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Auld Lang Syne - Actions for a Green Year

TreeNut — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:05:32 -0600

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 year. As you look back over the previous year and prepare to ring in the new, think about how you can make your year, your community, and your world better.

Sustainable Environments

TreeNut — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:08:49 -0600

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 electric mowers (electricity comes mostly from coal-powered plants, and there is no such thing as 'clean coal').

Environmentally sustainable living made easier

TreeNut — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:07:40 -0500

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 you need a book, simply call to request one. This will prevent unnecessary waste and save you the trouble of recycling unwanted phone books.

Green Action Now

TreeNut — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:27:30 -0500

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 make your everyday life greener and here are five ways you can start right away.

Go green while going back to school

TreeNut — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:07:31 -0500

It has been reported that Aramark Higher Education is instituting a program at college campuses this school year that will divert more than 2 million disposable food containers from landfills. In the same spirit, here are a few suggestions on how to green your kid - or yourself - on the way back to the classroom.

- One of the simplest ways to 'go green' is to take a sack lunch. According to buygreen.com, the average school-age child eating a disposable lunch generates 67 lbs. of waste per school year, which equals 18,760 lbs. of lunch waste for only one average-size elementary school!

Bees disappearing

TreeNut — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:17:32 -0500

Last week I got to see an eye-opening program on PBS about the disappearance of bees worldwide. It was a very informative show about a situation that everyone who's gotten used to eating more than just a few kinds of grain should know about.

At the time of the production of this program, Silence of the Bees, a condition called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) had emptied beehives in 35 states and from Europe to South America. Bees were disappearing and no one knew why.

Plant Fall Gardens

TreeNut — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:26:27 -0500

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!

Shampoo and hair conditioners can be reused too!

Tikkitavi — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:14:22 -0500

I have quite a bit of of old stuff in my house which used to serve a purpose but is now useless. Recycling some of it is a no-brainer, yet some items requires creative thinking. For instance - what to do with shampoos or hair conditioners that didn't quite match my hair type?

Here are a few ideas...

Eco friendly cell phones

TreeNut — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:13:34 -0500

Cell phones are ubiquitous accessories these days, almost appendages for some of us. Have you ever considered the impact your constant connectedness could have? For instance does your provider do any of the following:

- Donate regularly to Greenpeace, Defenders of Wildlife, Doctors Without Borders, and Natural Resources Defense Council?

- Oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the last pristine wildernesses? ...

Installing a Rain Barrel

Tikkitavi — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:59:00 -0500

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 : ). Unfortunately this is an exceptionally hot summer here in TX, and we didn't have any rain in the last 10 days, so the barrel has been sitting empty, and I am back to using the spigot to water my garden...

Big Hairy Deal

TreeNut — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:44:01 -0500

Here's an innovative approach to 'reduce, reuse, recycle.' Hair stylist Phil McCrory has created hair mats (made from clippings from salons) to clean up oil spills and act as fertilizers/weed barriers.

Little Green Books for You and Me

TreeNut — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:49:43 -0500

Is your kid green?

Simon & Schuster may be able to help with that. They have a new eco-friendly line of children's novelty and story books aimed at parents and children looking to learn more about the environment.

BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag, that is)

TreeNut — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:40:19 -0500

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.

Gone Batty

TreeNut — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:33:57 -0500

Unfortunately, an average person has a deep prejudice against bats..

I recently had the pleasure of hearing Dottie Hyatt speak to a local Girl Scout troop about bats. Boy, did I learn a lot! Unlike many, I have never had any kind of fear of bats, but I never realized just how important they are. I thought maybe there are others out there who don’t know either. So, I decided to write this and I hope you all like it. To quote the kids today, “mad props” to Dottie and Amanda of Bat World Sanctuary for answering all my questions and helping with the article, but most of all, for their work at BWS preserving one of our most unjustly treated benefactors.

Green newbie practical tip #3: if it looks like hype, it probably is..

Tikkitavi — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:02:14 -0500

As more and more folks are interested in becoming green - more and more folks are using the opportunity to take advantage of that interest. As always - the golden rule is - if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Green newbie practical tip #2: organic cotton may not be a sustainable (let alone - wallet-friendly) option

Tikkitavi — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:46:22 -0500

While organic cotton is by far better for the environment and our health than conventional cotton production, is organic cotton a sustainable option?

A simple guide to sustainable wood choices

TreeNut — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:02:35 -0500

Wood is a ubiquitous substance. While home remodeling is probably the largest use of wood products, it is also widely used in furniture, decorations, dishes, and many other items. What are some of the things we should look for to make the right and sustainable choices when buying wood and wood products?

A green newbie practical tip #1: if your goal is to save on your grocery bill - growing tomatoes in containers may not be the way to start.

Tikkitavi — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:21:06 -0500

Growing tomatoes in containers is very "hot" right now and seems easy, right? Just my 2 cents here: growing tomatoes requires knowledge, experience and patience. If your goal behind gardening is to reduce your grocery bill and this is your first time gardening - growing tomatoes in containers may not be very practical, especially in a hot climate.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch & how you can help reduce plastic pollution.

Tikkitavi — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:22:58 -0600

Plastic constitutes 90 percent of all trash floating in the world's oceans. The United Nations Environment Program estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean hosts 46,000 pieces of floating plastic.

Commercial plastic has been around for only 50 years, yet during this relatively short period of time we've managed to accumulate enough plastic waste to form the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a super-vortex of trash estimated to be twice the size of Texas, floating in the Pacific).

Toxic pesticides in food :: 80-20 rule that helps your health and your wallet

Tikkitavi — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:57:24 -0600

While some of us are buying organic food to support green efforts, many shoppers pick Whole Foods as opposed to a conventional grocery store due to health reasons: organic foods are grown free of toxic pesticides.

A sure way to minimize exposure to pesticides would be to either grow your own food (without the use of toxic pesticides, obviously), or buy your food at a local organic store. Ideally, we'd all eat only organically grown food. The question is - how can we afford to do so in this economy?