The GreenRoost Blog

Auld Lang Syne is on my mind today, not only because it’s what is traditionally sung at midnight, but because of what it means.  Auld Lang Syne is sung at this time because it symbolizes endings and new beginnings.  The noise and bustle of the holidays is over and we are entering a hopeful new [...]

Continuing this mini blog series about everyday actions regular people can take to help create sustainable environments, here are five more tips!
1. Are you still using that old leaf blower?  Raking is much better for the planet, not to mention your health!  The same is true for a push mower instead of a gas-powered or [...]

Here are five more easy actions to live more sustainably!
1. Stop phone book delivery.  YellowPagesGoesGreen.org is a movement against unsolicited phone book delivery.  Sign up to remove your home or office from receiving telephone directories (beware phony sites; you should see a photo of a mountain at the top of the correct page) .  If [...]

Everyone’s talking green.  It’s on the news, in magazines, in newspapers, and on countless websites.  There’s a lot to know and a lot to be considered, but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist, have a green thumb, or let your hair grow and start giving everyone the peace sign.  It’s very easy to [...]

Check out the timeline of tasks from the August/September issue of Mother Earth News. Look up the date of your first killing frost (FKF), if you don’t already know it, and you’re ready to go!

12 – 14 weeks before FKF:

Direct-sow last plantings of fast-maturing, warm-season vegetables such as snap beans, cucumbers, and summer squash. Also [...]

I have quite a bit of of stuff in my house which used to serve a purpose but is now useless. Giving some of these items a second life requires some creative thinking. For instance - what to do with shampoos or hair conditioners that didn’t quite match my hair type?
I could leave them in [...]

About a month ago I’ve purchased a rain barrel from clean air gardening, and here is the installation video - installing a rain barrel is really easy!
This 55 gallon rain barrel has been in use for about a month now, and has worked really well so far.. as long as there is rain : ). [...]

Why?, you ask, since the store provides bags for you.  Or maybe you’re one of those well-meaning souls who takes them faithfully…and leaves them in the car.
BAYROC, the Bay Area Recycling Outreach Coalition’s BYOBag campaign website gives plenty of reasons:
1.  Each year the US consumes 30 billion plastic bags and 10 billion paper bags, which [...]

Watching the PBS front-line show “Poisoned Waters” the other day was concerning, to say the least. This excellent documentary covers a wide range of water pollution issues, from chicken farm pollution to chemicals,  as well as their consequences.  The 6-legged frogs and hermaphrodite fish found in the Chesapeake bay today mean similar trends among the [...]

A while ago I bought a fairly large-sized gift for a friend’s baby shower. I brought the present home - and then remembered about the gift wrapping.
Coincidentally, just a few days prior to that I came across some facts on all the waste created by gift wrapping - close to 50 football fields of trash a year in the US [...]