The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of cork is the little plug that you use as a wine bottle stopper. It's no wonder why, considering that the main commercial use for cork is the wine bottle stopper. The question is, can cork be used for other things? With its useful properties, the potential for other commercial uses of cork is wide and varied. Check out these interesting facts about cork: 1. Cork is a renewable resource. 2. Cork can be harvested without damaging the environment. (Note: Bamboo, hemp, rattan, and water hyacinth also can be sustainably grown and managed, but the advantage of cork is that it can be harvested without killing plants or trees) 3. Cork comes from the cork oak tree. 4. Cork is made of a honeycomb structure that contains an air-like substance. 5. Cork is long lasting. 6. Ancient cork oak forests spread over two and a half million hectares in Italy, Spain, France, Algeria, Portugal, Morocco, and Tunisia. 7. Cork oak takes twenty-five years to reach maturity. Once it does, the bark can be peeled off the tree. When professionals execute this process, no harm is done to the trees. The cork bark grows back in nine years. 8. People have ...

Looking to increase the quality of your nightly sleep? Are you looking for added comfort when you hit the sheets at night? An organic mattress pad is a sure thing when it comes to a quality sleep aid made with all natural materials. An organic mattress pad will help guard against allergies, asthma and other problems. Synthetic compounds are used in the construction of both mattresses and mattress pads. During their construction, the mattresses and mattress pads are treated with chemicals to make them last longer and to give them specific comfort features.  Some of the materials contained in mattresses include formaldehyde, polyurethane, petrochemicals, and volatile organic compounds, all of which are known to be harmful to a person’s health. Mattresses and mattress pads acquire dust, dust mites, pet hair and all sorts of other allergens. This can be a nightmare for people with allergies. An organic mattress pad can combat some of the problems found with regular mattress pads because it’s all natural and devoid of any type of chemical or synthetic compound. Organic mattress pads are very soft and comfortable, and there is an extensive variety to choose from. There are organic mattress pads made of wool, natural latex, and organic ...

You may have considered purchasing a solar pool cover if you have a pool in your backyard or an indoor pool in your home. There are many benefits to using a solar pool cover. A solar pool cover will save you a lot of time and energy in regards to maintaining the pool and heating the water.  A pool with a solar cover is a great way to be eco friendly. A big challenge that any pool owner faces comes down to heating the water up and retaining the heat once the water reaches the desired temperature. Without a solar cover on a pool, any other options for heating the pool are inefficient. Heating your pool on a daily basis will increase your energy bill immensely not to mention your carbon footprint. The other option is to wait for the sun to heat up the water. This can take a long time and is hardly reliable. In cooler climates, waiting for the pool to heat up can take well into the summer, cutting down on the number of months that the pool gets used. Solar pool covers help to combat both of these problems, and you can nearly eliminate the added cost ...

Information hasn’t always been the most accessible on the topic of sustainable seafood when you’re on the go. If you wanted to know what seafood was best for the environment when picking out dinner at the grocery store, or ordering an entree at a restaurant, you couldn’t.  The good news is sustainable seafood experts are up to date with technology and now there are iPhone applications available to help you out. The Blue Ocean Institute launched a free FishPhone application for the iPhone. The app was developed alongside a sustainable winegrower, which made the app extra useful. In addition to seafood rankings, the app includes recipes and wine pairings for the seafood. If you don’t have an iphone, the Blue Ocean Institute offers FishPhone through text message. You can text fish salmon or fish lobster to 30644 and they’ll send you a text message back ranking the fish's sustainability. The service is free but note that standard text messaging rates apply. The FishPhone app also flags seafood that is known to contain high levels of contaminants like mercury and PCBs. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, publishers of the Seafood Watch guide, provides a free iPhone app that allows you to access their database ...

Since the early-mid 20th century, polyvinyl chloride aka vinyl aka PVC, has been in widespread usage, due to its strength, and its resistance to oil, chemicals, sunlight, weathering and fire.  PVCs incredible versatility can be found in any number of common products including bottles, packaging, constructions materials, furnishings, toys, piping, bedding, clothing, imitation leather, and wire coatings. Over 33 million tons of PVC is produced each and every year, and the number climbs with each passing year. PVC is third in rank in both global plastic output and consumption.  Did you know, around 57% of PVCs mass is chlorine? This means that it requires less petroleum than most other polymers. Unfortunately, oil and chlorine are not green substances, due to the nature of how they are extracted and refined, and because of the by-products they create.  PVC is not biodegradable.  It is important to note that the breakdown that occurs is simply granulation (the piece become smaller over time).  This is hazardous as animals can easily ingest these pieces and end up blocking their digestive tracts with the small plastic pieces. Greenpeace has pushed the cessation of PVC production forward because the manufacturing and incineration processes for PVC create dioxin.  Dioxin is known ...