If you look at the infographic from Buy Solar Panels, you will learn that the money you put out will easily be offset by the savings you will make on your electric bill AND by selling excess electricity back to the grid. That’s right! You probably thought that it will take a pretty long time before you get your money’s worth if you buy a solar panel because you only factored in your electric bill savings. However, as the inforgraphic tells us, a 4kW solar panel system can actually generate an average income of between $108.3 per month (during winter) to $189 per month (during summer). This means that without even factoring in your electric bill savings, a $15,000 4kW solar panel system will pay for itself within 8.4 years. Factor in your electric bill savings and you can cut that period in half. So we can safely say that within around five years, not only will you get your money’s worth, but your solar panel system will actually be making money for you.

So the next time you balk about the idea of getting a solar panel, think about all of its benefits from your pocket to mother Earth.

If you found the above infographic informative and useful, click on the link to get customized infographics for your own data.

The environmental ramifications of having farmers shift to Stevia production is possible because of the fact that Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar. What this means is that you need less Stevia plants (Stevia rebaudiana) compared to sugar to be able extract as much sweetener products to meet the market’s need. This in turn means less land dedicated to sweetener plants; land that can be either used for other agricultural products or to the more optimistic replanted with trees.

Another point for Stevia in the environment department is that a good number of large Stevia manufacturers are known for their sustainable farming practices. They take pride in making sure that the farms where they they source the plants adhere to sustainable practices, primarily in the use of water. This is important since the amount of water needed for any farm is not a laughing matter. Stevia farms around the world that adhere to sustainable farming practices significantly lessen their water use by recycling the used water after it goes through water treatment processes. And while this is not unique to Stevia growers, it’s still something that puts a smile to my face.

Of course, aside from large Stevia growers that produce the commercial Stevia sweeteners we buy, we also have to mention the backyard Stevia farmers that opt to grow their own plants. While I have to admit that I haven’t tried to grow one, not having the patience to take care of it and doing all the work to get the extract and come up with a homemade sweetener, these home growers sure deserve some applause. Of course, if you’re like me, buying it in packets or as liquid concentrates is more than good enough.

Image via Estevia

Here are some of my favorite natural exfoliants, primarily chosen because I always have some in stock at home:

Used coffee grounds – Still the best natural exfoliant in my book, not only because it really does leave you with super smooth skin, but because it is the greenest natural choice making use of waste product. At least once a week I put aside the used coffee grounds from the morning’s brewed coffee, and head to the shower with my natural exfoliant after my work out. Another plus for using coffee grounds is that it is said to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Sugar – Sugar, especially raw sugar, is great as an exfoliant. I don’t use sugar alone though, and like to mix it up with other ingredient like olive oil and my favorite coffee grounds. I don’t use sugar as much because I find it a bit sticky though.

Oatmeal – We never run out of oatmeal, so this is one go too ingredient for scrubs. It’s also a great base ingredient for a facial mask, which is what I prefer to use it for since, like sugar scrubs, recipes for oatmeal exfoliants are usually pretty sticky. Ingredients usually mixed in with oatmeal include yogurt, honey, and olive oil. Like coffee, oatmeal is said to have anti-inflammatory properties, but on top of that will also acts as moisturizer, so this is the way to go if you have dry skin.

Image via Make, Bake or Shake

• Healthier and greener choices for me and the family – Kids learn by mirroring, and whether I tell about green living or not, they will subconsciously process the choices their mom makes. They’ll grow up without even thinking twice about eating in “real” restaurants and not in fast food chains, choosing veggies and fish over fried and junk food, and knowing that reusable diapers are better than disposables not because I “taught” them, but because they see the choices we make for them every single day.
• Nature exposure – I like spending time picking wild sunflowers with my toddlers, which luckily are quite plentiful in the empty lot two blocks from our house. We go to parks to play so that they can feel the grass beneath their feet and expose them to animals like cows in hopes that it will develop their love for nature. I figure that if they grow up appreciating nature, they’re more likely to live a life that is protective of something they see as beautiful and an essential part of their life.
• Cleaning up – My one-year old likes to toddle around and make a huge mess. After playing, we make the kids help in putting away their toys. This develops the habit of cleaning up after themselves, so that as they grow I can eventually link it to lessons on their carbon footprint and such.

How about you? Any tips on how to teach a toddler to live green?

Image via Easy Ways to Go Green

I have to admit that the past Valentines Days I have been less than eco-conscious. I’ve given away mushy store-bought cards, had my son color a simple card made from fresh white paper, and also completely forgotten the date. What I have neglected to do for ALL the Valentines days that have come and gone was consciously come up with gifts and cards that promote environmentalism. I’ve been very conscious about being more eco-friendly during Christmas and New Year, wrapping gifts using glossy old magazines, but I just never did something special for Valentines Day. This year, I vow to do something about that.

Here are some of my ideas on how I can be more eco-friendly this Valentines Day. Hopefully you can borrow some of these:

• Send e-cards – I know some of you think that e-cards are not that romantic, but if you send personalized e-cards, the kind that you yourself make using Photoshop or some other e-card creator instead of just entering your name in the blank fields, then it can be just as special. Plus you get to save on paper and ink. If you’ll be sending the cards via mail, you also get to cut back on your carbon footprint since you won’t be needing to transport anything.
• Re-use – If you don’t to give a boring e-card, get creative and reuse used stuff you can find at home for a unique Valentines Day card. This year, I’m planning on making a small family “doll set” from toilet paper rolls, leftover yarn, mismatched buttons, and colored pens. I won’t be using anything new. I’m hoping the set would look nice enough to make it to my husband’s office as perfect standees.
• Simplify – If you like to give flowers and chocolates during Valentines Day, reduce the amount of waste generated by going for simple bouquets that make use of less tissue and plastic. Opt for more simple, yet still tasteful bouquets that tie the flowers together with a single ribbon.
• Buy green – If you are going to buy some gifts, make sure you go for green products. This means products that use recycled materials, as well as organic products.

How about you? What are your plans to make this Valentines Day more earth friendly?

Image via Mothering

When it comes to diaper options, I do have to admit that I was a reluctant adopter of the more eco-friendly and budget friendly cloth diapers. In fact, I didn’t use it for my firstborn, relying quite heavily on disposable diapers when I had him 6 years ago. Today, with an almost 1-year old boy following me around all day, I’m really glad that I finally did try cloth diapers.

So what are the perks of choosing cloth diapers over disposable?

• Waste reduction – Obviously, one of the main draws of using cloth diapers is the amount of waste you avoid piling on mother Earth. Looking back at how much disposable diapers I went through with my firstborn makes me cringe.
• Savings – The first time you go out to buy your stock of cloth diapers will probably make it seem more expensive than using disposable diapers. However, depending on the brand of cloth diapers you use (and there are plenty of brands out there!) and the number of diapers and inserts you buy, you’ll be reaping the financial reward in saving within a few months. And since a lot of cloth diapers are adjustable and will last for more than a year, just imagine how much money you’ll save!
• Fashion – Disposable diapers may have cute little drawings on them, but if you want a fashionable looking diaper, then it’s cloth diapers you should use. I admit to feeling like buying more cloth diapers than needed whenever I see a new design come out.
• Performance – The main reason why I was so slow to adopt cloth diapers was that I had misgivings about how well they work. I just didn’t believe that my baby’s little but would stay dry with it. Well it does. And if you use 2 to 3 inserts instead of just one like I do, you can even go all night without changing your baby’s cloth diaper.
• Organic Choices – You will also find many organic baby cloth diapers. Even if you do not use cloth diapers made from organic material, you only need take a look at the materials used for disposable diapers and feel happy and proud for reducing the amount of toxins that touch your baby’s skin each time you use cloth diapers instead.

Photo via Caleb’s Closet Eco Store Facebook Page

One of the best things you can do to help save the earth is simply by spreading the word, inspiring and reminding others of the need to be more proactive in taking steps to protect the environment. The good thing about spreading the word these days is that we have the Internet, making it super easy to reach out to people without having to step out of your living room. Today, updates and tweets on social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter is the equivalent of word-of-mouth. By simply posting/tweeting something about the environment on your social accounts, you can already help bring more awareness to people in your online circle.

Flooding people with green tweets might, however be a bit counterproductive. A regular tweet will get people’s notice, but tweets exclusively about environmental stuff and your friends and followers might start tuning out your tweets. If you want to show your support of green living without being to aggressive about it, you might want to instead set your Twitter background to show pictures with an environmental theme.

InstaBG is a great app that can help you do this easily. It uses Instagram photos to make a collage of just about any topic you can think of. All you need to do is sign in using your TwitterID, enter an eco-related tag, choose your preferred settings (Note the difference in tile size, spacing, space colors of the sample backgrounds below), click on preview, and click on “Set this image to Twitter” when you are satisfied with the results. You don’t have to have an Instagram account to do this, although you do have the option of using your Instagram photos for the collage. You can also set the background to automatically change each day if you so wish.

InstaBG generated background using “recycle” as tag

InstaBG generated background using “organic” as tag

By doing not only will you end up with nicer Twitter background, but one that shows (and hopefully reminds) people just how much you support environmental initiatives.

Images generated using InstaBG

Show an interest in global warming and chat to them about the environment. Kids are very environmentally conscious these days so showing an interest in things they are interested in is always a good way to be better father. If you are father struggling to bond with your teenage daughter or son try talking them about green issues, for instance set up a project to monitor and reduce electricity consumption in the house. Work with them to investigate solar panels and other green energy measures. Also involve your kids in recycling.

Or how about take them on an eco-friendly holiday?

If you are new dad, Diaper Dude have a whole range of eco-friendly products such as eco-friendly diaper bags and bottle holders.

And if they are older and want to buy you something for Fathers Day why not encourage them to buy you some organic beer or wine.

But be warned that there is no sense talking to your kids about environmental issues if you do not take it seriously. Kids can easily recognize hypocrites. They will nod in agreement with you only to please you but then ignore all of your advice and teachings if they think you are a hypocrite.

There is an old saying that we only are renting the world for a little while from its true owners – our children. The choices we make today about our lifestyles and our consumer habits can directly impact many future generations. So you can help your children and be a better parent by not only bringing up topics to talk about in environmental issues, but by also leading by example.

The author writes a dad blog and also contributes to The Freaky an online magazine that features weird news from around the world.

What you might not have realized though is that cleaning up your house will not only make life a tad more pleasant for everyone living in your place (or a lot more if your place is really messy), but can also help you lessen your carbon footprint.

One of the indirect advantages to the environment that cleaning up your home brings is in helping lower your energy consumption. This is a result of cleaning up and oiling electronic equipment like your refrigerator, light bulbs, electric fans, etc. By cleaning up your the appliances and other electronics in your house, they can run more efficiently, reducing power consumption.

Another advantage to cleaning up is that this is the time you usually find items that you have given up for lost. This means not having to buy stuff that you already have. Obviously, the less things you buy, the better.

General cleaning to me also means giving away the stuff I don’t use, which mostly means clothes and bags. While giving away clothes and other items you no longer might not seem something good for the environment, what you should realize is that this it is a perfect example of “reusing” stuff. Whether you give away your stuff to friends or to charity, the point is that they don’t get stuck too long in the house to the point that they end up unusable. Give your stuff away instead of throwing them in the bin. Not only will you end up with less clutter in your home, but you’ll also end up feeling good about it while helping the environment.

De-clutter Mind Map by Paul Foreman via Mind Map Inspiration

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

Well, here at Yurto what we dream of is a greener Christmas for everyone.

We all know that holidays are supposed to be fun, but we encourage everyone to be more responsible so that we can indeed have more fun without sacrificing the environment. Here are some simple tips for an environmental-friendly Christmas.

• Re-use old decor – We know that part of what makes everything feel so festive during Christmas is all the new and bright shiny decor you put up all over the house, but if your old Christmas decor is still in good shape, resist the urge to replace it with new stuff and just put up the old ones. Hey, if your decor survives year after year, who knows you’ll even end up really cooler with vintage Christmas decor. If you really need some new decor though, try flea markets and antique shops. The goal is to re-use as much as you can. And if you’re really adamant about everything being new, make sure that you at least give your old decor to someone who’ll be more than happy to get perfectly good decor, although the next holiday season is still a year away.
• Do away with wrappers – I personally use newspaper and old magazines when I wrap gifts. Those who have kids can also use your kids’ artwork as Christmas wrappers, making your wrappers not just environmental friendly, but also more personal. Using pretty and durable boxes are also a good idea, since the boxes can always be re-used.
• Think quality with gifts – Instead of buying your kids many gifts that will end up broken and unused in a couple of days, buy just one quality gift that they will appreciate and surely use for a longer time. Take this time to teach your kids to the importance of being good stewards of their things and of the environment!