Cut flowers may look fabulous on your dining room table but most cut flowers sold in the U.S. are flow overseas, traveling thousands of miles. Fresh cut flowers live for such a short period of time before they wilt and die and in a lot of cases find their way into the landfill. How can you make your centerpieces fab without harming the environment?
Next time you want to purchase fresh-cut flowers for the centerpiece, consider a potted plant instead. Choose a plant that blooms throughout the year and put it in a decorative pot that will look just as fab as a vase of fresh-cut flowers. Not only will you save the flowers from an untimely death, so to speak, but you will save a ton of money. There will be no need for flowers in your weekly budget if you purchase a plant that will bloom over and over again.
My favorites are Kalanchoe, small tropical trees, and succulents. We have a jade plant on our dining room table, a large basil centerpiece on our kitchen island, and several other tropical trees and succulents throughout the home. Not only do potted plants beautify our home but they also help to clean the air.
Do you have potted plant centerpieces in your home? Which kind? Would you consider a potted planted centerpiece?
Taking care of your health and appearance is an important part of many peopleâs lives. After all, you want to look and feel your best, as well as feeling good about yourself and how you present to the world. Yet as many of us become more conscious of the need to be eco-friendly, itâs time to take a good hard look at the environmental impact of your beauty and health routines. Thereâs no use looking and feeling great if youâre damaging the planet at the same time. Luckily, there are simple ways you can transform your routines to be a little kinder to the world, whilst remaining kind to yourself.
Go Homemade
The beauty industry is a global market worth billions of dollars, and yet itâs incredibly damaging. One of the worst culprits is the plastic packaging used to ship your favorite beauty products to you, not to mention the evils of tiny plastic âexfoliating beadsâ and all the other chemicals used to make popular brands. In fact, many people have discovered that simple kitchen recipes can be just as effective. For an eco-friendly approach, use ingredients like coconut oil, almonds, honey, lemon juice, and various herbal additions to create incredibly effective scrubs and moisturizers. Remember that advertising is a powerful tool, and it may have convinced you that you canât replicate the effects of major products at home – but you can!
Be As Effective As Possible
Generally speaking, the fewer products you can consume, the better. Many people spend large amounts of money (plus potential packaging and shipping) to avail themselves of bottles of oral vitamin supplements and once-a-day medicines to help them keep feeling in top shape. This is unnecessary! IV therapy is a great way to minimize this impact by reducing all these needs to one simple treatment that you can purchase less frequently – meaning less bother for you as well! IV therapy costs are simple and not prohibitive, especially when set against the costs of subscriptions and reorders for multiple vitamins.
Research Your Brands
If you do have a product that you absolutely love and donât feel like you can replicate by yourself, thatâs okay! Just make sure you research the brands youâre buying from, as they are not all created equal. Some beauty and health brands are really doing their best to be eco-conscious and protect the planet, whilst others are more concerned with making a profit at any cost. Simple research online can tell you which is which, and then itâs up to you to put your money where your mouth is. The industry is diverse, and you will almost certainly be able to find a replica product by a more eco-friendly brand, so make sure to support companies who are also playing their part.
Conclusion
Taking care of your health and beauty, and taking care of the planet, do not need to be incompatible goals. With just a few simple steps, you can help to reduce the impact youâre making on our environment, preserving its own beauty for years to come.
You can make cleaning your dishes more Earth-friendly by following these simple green tips.
* Run only a full load of dishes through the dishwasher.
* Use a plant-based biodegradable dishwashing detergent. My fave is Biokleen.
* Use the appropriate dishwashing setting.
* Scrap your plates, instead of rinsing them before placing them in the dishwasher.
* Run the dishwasher at night and let them air dry. They will be dry by morning.
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If possible, run your major appliances at night between 12 a.m. – 4 a. m. You can do this by setting your dishwasher for a delay start. Also, you save more energy when you run the appliances during off-peak hours.
Buying a new car can be stressful, but it can also be exciting. With nearly 6 million cars sold each year in the U.S., it’s clear that Americans aren’t afraid to spend a bit of money on a new ride.
But not every consumer has the same priorities when it comes to picking their automobile. Some might be impressed by horsepower, which might make a car like the Shelby Mustang GT (with an actual horsepower of almost 400) an attractive option. Others are more concerned with color or special features. Safety ratings are also an important factor for many Americans — and considering that 76,000 pedestrians were injured in U.S. traffic accidents in 2012, it isn’t just motorists who feel vehicle safety should be a consideration. For a specific subset of buyers, however, there’s arguably nothing more important than environmental responsibility.
If you’re in the market for a more sustainable vehicle, you certainly aren’t alone. Environmental friendliness is no longer considered to be a mere trend; it’s now an attribute that major carmakers are actively working towards. And while electric vehicles get a lot of the glory when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, these actually aren’t the only cars that can help you reduce your environmental impact. When shopping for an eco-friendly car, here are a few things to look for.
Engine or Transmission
Yes, having an electric car is going to be a more eco-friendly choice than relying on gasoline for fuel. But you might also consider a hybrid engine or a diesel engine, both of which are relatively green. Not only does diesel provide better fuel economy than gas, but diesel-fueled cars are meant to last. This means you can hang onto your car for a longer period, which will reduce your environmental impact overall. Pay attention to the transmission, as well. Although automatic transmission cars may be easier to drive at first, manual transmission vehicles often get better gas mileage. They may also require less maintenance, which can save you money. If you’ve never driven a stick-shift car before, it might be well worth learning how.
Color
Some people make vehicle purchases based on the color of the car — and that might not be as silly as you’d think! Light-colored cars are generally considered to be more energy efficient because they’re more reflective. This can keep your car cooler in the summer months without having to rely as much on air conditioning. Having a white car can make your car’s interior up to 10 degrees cooler on a hot day! In addition, the idea that white cars have to be washed more frequently is a bit of a myth. If you aren’t driving through huge puddles of mud on a regular basis, you may actually wash your car less frequently than with another color car.
Weight
A car that’s lightweight is going to be inherently more eco-friendly because it’ll have better gas mileage due to its aerodynamic nature. Large trucks tend not to have great fuel economy, but a car made with lighter weight metals will require less fuel to get from point A to point B. Not only will that help you reduce your impact, but it’ll also save you money at the gas station. You might also consider a car with a sportier suspension or with a more retro design (think newer station wagon over SUV) to reduce your impact even further.
Other Features
When buying a car for its eco-friendliness, don’t forget about the small details; they can end up making a big difference. Choosing a car that features LED lights or that has an impeccable air filtration system can actually improve your driving experience while saving you money and helping the environment. That said, you’ll want to skip any extras that add bulk or sharp edges to the car’s silhouette. Roof racks, for example, can take away from a car’s aerodynamic design and reduce its fuel efficiency. Be sure to maintain a balance between the features you want for convenience and those that might actually take away from the longevity of the vehicle.
There are a number of eco-friendly vehicles available on the market today — and not all of them are fully electric, either. When it comes time to replace your current vehicle, consider more than features that are marketed specifically for being green. Otherwise, you might miss out on the perfect car for your family that can also help you reduce your environmental impact.
