Olive Oil is a versatile product with a wide expanse of uses including cooking, home improvement, green cleaning, personal care, natural remedies and more. The health benefits of olive oil are well known. Olive oil has a high concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been proven to promote good cholesterol while simultaneously lowering bad cholesterol. Olive oil is gentle on the digestive system, and is thought to help prevent gallstones and soothe ulcers. High quality olive oil contains valuable vitamins and nutrients, and is full of antioxidants, which are thought to help prevent the body from cancer. There are a wide variety of boutique and organic olive oils on the market. The less processed the oil, the more nutrients it contains, but these oils are typically more expensive. Extra Virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of olives, and holds on to the most flavor and aroma. Higher end brands of olive oil are advertised as cold pressed, which means that they aren’t heated up higher than room temperature during processing. High heat can damage the nutrients and flavor in the olive oil. Virgin olive oil typically comes from the second pressing. Less expensive brands of olive oil are ...

Eggs are a high quality protein and they are very affordable. There have been publicized warnings regarding the cholesterol in eggs, but continued research is showing that there are numerous benefits to eating eggs. Eggs can improve brain function and strengthen muscles. Research claims that a couple eggs a day is okay for most people. Eggs also have unique packaging that is very functional. The eggshell can be reused in many different ways. Check them out: Eggshells can be used as nontoxic pest control in your garden. Take a few eggshells and crush them. Take the broken pieces of eggshells and distribute them around your flowers and plants. The eggshells will keep snails, slugs, and cutworms away without having to implore the use of pesticides that are bad for the environment. Use eggshells as compost for naturally fertilized soil. Eggshells are fast to decompose in the compost pile and contribute very valuable calcium as well as other minerals to the soil throughout the process of being broken down. Break an eggshell in half and use one half of the shell to start seedlings for your garden. Fill the half of eggshell with soil and plant the seeds in the soil. This way you ...

In 2011, global carbon emissions are expected to grow as the country recovers from the recession. The Environmental Protection Agency authorized the first regulations of major stationary sources of greenhouse gases last month. The Environmental Protection Agency has never attempted to regulate major stationary sources like refineries, power plants, and factories. Around 400 facilities will be affected by the new greenhouse gas regulations at the start. Eventually, the Environmental Protection Agency will issue regulations for almost all sources of greenhouse gases. These regulations will provide the only federal action to control carbon emissions in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking its time with the new regulations, as they are thought to be the biggest environmental regulatory push in United States history. The agency plans to propose standards for new plants or plants that are being upgraded, while existing plants won’t be expected to meet the standards until the middle of the year. Refineries won’t be expected to meet the standards until the end of the year. The regulations won’t impose unreasonable costs, and the agency intends to consult with businesses throughout the year to hear the industry’s opinions. The regulations will focus on reaching for higher levels of efficiency ...

The Spokane River had a problem with soap-scum build up because runoff from the area’s dishwashers was full of phosphorus. Phosphorus helps give glasses and dishes a sparkling clean appearance, but it was contributing to the growth of algae, which led to the waterways in Washington State turning an unappealing shade of green. The algae was absorbing so much oxygen that they were suffocating other aquatic life that was living in the waterways. Experts believe that 1/3 of the phosphorus at wastewater-treatment facilities came from dishwasher detergent. The other key sources of phosphorus are sewage and fertilizer. Because farmers require fertilizer to grow crops, and it’s rather unpractical to expect people to cut down on their contribution to sewage, a group of environmentalists opted to focus on detergents. The environmentalists were able to get the first statewide ban on phosphates in household automatic-dishwasher detergents in 2006. The ban didn’t go into effect until 2010 due to an industry compromise. Since the ban, 15 additional states have followed Washington State’s lead.  The trade group that represents most detergent manufacturers, American Cleaning Institute, was pushed by the onslaught of state regulations to adopt a voluntary ban in the summer of 2010. Thus, it ...

Over 4 million tons of tea is produced every year around the globe. Tea is one of the more natural beverages in its simplest form, consisting only of dried plant material without much processing. Tea farming does have an impact on the environment, just as any intensive monocropping does. To produce the 4 million tons of dried plant material every year suggests that a sizable amount of land is used for growing the plants. With increases in demand for the product, comes an increase in demand for the land that yields the product. Some plant and animal species that are native to lands that are altered for farming tea, end up suffering so that more tea can be produced. Pesticides and artificial fertilizers are typically used on tea plantations to restore nutrients that are used by the tea bush as well as to keep parasites away. Soil degradation becomes a problem and to combat it, usually more fertilizer and chemicals are used which ultimately makes the problem worse. Chemical runoff into waterways is also a potential problem. While other food crops tend to be ripped out of the ground during their harvest, the tea bush isn’t. Rather, only the top 1-2 inches ...