Author: Jennifer Chait

If you live in one of three major urban areas; Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York, you can snag up a Greenopia guide that will make it a little easier to stay green in your area. Greenopia guides are a little like yellow pages for tree huggers with local listings for green retailers, service providers, and organizations. Organic restaurants and grocery stores, dry cleaners, organic fashion, organic pest control services, sustainable building suppliers, landscapers and interior designers and more are included in the guides. Basically these small green guides contain all you need to keep it green when you need consumer services.

The downside – well, they’re only in these major urban areas, which is a drag. Especially when you consider that many areas could benefit (think Portland, OR, Seattle, and so on).

The upside – Greenopia is coming to other cities, in fact you can search right now online for green business info about many other cities but because the guides for other cities are newer, there’s not much to see. Still it’s a step in the right direction.The Greenopia website also offers green news and articles which are good, a community area, and more, although I’d skip the “product ratings” which offer very little substantial info other than what they got from the product site and almost no review substance.

The other upside – if you’re looking for green businesses, green products or green directories this is not your only option.

• Green America, formerly Co-Op America, is the king of green guides online, and offers a huge shop and service site featuring all sorts of green goods and services through their National Green Pages. You can get a paper copy of this guide, but it’s unnecessary as the business listings online are just as extensive.
• EcoHuddle has extensive green product reviews contributed by staff and members of the community so ratings are mixed and based on honest user opinions not company PR.
• Organic Consumers Association has a big list of green businesses to browse – mainly focused on companies who carry organics although other green businesses are listed as well.

See many other places to find green goods and services including books, houses, and more.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Good green business and product guides

Winter gardening is slow going for many of us, but if your little one was bit with the gardening bug last spring and summer, there are still some cool garden projects and activities he or she can do to keep the gardening thrill lit til spring appears.

• Try growing a window sill garden or two – one with mini flowers and one with herbs. All you need is a few pots or long containers and a window with plenty of light.
• Make garden decor like homemade birdhouses, plant markers, sun catchers and more that can be placed in the garden come spring.
• Paint some personalized garden pots that will be used in the spring.
• Build a no fuss terrarium.
• Let your child shop around for some favorite garden tools and gear if they don’t have their own pint-sized gear already.
• Plan a visit to a local community garden or other garden center such as a Japanese garden.  Your kids can see how many garden plants continue to thrive in the cold months.
• Visit the local library and check out some garden books just for kids. Use the books to make plans for your garden in the spring.
• Let your little one help you to start planning this year’s garden now in a garden notebook. You two can look through garden catalogs for some favorite flowers or veggie ideas.
• Connect kids with nature all year long through the Arbor Day Foundation.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Winter Gardening Projects for Kids!

Whenever I’ve seen personal use water bottles that also filter water, the bottles have always been plastic, which makes me go hmmm, since so many people want stainless steel. Then recently I saw a new bottle from Water Check Biz – the Seychelle Personal Water Filter Bottle that comes in a stainless steel version. According to Water Check Biz this is “The world’s first stainless steel filtered water bottle and has a patented filtration system that removes 99.99% of pollutants like chlorine, voc’s, pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals.”

Features of the Seychelle include…

• Made with high-quality food grade 304 L.N. stainless steel and no inner liner.
• BPA-FREE, non-leaching & LEAD FREE.
• Non-slip base.
• You can safely get the water from any source – tap water, streams, rivers, lakes and pools.
• Removes up to 99.99% of pollutants for up to 100 gallons.
• Keeps the water cool for extended periods.
• Comes with an attractive carabiner, which can attach to a belt or backpack.
• Easily fits into a car cup holder or bike bottle holder.

This is a great alternative to plastic filter bottles and comes in red, blue, or silver. Plus it’s affordable.

Visit Water Check Biz to learn more.

Post from: Blisstree

Stainless Steel Water Filter Bottles

Wishing you and your family and friends a very peaceful, merry, safe, and green Christmas day!

If you’re reading this I suggest stopping right this second. Get offline, go hang with the family. Go outside for a nature Christmas day walk even! But later you might want to come back and browse the following, all of which will help you pack up the holidays in green-minded style.

• Save paper and NEVER buy a calendar again.
• Green kid storage solutions – for all those new toys.
• Use up Christmas leftovers.
• Recycling your holiday gift wrap.
• How to replant a living Christmas tree.
• Get ready to green your holidays next year with an amazing eco-book.

Have a wonderful day!

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Happy Christmas Day!

1. Take one sturdy roof.
2. Grab some seedlings.
3. Plant.
4. Wait for Christmas.
5. Maybe even string up lights if you’re so inclined.

Obviously I’m kidding. Although, no one can argue that this tree isn’t eco-friendly. No cutting, no discarding, yay. Really though I saw this picture and had to share because it’s so interesting.

Wishing all of you a safe and happy Christmas day and plenty of gardening success in the new year!

Post from: Blisstree

Next Year’s Christmas Tree Plan!

The other day we took a look at how to start planning your landscape and garden. Today let’s look at some questions you can use to help sort out the type of garden plants you want to grow.

Note that before you can plan for some plant you’ll need to also figure out your soil type along with the other questions in the first garden planning guide.

What type of plants do you like and want to grow? The possibilities are endless although you’ll do better with plants that grow well in your area. Some choices include…

• Broadleaf evergreen trees and shrubs
• Annual flowers
• Deciduous trees and shrubs
• Perennial flowers
• Vegetables
• Herbs

Also I’d check to see which native plants will do best in your area.

Do you like plants with heavy, light, or barely there fragrance?

Favorite colors of plants plus plants that will look good with your home color.

How much lawn do you want? None / Small / Large? Lawns require more water and reduce the garden plot size.

Is anyone in your family allergic to specific plants, fruits, or veggies?

Where do you want to grow plants? In containers, a dedicated garden plot, along your fence, etc. Plan for plants that work in the situations you have available.

Are deer, moles, or other pests a big problem in your area?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Plan garden plants to grow

With winter here it seems appropriate to discuss wood fireplace issues. Now, first of all wood burning fireplaces or wood stoves are not so green. They smell nice, look cozy, and keep your home sort of warm, but there are better green options if you have a choice. For example a pellet stove is a good green choice if you heat your home frequently with fire. Pellet stoves are also a smart financial move as you can sometimes score a tax credit on them.

That said, I have more experience with wood burning so we’re going to discuss that today. When I lived in Humboldt, we lived in a tiny (very old) logging town, and the homes were so old the only heat the houses there had was a wood burning stove. I felt super guilty about all the wood too – and yeah, that’s one downside of wood burning anything. You have to have wood. To green your wood stove or wood burning fireplace do the following…

• Buy local wood not wood that’s been shipped in.
• Buy hardwood such as oak, hickory, or eucalyptus which give more heat as they burn then other, softer woods.
• Don’t burn green (or un-seasoned wood) because it won’t heat nearly as well and is not as good for your chimney. If you’ve never heated with wood you may be surprised to hear that you have to season it. Seasoned wood basically means dry wood. Fresh cut wood is wet; too wet to burn so you need to dry it out. Chop it then stack it on pallets, not the ground. It helps if you buy your wood well ahead of time (like in the summer) so it has ample time to dry out before winter. Do not stack too near a wall or fence because the wood nearest the structure won’t dry out as well. You’ll need to cover the whole pile loosely with a tarp, one that keeps the rain out while also letting air circulate.
• Have your chimney cleaned once a year.
• Try to plant some trees if you feel guilty about your wood use.
• The most eco-friendly option are Enviro-Logs because they’re made with 100% waxed old corrugated cardboard boxes used for fresh vegetables and have a much smaller emission BUT I’ve never used them personally. Since wood was our only source of heat we needed a lot of it and mad-made logs are always more costly. I don’t know how much Enviro-Logs cost, but I’m guessing too much if wood is your primary source of heat. That said, if your wood fires are more for ambiance, I’d say use these eco-friendly logs.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Green your wood burning fireplace

If you’re looking for a starting point for better spring garden and or landscaping planning then a good questionnaire can help. Check out the questions below to get started.

First make note of your home and existing landscape properties to help guide your choices, such as.

• House color and size (i.e. one story, two story) which can help you plan for garden color and tree heights.
• House architectural style – classic, mod, etc.
• Where do the overhead utilities lie – very important when planning for trees.
• Best and worst views from the house and from the yard.
• What sorts of walks and paths are in place? Cement, brick, stone, etc.
• Is there a fence? What sort? Wood, iron, etc.

Next take a look at what nature has handed you so you can plan accordingly…

• Type of soil in your garden plots/yard.
• Amount of sun specific areas of your yard get.
• Wind factors – where is the wind blowing in from in the different seasons. Are you going to need wind shields?
• What’s the elevation like?
• Are there any overly soggy or dry areas?

Decide how you’ll be using the area and how hard you want it to be…

• How hard do you want maintenance to be? High? Medium? Low?
• Who will be using the area? Kids, adults, pets?
• What sort of style interests you? Formal? Informal? Or maybe consider a theme (i.e., English, herbal, natural, etc).
• Is there or would you like to plan a deck or patio and how will that affect your landscaping?
• Will there be outdoor lighting for entertaining or security?
• What sort of outdoor features will be needed (or wanted). Structures and features include things like patio furniture, kids play equipment, raised beds, a shed, and so fourth. Also consider an area to store garden goods.

Later we’ll look at how to start choosing the best plants for the area but for now, the above questions should be enough to get you going.

If you’ve go to your local extension website, you’ll usually find a wealth of garden and landscaping information pertaining to your own climate and area. Look for terms like gardening techniques, planning, or landscaping to get started.

Post from: Blisstree

Planning your landscaping & garden

Christmas at my house usually goes something like this – kids up early, stockings, BREAKFAST, then gifts. My son is not so into sweets so it’s not like I’m worried about him binging on Christmas candy, but a fast and casual breakfast is just sort of a tradition on Christmas for my family. You get to chill and be together before gifts which is nice. If you do have a kid who will binge on candy early in the day though, breakfast is also extra useful to keep them grounded.

Following is an idea for a quick and fun organic holiday breakfast menu.

Homemade organic cinnamon rolls with orange icing – any old cinnamon roll recipe will work, below is the one I use though… Start the mix on Christmas eve day, then bake the next day.

• 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose organic flour
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 cup organic milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup organic butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 organic eggs

In a mixing bowl combine 2 cups flour + yeast. In a saucepan heat your milk gently with the sugar, butter, and salt til just warm. Add the milk mix plus eggs to the flour and yeast and mix well. I usually beat the mix about three minutes.

Grab a big wooden spoon and mix in as much of the rest of the flour as you can. Knead the dough til it’s smooth and elastic-like. Shape dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, then let it sit for about an hour til it doubles in size.

Punch dough down, divide in half, cover and let it rest 10 minutes.

While it rests make your cinnamon mix. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

Roll the dough portions into two 12×8 rectangle, brush 3 tablespoons melted butter over the two rectangles, then sprinkle half the cinnamon mix onto each portion. Roll up your rectangles like a jelly roll. Seal the end seams of the rolls then cut each roll into 12 equal pieces. Place into 2 greased 9 inch baking pans, cover loosely with plastic wrap (I use a cloth because I don’t own plastic wrap) and pop them into the fridge.

On Christmas morning take the rolls out of the fridge and let them sit for 30 minutes then bake for 20-25 minutes in a 375 oven. Cool, remove from pans and drizzle with icing.

For icing just mix 1 cup sifted powdered sugar with 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon orange juice. If it’s not drizzly enough add more juice (one tablespoon at a time).

Quick organic fruit salad

Really I just tend to use whatever organic fruit I see that looks good at my local grocer. I usually do grab some organic frozen blueberries and raspberries plus a can of organic mandarin oranges too though because my son likes them.  Also if I use organic apples, I drizzle some lemon juice over the entire fruit salad so it doesn’t look all brown.

We have the rolls, fruit salad and some fair trade hot chocolate and we’re good to go. The rolls aren’t too sweet either, which is nice. Oh and if you don’t like, or can’t have orange juice, use organic milk for the icing instead.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

A Fast & Organic Christmas Breakfast

I used to write a blog called Offbeat Homes, which was awesome fun, especially at Christmas because I’d highlight kooky crazy gingerbread homes. I sort of miss that so I thought I’d post one of the coolest organic homes I featured in years past – the gorgeous organic GingerLotus by one of my old school favorite architects Michelle Kaufmann.

If you’ve got some free time today or tomorrow then this is a special and fun project made with organic goods, and beautiful lines, much like Kaufmann’s real homes were.

If you don’t have quite so much free time on your hands than some good, and still gingery cooking projects include…

• Organic ginger snap cookies
• Vegan Honeypot Ginger Cookie
• Organic Gingerbread
• Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Gingerbread
• Apple and Ginger Cake – use organic apples!

PS – if you’re interested in seeing those kooky gingerbread homes I mentioned, then no worries, because I’ve gathered them up below. You will be blown away by these tiny structures so take a look!

• The World’s Best Offbeat Gingerbread Homes
• Offbeat Gingerbread Homes 2008 – Part One
• Offbeat Gingerbread Homes 2008 – Part Two

Post from: Blisstree

Bake an Organic Gingerbread Lotus House

There are various shades of eco-friendly electronics – choose your green level the next time you need some new electronic gear.

Greenish electronic gear:

• Look for electronics that carry the Energy Star label.
• If you’re trading up electronics check online to see if the company who manufactured your equipment has a recycling program.
• If you can’t find a manufacturing recycling program check with Earth 911 to find a place to recycle your electronics.

Greener electronic gear:

• Before replacing broken gear with new gear see if you can fix it.
• If you really need to upgrade and your old gear is still good, donate it to a non-profit organization.
• Visit the Rethink Initiative to find information, tools and solutions that make it easy and sometimes even profitable – to find new users for idle computers and electronics, and to responsibly recycle unwanted products.

Greenest electronic gear:

• If you’re shopping for a large business or company check out the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) system to find the best and greenest electronics.
• Beyond simply buying greener electronics make your usage green too. I.e. green your computer use, unplug equipment when not in use, and so on. How you use your electronics is just as important as choosing greener electronics.
• Before upgrading REALLY consider if you actually need new gear. Most of the time people upgrade with no reasoning other than they just want a new toy. That’s not very earth friendly. One of the greenest steps you can take in almost any consumer situation is to buy less stuff.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Greenest Shades of Eco-Friendly Electronics

Today some holiday garden links – maybe you can just relax and have some reading time during this hectic week.

Why gardeners need to STOP growing flowers – this is an excellent post commenting on the whole beating the proverbial Jones’, growing with the use of chemicals to produce a showstopping garden when frankly it’s unnecessary, and how we can find a way to work with nature to grow better flowers. A great read.

It’s a little late to grab gifts for the holiday but this Greenhouse Kit is pretty cute so I wanted to link to it anyhow. Made for kids this kit goes beyond theory and gets into the dirt of growing. The set has a four-tiered “global greenhouse” that’s an interactive habitat for water, flora, fauna, soil and air, providing real-world lessons on the environment and sustainability. Includes artificial soil, storm starter, thermometers, side panels to introduce animals and more. Makes a cool gift for kids to get them into growing before spring hits.

An awesome post about the ever so lovely hellebores – a great plant for those with colder climates to reckon with. Actually this same blogger has an excellent post about how to build a tabletop boxwood Christmas tree as well that’s really worth checking out in case you’d like to have one next Christmas.

A beautiful photo journey to Lake Wilderness Arboretum.

See which flower is still blooming in the snow and ice (in Chicago no less).

Around the World in 80 Garden Blogs – just like it sounds, this post dives into gardening around the world with 80 must read garden blogs.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Holiday Garden Links to Adore

Green goals are excellent, but there’s no need to go overboard. Starting slow means you can concentrate on making sure you follow through on the little green tasks you choose before you try to build up to bigger goals naturally. Following are four totally easy green goals you can take on for 2010 – they won’t take much time, won’t cost much (if anything), and are a great start if you’re new to green living.

Ditch common paper trails – two common paper trails include bills and notes. You can easily leave these trails behind in 2009. Get some whiteboards, leave them by phones, hang one on the fridge, and place little ones out where you normally take and leave notes for people. You can thus skip pads of paper and memos. As for bills, sign up for paperless billing whenever possible. There’s no point to paper bills nowadays and paying bills online saves you a check as well.

Green your take out – the best way to green take out meals is to eat less of them. However, if you still grab food on the go once in a while make sure you skip the extra napkins, silverware, and other extras you already have at home. This is a simple step to remember for the year.

Hang a water saving note – if you haven’t been shutting off the tap while you brush or shave you’re wasting a ton of water; up to 3 gallons a minute. Hang a simple note in the bathroom reminding people to simply turn the tap off while not actually using the water. Think about it, if you brush your teeth for two minutes, three times a day, you’re saving almost 18 gallons of water per day while brushing your teeth alone.

Donate a cell phone or two – each year about 65,000 tons of waste are created when people toss their cell phones away. Cell phones can contain icky stuff like lead and mercury and although small add up to a lot of toxic trash in our landfills. It’s also totally unnecessary to toss a cell phone. There are plenty of cell phone donation sites and recycling centers all over and even available via mail.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Simple green steps for the new year

Crop rotation has been used forever by large farms but for small gardens you may think it seems like too big a deal. However it’s still a useful practice to get into if you have a small garden and not that complicated, especially if you like making lists.

Basics of crop rotation: Crop rotation is pretty much a self explanatory term. You rotate crops on an annual basis. Most commercial growers use a four year rotation which you can also use at home. However some books and experts recommend a three year rotation plan for smaller gardens. When I started my first solo garden in my early 20s, I didn’t know about crop rotation, thus didn’t do it at first and when I finally read about it, I only heard about the four-year plan so I don’t know for sure if a three year plan would work better for you. One suggestion is to ask another local gardener with a similar plot what they do.

Why bother?: Crop rotation can help eliminate organism build-up. For example, if you plant broccoli year after year in the same spot, disease organisms related to broccoli may build up and thus affect your soil and plants. Rotation also helps prevent nutrient depletion in your soil, can help control buggies that attack specific veggies and aids in weed control.

General crop rotation plans: Make a list of all the veggies you normally plant. Divide them by type (i.e. botanical family [pdf]). Then mark off garden plots for each. Try to mark off same sized plots to make it easier on you when you rotate. If you need help check out the Yankee Gardener’s Garden Data” – Crop Rotation Chart – you don’t have to do it exactly like this chart, but it’ll give you a good idea about how to plan for a proper crop rotation. Another great plant rotation chart can be found at Danny Lipford’s site.

Some general tips for better crop rotation:

• The above mentioned site, Danny Lipford notes that you should, “Try to dedicate at least one section each year to a “green manure” cover crop—such as alfalfa or clover—that you can till into the soil, or mix in plenty of organic matter and allow the soil to rest” which is a good plan that makes sense, if you have the space. However, most home gardeners don’t have the luxury of so much extra space, so I wouldn’t feel too guilty if you can’t plan for a cover crop in your rotation.
• Besides family groups you can also group according to which diseases specific plants are susceptible to.
• Keep good records of your annual crop rotations. You may think you can remember it in your head, but it’s easy to forget what you did last year.
• If you don’t grow many veggies or grow enough of a specific crop you may have empty space in your plots. You can fill these in by combining crop groups with compatible needs or fill in with beneficial companion flowers. Another idea is to fill in the areas with disease resistant trouble free veggies like lettuce, cucumbers, and squash but it can make for a more confusing plan than simply rotating everything.
• Potatoes and tomatoes both belong to the same family, but planting them one after the other may create problems.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Crop rotation for small gardens

Late last month we heard some bad news about insecticides being linked to autoimmune disorders, and now some far worse news. Insecticide exposure earlier this month resulted in the death of a 10 month old baby and both the baby’s mother, 25-year-old Elizabeth Whitfield, and her 2-year-old son, Kenneth, were hospitalized with severe respiratory distress, also due to insecticide exposure.

Investigators on the case noted that “Whitfield and her children had only lived in the home a short time and she was trying to deal with a serious insect problem.” About half a dozen used insect foggers were found in the home and the contamination was so severe that a hazardous materials team was called out to help get rid of the foggers.

Now hopefully, you’re never in a situation where you use many foggers over a short period of time, but this is an excellent reminder that insecticides are meant to do two thing well; poison and kill. No matter how careful you are with toxic household chemicals, you can’t be safe enough. When you bring deadly chemicals into your home, they leave a trace. Even if you clean. In fact, one report shows that most US kitchen floors have some insecticide residue on them including traces of organochlorine insecticides, such as chlordane, heptachlor and DDT. All of the former mentioned insecticides were withdrawn from the market or banned in the 1970s and 1980s, so time isn’t even on your side.

According to that same report above, about 78 million U.S. households, or 74%, use pesticides in their homes annually. The exposure risks to your family are very real and dangerious. Why use harmful pesticides where your family lives? You don’t have to.

Instead of pesticides, insecticides, and other harmful chemicals you can…

• Use natural bug fighting methods and keep yourself and your kids safe from insecticides.
• Learn 10 ways to get toxins out of your home.
• Avoid unnatural fragrances.
• Use earth and people friendly store bought cleaners or make your own homemade safe cleaners.
• If you do use toxic insecticides use them sparingly, and always vacate your home for a substantial amount of time after use.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Baby death due to insecticides

If you’re a frequent Whole Foods shopper than listen up because a holiday baking essential has just been recalled. Whole Foods Market is recalling…

• Organic raw hazelnuts, also known as filberts, that were sold in bulk in its stores in California, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
• Non-organic dry roasted hazelnuts (filberts) sold in bulk through its stores in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
• Non-organic raw hazelnuts (filberts) sold in bulk through its stores in Oregon and Washington.

The above products have been recalled because they may be contaminated with salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

No illnesses have been reported, according to the company. If you do have any hazelnuts on hand make sure you return them. If you already baked or cooked with them toss the food. For more information, consumers can call 512-542-0656.

*Source

[image via Wikimedia Commons]

Post from: Blisstree

Salmonella Whole Foods Product Recall

I recently saw a cool homemade gift idea – Homemade Gardener’s Loofah Soap. Right now, if you grew loofah last year, and still have some on hand, you can make some of this nifty soap. If you didn’t grow loofah last year this is a good gift to plan for in 2010. To make the soap you just need some simple supplies – essential oils, glycerin soap, raw loofah, four-count foil muffin pans, jute rope, a slow cooker and a disposable slow-cooker liner. See how to make this soap at the Dallas News.

Now as for the loofah. You can grow loofah from seeds, but you need to start soon after the last frost. Loofah can take a long time to germinate and needs around 180 warm climate days to thrive. Starting them in pots far ahead of the final frost to get a nice jump start on the season can be the best plan. You can sow loofah seeds directly into the ground if you live in a warmer climate.

An entire tutorial (including images) on growing your own loofah can be found at Luffa.info.

[image via Wikimedia Commons]

Post from: Blisstree

Homemade Gardener’s Loofah Soap

Eariler this year the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) passed a recommendation for “Solving the Problem of Mislabeled Organic Personal Care Products.” The recommendation urges the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to make sure that any use of the word “organic” on a personal care product is backed up by third-party certification to USDA organic standards.

Why the fuss?

Thus far, products for your body, i.e. cosmetics, shampoo, lotion, and so on, have not been regulated in any sort of a substantial way. A body care item can claim to be organic, with no viable proof to back it up. Unless a product is labeled with the USDA Organic seal, you can’t, as a consumer, be sure if the product is really organic. The Organic Consumer Association is one organization working on the issue, and is helping to spread the word to consumers about real vs. fake organics.

Their website has a list of current “fakers” or products with no organic seal to back them up, even though some of their products may be labeled organic. The list of fakers includes…

Amazon Organics, Avalon Organics, Desert Essence Organics, Earth’s Best Organic, Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, Head Organics, JASON Pure Natural and Organic, Nature’s Gate Organics, Organics by Noah’s Naturals

How to get involved:

• Only buy organic body care products that can back up their claims.
• There are plenty of companies who make natural, chemical-free, and organic body care products who are not labeled by the USDA, if you’re going to use a product not labeled, look into the company background before you buy and find out about their policies, regulations, and ethics.
• Sign on for the current OCA ACTION ALERT: Tell the USDA to Stop Organic Body Care Fraud!
• Learn which body care products are actually true organics.
• Make body care products yourself so you know what’s in them.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Stop Organic Body Care Fraud

Being that some of you will be getting holiday bouquets as gifts or placing some out for holiday decor, I thought we’d have a little refresher about how to keep flowers looking their best.

Winter Wonderland from Organic Bouquet

• Flower food from an actual flower shop works the best for keeping blooms fresh for longer amounts of time. Tricks like a penny, changing the water, sugar, bleach, and so on are tricks many talk about and when I worked at a nursery we tried all of them but actual flower food works the best.
• Start clean – dirty or moldy containers or vases will kill flowers off quickly. Wash containers well, and if you add any extras, like holiday decor on a stick, wash those too. Make sure to rinse the soap off well because the pH of soap will also change the water quality.
• Cut off any leaves that may fall below the water line in the vase. Leaves sitting in water get icky, smell funky, look bad, and promotes bacteria growth.
• If you’re making bouquets with holiday bulbs use cold water not room temp because they’ll hold up longer.
• When I worked at the rose nursery we’d submerge wilting roses in cool water for a few hours.
• If giving flowers as a gift, keep them cool until you give them. I.e. place them in the garage or another cool spot. If you want open, fresh smelling blooms bring them inside for a few hours before giving them out. If you’ve got no time to spare, unopened flowers can be forced open if you place them in very warm (not hot) tap water. BUT make sure that after the blooms open you place the flowers into normal room temp water.
• And it goes without saying that if you’re using flowers for decor, say on the table for your holiday party or dinner, you need to wait until as late as possible to get the flowers.

Post from: Blisstree

Keep Christmas Bouquets Fresh

360 Cookware is a newer green cookware on the market and while I haven’t used it yet, so I can’t personally comment, it sounds interesting. According to the company, 360 saves time, water and energy, keeps your food and family away from harmful chemicals, and since there’s no added fat needed (to keep food from sticking) this cookware may even be healthier.

360 works by cooking like an oven using Vapor Technology – i.e. it creates a low but intense heat and then distributes said heat from all sides instead of bottom-up only. The result creates a surround cooking effect that works on a low heat setting, prepares foods more efficiently and reduces the cooking times and preserves nutrients in the process.

Green aspects:

• 360 cookware has “Five layers of the highest quality American metals, ensuring no harmful chemicals or materials ever touch your food.” Pots and pans are specifically made with T-304 stainless steel and alloy construction.
• Cookware is heat and energy-efficient plus uses less water – not so much that it’d make a huge difference, but still.
• The 360 plant has some green aspects such as energy-efficient windows, passive lighting, use of renewable wind power for machines, closed-loop dust collection system to filter the air internally to prevent volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from entering the environment. Additionally the company notes that no harmful chemicals are used in the manufacturing process and that wastewater is tested routinely to ensure complete compliance with strict local and state standards.

Possible problems:

The cookware is long lasting, which is good and can possibly be recycled, although there may be issues due to the alloy. All stainless steel products are 100% recyclable but recycling companies usually need to separate the various grade types. Alloy on the other hand is a mixed metal and is harder to recycle. I also didn’t see a recycling program at the company website.

All in all the cookware looks good, is greener than many, and actually has a very inexpensive price point (you’ll be surprised because these pots look like they’d cost more).You can also buy what you need only or purchase a set. 360 makes saucepans, skillets, stock pots, and a nice sauté collection.

Visit 360 Cookware to learn more.

Post from: Blisstree

360 Greener Cookware