I just read that San Francisco, in another moment of environmental health leadership (brilliance, I would call it), just launched the most ambitious recycling program in the nation. For a city that already diverts 72 percent of its trash from landfills, San Francisco didn’t sit on its laurels. Mayor Gavin Newsom promoted the law that adds mandatory composting to the program and forwards the goal of achieving 75 percent diversion and zero waste by 2020. Read the rest of this entry »
When we were on vacation a few weeks ago I picked up Sara Snow’s Fresh Living and read it in one day. It felt good to sit down and really dive into a book! I guess I will have to just go on another vacation if I ever want to finish a book again.
I learned a tremendous amount in this book, had many “ah ha!” moments and patted myself on the back a couple times.
For instance, Sara writes a lot about nurseries (maybe she was baby hungry while writing this book; now she would have the cutest baby!) and how to make sure they don’t have harmful chemicals. She writes about how important it is to watch what chemicals we put into, rub on, put around our new babies and that their bodies are so tiny and fragile you need to be even more aware and careful of everything.
For a healthy environment, do any redecorating, furnishing, and cleaning at least one month before you bring your baby home. If that’s impossible, let your baby sleep in a bassinet in your room while the new furnishings for her room off-gas elsewhere.
My kids love bubbles, but are they safe and eco-friendly?
This seems to be a hard question to get answered because I am not finding much info…anywhere.
Bubbles and kids go hand in hand. They are one of those childhood joys like balloons and balls, but balloons are not so eco-friendly and balls…I guess that depends on how they are made.
I love the handcrafted, unique and cool things that eco-artware carry in their online store. Baskets made from recycled chopsticks, coasters made from old records, and cute stuffed animals made from recycled sweaters.
They have recently added organic terrycloth bath mits. This cute Solar Polar Cub hand mitten is going to be a hit with my kids. One more thing to make bath time even more fun. Read the rest of this entry »
Now, Dutch Boy has introduced a line of paint called Refresh. This zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint is Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified. Another awesome bonus… this paint actually eliminates odors around the house. I can definitely take advantage of this benefit to help reduce the smoke odor in our home from the previous owners.
Hankettes began in 1996 as a small home business in the founders’ attic, making simple handkerchiefs out of organic cotton. Today, they make and sell some of the greatest in reusable “green” products out there. And there’s now much more than just handkerchiefs!
What makes Hankettes so great? There isn’t a single aspect of “green” production that they’ve missed. All their products are hand-sewn. The cloth is all organically-grown cotton. Coloured fabrics are either colour-grown or hand-dyed with fiber reactive dyes. Production is all local, along the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada. It’s still at heart a small family business. Their practices are transparent. Their website links to “green” information, resources, and even competitors. And the family itself is a homesteading, homeschooling, compost toileting role model, that truly walks the walk. They are proof positive that sustainable and ethical business practices can be successful.
Our business truly reflects our lives and enhances the lives of our environmentally conscious customers around the world who purchase our natural based products.
Tim Barklage and Kevin Tibbs became dads around the same time and became much more aware of the world around them, especially once their little girls started crawling.
They wanted safe, eco-friendly products that wouldn’t harm their children. Kevin Tibbs has worked as a formulation chemist for the past 11 years creating over 300 products that can be found in stores everywhere. Tim Barklage is a self described dreamer with a passion for living green. Together they createdBetter Life. Read the rest of this entry »
More and more homeowners are using rain barrels to conserve water while collecting soft, non-chlorinated rainwater to nourish grass and plants.
This weekend, in Calgary, Canada, Clean Calgary Association, in partnership with the City of Calgary, will hold its 8th AnnualRain Barrel Sale.
With spring coming, local residents there are thinking about their lawns and gardens. Water usage in Calgary doubles in the spring and summer due largely to lawn irrigation.
To help consumers further separate fact from fiction this Earth Day, Cotton Incorporated has created an interactive quiz, “Do You Know Green?” on its two popular websites, www.MysteryFabric.com and www.TheFabricOfOurLives.com.
There aren’t too many questions annoyingly promoting their brand and it is a great quiz to send “greenie newbies” to educate them a bit further. I even ended up using the quiz as a game to teach my children a few things.
The quiz takes users through a series of true and false statements that challenges them on topics such as:
· Is it more energy friendly to cool down your car with the air conditioner or by rolling down the windows?
· Is it better for the environment to wash dishes in the dishwasher or by hand?
· Do electronics use energy even when they are turned off?
