitchen towel can last you a very long time. Any kitchen towel is better than a paper towel, but to be your greenest, you can buy ones made of organic cotton, bamboo, or hemp.... read more
Several months back I challenged all of you to “spare a square:” to reduce the amount of toilet paper you use by 50% at each sitting and to use recycled T.P. whenever possible. This challenge was met with great response.
Now I pose a new challenge: Dust off your clothespins and reduce the use of your clothes dryer! I will share some (shocking!) facts about dryer use and the environment and my personal challenge commitment. I encourage you all to post your challenge commitments and follow-up to let us know how your doing!
Gobble, gobble! Can you believe that we're a month away from Thanksgiving?
If you're hosting Turkey Day at your house, there are many things you can do to make sure it's as green as possible. I won't bore you with the tips of the "don't forget to recycle on Thanksgiving!" variety, but there might be something you hadn't thought of in terms of greening your Thanksgiving: buy your turkey directly from a farm!... read more
A lot of times you hear about how using electric space heaters wastes a lot of energy. But, what about those in-between times of the year where you're not sure you need to heat up your entire house but it's too cold to comfortably sit and read a book in your living room? What is more energy efficient: using a space heater to just heat the room you're in for a short period of time, or to tur... read more
You've got your compost bin, homemade dishwashing detergent, and homegrown organic tomatoes in the kitchen, but now it's time to think about "greening up" another room in your home. Let's green your bathroom!
Poor Fido is scratching away, and you know you need to do something to get rid of his fleas. But, do you want to put poison on man's best friend? Probably not. The
Who else hates that plastic packaging (called blister packs or clamshell or oyster packaging) that things like electronics come in? I think they're so annoying, dangerous, unnecessary, and bad for the environment. There's even a name for the anger associated with opening these packages: 
We live in a disposable society. Right now, the norm for many products is that they're for one-time-use. From napkins, to water bottles, to coffee filters, you use them once and then dispose of them immediately. 
Gobble, gobble! Can you believe that we're a month away from Thanksgiving? 
A lot of times you hear about how using electric space heaters wastes a lot of energy. But, what about those in-between times of the year where you're not sure you need to heat up your entire house but it's too cold to comfortably sit and read a book in your living room? What is more energy efficient: using a space heater to just heat the room you're in for a short period of time, or to tur
You've got your compost bin, homemade dishwashing detergent, and homegrown organic tomatoes in the kitchen, but now it's time to think about "greening up" another room in your home. Let's green your bathroom!