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Living Greener Tips
Treat Your Trees Now
Spring
is the time to protect your trees from those pesky
insects such as the Emerald Ash Borer and those Japanese
Beetles. We recommend Bayer Advanced Tree
and Shrub which protects and feeds your trees
creating a force field around your trees. Remember
Bayer Advanced takes the headaches out of gardening
and care for your lawn. For more information and
video tutorials go to http://www.bayeradvanced.com
.
Green Garbage Bags
Check
out the new garbage bags available in stores from
Perf Go Green at http://www.perfgogreen.com
. These bags are biodegradable and work great, we
use these in our green bus and recently found them
at CVS Pharmacy of all places.
Shopping
Bags
Remember
your reusable shopping bags when you go shopping.
If you can't afford the reusable bags use your
plastic bags over again.
How
to Go Green: Work from Home
Working
from home sounds like a sweet deal: trade work
clothes for sweats, skip rainy and crowded
commutes, and set a schedule that fits you
best—whether you’re an early bird or a night
owl. And while there are some obvious environmental
pluses to giving up commutes, take-out lunches, and
weekly printer paper deliveries, setting up a home
office comes with its own opportunities to cut back
on energy use, trim waste production, and condense
your carbon footprint.
Planet
Green’s How
to Go Green: Working from Home guide gives you
all the information you need to green your daily
grind, from where to look for comfortable chairs
made from recycled materials to how to arrange your
workspace for maximum productivity. Find more
suggestions after the jump.
How
to Go Green: Women's Personal Care
Personal
care is a big subject, but basically we can take
it to mean the caring for our general appearance:
cleansing and cosmetics, hair care, skincare,
makeup, hair removal and, of course, that time of
the month most women deal with. We are bombarded
daily with the coaxing of the worldwide cosmetics
industry as it tries to sell us products which
guarantee to make us look younger, thinner, and
more gorgeous.
Sadly,
these products are not regulated to a level that
would make most people feel very safe. Many of
these products contain ingredients with dubious
implications (many of which are petroleum
derived), as well as potentially toxic agents
that are not even included on the label. There
are, however, easy and affordable alternatives
available to every consumer.
This
guide aims to give you some general information,
to point you in the right direction and inspire
you to make a few small changes in your own
routine. If we are going to invest so much time
and money in our personal care and appearance,
doesn't it makes sense to do so in a productive
way that doesn't harm ourselves or our
environment?
Seasonal Safety Kits
Be
prepared for the season by carrying the proper
safety supplies in your vehicle. Whether you live
in the cold or heat you need to be prepared. Also
it is a great idea to keep a safety vest in your
vehicle if you have to get out on the highway. One
little tip is to keep a couple of garbage bags in
your car in case you see garbage, Pick Up Your
Part.
Household
Chemicals
Do
you know the air in your house can pollute the
environment from the products you use everyday.
Also the detergents and chemicals can be bad on the
environment. It is important to look for green
cleaning products and remember good cleaning
products do not have strong perfume smells. Many
children develop asthma these days due to products
on carpets, furniture, etc. A good air purifier in
your house can eliminate these problems or at the
very least reduce the harm to your family. Seventh
Generation, and Green Works provide great options
for cleaning products for your home.
Air
Filters
Check
your cars air filter, air filters in your vehicle
that are dirty can reduce the mileage by as much as
25%. Along with your air filter and tire pressure
being correct can save you money with these ever
increasing fuel prices.
Showers
Save Water
Put a
five gallon bucket in your shower, when you shower
an average shower can trap up to four gallons of
water that can be used to water plants or simply
flush your toilets. If you have three showers per
day in your household you can capture up to twelve
gallons of water per day or 4,300 gallons per
year.
Pet
Chef
If
you want to know exactly what is going into your
furball’s food dish, or your pet suffers from
allergies, you can always make your own puppy (or
kitty) chow. If the idea of becoming a fulltime pet
chef is just crazy talk, making the occasional meal
or treat is completely doable. Those broccoli
stalks left over from your last stir fry also make
some tasty morsels for your pup.
Bottled Water
Bottled water doesn't deserve the bad pr
they have received. It is the consumer that needs
to responsible with any plastic container by proper
recycling. Recycled plastic is being used for many
positive things across the world including NIKE new
shoe that is receiving great reviews. Nestle Waters
North America (Arrowhead, Deer Park, etc.) has
drastically reduced
the weight of their plastic bottles, cutting
shipping emissions. When purchasing bottled water
consider buying a product that is bottled within
the same region you live such as North America
waters if you live in the United States. If not for
bottled water what we do during such crisis such as
Katrina and recently Hurricane Ike.
GET BETTER GAS MILEAGE:
1. Go easy on the brakes and gas pedal: Avoid
"jackrabbit" starts by accelerating
gradually whenever possible. Also, anticipate stops
to avoid sudden braking.
2. Avoid long idles: Turn off the engine if you
anticipate a lengthy wait. Instead of idling at a
drive-up window, park the car and go in. Idling
burns more gas than restarting the engine. Limit
car warm-ups in winter.
3. Avoid carrying unneeded items in the trunk:
Extra weight decreases gas mileage. Also, reduce
drag by placing items inside the car or trunk
rather than on roof racks.
-
Pay your bills online to save paper,
energy from postage
vehicles, emissions, etc. (the average
household pays 20 bills per
month which adds up to 771,000 tons of paper)
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