Green Home

Organic Indoor Gardening

jride — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:59:00 -0500

By Julie Bawden Davis Guests often ask me about the colorful insects flying around my houseplants. “Those are ladybugs,” I reply. “My natural pest control solution. Aren’t they cute?” When it comes to dire predictions about the future of our planet, many of us feel helpless. The good news is there are small things we can do at home that will make a difference to Mother Earth in the long run, like choosing eco-friendly pest control options for our indoor gardens. If you find scale...

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Clean and Green Bath Toys

Kim.D — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:43:36 -0500

When it comes to bath time, you can’t beat squirting rubber duckies and other toys to keep baby occupied long enough for you to do the sudsing and scrubbing. But, with all the hubbub around baby bottles and other plastic items, it's important to consider your bath toys. Bath toys and books made with PVC (#3 plastic) may expose kids to lead and other neurotoxic heavy metals and phthalates. Phthalates soften plastics so they are more flexible, but they have been linked to problems with...

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Home Sweet Shipping Container?

jride — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:09:00 -0500

You've probably seen them stacked high to the sky at city ports, left emply after traveling around the world carrying furniture, appliances and other household goods. But the next time you see a shipping container, it might be far from the waterfront and serving a purpose for which it was never intended: housing.

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Cleaning House

Kim.D — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:36:30 -0500

Strangely, it feels more like New Year's Day than the day after a typical election. After months of momentum and drama — of proving how much can be accomplished when people work together and believe — it seems strangely slow and quiet, almost like a hangover after the big party. We’ve achieved something of a new start. How shall we honor it and continue the work? Obama called out, “Yes we can!” in his acceptance speech — and we did, but what do we do now? Here’s what I think: If we can clean...

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Cleaner Pumpkins

Kim.D — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:14:41 -0400

Add up all the chemicals that go into candy, face paint, costumes, and conventionally grown pumpkins and it’s easy to see that Halloween wins the most-toxic-holiday award hands down. So it’s no wonder there are so many articles these days on how to make it greener. I’ve read quite a few of these and even wrote one a few years ago. In flush times, following the advise in these articles seems like a no-brainer. But these days, I’m looking to cut the fat from my Halloween budget. To that end,...

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Fall’s Gold

Kim.D — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:38:37 -0400

Fall leaves start out as the perfect autumn accent to your still green lawn. But before you know it they can pile up so thick that they threaten the future of that lawn altogether. If you leave them where they are through the winter, you may never see your green grass again. But what are the options? The most common ways of dealing with fall leaves are also the least green. These include stuffing leaves into non-biodegradable plastic garbage bags and carting them off to the landfill and...

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Get the Home Fires Burning

Kim.D — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:06:26 -0400

Lately, mornings in Northern California have been so cold, it’s nearly impossible to get out of bed. I’m serious. With the economy as bad as it is, we’re not going to turn on the heat any time soon. And with our down comforter as cozy as it is, getting up is about as tempting as jumping into a frozen lake. So naturally I’ve been thinking about my fireplace and what I need to do now to prepare it for the season. Here’s my to-do list: Call the chimney sweep It’s a good idea to have your...

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Troubleshoot for the Perfect Cup of Coffee

Kim.D — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:02:03 -0400

With organic, fair trade coffee beans running nearly $10 a pound at my local natural food stores, I expect my morning joe to deliver a total sensory “mmmm” day after day. When that doesn’t happen, I walk backwards through the coffee making process to find the weak link. Here’s how: Clean the machine First, take a look at your coffeemaker. Residue from past pots can make coffee taste bitter and even rancid. Hard water buildup can slow down your machine and cause damage. Follow these seven...

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Cleaner Yoga

Kim.D — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:37:23 -0400

If yoga is supposed to be all about connecting mind, body, and spirit, why is it that the first thing I think of at the start of every yoga class is how much I need a pedicure? This not-so-spiritual thought leads logically into looking around at everyone else’s feet, a bad idea in general and especially in yoga class. Even Yoga Journal admits there is a problem – athlete’s foot running rampant through yoga studios. The symptoms are cracked, itchy, peeling, and sometimes blistered skin....

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"Green roofs" flourish in eco-conscious cities

ElizaT — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:28:59 -0400

When asphalt-weary American city dwellers yearn for a bit of greenery these days, more and more of them head for the roof. The concept of planted "green roofs," which gained early popularity in Chicago, is beginning to take root in New York and other cities.

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