Archive | HOME AND GARDEN

5 Benefits of Bamboo Bed Sheets

August 14, 2015 1

Note from Sweet Greens: Meggie Haneckow

Bamboo bedding has incredible benefits for you and your family. Below are a few of the benefits that bamboo bed sheets and comforters provide.

1. Environmentally Friendly
Any bedding made from bamboo is environmentally friendly whether its bamboo bed sheets, bamboo comforters, or bamboo duvet covers. Bamboo is a grass that grows back on its own even after it is cut down. This means that it is a naturally renewable resource and using bamboo in textile production reduces our reliance on nonrenewable resources. Any changes that we can make to reduce our reliance on nonrenewable resources helps to protect the environment.

2. Hypoallergenic and Chemical Free
Organic bamboo bedding is naturally hypoallergenic and also chemical free. Truly organic bamboo bedding is never treated with chemicals in any step of its production. Even while it grows, bamboo isn’t treated with chemicals because it doesn’t need pesticides to protect it. During textile product companies avoid using harsh chemicals and dyes so the bamboo can keep all of its beneficial qualities.
The hypoallergenic and chemical free qualities of bamboo bed sheets make them a great option for infants and children. Buying bamboo crib sheets or twin size bamboo sheets can help relieve your children’s allergies so they can breathe easier and sleep through the night.

3. Antibacterial
In addition to being hypoallergenic and chemical free, another benefit of bamboo is that it is naturally antibacterial. This is because bamboo bed sheets and comforters wick excess moisture away from your bed at twice the rate of cotton, the fabric traditionally used in bedding. Less moisture means that bacteria can’t grow as easily as it can in traditional bedding, leaving your bed healthier than ever before.

4. Temperature Regulating
Since bamboo bed sheets and comforters wick moisture away, they reduce the presence of humidity in your bed. As we all know, humidity is the enemy in extreme temperatures. By eliminating humidity, bamboo bed sheets and comforters can keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter since the moisture isn’t aggravating the extreme temperatures.

5. Softer and More Comfortable
Bamboo bed sheets are also surprisingly soft. In fact, organic bamboo bedding is even softer than cotton. The threads of bamboo have almost a plush feel, making them extra soft and cozy. Bamboo bed sheets and comforters wrap you up in a cocoon of luxury and comfort, which makes your bed a haven from the hard-working world.

With all of these benefits, bamboo bed sheets are great addition to any home, which makes them the perfect gift.

To find the perfect bamboo bed sheets, bamboo comforters, and bamboo duvet covers, shop at Cozy Earth! Cozy Earth has the softest, most environmentally friendly bamboo bedding on the market today. With Cozy Earth bamboo sheets, you can sleep soundly knowing that you have the best bedding in the world.

Alarming Effects of Indoor Air Pollution

July 23, 2015 1

Indoor air pollution can stem from a variety of causes, some of which may be surprising such as toiletries. Mainly, though, the quality of air indoors is the result of a push and pull between the ventilation system and pollutants found inside the house or building.

There are a lot of other contributing factors to indoor air pollution, and not many people are aware of just how dangerous such a condition at home can be. In fact, more than half of the deaths caused by exposure to air pollution can be attributed to indoor air pollution. Let’s take a look at its alarming effects.

Effects on Health
People spend a lot of their time indoors, and if the quality of air inside homes and office buildings is not good, it could have negative effects on health. Repeated exposure to indoor pollutants can lead to both immediate and long-term health concerns, particularly respiratory problems such as asthma. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2012 that 4.3 million people a year die prematurely from sickness and health problems that are attributable to household air pollution.

Effects on the Environment
In the poorest areas around the world, indoor air pollution is a silent but deadly tyrant. Largely generated by inefficient and poorly ventilated stoves that burn wood and other biomass fuels, it not only is responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.6 million people a year, it also adds to the build-up of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere which contributes to climate change. Furthermore, the continued use of biomass fuels exacerbates deforestation, which, in turn, can lead to loss of biodiversity and soil erosion among others.

Preventing Indoor Air Pollution
With the many dangers that indoor air pollution poses, it is imperative for everyone to find ways to minimize or completely obliterate harmful pollutants in the home. One way of doing this is by simply improving ventilation in the home. Using high quality air filters and changing them regularly ensures that the air you breathe indoors is clean and healthy.

Changing from solid fuels to cleaner technologies is another way. This not only greatly reduces indoor air pollution; it also minimizes environmental impacts of energy consumption as well as production in general.

Increasing public awareness of the effects that indoor air pollution has on both human health and the environment is a vital factor for change.

Full Disclosure: This post was sponsored post by Filterbuy.com

7 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

July 17, 2015 2

It’s no secret that our landfills are filling up, and fast. Each person in America generates approximately 4.5 lbs of trash each day—with a population of 317 million people, that’s a LOT of garbage! We all know about the obvious ways to reduce solid waste—donating old clothes, recycling containers, composting, and choosing biodegradable when possible—but it turns out that a lot of other commonly used products can be recycled or reused, too. Here’s a list of 7 you may not have known about.

#1: Markers

Crayola’s ColorCycle initiative takes old Crayola markers and re-uses and recycles the barrels and caps in the production of new markers. As a bonus, Crayola also uses 100% reforested wood to make their colored pencils as well as other eco-friendly practices.

#2: Corks

If you needed an extra reason to buy that bottle of wine, Recork turns used corks into building insulation, shoes, and more. Find out where to recycled your corks.

#3: Pantyhose

No Nonsense, a manufacturer of tights, panty hose, leggings, and socks will take back used pairs pantyhose and tights and make them into things like park benches, running tracks, and playground equipment—how cool is that? Find out how to recycle your used pair on No Nonsense’s Recycling page.

#4: Bras

Bras are a highly sought-after item in shelters and transitional programs. While most women trash their used (or poorly fitted) bras, thinking perhaps that no one would want to purchase a used bra at a second hand store, companies like The Bra Recyclers are more than happy to accept used bras and other textiles. Their mission is to reduce the amount of textiles in landfills by recycling and reusing textiles in an effort to support people and the environment.

#5: Old CD’s

I’ve always wondered why CD’s couldn’t be recycled—turns out they can! The CD Recycling Center of America accepts CD’s and DVD’s and recycles them into plastic for automotive and building materials in an effort to reduce oil consumption (plastic discs are made from oil), eliminate the toxic fumes produced when CD’s are incinerated, and keep CD’s out of landfills.

#6: Crayons

Each year, the National Crayon Recycling Program keeps more than 94,000 lbs of unwanted crayons out of landfills. The program has nation-wide drop off bins that accept used crayons that will be recycled into new ones. They accept all crayons but as a bonus sort and discard crayons manufactured in foreign countries before 1995 that may contain questionable materials.

#7: Apple Products

Apple accepts old iPods, iPhones, computers, and more and recycles or reuses the product or its parts. If your old product qualifies for reuse, Apple will give you a gift card for the monetary value of your old product. If it does not qualify for reuse, Apple will safely recycle your product free of charge.

This list of 7 is just the tip of the iceberg! From batteries to eyeglasses, there are many more household items that can be recycled, and the number of products and materials is growing all the time as more and more companies spring up hoping to reduce consumption and waste.

YOUR TURN: Do you have other inside info on lesser-known recyclable or reusable products or materials?

Save Money this Summer on Terrific Summer Eco-Goods at Vitacost

July 14, 2015 0

Summer is in full swing! With our summer schedule jam packed, we have been ordered a lot of our favorite supplies online. It’s just too easy to order whatever we need online and then spend the day at the beach. A couple of days later, everything we need has been conveniently delivered to our front door.

Lately I have been checking out Vitacost, they are a terrific online source for all sorts of eco-friendly and healthy products at discounted rates. Prices are up to 50% less than they would be at other retail shops. They have eco-friendly cleaning products, cosmetics, vitamins, supplements, health foods, and a lot more. Here are some of the summer products that I think are too good to miss:

Summer sun protection is a high priority for my family and me. I’m really impressed by the savings of up to 39% that Vitacost is offering on a wide range of sun products. They have all sorts of the natural product lines that I look for, like Badger, Kiss My Face, Alba, and a whole lot more.

I really like this All Season Face Stick from Badger. It’s certified natural, contains organic ingredients with non-nano zinc oxide and is biodegradable. Just look at the rave online reviews – I’m not the only one who loves this product!

Vitacost has just about any natural home cleaning product you could possibly think of. The selection is enormous, and the prices are all excellent. From laundry detergent, to dish soap, to all-purpose cleaners, the selection is endless and the prices are unbelievable.

Take this dish soap. I can’t believe the current sale price of $2.89 on this Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid. As most environmentally conscious people have learned, natural products are often more expensive than mainstream products but this website really proves that to be a fallacy.

I was browsing around the site and I realized that I had never taken the time to check out some of my go-to smoothie ingredients. It just hadn’t occurred to me to check. As a devoted green smoothie drinker, and I particularly enjoy a smoothie in the morning over the summer.

OMGoodness! My favorite raw powder, the Classic Vanilla Protein from Sun Warrior, more than $15 less than what I’ve seen it go for at some health food stores. The prices are really unbeatable.

Overall, I’m really impressed with this website. I’ve found several products that I use regularly that will amount to hundreds of dollars worth of savings a year, while still being healthy and environmentally conscious. Not to mention that having these items delivered will save me both time and the cost of gas to drive around to several different stores where I used to go to get some of these hard-to-find products. You can find Vitacost coupons here.

Do you shop online for your eco-friendly and organic goods? What is your favorite website? If you discover any deals that you’re really excited about, let me know what you find!

This post was created in partnership with Groupon. All opinions are my own.

5 Simple Eco-Friendly Ways to Green Your Bathroom

May 18, 2015 0

If you are just beginning your green journey – a great place to start is your bathroom. It is amazing how many toxic chemicals, harmful personal care ingredients and disposables items can be found there. Not to mention, the insane amounts of water that literally go down the drain. While greening your bathroom may sound like a huge undertaking, when you break it down into 5 simple areas – you will find that your bathroom is eco-friendly in no time, read on to get started.

#1: Ditch the Chemicals
We all know what we eat is super important to our health – the same is true for what you put on your body. After all, our skin is the body’s largest organ and it absorbs everything that is put on it. I suggest slowly removing all of the chemical personal care products from your vanity, if you can’t do it cold turkey. Replace those items with toxic-free products, while they may cost a little more upfront the impact they have on your health and the environment over the long run is worth it.

#2: Ditch the Disposables
It is easy to purchase disposable razors, cotton balls, tissues, and facial wipes – they just seem more convenient. However, the cost to both the environment and your budget are huge. Instead, choose a razor where only the head is disposable, choose reusable (washable) cloths and menstrual products instead of tissues, wipes, pads or cotton balls. Those small changes alone, add up over the course of a year.

#3: Ditch the Air Fresheners
We all want our bathrooms to smell clean and fresh. However, those toxic air fresheners may smell nice, however they poison the air. I would highly recommend making your own all-natural air freshener instead and avoid the chemicals.

#4: Green the Cleaners
Great cleaners are eco-friendly, toxic-free and many work just as well as their chemical counterpart. The best part many are just as affordable as the chemical version and you can make them at home using common household ingredients that are all-natural and super affordable too.

#5: Switch to Low-Flow
Over 2.5 gallons of water goes down the drain each minute – a 15 minute shower easily equals 37.5 gallons of water. Yikes! The simple act of installing a low-flow shower head can save up to 1 gallon a minute, saving up to $900 annually on your water bill. They literally take a minute to install and you’re done. Bonus!

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5 Benefits of Bamboo Bed Sheets

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