Green Vaccine

The Brelli

Anne Karine — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:20:54 +0000

A Brelli is the world’s first biodegradable umbrella. It has a clear and sustainable bamboo canopy. It functions just like any other umbrella, but also lets light in - and biodegrades within just five years! What great idea! This concept will hopefully apply to other items that I frequently lose, like sunglasses and lip balm.

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Green Holiday Ideas

Traci Latoz — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:04:29 +0000

With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, it’s time to start planning for green Holiday celebrations. To get things kicked off, I’ve scoured the web in search of environmentally-friendly holiday frills. Here are a two ideas for getting started.

Do you send Holiday greeting cards? Here’s an eco-friendly option for you…and one that kindly reminds the recipient to celebrate green this year. The card above is made from 100% recycled paper, 50% of which is post-consumer content. These recycled greeting cards are available at Cards Direct.

The festive and environmentally friendly wrapping paper shown above is made from 100% post consumer recycled fibers. It’s printed with vegetable inks, and is chlorine free. One package contains 2 large sheets, and there are matching gift tags available. What’s even better is that the paper is made in the USA, and packaged by adults with disabilities. The recycled wrapping paper is available at Earth Love’n Paper Products. You know, if you’re careful, you can reuse wrapping paper a couple times before it’s wrecked.

Turn Your Fridge into a Green Machine

Traci Latoz — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:41:10 +0000

You may have recently read our energy saving tips for your refrigerator. Just to recap- they included keeping your refrigerator full, but not overly full, and selecting an Energy Star refrigerator. But, did you know there are even more things you can do turn your refrigerator into an earth-friendly green machine?

Glass Storage Containers: Storing food in glass containers, such as the Pyrex storage containers above, naturally keeps food colder, and reduces your refrigerator’s work load.

Vacuum Coils: Every few months, use your vacuum cleaner to remove the dust and cobwebs from your refrigerator coils. Clean coils make for a more efficient refrigerator. A soft bristled brush may also be handy for cleaning tight areas.

Avoid the Sun: If your refrigerator sits in a sunny spot, either move it, or cover the nearby window with window blinds, or insulated curtains. Source: Ideal Bite.

The Pyrex containers above are available at Cookware.Com.

Logmaker Makes Recycled Heating Fuel

Traci Latoz — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:51:25 +0000

Are you using a wood burning stove or fireplace to keep warm this winter? Here’s a great way to conserve energy by converting your household waste into recycled heating fuel. The Logmaker is a plastic gizmo for making tightly rolled, compressed logs out of burnable lawn waste, or even junk mail.

Using the Logmaker begins with creating an outer shell made from newspaper. Then you can fill the outer shell with any burnable household waste, and tightly compress it with the Logmaker’s plunger. Finish by tucking in the edges, and your log is complete. It’s the tightly compressed, and rolled composition of the homemade logs that allows them to burn much longer than the same materials would if burned loosely.

This would also be handy for using with outdoor fire pots, chimineas, and camping gear.

The Logmaker is made in the U.K., and it is available in a recycled plastic model. For complete instructions, and more info, visit the Logmaker website.

Green Thanksgiving Travel Tips

Traci Latoz — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:08:11 +0000

If you’re like millions of other Americans, you may be planning to travel around Thanksgiving. Here are some green travel tips for planning an environmentally-friendly Thanksgiving trip.

1) Invest in Quality Luggage: If you’ve found yourself needing a new luggage set this year, resist the urge to save a buck on plastic, poorly constructed bags in favor of luggage that’s designed to last awhile. After all, buying one quality luggage set that will last a decade, maybe longer, is much more environmentally-friendly than buying cheaper suitcases every couple years. You’ll probably save money in the long run.

2) Toiletries: Avoid purchasing those little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. I know, they’re awfully cute, but they’re a packaging nightmare, and close in price to their larger counterparts. If you have room, just pack your full size toiletries, or buy a set of reusable travel bottles.

3) Green Hotels: If you aren’t staying with your mother-in-law, look for a hotel that shares your green living priorities. Don’t forget to ask if the hotel offers recycling for guests. For help finding a green hotel, visit the Green Hotels Association.

The Samsonite luggage set above includes 2 wheeled suitcases with retractable handles, an upright tote bag, and a toiletry case. The set includes a 10-year warranty, meaning you probably won’t have to replace it anytime soon. I found the Samsonite luggage set at Luggage Online.

Shower Head Aerates, Conserves Water

Traci Latoz — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:22:46 +0000

We’ve all heard of shower heads that conserve water by restricting the flow of water, but this one goes about things a little differently. This shower head, made by Oxygenics, oxygenates the water flow through 16 ”air entrance ports” which results in water that contains 10 times the oxygen content of normal tap water, and reduced water consumption.

Manufacturers claim that highly-aerated water is more refreshing, and rejuvinating spa-like experience (Hey, I like the sound of that). In addition, oxygenated water promotes healthy cell reproduction, and promotes a youthful appearance. Water conservation and the promise of youth? What more could you ask for?

Oxygenics shower heads also include handheld units which allow you to pause the water flow when you need to….another great way to save water. I found the Oxygenics shower head at Home Depot for $49.99. No shower is complete without some fluffy organic bath towels…check them out.

Energy Efficient Toaster Gets a Big “DUH”

Traci Latoz — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 04:01:26 +0000

Wow! Even toasters are getting green makeovers. As soon as I got over the glee of finding this, all I could think of was “DUH” why hasn’t anyone thought of this before! The Ecolectric 2-slice toaster uses a third less energy than regular household toasters due to the auto-close lids over the bread slots. Ingenious! The lids hold the heat in, which cooks the bread faster. Hey- and that means less time spent waiting on breakfast.

Besides the lid feature, this energy efficient toaster looks like most other toasters. It includes a reheat setting, a bagel setting (yay!), and a defrost setting. The Ecolectric toaster is available at Ethical Superstore. Watch a video of this toaster in action.

Earth Friendly Wind-Up Gadgets

Traci Latoz — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 04:01:35 +0000

If you’ve read much about green living, you’ve probably heard about the environmental dangers of batteries. Household batteries contain mercury, zinc, cadmium, maganese, and other components which are harmful to both your health, and our earth. Over time batteries left in landfills break down, and leech these substances into our water and soil.

If you want to reduce your household’s need for batteries, you should check out some of the wind-up gadgets now on the market.

Universal Remote Controls: This universal remote control will run for 7 days on just 30 revolutions of winding. It will also control up to 6 of your home electronics. The wind-up remote control is available at Nigel’s Eco Store.

Radios: The Emerson radio above requires no batteries, and can be powered for up to an hour from just a minute of winding the built-in crank. The wind up radio also comes with earbuds, and you can listen to both AM & FM stations or weatherband. I think this would be handy to have around the house, or to use as camping gear.

Alarm Clocks: Oldies, but goodies, wind-up alarm clocks have been around forever. Why not replace that energy gulping hunk of plastic with a real classic like this Bulova clock. The Bellman Nickel alarm clock is available at the Alarm Clocks Online.

Snooze Green with Organic Pillows

Traci Latoz — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:59:42 +0000

After a long day of work at home or at the office, you really deserve a comfy and tranquil place to rest at night. So, if you’re working on turning your home into a truly green home, non-toxic bedding like mattresses, bedsheets, and organic pillows are a great place to start. Here are some organic pillows that made me want to stop blogging and take a nap!

The neck pillows above are encased in a 100% silk cover, and filled with organic buckwheat hulls. Apparently it’s not just for pancakes anymore! These organic pillows are actually sold as yoga accessories, but I think they would be a great addition to a bedding set, or handy to keep in the car for long trips. I found the buckwheat neck pillows at Yoga Accessories.Com.

These bed pillows are made from 230 thread count unbleached, organic cotton, and are filled with goose down. The goose down pillows are made in the USA, and are available at The Company Store.

Energy Saving Cooking Tips

Traci Latoz — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:02:40 +0000

With Thanksgiving preparation, and whirlwind of cooking plans underway, you may be wondering how to reduce energy use in the kitchen. Here are a few green living tips for saving energy while preparing your Thanksgiving dinner….or any dinner!

Scrub, Baby Scrub: A blackened cooktop on your kitchen stove absorbs heat, and causes you to consume more energy, but a shiny stove top efficiently reflects energy into the cooking pan. Now’s the time to clean your cooktop, and get ready for the Holidays.

Join the Hoods: Range hoods can help you quickly whisk away the extra heat in your kitchen, before you’re prompted to turn on the air conditioner!

Ugh…Clean the Oven: The last thing you wanted to hear, right? Just like a dirty stove top, a grimy oven steals energy, and can cause foods to cook unevenly. Ahem…just do it.

Double-Down: Cook 2 things at once whenever you can. Staggering the pans, and rotating oven racks will help with heat circulation.

Chill Out: Defrost foods in your refrigerator in advance. This prevents having to defrost in the microwave, and reduces cooking time.

Convection Perfection: If you have a convection oven, put it to work! Convection ovens are quicker, and use less energy than traditional stoves.

The Frigidaire gas stove above includes a convection “Speed Bake” cooking option. The convection stove is available at AJ Madison.

Tic Toc…Recycled Wall Clocks

Traci Latoz — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:01:52 +0000

Every home needs 1 or 2 wall clocks, so why not look for ones that tout your green living priorities? The wall clock above is made from the reused chain sprocket of an old bicycle. Each is hand made from recycled landfill parts, and measures approximately 6 inches in diameter. The face of the recycled bicycle clock is made of paper, and it requires 1 AA battery. I found sprocket clocks at Green Home for $64 for a set of 2.

Here’s another recycled clock, known as the Juice Clock. This one is made from recycled HDPE, the same plastic that many laundry soap bottles are made from. The Juice Clock comes in lemon, orange, and grapefruit, and it is available at Re: Modern for $45.

Add either of these clocks to your green home decor, and you’ll have quite a conversation starter.

Non-Toxic Cleaning with Steam Cleaners

Traci Latoz — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:23:54 +0000

If you’re worried about the environmental concerns and health issues related to chemical-packed traditional household cleaners, you may want to consider steam cleaners as a green cleaning option. Steam cleaners hold water in a storage tank, and a heating element boils the water which creates pressurized steam. Then using a wand or other attachment, you can clean with powerful blasts of hot steam, without detergents or other additives.

There are many ways to use a steam cleaner for environmentally friendly household cleaning, including:

Ceramic Tile Floors
Showers & Bathtubs
Carpet
Lawn Furniture
Eliminating Odors
Disinfecting
Decks
Grills
Upholstery
Hard to Reach Nooks & Crannies

The steam cleaner above is made by Euro-Pro. It holds enough water for 30 minutes of cleaning time, and includes several attachments. The Euro-Pro Shark steam cleaner is available at Ace Hardware. Here’s an interesting article on the benefits of steam cleaning.

Eco-Friendly Home Organizers

Traci Latoz — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:05:35 +0000

I don’t know about you, but when my home gets to be a disorganized mess, I don’t care a whole lot if it is a green home or any other color. So, whenever I get the time to add environmentally friendly home organizers like bamboo baskets, recycled plastic bins, or reusable wooden crates to any room in my home, I do. In short, I crave a life that is free from the distractions of clutter.

When I saw this bamboo mail sorter, I thought this would be the perfect addition to an out of the way kitchen corner or back entry way. Stash the mail for sorting later, hang up keys (keeps them off the counter), and there’s even room for a few magazines. The mail sorter is available at Plow and Hearth.

Here’s a round shelf basket made from rattan and recycled paper. This could be used as a waste paper basket, or placed on a bookcase for holding just about anything. The recycled basket measure 14″ x 10.25″, and it is available at World Market.

Get a Grip with Appliance Timers

Traci Latoz — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:24:03 +0000

So, you’re headed out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday, but not sure if you should completely shut down all your appliances and electronics while you’re gone? Leaving everything on for the duration of your trip would be a real waste of energy, but on the other hand, a dark home can be an easy target for thieves or vandals. Appliance timers are handy and affordable little gadgets that can help you conserve energy and play it safe when you are not home, and even when you are.

Here’s how it works. Begin by plugging an appliance timer into any standard outlet. Then plug your table lamps, television, or any other appliance into the timer, and set the times you want the appliance to turn on and off. Now the appliance will come on and shut off on it’s own.

Even if when you’re home, appliance timers can help you avoid wasting energy by shutting things off when you leave for work, or right around bedtime. I found the appliance timer above at Westside Wholesale. Gotta love an $8 green living upgrade.

Go Green with Insulated Curtains

Traci Latoz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 04:58:34 +0000

A lot of the heating and cooling energy you are paying for each month could be going right out the window. Whether you live in a warm climate or a cool climate, insulated drapes, curtains, or window blinds can help you save energy and reduce power bills by providing a barrier that reduces drafts, and blocks hot sunlight in the summer months.

And, no, insulated drapes don’t have to look like the ones your grandma bought in 1972! Insulated window treatments are widely-accepted as a green living necessity, and are available in lots of modern styles.

These tab-top drapes come in several shades, and are insulated on the back side with a 100% acrylic lining. They come in several sizes, up to 160″ x 84″. Matching valances are optional. I found the insulated curtains at Plow and Hearth.

Green Laundry Tips

Traci Latoz — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:08:48 +0000

Energy-efficient washing machines are a good investment to conserve power and save water. However, the products you put into your washing machine can have just as big of impact on the environment. Most run of the mill laundry soaps contain surfactants and chemicals, many of which are derived from petroleum. Here are a few green living tips for cleaning up your act in the laundry room.

When You Need Bleach: Let’s face it, green laundry isn’t worth it if your clothes don’t come out clean. Sometimes you need some serious cleaning to get out grass stains or foods like tomato sauce. Ever had a kid in soccer? Here’s the tip: avoid chlorine bleach. There are many bleach alternatives available like oxygen boosting products. Here’s a large selection of “oxy” cleaners. I use one scoop of an oxy booster with almost every load of laundry. The trick is to put the oxy powder in the washing machine first, let the water fill, and then add clothes.

Fabric Softener Alternative: A scoop (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of baking soda added to the rinse cycle is a natural way to soften clothes. Here’s another chemical free fabric softener.

Stubborn Stains: Soak resistant stains overnight in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water. (8 parts cold water, 1 part peroxide)

The front loading washing machine above is an LG Energy Star washer, and it is available at HomeClick.

One of a Kind Reclaimed Wood Furniture

Traci Latoz — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:01:47 +0000

Side chairs and tables that double as unique and interesting art always make such bold statements in home decor. If you’re trying to add environmentally friendly and artistic pieces to your home, reclaimed wood furniture is a great option.

Wood furniture crafted from reclaimed timber can include everything from old barn wood, root wood, and even driftwood. The reclaimed wood stool above, called a twist stool, has a cool rotating design. A pair of these used as bar stools would make an eye-catching lounge area, or add some creative flair to a breakfast bar.

Here’s another wooden stool in the shape of a “Z”. This one is just over 20 inches tall and is made from reclaimed enterolobium wood. Both reclaimed wood stools are available at Clipper Trading Company.

Cozy Up with Electric Blankets & Save Energy

Traci Latoz — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:57:33 +0000

Electric blankets are a great way to save energy,sleep toasty, and reduce heating bills in the cooler months. By keeping your bed warm, there is no need to heat the rest of your home to room temperature during the overnight hours. Any electric blanket uses only a fraction of the energy of your home’s furnace, but if you want to save even more energy, select the most energy-efficient electric blanket you can find.

The electric blanket above uses only 25V of electricity, compared to the 120V used by most other electric blankets. There’s a pre-warm feature that lets you quickly “preheat” your bed at the highest setting, before the blanket automatically switches back to its regular setting. There is also an automatic 10 hour timer which will turn the blanket off if you forget.

The Safe & Warm electric blanket is available at Frontgate in twin, king, and queen sizes. King and queen sizes have dual controls in case you and your sleep-mate differ when it comes to sleeping temps.

Always follow the safety recommendations included with your electric blankets. Here are more electric blanket safety tips.

Safe Disposal of CFL Light Bulbs

Traci Latoz — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:56:12 +0000

If you’ve been using CFL bulbs in your ceiling lights and table lamps for awhile, you’ve may have actually had a few burn out by now, or even had one break. While they’re great for saving energy, these environmentally-friendly light bulbs do contain small amounts of mercury, so it is important to recycle them or clean up breaks properly.

Recycling CFL Bulbs

Some stores, including Home Depot and Ikea will take back your used CFL bulbs for free, and then recycle them. Light Bulb Recycling offers a paid by-mail service that will send you a recycling kit for CFL bulbs. Also, Earth 911 offers a free recycling search engine that will direct you to CFL recycling resources in your area.

How to Clean Up a Broken CFL Bulb

So, let’s just suppose you’re up on a step stool changing a light bulb in your ceiling fan, and before you know it, you drop a CFL bulb and it shatters on the floor. What should you do? Here are some steps for safe CFL disposal from the EPA:

Air out the room by opening windows and doors. Turn off your furnace or air conditioner if they are running, and have everyone leave the room for 15 minutes.
Using stiff cardboard, carefully scoop up any broken glass.
Use duct tape to pick up any remaining glass shards or powder.
Avoid using a vacuum cleaner or broom if at all possible. If use of a vacuum cleaner is unavoidable, dispose of the vacuum bag or clean out the canister immediately after cleaning the break area.
Use a sealed glass jar, or a plastic zipper bag to contain all broken components.

Visit the EPA for complete information on cleaning up a broken CFL light bulb. Don’t be discouraged by the small amount of mercury in CFL bulbs. The environmental benefits of CFL light bulbs far outweigh any mercury risk.

Last Minute Green Halloween Ideas!

Traci Latoz — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:13:26 +0000

The Clock is Ticking!

Only 4 more days ’til Halloween! Here are a few last minute green Halloween ideas to help you put the final touches on your Halloween decorations, and your party.

Recycled Pumpkin

Here’s a great recycling idea! This pumpkin decoration is made from an empty laundry detergent jug. Just add some construction paper facial features and leaves, and a green pipe cleaner to complete the look, and this would make a cute table centerpiece. You could also hang these recycled Halloween decorations from their handles with string.

Homemade Halloween Treats

Whatever you do, don’t forget about the treats, or you’ll be the target of every trickster in the neighborhood! Homemade Halloween snacks are always a better alternative than prepackaged, trash-generating items. Here are some fun ideas for decorating Halloween cupcakes.

Think Ahead!

Why not plan a costume exchange for next year? What a waste to get only one use out of Halloween costumes! Before you put everything away, invite the neighbor kids, cousins, co-workers,etc. over for a quick costume exchange. You’ll be saving money, and reducing landfill waste.