Archive for January, 2010

Never Tried Passing The Recycling Box? Now’s The Time To Do It

DIY (Do It Yourself) Recycling Tray Budgets are getting tighter, and many of us are doing without many of the things we'd normally buy.  We also have a national epidemic of too much stuff.  Most people are tightening their belts on one side, and looking at their piles of clutter on the other.  Wouldn't it be great if the solution to one problem was the solution to the other? Fortunately, it could be.  The solution that gets rid of your excess stuff could also help you get a few of those gadgets and knickknacks you've been longing for.  Here's how it works. When the seasons turn, we all go through our stuff.  There's clothing we and the kids have outgrown, or clothes that just aren't in style anymore.  There are all the knickknacks and small things that you just don't use anymore.  They take up lots of space, are annoying to clean around, and we wish they'd just disappear.  Yet we rarely ever actually get rid of them.  After all, most people feel guilty throwing something perfectly good into the trash can.  That's why the recycling box is such a good idea. Start with a box.  It needs to be a sturdy one, ...

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Green Living Tips & Ideas that You Have to Know

When it comes to global warming, there is something that can be done.  We all can work to help curb this problem.  It all comes down to the choices that we make in our lives, such as the products that we choose to purchase.  Whenever you burn natural gasses, coal, and even oil, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, leading to global warming.  However, we can use the technology we have today along with cutting back on the use of these things to start saving the environment and to stop the global warming trend. One very simple idea you can use for green living that curbs global warming is to purchase fluorescent bulbs instead of using the regular light bulbs you have in your home.  They are compact and use a lot less electricity.  You'll also find that they last a whole lot longer as well.  They give off just as much light, and while they cost a bit more in the beginning, in the long run you'll actually end up saving some money when you use them. Another great thing that you can do to help save ...

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Good Looking, Eco-Friendly Cozy Boots

Wishing there was a way that you could go green with your feet? There is! There are actually a new type of boots out there that are eco friendly.  They are recycled, but the great thing is, they don't look like it - they look incredible. Several years ago I came across special Simple's Green Toe shoes.  They are slip ons that they probably don't carry, but they did a great job.  Once it started getting colder, I was looking for something that would keep my toes nice and warm.  While I tend to be a skeptic of green products, I love the fact that there is a growing demand out there for products that are friendly to the environment.  The problem is, some companies greenwash products, which gives them credit for having products that are green or recyclable when they really don't do too much to help out the environment. The Simple company really does a good job providing a product that is really "green”.  The soles of the shoes that they offer have been recycled from inner tubes.  They also use PET plastic that is recycled, recycled paper, and ...

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Green Ways to Clean Bed Pillows

A surprising number of us find ourselves out on our own without some basic pieces of information.  For instance, what do you do when your pillows get dirty? They're pretty cheap, and it's easy to think that you're supposed to throw them out and buy new ones, but that's incredibly wasteful.  Over the years, you'll spend a lot on new pillows, and you'll be doing some real damage to the world around you.  Throwing your pillows out is silly, but many people do it because they don't know how to clean them.  Let's take a look at the alternative to tossing your bedding. It's remarkably easy to keep your pillows clean, and doesn't take all that much effort.  You don't have to wash them each time you do your sheets.  Once a season should be adequate.  If you or someone in your household has allergies, however, it might be worthwhile to launder your pillows more often, since they can host dust mites and other allergens.  Here's how to keep your pillows clean. Wash pillows without pillowcases or protective coverings on them.  These should be washed in hot water, separately.  Look at the pillow tag to find out what your pillow is filled ...

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Go be Friendly to Mother Earth with Bioplastics

Bioplastics are an option that is available today and they do provide you with an option that is a bit friendlier to the earth.  These plastics are actually plant based, and they are a wonderful idea.  However, the one big challenge to deal with is all the energy that it takes to actually produce this type of plastic. The good news is that some scientists in South Korea have come up with polymers that are needed in these plastics and they have done so by using bioengineering.  By doing this, they have reduced the amount of energy that has to be used when creating these types of plastics. When it comes to bioplastic, one of the top components used in them is Polylactic Acid, otherwise known as PLA.  Before it was produced in a chemical and fermentation process that took two steps to complete.  However, these scientists from South Korea have been able to take an E. coli strain that they engineered metabolically and now there is a process available that is only one stage that they think may allow biodegradable and low toxicity plastic to be produced in an easier way. At first, it definitely sounds a bit dangerous to be messing ...

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