Category — Home & Living

I have soap on the mind. I love all health and beauty products but soap has always been my #1 most-purchased beauty product. I have favorite soaps but lately I’ve been rethinking my big box store soap purchases. I’m not entirely sure what goes in to making mass produced soap but I am realizing that organic soap seems to be made with love, passion and bicycles…what?!

Justsoap.com’s soap line

In my eternal quest for the perfect soap, I turned to the internet because I wanted to see if my old standards would come up or if I’d discover new soap companies by typing in “ECO SOAP”. Wouldn’t you know that the first link that comes up is for www.justsoap.com and their company makes soap with a bicycle! A guy literally sits on a bike and churns the ingredients to make “Lemongrass Ginger”, “Lavender Rosemary” and “Sage Fir” soap! Haute couture soaps made by a Huffy. Well, actually - the bike looks pretty complex but you have to really appreciate someone who creates delectable soaps while conducting his own spin class. The soap is $2.95 per bar, a bargain at any price… [Read more →]

Swimming is such a splendid form of exercise and so perfectly adapted to summer that the increase in swimming pools in all communities is to be welcomed.

But Chlorine used to disinfect swimming pools is a health hazard and may trigger asthma in children. Among adults it has been linked with other health problems including bladder and rectal cancer and may increase the risk for coronary heart disease. [Read more →]

Now you can easily do your part to help cut America’s dependence on fossil fuels, including foreign oil by choosing the type of power you purchase. In NY this can be achieved by selecting GREEN Power and WIND Power from ConEdison Solutions.

• GREEN Power is composed of 65% run-of-the-river hydro and 35% wind power(generated from regional wind and low-impact hydropower sources).
• WIND Power is composed of electricity exclusively generated from 100% wind power. [Read more →]

A Chinese farmer has made his own solar-powered water heater out of beer bottles and hosepipes. Sunlight heats the water as it passes slowly through the bottles before flowing into the bathroom as hot water, reports China Economy Network.

“I invented this for my mother. I wanted her to shower comfortably,” says Ma Yanjun, of Qiqiao village, Shaanxi province.

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Now in its 11th year, Starbucks Coffee Company is offering its “Grounds for Your Garden” program, where customers can pick up a free bag of used coffee grounds for their gardens at the Starbucks cafes. If this all sounds like crazy talk, read on… spent coffee grounds added to gardens provide a natural compost, making the soil richer and healthier. Coffee grounds are considered a good nitrogen source and when combined with brown material such as leaves or straw, they generate heat and speed up the compost process. This helps absorb moisture and can also aid in improving the texture and fertility of the soil.“One bag of coffee grounds is good for a small sized garden,” said Paula Strebig, marketing specialist for Starbucks. “When coffee grounds are added, most acid-loving plants really thrive and it helps plants grow. They get a rich green color.”

In a recently published article on AlterNet, Dara Colwell sites how Americans are working harder than ever before and are doing so at a greater cost to the environment. Even though research continues to suggest that practicing a simpler lifestyle, while using fewer resources, makes people happier.

“We now seem more determined than ever to work harder and produce more stuff, which creates a bizarre paradox: We are proudly breaking our backs to decrease the carrying capacity of the planet,” says Conrad Schmidt, an internationally known social activist and founder of the Work Less Party, (the Vancouver-based initiative aimed at moving to a 32-hour work week — a radical departure from the in early, out late cycle we’ve grown so accustomed to. “Choosing to work less is the biggest environmental issue no one’s talking about.”
[Read more →]

It’s Spring, a time to stop and smell the roses.

…With it, Bloomscape has finally broken into the world and onto our doorstep!

Their company ethos is definitely one we support,…affirming that life is better when it’s simple and includes plants.

Plants reduce stress and improve air quality. And well, there’s no need to explain how simplicity adds to life!

While you’re there, be sure and check out their insightful design tips.

My favorite: Choosing Your Plant Colors.

Chances are, if you were looking for an apartment in New york’s buildings five years ago hoping to find one that was ecofriendly, you were pretty much out of luck. But with rising consumer demand and the tax credits that’s all changed. In a recent article in NY Magazine, S.Jhoanna Robledo points out that not all of these envirobuilders are as green as they’d have us believe. Having spoken with green experts, including the advocacy nonprofit GreenHomeNYC, Robledo rates (10) of New York’s enviro-built buildings.

And the winner is:

The Visionaire: A 35-story, 251-unit condo project in Battery Park City.

ECO-FEATURES
An elaborate system that filters water from bathrooms and kitchens, then pumps it back for use in toilets; green roof; will receive 35 % of its electricity from renewable sources. It’s the only residential building stateside to achieve the LEED platinum rating.

The lovely EcoSmart fireplace is an adaptable open fire. Great for those of us living in smaller spaces. Fuelled by denatured ethanol, it’s a clean burning fire with no utility connection. Easy to maintain and a joy to be near!

Get ready to make some smores!

EcoSmart

Although the weather outside may be disillusioning…it’s SPRING! Time for us to all get off our humps and do some Spring Cleaning.

Among the many Green tips we found out there, the below are a few of our team’s favorites:

• Clean & polish wood with a mix of vegetable oil, essential oil of lemon, , mint, eucalyptus or your fave, and beeswax.
• Toilet: Scrub with baking soda; follow by wiping seat with white vinegar
• Kitchen sinks: try making your own sink scrub using one part vinegar, four parts baking soda and several drops of your favorite essential oil (or oils). Scrub the paste on with a sponge, let sit for a few minutes then rinse.
• Windows: Vinegar again, this time in a spray bottle, will do the trick. A lot of people recommend wiping vinegar-sprayed glass with crumpled newspaper, but a lint-free washrag works well too. Don’t clean windows when they’re in direct sunlight, because they’ll dry too fast and look “streaky.”
• Carpets: Before vacuuming, shake baking soda over the carpeting; it will help to absorb odors. For spot cleaning, try that natural wonder, vinegar. Spray it on, scrub out the spot with a washrag and don’t worry about the vinegar smell; it dissipates quickly.
• Upholstery: Sprinkle stale cushions and chairs with…you guessed it, our old friend baking soda, then vacuum after letting it sit for a while.
• General odors: Make your own scented sprays by mixing distilled water, isopropyl alcohol (keep this away from heat and flames, as well as from children and pets) and a few drops of your favorite essential oil in a spray bottle, then spray wherever needed. For especially stubborn smells, some people swear by zeolite, a natural mineral with tiny, tiny pores and an ability to soak in the worst of odors.