GreenWorld365

Stop Getting Junk Mail and Breath Easy

Green World — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:14:01 +0000

Follow these steps and you'll find it's easy to stop getting junk mail. Join the campaign!

The minute we stop getting junk mail, we pump more oxygen into our atmosphere. While some junk mail is made from recycled material, a substantial percentage of junk mail is made of paper that will almost always be discarded as soon as the mail reaches its target: you. Unwanted mail consumes live trees for no reason. Our atmosphere suffers.

Our daily deluge of unwanted advertising wastes a tree and a half per household every year. Each of the 100 million trees we waste means one less tree to filter carbon dioxide from the air, and one less to synthesize essential oxygen.

Recycling paper spam helps, but reuse is a stopgap measure. Better that we take stronger stands, and do everything we can to be removed from mailing lists and thereby stop unwanted mail at its source, before the paper needs to be made. (...)
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Green Tips: Turn Down the Thermostat

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:45:48 +0000

When it comes to saving energy, it turns out dad was right. Turn your thermostat down and wrap up in a toasty sweater or blanket. In addition, use a programmable thermostat to lower the temperature at night while you’re sleeping.

If you’re looking to cut down on energy consumption, one of the best things you can do is lower the temperature on the thermostat. Lowering the thermostat is often overlooked, but it can save you the most amount of money. To get started try lowering your thermostat one degree at a time every few days until you get down to 68-70 degrees.

Programmable thermostats are ideal for winterization, as you can set the temperatures to go up or down according to the time. You can keep your home’s temperature at a cooler level while you are sleeping and away at work during the day, but you can still wake up to a warm house in the morning and come home to one at night, as well. Usually 60-65 degrees is good for sleeping and 55 degrees is enough while you are away from home.

6 Reasons Gardening with Native Plants is Better for You and the Environment

Green World — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:26:28 +0000

Native plants are the Earth-friendly choice for every garden.

When we think of the typical garden, it often conjures up images of perfectly groomed and trimmed plants and flowers amid a clean bed of mulch.

Many gardeners choose their plants based on what “look” they want to achieve, or other desired benefits. However, that approach does not take native species into account.

There are so many reasons to choose native species over mass-produced, ubiquitous landscape plants.

Here are some of those reasons to(...)
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A Gerbera Today May Keep The Doctor Away

Keith Lewis — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:18:46 +0000

Common household plants provide a viable means for scrubbing clean your homes air, allowing you the ability to improve the quality of the air and possibly the health of you and your family.

Our homes contain many irritants both seen and unseen, which contribute to poor indoor, air quality. Invaders such as molds, bacteria, pollen, dust, and pet dander seem to be the most prevalent culprits. Often contributing to the development of chronic respiratory diseases as well as headaches, nasal congestion, nausea and fatigue.

According to the American Lung Association, many homes also contain common chemicals such as Radon, Formaldehyde, Carbon monoxide, and many others. Often our favorite household items like pesticides, cleaning products, paints, and solvents may be sources of potentially harmful chemicals. These chemicals have been known to contribute to chronic health problems including lung cancer.(...)
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Discussing the Pros and Cons of Using Vegetable Oil as Fuel

Green World — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:10:34 +0000

Fueling your car with vegetable oil may sound like a dream, but there are pros and cons to using this gasoline alternative.

A few weeks ago we talked about biodiesel, a promising energy source that is often cleaner burning and more efficient to create. One of the most popular uses for biodiesel fuel is as an alternative to gasoline for use in combustible engines like those found in vehicles. As the use of vegetable oil to power vehicle engines continues to become more common, it is also gaining viability as the technology improves.

However, like any emerging science there are both pros and cons involved in using vegetable oil to power vehicle engines. Here are some of the reasons—for and against—that are being used in the debate over substituting vegetable oil as fuel. (...)
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Attract Migratory Birds With These 5 Tips for Back-yard Birders

Enviro News — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:00:07 +0000

Bluebird Enjoying Mealworms.

Providing nesting necessities for birds may help them have more successful broods and increase local bird populations.

It’s April and already the chirps of winter birds have changed to songs that attract mates and define territories. Soon the migratory birds will be arriving to join them and begin their yearly nesting ritual. Back yard birders can help ensure the success of the next generation of wild birds by providing five nesting-specific needs. (...)
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The Best Alternatives for Eco-friendly Easter Eggs

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:56:06 +0000

It’s that time of year again, the bunny is stretching and getting ready to make his rounds. But this year, instead of the pastel yellows, pinks, and blues—Eco-conscious Easter Bunnies will opt for green eggs.

When it comes to celebrating Easter, kids know, it’s all about the eggs. And while what you put in your eggs may be a matter of taste, adults know that when it comes to living green at Easter, choosing the right egg can make all the difference. Here are your main choices if you’re in the market for green eggs this Spring.

The greenest choice for Easter eggs, of course, is to take a look in the closet, and reuse the plastic eggs from last year. You’ve already bought them, so by reusing them, you’re also keeping more green in your wallet, too.

Can’t find the old eggs? You can still reuse, just check out your local thrift store, craigslist, freecycle, zwaggle, or a garage sale. (Bonus: it will be cheaper than shopping at the department store, too.) For extra points, enjoy the spring weather and take your bike instead of the car. (...)
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From French fries to fuel: using biodiesel to drive the future

Larry Blanken — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:53:49 +0000

When petroleum products like gasoline are burned, they invariably release toxic gases into the atmosphere, creating smog and contributing to global warming. It’s a situation with numerous detrimental effects to life on our planet. As a result, scientists have stepped up their efforts in energy research to discover and develop cleaner, renewable sources of power.

Among the options that show promise is Biodiesel fuel.

Unlike the much-maligned fossil fuels, biodiesel fuels are created by combining alcohol with renewable animal or vegetable oils. In the case of animal fats, the oils generally utilized include lard or even milk products like butter. Widely used vegetable oils include those made from corn and olives.

One of the attractions of biodiesel is that the required oils can be reclaimed from sources that would otherwise become waste products. For example, a typical busy restaurant might use 10 gallons or more to operate a deep fryer. Yet, after only a few batches of chicken, onion rings, fish or hush puppies, the grease must be replaced. (...)
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How to Make Your Own Napkins Using Old Fabric

Green World — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:43:40 +0000

Napkins are a quick and easy way to recycle fabric. Use the instructions to sew a set of napkins.

Cloth napkins are being recognized as the eco-friendly, less wasteful choice for our tables. And they are not hard to make from old material you may have around your house. Here are some ideas on how to make your own cloth napkins.

Start with these possible sources of old fabric to see what you may have available. (...)
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Henley’s Patchouli Soaps Are Naturally Groovy

Enviro News — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:00:09 +0000

This new Henley Natural patchouli soap is artistically created with with multiple natural colorants creating a classic 1960s groovy look.

Henley Natural revives a popular hippie scent with new, groovy patchouli soap, lime patchouli soap and orange patchouli soap. Patchouli has a strong, earthy, smoky, and musky scent that was enjoyed by the counter-cultural hippies of the 1960s and 1970s. The rise in popularity of the patchouli scent today has people still frequently asking for this scent in natural soap.

This new Henley Natural patchouli soap is artistically created with with multiple natural colorants creating a classic 1960s groovy look. The natural colorants are made variously with mineral oxides, micas, activated charcoal, and ultramarines.

(...)
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