http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/ en Copyright 2007 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:35:34 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss test http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/10/testing.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/10/testing.html Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:35:34 -0800 I have been out of commission for a few weeks and am looking forward to getting back to transforming my home, house and soul to eco, green, sustainable and whatever else living healthier and happier might be called. And, back to blogging so stay tuned. I spent time with family over the past few weeks and, in particular, my parents, who have always been friends of the environment not because it was a movement but because it was the only way they knew how to live. I am not sure if living a sustainable lifestyle is the perscription for a healthy life or not but it sure has worked for my parents. My dad, at 85 years of age is difficult to keep up with. Most kids notice that their parents get smarter as they get older. I, on the other hand, was a much slower learner - like decades slower! Here are the top ten lessons that I wish I had picked up earlier. 1. open you windows - ALL of them 2. take off your shoes before you come in the house - EVERY time 3. dispose of veggies and fruit in your compost pile or bin - FIGURE out a way 4. recycle, recycle, recycle - EVERYTHING that you can 5. buy local - WHENEVER possibe 6. connect with nature - OFTEN 5. build community - EVERY day 8. take your vitamins - ALL of them (without complaining, Dad!) 9. give back - WHENEVER you can and as OFTEN as you can 10. inspire the Joneses and live true to yourself! On a closing note I want to share a small town story with you. On the last day of my visit I went to church with 60+ members of my family at the small church across from the house I grew up in. Did I mention that I was home for a family reunion? Normally 60 members of my family are never in one place at one time - but I digress. My cousin was the minister, my aunt and cousins the choir, and various family members took on other assorted duties. It was the same way when I grew up only I was the one singing with my aunt in the choir. For a small town to work everyone has to pitch in. After services were were asked to step outside of the church to cheer on a local soldier returning from Iraq, who would be driving by. Soon the whole congregation was standing along the narrow country road (sidewalks are unheard of) and within minutes we caught a glimpse of the local volunteer fire truck soon to be followed by a procession of family cars and last but not least the Harley Davidson team who volunteer to welcome home those who serve. Every vehicle was decked out in American flags and as they drove by all 75 parishoners hollered and clapped for one soldier, one community, one nation. Step aside Disney you have nothing on Flat Rock, Michigan! Maybe it's time to inject a little small town America into our own communities. I am going to give it a try! http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_62_small_town_america.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_62_small_town_america.html eco family green recycle small town America sustainable Wed, 04 Jul 2007 08:48:19 -0800 CBS News just alerted me about my dirtier than my toilet cell phone. OK, I'm over the 'why didn't I think of that' to what's the solution. According to Information Week cell phones can cause pimples, boils, pneumonia and meningitis from bacteria such as "Staphylococcus aureus which is a close relative of the superbug MRSA. OK I'm listening! The first line of defense for all bacteria is to wash you hands. It can be as simple as that. But if you are lazy in that department and you don't want to replace germs with toxins by using antibacterial wipes (sorry ABC) there is a solution. This article was the motivation for me to finally make a cheap, easy and green spray to keep that cellphone and other gadgets clean. Here's what I did - found one small, clean spray bottle (recyclable) - bought one bottle of lavendar essential oil (or tea tree oil will do) - filled the bottle with 1 cup of water, added 20 drops of oil and shook well - sprayed the solution on a microfiber cloth and wipe off my cell phone - while I was at it I wiped off my home phone, my office phone, iPod, computer keyboard, sprayed the kichen counters and, of course, I did not forget the toilet seat Caution: Don't put essential oils near your eyes and check for allergic reactions. My mom is allergic to tea tree oil so she only uses the lavendar oil. HMM what else can I use this for? ]]> http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_61_cleaning_that_filthy_ce.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_61_cleaning_that_filthy_ce.html ABC News antibacterail wipes bacteria boils cell phone Information Week lavendar oil pimples pneumonia tea tree oil toilet seat toxins Wed, 04 Jul 2007 07:56:18 -0800 Live Earth is one of the most popular tags on Technorati today. Who wouldn't want to part of the biggest rock concert ever and it's happening in 7 continents for 24 hours. Amazing. Plus it's 7.7.07 today! Is it Mother Earth's luck day? It can be if we all make a commitment to change because a healthy planet means we are healthier as well. Global warming is the main reason for the Live Earth concert but a healthy planet goes beyond that. Pollution, pesticides, genetically modified foods, factory farming -- the list goes on. It's hitting our pocket book as well as our health and well being. Are we up to the change we need to be in this world to make it better? That we Save Our Selves (SOS)! Spend the night with Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkston, Keith Urban, Alicia Keys.....and it gets better. Just check this site out. While you are watching make a commitment. Make this not only the biggest rock concert ever but the biggest commitment humanity has ever made to change our home for the better. Put on your thinking caps and dig DEEP -- what can you do to SOS! My commitment is to vote with my dollars even more than I do today, to buy local whenever possible, to educate others and not harm others by the way I live my life. Not sure what to do? Submit a pledge on this Live Earth site and have a great 7.7.07!]]> http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_61_what_to_write_about.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_61_what_to_write_about.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:42:36 -0800 didn't have a clue (including a college teacher), we gained independence from the British in 1776 and the first Independence Day was in 1777. Being an independent nation gives us freedoms many people in other countries envy, it gives us a voice and it gives us choices. We have a voice at the polls during elections to ensure our elected officials are environmental stewards for example but we also vote daily with our choices, our dollars. For every item we purchase there is a green choice...choices that do not harm our environment, our families or other people. Choices that ensure our future. We have fought for generations to keep our freedoms but everyday we make personal choices that may not be the best for the earth we are so preciously protecting with our greatest resources our sons and daughters. May we make our own personal commitment this July 4th to protect our Earth everyday by the way we live our lives everyday! ]]> http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_60_the_best_cat_letter_eve.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_60_the_best_cat_letter_eve.html 4th of July environment green independence Jaywalking Leno Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:42:06 -0800 Forest Stewardship Council and they are the greenest solution when it comes to buying any wood products. When I finally get my shower hooked up I will use the greywater to water my apple tree and whatever else I plan to plant in the area. I soon found that buying my outdoor shower was just the beginning to my attempt at greywater collection. My shower will simply hook up to a garden hose but how will I filter out the chlorine? What types of soap and shampoo can I use? How will the water drain to the apple tree? How else can I use the water? How do I insure there is no standing water to attract mosquitos? How will I protect the wood with a product that is safe for my plants? Is there anything I haven't considered? Stay tuned as I unravel to answers to my first attempt at greywater collection! ]]> http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_59_first_attempt_at_greywa.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/07/day_59_first_attempt_at_greywa.html Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) greywater outdoor shower Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:40:48 -0800 FreeCycle or Craig's List so what to do? My dog solved the problem for me when I saw her cozied up on one of the cushions after her swim. I took them apart, sewed covers for them from old towels I have been saving and gave them to a pet shelter! Problem solved and the pet shelter was thrilled with their new doggie beds. So think before you toss someone may benefit from your 'treasures'.]]> http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/06/day_58_these_are_a_few_of_my_f.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/06/day_58_these_are_a_few_of_my_f.html Craig's List dog doggie beds Freecycle reuse Target Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:55:25 -0800 Urban Farm using an exercise ball in lieu if the more expensive ball chair a few months ago so I decided I would give it a try. It works great at 1/4 of the cost. Plus if I get bored I can work on my abs! It is supposed to, however, release spinal pressure, encourage spinal alignment and increase circulation and energy. I was a 'slumper' in my office chairs and that does not happen on a ball chair. It's much more comfortable than I expected so problem solved. Thanks, Greg for an awesome idea. ]]> http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/06/day_58_worlds_best_cat_litter.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/06/day_58_worlds_best_cat_litter.html exercise ball spinal alignment Target Urban Farm Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:07:17 -0800 assume now that I am trying to live a greener lifestyle however I have to admit that the answers always seem to shock me. If I were a pool store manager would I want my customers to know that there was a safer product on the market and not wait for them to ask? Am I satisfied? Not yet. I looked up Fiber Clear on the web and there wasn't a lot of data available so I wrote to the company asking for ingredients, manufacturing details and a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the product. Being green simply means being more aware!]]> http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/06/day_57_do_you_want_the_healthi.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/06/day_57_do_you_want_the_healthi.html carcinogen diatomaceous earth Fiber Clear fish harmless MSDS pool filter safe swimming Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:06:44 -0800 Yesterday my daughter bought 2 blow up rafts for the pool, brought them home, blew them up and tossed them in the pool. In a few minutes she was sunning herself floating in the pool on one of the rafts. Then I saw the rafts tossed on the lawn. It seems the rafts smelled to badly that they couldn't use them. The smell came from the toxic chemicals used to make the PVC vinyl soft and pliable. We will be replacing the floating PVC pool toys with noodles and have learned a valuable lesson. http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/06/day_56_stinky_pool_toys.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/06/day_56_stinky_pool_toys.html pool toys PVC Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:57:28 -0800 I haven't purchased a new dryer in 15 years. I happened to be in the mall (not a likely place for me, BTW), happened upon a appliance outlet store which just happened to have an eco washer and dryer, reduced from the outlet price. The brand (Fisher Paykel) wasn't on the 'best eco washer and dryers to buy list' but they were within my budget so I bought the set and I love them. I no longer worry about what water level I should chose for the load I'm washing. My machine figures it out for me! I peeked at a load of towels I was washing today and noticed that the new washer uses substantially less water than my old washer. Note to myself - I won't be getting the gallons of water I thought I would when I set up a greywater collection system. Oh, the challenges if being green:-). I don't have a clothesline set up yet but the dryer has a 'damp' setting so I can fluff my clothes and then hang them on a hanger to finish drying. Since I live in Arizona I have convinced myself that my damp drying process also adds moisture to the dry air in my house. I can hope, right? http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_55_on_the_road_again.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_55_on_the_road_again.html Arizone dry air eco dryer eco washer fisher paykel green greywater collection less water Mon, 21 May 2007 06:09:31 -0800 I was raking rocks this morning and stepped on an ant hill so I was covered with ant bites in minutes. We have fire ants and their bites itch and fester for days. I decided to cut off a leaf from my aloe vera plant (which, by the way, is huge) and rub the bites with the gel. So far so good, not one ant bite is itching. In the past I would have ran to Walgreens and spent time and at least $5 buying some lotion or spray that may or may not stop the itching and more than likely be toxic. Instead the aloe gel was free, non-toxic and effective. I love being green! http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_54_10_things_you_shoul_nev.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_54_10_things_you_shoul_nev.html aloe gel aloe vera ant bites ants free green lotion non-toxic Walgreens Mon, 14 May 2007 09:36:30 -0800 same card all those years. I guess that falls into the reduce, reuse category. So what to get a guy who wants nothing......ive him my nephew! I called my nephew last night and asked him if he would be willing to give grandpa 10 hours of his time to do whatever grandpa needed if I paid him. Since he lives in the country where finding work is a challenge he immediately said 'yes'! When I called dad today to wish him a Happy Father's Day I told him what his gift was. He was speachless and then said 'wow, that's a creative gift'. I did it - no complaints from dad this year and I even think he was pleased. My dad is happy, my nephew is happy and I found a 'green' father's day gift so I'm happy. In corporate America that's called a win-win-win! Have a creative, green Father's Day to all the great Dad's out there. ]]> http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_53_happy_mothers_day.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_53_happy_mothers_day.html creative Father's Day gift green green gift nephew win-win Sun, 13 May 2007 06:35:11 -0800 I have changed my shower soap to Dr. Bonners, added chlorine filters to my shower head and now it's time to replace my mildew ridden shower curtains which a few years ago would have meant a trip to Target and about a $7.00 bill; or a visit to the Dollar Store and purchase them for 1/2 the price. Half the price to bring yet another PVC product into my homeand not just any PVC, the most toxic type of PVC, but I really don't need to know how toxic vinyl shower liners are because my nose knows. The smell if a new liner is obnoxious. Luckily the alternatives are endless or so I thought. I looked at shower curtains made from 100% polyester that don't require a shower curtain liner but a quick google on polyester changed my mind, again. Most polyester is manufactured using antimony a carcinogen which is also toxic to the heart, lungs, liver and skin not to mention the recycling nightmare they become. Not exactly what I want to have in my shower. More googling. My final choice was a shower curtain from IKEA made from PEVA a non-chlorinated plastic. I also liked the HEMP shower curtains but decided to wait until they came in colors. Another option would have been to install a glass door. I had no idea that purchasing shower curtains would be so complicated but I think I finally have the last bit of chlorine out of my bathroom. http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_52_ask_dr_stink_from_stink.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_52_ask_dr_stink_from_stink.html chlorine eco Hemp IKEA PEVA plastic polyester PVC shower curtain Sun, 13 May 2007 06:34:53 -0800 I have carpeting.....and dogs.....for the time being at least. Because of the dogs I clean my carpets at least once a month but the 'green' cleaner I was using is expensive. Time to experiment. I finally settled on using Simple Green diluted with vinegar. My carpet cleaner doesn't work well if there is too much sudsing so the vinegar solved that. I was so pleased with the results and it cost less than $3.00 to clean 5 rooms. I also finished the job with a straight vinegar and water rinse. I plan to use some tea tree oil next time or maybe even some lavendar essential oil in the final rinse since both have antimicrobial qualities. See it's easy being green! http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_51.html http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/365Ways/2007/05/day_51.html carpeting dogs green homemade carpet cleaner lavendar essential oil tea tree oil vinegar Sat, 12 May 2007 21:44:51 -0800