Everyday life in an urban area is all about using electronics, gadgets, etc. that unfortunately add to environmental waste. Life today is all about running or keeping at pace with technology, which makes it all too easy to forget the environment somewhere in this hustle and bustle. So how about opting for some products that can be recharged or recycled! So opt for proper recycling, especially for those hard to recycle items like ink cartridges, fluorescent lights, broken electronics, clothing that is not good for donation, and batteries.

It is everyone’s responsibility to take the time to properly recycle for the purposes of the environment. Typically stores like Home Depot and Office Depot make it easy to recycle some of those, and that there are stations for fabric recycling all around, but it is simply the extra step of taking the time to do it. For instance, rechargeable batteries are a much greener alternative than the throwaway ones.

All that you have to do is put them on charge again and reuse it. Sure it means a couple of extra minutes put into charging and all, but in the long run, you are decreasing environmental waste! Just imagine if each one of us would throw away one battery every day, it would mean billions of batteries, accounting to tons of wastage and pollution. Along with batteries think-

• Rechargeable solar torches
• Lights
• Solar gadgets and accessories like watches

You can also opt for products that have been recycled and encourage its use. For instance, recycled umbrella that come with auto open features can be green too! This ecoverse compact umbrella offers a responsible way to protect you from rain and sun. The umbrella has a 100% recycled fabric canopy along with a renewable bamboo handle and recyclable components. Also consider up-cycling with regard to DIY projects, or investing in a great recycled everyday product like an eco-friendly recycled gadget.

Yoga embraces the mind, body, and spirit of not just your own body, but the environment that surrounds us. However, when practicing it, sustainable and organic clothing, such as prana yoga clothes, is essential for adopting the lifestyle for your body and doing your part for the world. Yoga is all about inner peace and how can you be at peace if you are loaded with toxic laden garments.

Yoga clothes should let you breathe free and enjoy the best of the environment. A lot of effort goes into making organic and sustainable clothing good for the environment and it sure has its benefits too. Using recycled materials is another great way to start off the day with yoga. I have seen a lot of friends come to yoga class in polyester garments and clothes dyed with chemicals.

If you are truly into embracing the soul, you first need to heal the environment and make the right choices. Organic clothing encourages the revitalization of the soil, like yoga helps to revitalize the mind. Wearing the right clothes will give you the flexibility needed for different postures. It will also make you feel good about investing in something that is conserving the environment.

Here are some sustainable options for yoga clothing-

PrAna women’s Chai yoga tee

This tee will make a great complement for yoga exercises or even otherwise. It comes with a contoured, semi-form fit and has a lightweight design along with sublimated print at front.

Hanes signature cropped yoga pants

You need a pair of good pants to help you perform the postures in yoga. These two-tone yoga pants in a capri cut length for more freedom of movement. It adjusts rise to your comfort with fold over, contrasting waistband and chic design.

So let your mind and body breathe free with organic and cotton clothing when doing yoga!

Solar panels for home are one of the most practical gadgets to save power and energy. Basically, these panels use the simple logic of solar energy i.e. converting suns energy into energy and helping you save on electricity. There are different ways in which you can implement solar energy into the home, both for your home’s overall electricity as well as your swimming pool.

Solar energy can be used in so many different ways in our everyday lifestyle. We just need to take out the time and energy to take the first step. For instance, pool solar heating panels are a great investment for those with backyard pools. We all love pools in the backyard, but they can get pricey. A solar panel pool will help reduce the power and heating costs.

Check out the eco-friendly solar heating system in-ground kit that comes with a 4′ x 20′ solar panel and a by-pass valve (to turn system on/off). This provides free heat for your above-ground or in-ground pool with a solar heating module. The free solar heat keeps you comfortable all season long!

The idea of investing in solar devices is to save money and energy in the long run. It is true that the onetime investment cost may seem like an added expenditure right now, but if you do the math, then there’s so much you will be saving over the years! Some other simple tips for implementing solar energy in our everyday lives include-

• Use solar geysers or heaters during the colder seasons. Again, they provide great heating without costing a fortune.
• Opt for solar lights for backyards and driveway. These lights turn on automatically at dusk and switch off at dawn. They too use solar energy, which means better lighting and security for the home, at minimal costs. You can also get solar patio lights
• Opt for solar chargers for your cell phones, laptops, etc.

When I mention health food, the first thing that crosses your mind is probably boring green leaves, salads and tasteless cereals. However, the good news is that health food can be delicious and can be blended with other ingredients to create a yummy everyday diet for you! It is important is to have a balance with eating healthy, exercise, and also enjoying food.

This rule never changes from childhood when your parents stressed that you eat as many fruits and vegetables every day, but there are other healthy foods outside of the fruits and vegetables category that are both delicious and nutritious. Some of these include

• quinoa cereal
  
• almonds
• kidney beans
• goat cheese
• natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup
• For indulgence, dark chocolate 

The Kind Kosher healthy grains maple walnut clusters with chia and quinoa dairy case is a heart healthy blend of walnuts, chia and whole grains amaranth, quinoa, oats, millet and buckwheat with a sweet touch of maple. It contains omega-3 fatty acids and provide 17g of whole grains per serving.

Similarly Health Honey is raw, unheated and unprocessed too. It contains fine textured crystals that are characteristic of totally pure, raw honey. Properly crystallized honey has a fine, smooth, texture. The crystallized honey preserves natural goodness and won’t drip. The more rapidly honey crystallizes the better its texture will be. If you were not aware, raw honey has been noted for its ability to heal wounds and treat infections.

What you can do is have these ingredients individually or combine to create something delicious. For example, you can take the cereal and some liquid dark chocolate and honey to it for making healthy bars. Just freeze it and have as desired. Honey with milk and cereal is another excellent health food too!

I like to implement green solutions in my home and prefer using gadgets that consume less electricity. But often it can be difficult for kids to remember to turn off lights just as easily as it is for them to forget turning on the bathroom fan when they take a shower. And then once they are reminded to turn it on they forget to turn it off again.

However, all of this leads to using unnecessary electricity in your household, and if they don’t even turn it on then unnecessary mildew in your bathroom, so you may want to consider a fan controller for your bathroom fan, like the one from the Honeywell brand. The idea is to save on electricity and also on having the bathroom moisture free when you go in. Imagine all that mildew around! Don’t even get me started about that…

The Honeywell brand is recommended because every home can benefit from proper ventilation. Their new Digital bath fan control can operate a bath fan to meet ASHRAE 62.2 ventilation standards. It provides you with increased ventilation control that is smart, affordable and efficient. The easy to install controller can be used in place of a normal switch. The simple programming is efficient and convenient too. Set the timer for 60 minutes or as required. You can also set it as per your requirements.

A digital fan control will ensure that you are not running around after the kids or your spouse all the time to turn off the bathroom fan. Also, when you are going away for the weekend, the bathroom is usually all forgotten about. You remember the garage lights and gate lock along with the heater and washing machine, but the fan… That’s usually forgotten. So use these digital controllers to prevent electricity and add to the green quotient.

If you own a dog, then you’ll understand the adage “a dog is man’s best friend.” When your precious pooch goes from pet, to member of the family you want to make sure that they’re happy, healthy, and most of all loved. One way you can show your dog you love them is to feed them the best organic pet food that will help them live out their years with energy and health.

Why feed Fighto organic food?

Many people have quite happy and seemingly healthy dogs and they don’t feed them organic dog food, so why should you? The simplest answer is because it’s truly the best dog food out there. Organic or rather wellness pet food is made from supermarket quality ingredients, so even you could eat it. Organic means that all the meats, vegetables, and grains in the food has not been contaminated with chemicals and harmful byproducts.

Halo Organic Dog Food

Halo, is one of the best all natural dog foods on the market. Ellen DeGeneres, standup comic and TV personality, is now the spokesperson for the company as uses Halo to feed her own pets at home. Halo dry dog food features butcher quality chicken, farm raised fresh vegetables, and whole eggs. Halo dog food comes in flavors like chicken, salmon, lamb, and turkey and pheasant, and is also specially formulated for small dog breeds and puppies.

In both its wet and dry dog food Halo never uses any rendered meat, rendered meat meals, or artificial flavors, colors or preservatives because these products are not good for dogs to consume and can make them sick. Also, Halo’s pet food has never been recalled for any reason and is perfectly in conjunction with the AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control Officials) Dog Food Nutrient Panel.

Start feeding your dog Halo organic dog food soon and you’ll see just how much happier, healthier, and more full of life your dog will be!

I am green at heart and try my level best to reduce environmental damage. Saving water is on my priority list for being green and so I use energy efficient washing machines and dry my clothes outside in the sun instead of a dryer. Another idea that you can try is to replace all of the faucets in your home with eco-friendly faucets and one’s that are low-flow, then you can really help the environment.

Check out options like Glacier Bay faucets that are eco-friendly and help to reduce water flow and wastage. The low-blow faucets are great because they also use less water so your water bill will go down as well. For those who love to use the shower, something like the low flow shower heads can really help you in the long run. You would be amazed to see the reduction in your water bills.

• Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston are trying to conserve water too. Her tip is to take two minute showers. It may seem extreme, but if you actually think, that time is ample to wash yourself from head to toe. Of course, some days you can cheat, especially if you want to shampoo and condition, etc.
• Another trick that I use from this celeb is to brush while showering, though it takes a couple of minutes extra. Even if you are using the basin, do make sure that the faucet is shut when you don’t need the water. This applies for all you guys while shaving too.
• Also, use faucets that are made from recyclable and environment friendly materials to contribute towards a greener environment.
• If you can, try and save rain water. This little contribution will take you a long way too.

And the next time you rush to attend the phone, do turn off the tap. Every drop counts!

Spring is here and that means that bikini season is right around the corner. To help you look your best in your bikini try a healthy and filling protein shake for breakfast, or when those chips and cookies seem to be calling your name. Using a blender bottle, you can even make your protein shake at your desk! No clunky blenders to deal with, just BPA free, eco-friendly plastic bottle and a stainless steel blending ball.

Here are two healthy and filling recipes that are sure to keep you satisfied, feeling great, and ready for your bikini!

Easy as Pie Apple Pie Smoothie:

Ingredients:
1 cup skim milk or almond milk
½ cup plain yogurt (can use Greek yogurt if you prefer for extra protein)
½ cup of unsweetened organic apple sauce
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 serving of a vanilla flavored protein powder

Directions:
Add all ingredients into your shaker bottle, place your blender ball in the cup, and shake until all is mixed together. If you’d like this drink to have a frosty taste, add some ice!

Tropical Escape Pina Colada Shake:

Ingredients:
½ cup Pineapple juice
8 oz of Pina Colada yogurt (can use a Greek yogurt if you prefer for extra protein)
½ cup of skim milk or almond milk
1 serving of vanilla protein powder

Directions:
Place blender ball into cup, then add all ingredients into blender bottle, and shake until all is mixed together. This drink is also lovely over ice, so once it’s all mixed if you’d like it icy cold, pour it over ice and enjoy!

You can find so many easy ways to make your laptop more eco-friendly. It is true that laptops tend to be better for the environment anyhow because they use less energy than a desktop computer. In this reference, a solar laptop charger is great for someone because they can use their laptop outside and not use any power at all other than sunlight.

A solar laptop charger not only helps you conserve energy, but is easier on the pocket too. So along with the environmental benefits, you are actually saving some bucks for yourself too. You don’t have to worry about this adding to your electrical bills. Check out this Voltaic 1024 generator solar laptop charger that comes with a mobile power office. It features-

• An integrated 16.8 Watt solar panel
• 60 Watt hour battery pack
• Charges power laptops, cell phones, tablets, cameras, and most other hand held electronics efficiently

You can also check out the options for a laptop docking station like this HP KP080UT 2008 120W notebook docking station. It includes a range of convenient expansion for charging your notebooks.

There are many other alternatives available today for making your laptop eco-friendly. Some of these are-

• Don not leave your laptop on charge all the time. Not only is it bad for your laptop as it has a poor impact on the battery, it also adds to the environmental damage.
• You should try to hibernate or put your laptop on standby when you are getting up for intervals longer than 10 minutes, this way your notebook battery will last longer.
• Buy a laptop that is energy efficient and has a better battery life so you don’t have to charge it too often.

With these simple tips you can extend the battery life of your laptop and also conserve the environment.

We all plan on eating a healthy and balanced diet every day but in the hustle and bustle of mechanical lives, food usually takes a backseat. But there are ways that you can incorporate some super foods in your diet, which compensate for high levels of proteins, etc. Whey protein is one of the best ways to build muscles and enhance nutrition levels in your diet.

You can use the organic whey protein as a great way stay healthier when you’re making smoothies. The advantage with smoothies is that you can have it on your way to work, post a workout or even as lunch, rather than gorging on that heavy cheese sandwich or bagel. Bioactive whey protein in cocoa that contains enhanced undenatured whey for glutathione support.

It provides building blocks for optimal glutathione production and is made with pure organic cocoa that delivers a boost with potent antioxidants. The popular blend boosts antioxidant powers and adds a light chocolate flavor. Mix it with your favorite yogurt or milk to create a yummy and nutritious shade.

Since you are opting for a healthy and organic shake, why not use a green blender too. The idea is to green in everything that you do. KitchenAid KSB560GA is a high speed blender that provides you the perfectly blended smoothie as per your taste. If you like some chunks of fruits in the smoothie use a lower setting and for a complete puree go for the high speed blend.

As a rule of thumb, do add different fruits or flavors to the smoothie to break the monotony.  Else, you will not feel like having a smoothie every day. Some days, add fruit with veggies like beetroot or spinach with a dash of ginger and lime. To satiate your sweet cravings go for the organic whey protein cocoa or strawberries or blueberries.