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10 Simple Ways to Green Your Home For Under $10

September 25, 2013 0

by Jennie

Going green starts with small steps – it’s those little choices that can equal a huge impact in the long run. Many small steps are easy, affordable and start with the choices that you make when doing your marketing. Here are my 10 favorite ways to green your home – these are very affordable, in fact they all cost less than $10.

1. Ditch It Paper towels and napkins are used only once and then tossed in the trash. Ditch the paper and choose reusable organic cotton dishcloths and napkins instead. This simple step alone will save countless resources and eliminate the gas emissions created during the manufacturing and transportation of these paper products.

2. Bottle It Instead of buying beverages that come in plastic or even glass containers, pick up a BPA free reusable bottle for each member of your family. Keep the bottles with you at all times, attach your child’s to their backpacks when sending them off to school and throw one in your handbag or car for drinks on the go.

3. Bag It If you, your spouse or children take their lunch to school or work everyday, invest in a great reusable lunchbox or bag. Paper and plastic lunch bags are wasteful, since they are tossed after being used only once!

4. Recharge It The next time you need to pick up batteries for the TV or Wii remote, choose an eco-friendly, rechargeable version. Not only do rechargeable batteries save hundreds of single-use batteries from being tossed, they save you money too. Win, win.

5. Trash It Most trash bags on the market are not biodegradable, which means that it will take thousands of years for the trash bag to break down (not to mention the contents inside). Instead, pick up trash bags that are biodegradable and will break down in only a few months.

6. Compost It Instead of throwing those leftovers or salad scraps into the trash, compost them instead. Regardless of the type of home you live in, you can compost. There are many different composter options available, including ones that you can build out of recycled or leftover materials, rolling composters and even small electronic composters for inside a small home or apartment. (However, the later option is more expensive.)

7. Clean It One of the most dangerous, toxic and harmful items in your home, may be your cleaning products. Not only are these conventional products dangerous to the environment, they are dangerous to the health of your family. There are many all-natural household cleaning products available that are eco-friendly and non-toxic,  you can even make your own.

8. Go Low-Flow A low-flow shower-head will use less than 2 gallons of water per minute, that is still a lot of water going down the drain. However, it is much better than the 5 gallons per minute that an older shower-head will use. The best option is to turn off the shower while you soap up or shampoo your hair.

9. Bulk Up When you can buy products from the bulk section, not only is it more affordable, but you can bring your own reusable containers, eliminating the need for product packaging.

10. Hang It Instead of drying all of your clothes in the dryer, hang them up to dry. You can utilize a clothesline outside or hang them up in your laundry room. Not only does this save a lot of energy, your clothing will last longer and smell fresher too.

What simple, affordable choices do you choose when greening your everyday routine?

10 Eco-Friendly Fall Crafts for Green Kids

September 23, 2013 0

Hooray for fall! It’s one of the most wonderful times of the year! The morning and evening air is cool and crisp, the leaves are starting to change colors and the days are getting shorter. Why not spend those long evenings at home doing eco-crafts with the kids? It’s a fun way to bond after a long busy day at school and a great way to upcycle many different materials that would otherwise be hitting the trash or recycling bin.

We’ve rounded-up 10 easy, eco-friendly fall crafts that you can make and enjoy with your kids.So make a cup of hot cocoa, grab your art supplies from the craft closet, jump over to Inhabitots then, hit the recycling bin and get crafting for a fall that’s full of fun!

photo credit Shutterstock via Inhabitots

So make a cup of hot cocoa, grab your art supplies from the craft closet, hit the recycling bin and get crafting for a fall that’s full of fun!

7 Ways to Ensure Your Special Needs Child Has a Great School Year

September 17, 2013 0

September is Special Needs Month. In conjunction, a new school year has just commenced, and all of us who have children with special needs know how important it is to start the school year off on the right foot. While school can be tough for any child, a child with special needs will have different challenges — and once those are addressed it can have a huge impact on the type of school year that they will have.

There are many different things you can do to make school more successful for your child. Any parent can implement the 7 suggestions I wrote about over at Inhabitots  — they don’t take a lot of time, and they will help ensure the happiness and health of your child.

photo credit Shutterstock via Inhabitots

9 Eco-Friendly Ways to Green Your Kitchen

September 17, 2013 0
How green is your kitchen? Does your kitchen have a huge positive or negative impact on the environment and health of your family? Since the kitchen is one of places that your family will spend the most time, consider giving it an easy and affordable green makeover in these 9 simple steps.

1. Get Cleaned
Ditch the high-price, toxic-filled, environment killing-chemical laden cleaners the next time you do your grocery shopping. Instead invest in a set of reusable spray bottles and 9 simple ingredients that will not only clean your bathroom, but your entire home.

2. Get ReUsed
It is finally time to stop purchasing paper napkins and towels – they are wasteful and can only be used once. Instead invest in a set of affordable organic cotton washcloths and towels that can be used over and over again. Not to mention, they are much more absorbent that paper.

3. Get Recycled
If you aren’t already recycling, why not? Either take all of your recyclables to the recycling bin in the garage or invest in a recycling center for your kitchen. It doesn’t matter how you recycle, it just matters that you do.

4. Get Composted
There are many great options available on the market now for all different types of composting needs. If you like in an apartment, townhouse or condo – there is a composter for that. If you live in a neighborhood – there is a composter for that. If you live in a rural, country area – there is a composter for that. So what are you waiting for?

5. Get Local
When doing your food marketing consider going local -and by local I don’t mean the closest grocery store. Instead, support your local community of farmers by shopping locally at your farmer’s market, food co-ops and farm stands.

6. Get Bagged
Are you still using paper or plastic? It’s time to invest in a great set of reusable grocery bags. These do not need to be expensive, they only need to work and you have to remember to take them when you do your marketing.

7. Get Hydrated
Stop purchasing bottled water – if you are concerned about the quality of your home’s water, consider purchasing a water-flirtation system or pitcher. These may seem like the bigger investment – but overall you will save a ton of money over bottled water. Not to mention the Earth will thank you for not adding another water bottle to the landfill or recycling bin.

8. Get Grilled
While the weather is still warm, get outside and get grilling. Grilling uses a lot less energy than your kitchen oven and it is fun too. For people who live in warmer climates (Yay!) you can grill all year long and save the energy from your giant stove and your air conditioning (since your house won’t be super-hot from using the oven.)

9. Go Organic
You don’t have to purchase everything in organic, but I recommend spending your money on what is important to you. Think of it as voting with your wallet. Our hard-earned money goes towards supporting the products that we want in our grocery stores. Purchase as much as you can organic – if you can’t afford a lot consider starting with produce, dairy and meats.

What other ways do you green your kitchen?

Wicked Cool: Back to School Giveaway with Tom’s of Maine

September 16, 2013 5

Today’s giveaway is wicked cool and perfect for back to school. It’s sponsored by Tom’s of Maine – one lucky reader will win a $150 basket full of a year’s supply of Tom’s of Maine Wicked Cool toothpaste, Juicy Mint mouthwash and a bunch of other great school supplies!

If you are like most parents, you are looking for new and innovative ways to be more earth friendly. If you have an older child like I do, you are looking for eco-conscious items that can make back to school a breeze. In fact, switching from conventional essentials to innovative products like a water-powered alarm clock, all-stainless lunchbox, backpack made entirely from recycled materials and Tom’s of Maine’s new Wicked Cool! natural toothpaste (designed without any artificial ingredients and especially for ages 8 and up) can be healthy, smart ways to help your child prepare for the day, while minimizing the impact on the environment. And one lucky winner will win it all! Hooray!

Here are a few ways that we are greening our back to school routine:

– We created a lunchbox packing station making getting the lunchbox packed a snap!
– We have 6 essentials that we always pack in the lunchbox – making meal times, fun.
– We use these 6 simple tips to save time during the school year!
– We stay organized using these 8 eco-friendly organizational tips.

So, I am wondering how to green your back to school routine? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a Tom’s of Maine Wicked Cool! Back to School Giveaway basket. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* Full Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Tom’s of Maine – we received samples of Tom’s of Maine, however I would have told you about them anyway, they are our favorite toothpaste!

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