Go Green Lifestyle - Easy Ways To Go Green And Help Save The Environment

Going Green in the Garden, Part 4

Sara — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:17:51 +0000

If you’re gardening this season, you’re probably already on your way with little plants popping up and testifying to your green thumb. Congratulations! Now it’s time for maintenance, which usually means watering and weeding.

Both of these have something in common that will make your job much easier. This magic product is mulch. If you mulch around your plants and in your flowerbeds, you’ll cut down on weeding because the weeds won’t be able to poke through very easily. That means fewer weed-killing chemicals, which is always a great way to go green. Mulching also means less watering, because it helps the soil retain moisture instead of letting the sun dry it out or letting the water evaporate easily.
There are lots of different things you can mulch with. Compost, grass clippings, hay and leaves all biodegrade fairly quickly, and aren’t especially nice to look at. Cocoa shells are more aesthetically pleasing, but they still break down after a season or so. More permanent options include wood chips, bark nuggets, shells, rocks or ground cover, which is known as “living mulch.” Living mulch is also very helpful in dealing with soil erosion problems.

Shells or rocks serve less to conserve water than they do to even out temperature swings, because they can retain the day’s heat. To minimize your water usage, heavier, more absorbent mulch like wood chips, bark nuggets, or grass clippings will work best. Check with a local garden center about what will work best for your area. Because there are so many variations in mulching, someone local will be able to give you the best advice. Go green with mulch, and your plants and water bill will thank you.

Going Green in the Garden, part 3

Sara — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:32:25 +0000

Now that your soil is amended, go back to your garden center or local nursery and find out what plants grow best where you live. This is a key component to going green as a gardener: native plants are “greener” because they happily grow with fewer resources. Even if you don’t go with true native plants, be careful to buy plants that are adjusted to your climate. Shade- and cool-weather-loving primroses won’t be very happy on a sunny Los Angeles windowsill, but a Gazania (or African daisy) will flourish with lots of sun and hardly any water.
The watering aspect is very important to choosing plants suited to your area. If you don’t live in a rainy area, choose plants that are drought resistant. Not only will you avoid battling wilting plants with a garden hose, you’ll also minimize your water use. If you can come up with a way to save some of your graywater (from showering or washing dishes with biodegradable products – graywater is basically all the wastewater that leaves your house that isn’t sewage, or blackwater) you can use that to water plants. Using graywater can be a fantastic way to save water, but it has to be done responsibly. Do plenty of research first.
It’s generally a good idea to add some fertilizer when you pot or plant your plants. Check with your nursery on some good green or organic options specific to what you’re buying. Generally, aged manure (which is probably available for free or cheap on your local Craigslist under “farm and garden”) is a good fertilizer. You can collect your used coffee grounds and check with local coffee shops for theirs (Starbucks will even bag them for you!) and apply them as fertilizers. Eggshells can also be useful. Of course, the winner of all organic fertilizers is the stuff out of your compost pile.

Going Green in the Garden, Part 2

Sara — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:22:07 +0000

You’d think that gardening, a natural activity where you engage the land and make things grow, would be an easy way to go green, utterly safe from the tentacles of modern toxic chemicals and plastics and other things that are harmful to the earth. Well, you’d be wrong, sadly. A careful gardener can be a restorer of the land, but it’s not as simple as running down to Lowe’s and coming home with a bunch of tomato plants and mixing a vat of Miracle-Gro.

Soil preparation is that crucial first step to a vibrant, healthy garden. There are two basic categories of soil amendments you can go with: organic and inorganic. Guess which one is green. Organic amendments include ash, peat moss, sphagnum moss, grass clippings, compost, aged manure, you get the idea. Inorganic includes vermiculite, perlite, tire rubber, and other generally not-natural stuff (though sand and gravel are also inorganic amendments, and are obviously not environmentally toxic).

The necessary soil amendments vary based on what you’re planting. Some plants like more acid, so adding coffee grounds to the soil would be great. If you’re planting stuff that prefers more alkaline soil, then wood ash is a better choice. If you’re a bit of a green-green gardener (you know, the kind who’s eco-conscious but inexperienced) bring some of your soil to the good folks at your local nursery and talk with them about ways to go green amending the soil in your garden. They’ll be able to help you test the soil. Make sure to specify that you want organic amendments. One other bonus to using natural stuff in your garden is that it’s much cheaper and even free sometimes. After all, who do you know who sells their fireplace ash? Go natural and go green.

Learn more about Organic Gardening

Just a commercial- But a good one

Sara — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:10:34 +0000

It’s pretty cool what Sunchips is doing. A compostable bag and their plant is run on solar energy. Good stuff.

Ways to Go Green in the Garden, Part 1

Sara — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:01:03 +0000

With spring already in full force in some places and just around the corner in others, gardening season is about to get underway. So let’s talk about going green with gardening gear. Plants, fertilizers, techniques, and all the rest aside, the best way to go green is always to use what you already have or buy used stuff. But to be realistic, sometimes you find yourself needing new gear and buying used isn’t an option. So how do you shop for green garden-wear? Here’s what to look for.
1. Gloves. Hemp is a great choice. It’s natural and sustainable, durable, resistant to rot, and compostable when they’re worn out. Or go green with bamboo, a sustainable, durable and naturally antibacterial product. Bamboo also wicks moisture from the skin (not that you’d get dirty or sweaty while gardening). Though there are green leather options out there, you’ll want to do careful research about the tanning process used, which can incorporate chemicals harmful for people and the environment.
2. Clogs or boots. Your best bet for going green with your footwear is to use something recycled (like an old pair of running shoes that doesn’t have the support for exercise anymore – buy some good arch supports to compensate for this) or to get a high-quality product that will last you forever. Rubbers and plastics aren’t really very green any way you cut it, so durability is the name of the game here. If you only have to replace your footwear once every ten years, the impact is minimized.
3. Clothes. Like your parents used to say, “It’s not a fashion show.” Old jeans, old t-shirts, Goodwill, Salvation Army, whatever. You should NOT be buying new clothes to muck around in the dirt.
4. Hat. Nobody wants a sun burn on the top of her head, or a farmer’s tan on the back of his neck. Or melanoma, for that matter. Hemp/cotton blends are good, and there are plenty of options for organic cotton, bamboo, and straight hemp out there. Straw is another good natural choice. Try to avoid buying stuff with plastic or foam, and don’t forget to look for use of nontoxic dyes. Old baseball caps are okay too, though they don’t offer much neck protection unless you wear a…
5. Bandana. Good for wiping sweat, using as a sweatband around your head, tying around your neck…there are so many uses! Go for organic cotton, bamboo or hemp, again. Hemp and bamboo will smell nicer for longer because of their wicking and antibacterial/antifungal properties. Cotton will need a washing regularly.

Recycling Cardboard

Sara — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:09:26 +0000

Everyone knows that recycling is one of the tenets of going green. Most of us hear “recycling” and think, “Yeah, yeah, I put the newspapers and the soda cans in the bin. Check that off the list,” but recycling can really be more about a lifestyle shift toward looking for new ways to use what you already have, which means avoiding buying new things and ultimately creating less waste.
Cardboard boxes are great to store stuff in. Chances are good that your attic of basement is full of old boxes that are full of old stuff. But let’s get outside the box (pardon the pun!) and look at some ways to go green recycling cardboard.
Cover a smaller cardboard box (about twice as wide and deep as a shoebox) with used wrapping paper or a brown paper bag cut to size and decorated a little, and use it as recycling bin for an office, a file organizer, an inbox for bills and receipts…
Work with the kids on their own cubby boxes. Make a game of finding old stuff to decorate the boxes with. Place the boxes near a door, so the boxes can be quick pickup and drop-off points for homework, backpacks, sports stuff, permission slips, etc.
Cut the top off a box, then cut each side down so you’re left with a shallow tray a few inches deep. Cover it or paint it with a little craft paint, and tape in a few other pieces of cardboard the same height in a grid pattern to create a desktop or drawer organizer. If you skip the grid and cut a few handles in the side, you get a light-duty tray.
Go green twice by making yourself a seed tray to start that garden in by lining the cardboard tray with a large plastic bag. Secure the bag with a bit of tape if necessary. Trimmed-down shoeboxes are great for seed trays because you can use the lid as extra support on the bottom.
Cut thick cardboard sized to fit under the feet of furniture if you have wood floors. It’s a great cheap alternative to non-biodegradable adhesive furniture pads.
Once your cardboard creations have reached the end of their useful life, go ahead and compost them. Just remember to remove non-biodegradable decorations (like tape) that you may have used.

Clean and Green: Five easy ways to go green while cleaning your house

Sara — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:38:42 +0000

1. Stop using paper towels whenever possible. Get your hands on some old towels (your own, a friend who’s cleaning out the linen closet, craigslist them…) and use those cloth towels for wiping up spills, cleaning the top of your stove, or dusting. Use recycled-content paper towels when necessary.
2. Speaking of dusting, you can try dust cloths that are reusable indefinitely. Swiffer dust cloths do the job well, but unfortunately, they can’t be reused. The materials, packaging, and manufacturing energy that get thrown away after just a few swipes of a dusty bookshelf create a lot of waste. Try static dust cloths instead (without an aerosol dusting spray).
3. Cleaning mirrors or windows can be another non-green chore, but you can eliminate both the paper towel waste and the chemicals by using a microfiber cloth especially for cleaning glass. Dampened with a bit of water, these cloths will leave your glass and mirrors clean and free of lint and streaks.
4. Evaluate your cleaning product lineup. Don’t use chemicals that aren’t necessary, like dusting sprays. Buy green next time, and look for Green Seal certification. Keep in mind that not all green products carry the Green Seal certification, so it’s still a good idea to do a little research and decide what products suit you best. Many green products, like Simple Green or Seventh Generation, only cost a bit more than their conventional counterparts.
5. Make your own cleaning products. White vinegar is a cleaning powerhouse, great for wiping off stovetops, stainless steel, microwave insides, and countertops. Combine with baking soda for clearing drain clogs, or with baking soda and lemon for cleaning bathroom surfaces (even the toilet!).

What are your favorite green cleaning tips?

Globally Green - Simple Steps To An Earth Friendly Life

Going Green In Your Home

It’s Easy Cleaning Green-And it Saves Money

Sara — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:16:21 +0000

Clean The Air In Your Home

Sara — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:01:45 +0000

She’s Just Funny!

Sara — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:15:12 +0000

]]>