Go Paperless!

I, like most of America, receive a lot of junk mail. I have already opted out of prescreened credit card offers but I am still receiving a ton of mail from my bank; so I  have decided to Go Paperless in my statements. It is easy and since I check my bank account online anyways. And, if you are worried about your personal information getting out, remember that most of identity thief happens because of mail. Here what I learned from the Green Living website,

Turning off paper statements protects the environment by saving trees, wastewater, solid waste, and energy. By estimate, the average household receives seven monthly statements, totaling 19 pages monthly per household or 228 pages annually.

That is a huge amount of paper! Think of all those trees, plus if it doesn’t come to me, I don’t have to find a way to get rid of it. Going Paperless is easier than you may think. You can enroll online for automatic bill pay and to have your statements shut off. What are you waiting for?

Eco Friendly Jewels!

It is wedding season! Are you conscious about where your jewels come from?  Many brides are hesitant to wear a solitaire because there is no way to guarantee that the diamond in the setting is conflict-free and rather than chance it, they prefer to go without.  This very ethical bride doesn’t feel comfortable putting something that beautiful on her finger if it has a truly ugly past.  Ethical jewelry is turning into a movement in the jewelry industry.  It focuses on custom design, using conflict-free diamonds, fairly traded gems and recycled/reclaimed gold and platinum.  Ladies they still sparkle and gentleman they’ll still cost you a pretty penny (but let’s be honest she’s worth it) but they are made with social consciousness in mind.

So what’s this all mean? 

Conflict Free Diamonds: conflict diamonds or blood diamonds are those diamonds mined in areas of the world where entire villages are essentially trapped in modern day slavery by corrupt leaders, mining or diamond companies.  By buying a conflict free diamond you are ensuring the miners were protected from human rights violations and poor working conditions.  This is a huge problem in Central and Southern Africa.

Fairly Traded Gems:  Fair trade means that the people who mined the gems, processed them, cut them, etc… were paid a fair wage on the open market.  Essentially the workers were protected from trade cartels giving them a raw deal.

Recycled/re-claimed platinum or gold:  This means that the metals used in the jewelry came from pre-existing pieces.  This is reduces the jewelry’s carbon footprint as well as reducing the need for mining of raw materials.

Want to know more? Try Leber Jewlery as an example or visit the Human Rights Watch website to get a better idea of the ethics to jewelry buying options

Aspirin, Not Just For Aches Anymore

Chances are, you have some Aspirin on hand in your apartment. While it can help you with those minor head aches, you can also use it for a variety of different household reasons as well. For example, want to keep fresh cut flowers blooming longer? Drop an aspirin in the water. Actual aspirin that is. Have a protein based stain on your shirt? Use an aspirin scrub. Ground up the aspirin and add a little water to take  away the stain. For itch relief from a bug bite, wet an aspirin and rub on the bite. See a variety of uses that you would never even think about.

Get Chewing Gum Out of Your Hair!

When I was in Middle School, someone put gum in my hair at school. It was awful! Right after lunch and I just wanted to cut it out, but it was against school policy to allow students to cut their hair. So, my teacher suggested that I tried to get gum out of my hair by using an ice cube. It did not work at all! Then, the school nurse suggested peanut butter. No luck.

I had to wait until I got home to try baby oil which actually worked! You can also use baby oil to get paint off your skin, you can also use it to clean stainless steal. DIYlife has come up with a list of Alternative Uses for Baby oil.

Happy Earth Day City Lights!

Take nothing but pictures.
Leave nothing but footprints.
Kill nothing but time.
~Motto of the Baltimore Grotto, a caving society

5 Little Things That Make a Big Difference for the Planet.

Earth Day was founded in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson  and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year. There are easy things that we can do everyday to make a big difference . Why not start your own go green campaign starting tomorrow? Here are some really simple ideas you can try right away!

 

1. Get rid of your bottled water habit. Studies have shown that it isn’t any better in comparison to most tap water and it is  worse for the environment.

2. Use a power strip to unplug your appliances with not in use. They still use energy even when they aren’t on.

3. Wash your clothes in cold water, Tide makes a great detergent that cleans in cold better than most do in warm.

4. Use natural cleaners, lemon and vinegar are two great options.

5. Make sure you set a timer on your computer to go to sleep if you have to leave it for an extended period.

What are some of the simple things you can change to help the environment?

Now, That’s a Waste!

Typically, when a person comes to the realization that they have more clothing than they’ll ever wear, they donate the clothing to charity. That is not the case for clothing store chains Wal Mart and H & M. Both retailers are currently under fire for destroying and throwing away unworn clothing because they are out of season and didn’t sell. Really? Is that the ONLY way they could have gotten rid of the clothing? Here’s the whole story. Do you think they did the right thing? Share your thoughts.

Don’t Eat These

Aren’t they darling? Cute little “garden truffles” that look like actual edible chocolates. It’s actually clay, compost, and plant seed bits that can be planted in a little pot so you can grow your own herbs or tea. It basically makes it easy for you so that you won’t have an excuse not to grow your own plants. Check them out here.

Green Resolutions

Are you thinking about your New Year’s resolutions? Well consider some with a green twist. It’s easier than you think to go green, too. Take some time to volunteer, read, stop smoking, and take in the great outdoors. Here are some more ideas.

Dreaming of a Green Christmas

It’s easy to go green this holiday. Use LED holiday lights, try renting a live Christmas tree, and recycle. There’s a whole list of green holiday tips here. I’m doing my part this year and I have LED lights on my tree. What are you doing?

Next Page »