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The Eco-Friendly Foods You Should Be Eating More Of

August 11, 2020 0

Sadly, the food industry causes a significant amount of damage to the environment. The importation and exportation of food is a major contributor to climate change, for example. Fortunately, you can help to minimize the negative environmental impact by making eco-friendly choices when you do your grocery shopping.

In fact, you’d be surprised at the effect your shopping habits have on the industry as a whole. According to Stephen Troese, simple options, like avoiding factory-farmed foods, have a major impact on the environment. With this in mind, take a look at the eco-friendly foods you should be eating more of if you want to make a difference…

1. Peas

Garden peas have a staggering low carbon footprint, providing you buy locally sourced produce or grow your own. However, the environmental benefits of garden peas don’t stop there. When they’re growing, peas naturally fix high amounts of nitrogen in the soil. By doing so, they don’t need synthetic fertilizer, which means they can easily be grown organically. Furthermore, they leave the soil full of nutrients once they’ve been harvested.

2. Tomatoes

Tomatoes can easily be grown in your garden or purchased from local vendors, which means it’s easy to find produce that has a negligible carbon footprint. Additionally, tomato plants have relatively deep roots. This enables them to obtain the water they need from deep within the soil. As you won’t need to give them much water, even in the summer months, they’re a great eco-friendly food option.

3. Broccoli

Broccoli is full of nutrients, so it’s good for health but it’s also beneficial for the environment. Producing broccoli can have a carbon footprint that’s lower than driving a mile in your car. Furthermore, the number of nutrients in this veggie means it doesn’t need synthetic fertilizers to grow and the compounds it produces act as a natural pesticide.

4. Potatoes

Potatoes are a staple food in many peoples’ diets and it’s easy to see why. Filling and versatile, they can be used to create a wide range of dishes. Luckily, they can be an eco-friendly choice too. As a relatively water-efficient crop, potatoes only need 50 gallons of water per pound. In contrast, rice requires a whopping 403 gallons. In addition, potatoes produce natural fungicides and pesticides so they can easily be grown without synthetic fertilizers.

5. Beans

With so many varieties out there, beans are the perfect addition to any meal and can even be used as the basis for complete dishes. Choosing locally sourced beans means they’ll have a low carbon footprint. What’s more, most beans have a very low water footprint, so they don’t require excessive watering when they’re being grown. Full of nutrients, they’re a great choice for your health and the environment.

Making Eco-Friendly Food Choices

As you can see, being an eco-friendly shopper doesn’t have to be difficult. By being aware of how produce is farmed and choosing locally grown goods, you can drastically reduce your own carbon footprint and help to protect the environment for future generations.

4 Great Career Choices in The Green Industry

August 9, 2020 2

With the economy in its current state, you may be looking into a new career. Or, you may be starting college and haven’t decided on a career path yet. Either way, you may want to consider a “green” career? With our Earth so desperately needing a helping hand and with the green world expanding so quickly, this may be a perfect time to choose a career in the green industry. A green career doesn’t mean you have to be a scientist. There are many options available, in fact, an online University can help you find a great training program for some of your career sources. Read on to learn my 4 favorites.

1. Green Chef
Go to culinary school and train to become an organic chef or start your own green restaurant or catering business. 

2. Organic, Bio-dynamic Farmer
You could start your own organic farm, biodynamic winery, or even start a local co-op or CSA.  

3. Spokesperson for a Green Project
Anything you are passionate about will have a green nonprofit. Everything from birds to city parks – find what you love and make it your job. 

4. Green Architect
More and more green homes are being built. Green Architects are playing a significant role in designing and planning new sustainable housing communities.

Are you considering a green career? Which one?

How to Host A Stuff Swap Party

August 7, 2020 3

Are your closets and cupboards overflowing? Invite your friends to do some spring cleaning of their homes, closets, and garages and bring the items that they never use to a stuff swap. Open a few bottles of wine and try on each other’s clothes or swap other household finds. Your best friend may have a cocktail dress that she never wore that would be fabulous for an upcoming event you have. You might find a lamp that doesn’t match your friend’s decor but that would look lovely in your living room.

This is a super fun way to get together with your friends, have a couple of glasses of wine, and go home with a new wardrobe, fabulous piece of furniture, or a great book without spending a dime. If anything is left over at the end of the night, arrange to donate it to your local women’s and children’s shelter.

Would you host a clothes or stuff swap?

Top Tips For Making Your Home More Eco Friendly

August 7, 2020 0

Saving the environment is a concern that radiates through a number of generations right now, which is why you are seeing more people interested in making their home more eco friendly. If this is something that you have been thinking about doing, but you’re not sure what steps you need to take, it’s a good thing that you have come across this article. Down below, we’re going to be looking at some of the things that you can do to make your home more eco friendly, so keep reading if you want to find out more.

Change Up Insulation

What kind of insulation do you have in your home right now? If you’re not sure, head up to the attic where you will be able to find out what’s up there, or send a professional if you know nothing about this sort of area. In fact, it’s probably better to send a professional to check it out anyway, just in case there is any asbestos up there. They know what safety precautions need to be taken to ensure that they are at the least amount of risk of being impacted by it. If someone in your family has been impacted by the asbestos severely, then you might want to look into contacting mesothelioma attorneys who have strong experience to help you with your case.

Once you have discovered what insulation you have, you can decide whether or not to change it. Depending on what kind of material has been used, you may need to switch to a more eco-friendly option. Take a look online to find out what these alternatives are and then make the choice that suits your home best.

Make Use Of Solar Energy

Another thing that you can do is make use of solar energy. If you live somewhere that is particularly known for having a lot of sunshine, then you are going to see significant improvements on your energy bill, as well as doing your part for the planet. Relying on solar energy is a far more sustainable method than using electric and fossil fuels all the time, so make sure that you seriously consider this. You don’t have to rely solely on this type of energy, of course, but anywhere you can is going to be a significant improvement.

Take A Look At Your Windows

Finally, have you checked your windows lately? If there is anything wrong with the sealant or there is a crack in the window, then you’re going to be letting heat out of your home, meaning you will be using heaters more often. If you can instead make sure that your windows are up to standard, you’re not going to lose as much heat, making your home more eco friendly. Not using things like radiators is always a good option for the environment, so do what you can to make this possible.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now have a better understanding of what you can do to make your home more eco friendly. Good luck, and hopefully, you will see the results that you are looking for soon.

5 Ways To Green Your Transportation

August 6, 2020 2

You have to get to work, school, and run your errands one way or another. The decisions that you make about your daily mode of transport has a huge impact on your ecological footprint. There are a lot of things you can do to lessen this impact. Here are my favorites from Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style by Christie Matheson. Remember to leave your favorites in the comments for a chance to win a copy of the book.

1. Drive Less, Walk More

For every mile that you don’t drive, you keep almost a pound of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

If your job, school, or favorite coffee shop is less than a mile each way, you should try to walk. If you are going to a friend’s house that is nearby, walk or ride your bike.

If you live in an area where everything is within walking distance, you could live without a car or if your family has two cars downsize to one. (I absolutely agree – our family only has one car and it’s easier than you would think.) You can walk, ride your bike, take public transportation, or telecommute.

So what if you need a car to get somewhere outside of the city or to go away for the weekend?

You could get a ride with a friend, rent a car, or take the train or bus. For trips where public transportation isn’t an option, check out ZipCar. You reserve the car online, go straight to the car, open it with your passcode, and drive away. Gas and insurance are included in the price.

2. Keep Your Tires Pumped Up

Check your car manual for the pressure that your tires should be at and fill them to that point. For every 3 pounds of pressure less than what is recommended, you lose 1% of the fuel efficiency.

3. Replace Your Air Filters

Make sure to check your filters monthly and change them every 12k miles. Clean filters can increase your fuel efficiency by 10%.

4. Drive Right

Going from 0-60 in 3 seconds flat can cause you to lose up to 30% of your fuel efficiency. For every 5 miles that you exceed 60 miles an hour, you lose 5-6% fuel efficiency as well.

5. Don’t Be Idle

If you are sitting still with the car running, you are getting 0 miles to the gallon. You can burn through 3/8 of a gallon in a 1/2 hour. If you are going to be sitting idle for longer than 30 seconds, kill the engine.

How do you green your transportation?

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