Etsy is one of those sites where you can foresee an obvious and easy transition into the green neighborhood. As an online store where people can set up “shops” to sell their homemade or restored goods, there’s everything from jewelry, to clothes, to housewares, to unique gifts of all sorts. I recently noticed that Etsy has started to set up an eco-friendly section of …
Earth Day 2010
Earth Day: April 22, 2010. It’s April, and that means Earth Day is almost here. The Environmental Protection agency (EPA) is urging people everywhere to become involved in this years Earth Day celebrations, whether that be through volunteering or tak ing part in an event in your area. The EPA has set up a decent listing of events by area, …
Green Bag Revolution Around the World
Around the world, the concept of the reusable bag is catching on with gusto. The reasoning may differ from country to country, but the effects seem to be the same: less waste and more money towards environmental causes. Many people claim that paper is more environmentally friendly than plastic, but the truth is far from that. Paper bags consume over …
Eco-Tips For Mom
Get more plants. Plants within our homes help increase air quality and help us get rid of toxins lurking in our air. Some of the best plants for improving air quality are Chinese Evergreen, Peace Lily, and English Ivy. For the best air quality, a good rule of thumb is one plant per 1,000 square feet of home. Check out …
Giving Eco-Gifts
Even in this day and age, green thinking is still a new concept for some people. Buying green gifts for your friends is a great way to encourage green behavior and educate them about green concepts and products. Here’s a list of my favorite eco-friendly gifts for friends, environmentalists and non-environmentalists alike. Fair Trade Chocolate. Just about everyone likes chocolate, …
Earth Hour 2010
Earth Hour is starting to crop on the calendar. If you’ve never heard of it yet, you can visit Earth Hour’s site. During Earth Hour, participants turn out all their lights for one hour. It was started by the World Wildlife Fund three years ago as a way to speak up and raise awareness about climate change. While largely a symbolic act showing …
Nail Polish: Going Green
Sometimes it can be hard to find ways to make our habits more eco-friendly. Fortunately, sometimes making a few small changes can greatly affect our health and sustainability. When it comes to nail polish, you can find plenty of cute, eco-friendly alternatives. When shopping for nail polish there are three big ingredients to avoid: 1) Formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a known …
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
Our landfills are filling up faster than ever, and the garbage problem, is only getting worse. Recycling the obvious cans, bottles, and cardboard are the first step. Beyond that, it’s our job to develop green shopping habits that will help us lead a more sustainable lifestyle. I’ve listed some of the eco-friendly shopping tips that have come in handy for …
Biosolids and Compost
Last week, the Organic Consumers Association took a stand outside the mayor’s office in San Francisco to protest the city’s recent free composting program. (Read the article from their site here). It might sound like an odd thing to protest, especially with all the amazing benefits of composting. The national group chose San Francisco to demonstrate against since it is …
USGBC’s Green Home Guide Beta
Many of us are familiar with the LEED rating system from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), which is a third party green building rating system for commercial and residential buildings. The LEED rating system has been adopted by the U.S. government and is used with all new construction and major renovation of federal buildings. LEED certifies buildings on …