Beautiful Solar Power? Yes Please!

I came across this article and had to share.  No more ugly solar panels!  Beautiful solar power, art even!  A German architect created a 35% more efficient way to collect solar power that is also 200% more appealing than an ugly boring solar panel.  Read the full article at FastCompany

Eco Friendly Square Foot Gardening

I started a square foot gardening instructor certification course this week.   Square Foot Gardening (SFG) is a gardening method that makes gardening easy and appealing to everyone.  I will be sharing information on how to use SFG method on my gardening blog Small Space Gardening Without A Green Thumb.  

A few thing I want to share about SFG:

- SFG is a simple efficient method of gardening in a small space.
- SFG uses 80% less space than traditional long row gardening.
- Major benefits are:
     - Cost reduced 50%
     - Space reduced 80%
     - Water is reduced 90%
     - Seeds reduced by 98%
     - Work is reduce to a minimum
- Things that are eliminated by using SFG method:
     - Tilling
     - Digging
     - Fertilizing
     - Weeding

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Sunscreen Safety and Effectiveness

Every year I like to brush up on my sunscreen safety and effectiveness.  We like to think that we are being safe and protecting ourselves and our children from the harmful effects of the sun by using sunscreen.  In some cases we are doing little and sometimes even doing more harm.   UVB rays are the sunburn causing rays and the UVA rays are the cancer causing rays.   Broad Spectrum sunscreen should contain protection from both types of rays. A good broad spectrum sunscreen should also be free of harmful ingredients.  As with many products, FDA regulation is very weak in this area.

Here is a link to EWG's (environmental working group) 2013 Sunscreen guide:  

EWG Sunscreens


Also check out my UV iphone app iSunburn

 

Greener Driving

In my persuit of GREENNESS I have been driving a Prius since 2011.   I was driving an SUV and my daily driving habits consisted of making a minimum of four to six short trips to three schools and plus various other short errands.   This was getting me horrible gas mileage.  I was averaging about 13mpg which was terrible and expensive.  I loved the space in my SUV and all the seating for my family of five but watching the mpg's made me cringe! 

On a trip to San Francisco, my husband and I decided to do as the locals and rented a Toyota Prius for a few road trips to surrounding areas and down the pacific coast highway.   Needless to say we LOVED the average 50mpg we were getting and the level of technology the car was equipped with.

We started our Prius search shortly after the big earthquake in Japan so it was difficult locating the model we wanted.  The moment one came available we bought it.    Living in an area with many high end luxury cars, my teenagers cringed at the thought of being taxied around in a "PRIUS".   I had to convince them that being "green" and driving this high tech hybrid was way cooler than the gas guzzling luxury cars.  I have really enjoyed driving the Prius but I have to be brutally honest and say I still have a slight desire to have a stand out luxury car.

This brings me to my new hearts desire....I can be green and turn heads in a new TESLA!!! I wish!!!
I have started to see a few driving around in my area.  

A little greener by the day

Sometimes being  "green" is not inconvenient, harder, or more expensive.  I used to vacuum my tile and wood floors.  I have since switched to using a dust mop.  It picks up everything, fits under furniture, uses no electricity, and is really fast to zip around the house.


I  used to use bleach cleaning products everywhere.  I was not crazy about the smell or my bleach stained clothes.  I am always cleaning up messes.  Now I clean the kitchen counters with Mrs. Meyer's countertop spray and I mop with Mrs. Meyers clean day all purpose cleaner.  It has a nice scent and gets the job done.

How are you "greening" your life?

Grow your own or buy locally grown

I am planning a garden again this year to grow some vegetables and berries of my own.  I am in a new house with a very neglected garden space.  With careful planning and lots of hard work I hope to have a few of my favorite things.

--> As I said it will take some hard work to whip this space into shape. I will used raised beds and containers.  See my gardening blog
Container Gardening Without A Green Thumb

For those of you who don't have the time or space to grow a garden you can always buy locally grown foods.  A resource for finding locally grown produce in your area is LocalHarvest. Use their website to find family farms, farmers' markets,  and other sources of sustainably grown food close to you .You can find produce, grass-fed meats, and many other good things.

                                                          LocalHarvest

I am back on the blog horse again

Wow have I been gone a really long time.  My quality of life was slowly slipping away.  I was hurting all over and feeling weak and fatigued.  Even though I was going to the gym to work out twice a week I just never felt good.  In June 2010 I ended up with torn cartilage in my knee and had surgery.  I spent about 4 months in physical therapy to get my knee to straighten and bend completely.  It never happened.  I finally went back to a rheumatologist and for the second time was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  That is a diagnosis I just never "believed in."  I was at the end of my rope so I went ahead and took the medication he prescribed.  On the fourth day on the medication I felt like a person again.  My leg was better, my random aches were gone, and I had energy.   Now I am back in the game and starting to live.  I am signed up for a series of stained glass classes, I have sewing projects to work on, a new garden that is dying for some TLC, and lots of reading and learning to do about writing.   I also plan on keeping up with my blogs.

Organic Lawn Care Tips

I found this great slide show of organic lawn care tips on thedailygreen.com


organic lawn care tips

Turn off the tap

We've  heard it a million times, but it bears repeating: Never let the water run.  You can save 5 to 8 gallons of water if you just turn it off while you brush your teeth or shave. Repeat with me again, "Never let the water run!"
Super easy way to green your day.
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Recycle, reuse, repurpose, and grow!

We have a new curbside recycling company and I needed a planter..........so the logical and "green" thing to do was...........you guessed it. I planted yellow crookneck squash and cucumbers in the recycle bin!! Genius!

100's show up for Global Warming Protest

Too cute not to share!!

Pimp this Bum - Help homeless

This guy has been living about 5 miles from me.

Check out his Website: Pimp This Bum

Dog waste composter pictures

Dog waste composter in progress:

The hole I dug. (not so easy in clay)
The 5 gallon bucket with lid I am using.

Septic tank treatment I am using.

Bucket with holes and bottom removed.

Bucket in ground.

All ready for composting.

Get rid of Dog Poo the green way

We have a large dog, small yard, and a two year old who loves to play outside. Problem: lots on large doggie mines around the yard.....nasty! What do you do with it?
You can bury the pet poo in an ornamental area of your garden. Do not put it in a food garden, pet feces contain harmful pathogens and should not be handled, especially by pregnant women.

So I remember hearing about dog waste composters and did a a little searching and they are expensive to buy. So I found out how to make one. I will refer to it as the "poo pot."

The poo pot is made using a garbage can with a lid (you may have an old one lying around). First you drill holes randomly around the sides of the can, making sure to leave a few inches around the top of the can with no holes. Then cut off the bottom of the can.


Choose a well-drained, out of the way spot, not too close to tree roots which might grow up into your "poo pot." Dig a hole large enough to fit the can and cover the holes that you made. Drop in the can, fill in around the sides of the can with dirt, and you can put some loose rocks on the bottom of the hole for drainage.

Collect the dog poo and drop it into the poo pot. Sprinkle two of the packets of septic tank starter (you can buy at hardware or grocery store for about $3, it is non-caustic, and promotes natural bacterial growth and it’s impossible to use too much — it only breaks down organic matter) on top of the dog poo. Add a 1/2 gallon or so of water. Cover with the lid. Within 48 hours, the septic tank starter will have begun to work and you can add more dog poo. You can then start to add it daily.

Give the poo pot a bucket of water a week and a packet of starter once or twice a month. The dog poo turns to liquid, most of which washes into the soil. What remains is a humus (not to be confused with hummus that you eat with pita chips) which should only need to be collected once every two or three years and this can be added to ornamental plants only and NOT edible plants. Best of all there is no smell even in the warmest weather and we have really hot weather here in the Houston, Texas area.


Note: You do not have to use a container. Just a hole with a lid will work, but you risk the sides caving in. You could also use wire mesh around the sides of the hole to prevent this. Remember to use a lid. You can use one of those large plastic paint containers with lid, or use a large plastic plant pot from a large shrub or tree and put the open end down and only partially cut the bottom leaving a small section attached (waalaa your lid).

(I will add pictures when I make mine ... really soon! I am going to use a small can myself)

Plants to clean the air in your home or office

Not only do plants use CO2 and produce oxygen, they also filter toxins from the air.

NASA did a study to find out which plants would best filter the air on the space station.
This is a chart of plants in the NASA study that most effectively removed pollutants from the air.

WIKI LIST:
* English Ivy (Hedera helix)
* Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
* Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)
* Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')
* Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
* Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
* Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')
* Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)
* Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)
* Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
* Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
* Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')
* Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')
* Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')
* Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
* Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
* Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
* Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)

The Foliage for Clean Air Council, a communications clearinghouse for information on the use of foliage to improve indoor air quality, recommends a minimum of two plants per 100 square feet of floor space in an average home with eight- to ten-foot ceilings.

Make a few changes and set some goals

I have been out of circulation for a few months but now I am back. This is the beginning of my new year.

It seems the new buzz word is "Carbon Offsets" and buying carbon offsets to compensate for the CO2 you can't control. One emission-reduction project is reforestation. First you calculate your carbon footprint...ouch, then you purchase carbon offsets to compensate for it. CARBON FOOTPRINT is a good place to start for more information.

I am taking baby steps, shame on me, but then again what are you doing? I am placing air-filtering house plants in my house, planting shrubs and plants in my yard, and growing some of my own herbs and vegetables.

America Recycles Day

AMERICA RECYCLES DAY is Nov. 14


What are your efforts worth ? Recycling calculator

Save the Bees buy a t-shirt

Did you see Bee Movie ?


I loved it! Not only was it very funny and entertaining, but it shows in it's own quirky way, what would happen without the bees. After seeing the movies I started noticing that there were real problems going on. Colony Collapse Disorder !


Save the Bees offers high quality green products/green clothing. T- shirts, caps and more! Ten percent of every Bees - Shirt purchase goes to bee research and scholarship grants.

save the bees shirts

Green Vaccines part 1 when and if to vaccinate

Vaccines causing autism and other neurological disorders? This is a serious topic I feel very strongly about. If you are expecting or have an infant, these are facts that you should give serious thought to before your child is immunized. It is true that vaccines have benefits and it is also true that vaccines carry risk. I do believe that children should be vaccinated but it should be done with caution and with all the information, pro and con, given considerable consideration. I believe an alternative immunization schedule is safest.

Do vaccines cause autism? The jury is still out. Each child and each situation are different and can have a different outcome. I personally have seen the children of friends that have gone from healthy, normally developing children to children with autism very soon after vaccinations. I believe that as long as the debate continues that it is best to err on the side of caution. More research definitely needs to be done. Harmful chemicals need to be removed from all vaccines.

Autism Facts: 1 in 150 children, 4:1 ratio of boys to girls, 1 in 98 boys, fastest growing developmental disability.

ALTERNATE VACCINE SCHEDULES

Books to read to make an informed choice :





Please visit the following links for more information: Generation Rescue and Finding The Words

In my next blog entry I will discuss the dangerous additives to vaccines...including the Flu vaccine.

Clean with a concious

Less plastic means less landfill waste. I am a Clorox cleaner by nature...kill them germs dead is my motto. But I want to be a little more eco-concious. I have been hearing about Clorox Green Works. All Green Works natural cleaners are made using plant-based ingredients derived from coconuts, as well as essential oils. The products are formulated using biodegradable ingredients, are packaged in bottles that can be recycled and not tested on animals. Green Works Natural Dishwashing Liquid, Natural All-Purpose Cleaner, Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner, Natural Glass Cleaner, Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner and Natural Dilutable Cleaner products have been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for using environmentally preferable chemistry, and carry the EPA’s “Design for Environment” certification logo.




Less plastic means less landfill waste. Another line of eco-friendly cleaners is ARM & HAMMER® Essentials™. The ARM & HAMMER® Essentials™ Cleaners starter kit comes with a refillable plastic trigger spray bottle and one concentrated cleaning cartridge. Each refill pack you buy means 2 less plastic spray bottles in landfills. The refill pack uses 80% less packaging than 2 pre-filled spray cleaners. The formula is biodegradable and uses powerful plant-based cleaners* — and contains no harsh ammonia or phosphates.


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