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You may have noticed that there are more "natural" products available at supermarkets, discount stores, and drugstores. As a consumer it is becoming more difficult to decipher which products are actually derived from renewable resources and are better for the environment. In some cases, manufacturers state that their products are made with natural ingredients when they are actually made from synthetic ingredients -- that's a prime example of greenwashing (check out http://stopgreenwash.org/ for more info on greenwashing). 

There ...





More than $60 billion worth, 500 cups, of coffee is consumed worldwide each day. All those cups of coffee contain quite a bit of caffeine. In the United States and Canada the average daily consumption of caffeine per adult is 250mg. A typical 12oz cup of coffee has 120mg to 180mg but very few people sip on just one 12oz cup a day! In contrast, a decaffeinated cup of coffee has just 2mg to 6mg of caffeine per cup. Have you been thinking of switching to decaf? Even if you love your caffeine, you may want to consider what type of coffee you're drinking ...



You know that amazing popcorn smell when you walk into a movie theater? That pretty much lures me in every time. But, for $6 or more and tons of unneeded calories and fat I try to tell myself to skip it and make my own. Microwave popcorn can be a little healthier but is not that much less expensive and with the popcorn you're buying a whole lot of unneeded packaging. 
Forget the movie popcorn. Forget microwave popcorn. Air popped popcorn is one of the best snacks you can choose! It is healthy, light, and provides a good amount ...




In shedding some light on plastic and what those mystery numbers mean on the bottom of plastic bottles, packaging, and other plastics even more questions surfaced. A reader asked really good questions, like "What am I supposed to do with plastic that is not readily recyclable?" and "Should we put those plastic items in our recycling bins anyway?" I am still trying to get to the bottom of this and due to local government and waste management, it really depends on where you live. It ...


Whilst browsing the weekly grocery circulars this week I came across an ad for Reynolds Recycled Foil. Maybe this has been around for a while? Maybe I just haven't seen them because I don't use foil that often in my cooking but here it was staring me in the face, another great eco-alternative to traditional products.  Whilst I realize that most eco-friendly option would be to not use the aluminum foil altogether sometimes that isn't an option. In our household we don't use much foil, but when camping it is the convenience and cleanliness aspect that draws me to using aluminum foil, and now I can use the recycled foil knowing I am one step closer to reducing my carbon footprint!




We drink water, bathe with it, cook with it, water our gardens with it, use it in industry, brush our teeth with it, wash our cars with it, and the list goes on. I think most of us are aware that there are shortages of water around the country and some studies project that 36 states will have a shortage of water by 2013. That's right around the corner. Yes, a shortage of water is a big deal and should not be taken lightly, but what about what's actually IN our water ... especially tap water we drink? 
According to the National Defense Council, contaminated ...



I discussed yesterday the need to learn lessons from the past, and the old adage of "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" this rings true today in times of economic and ecological need! Things we can do o help the planet can also help us save money and improve our own financial situation and who doesn't want to save money? I truly believe that the best thing anyone can do to improve their finances is to get back to basics so in this and future posts I'll be discussing ways in which we can do that. One way we saved money and lowered our families carbon footprint was to ditch the paper napkins and opt instead for cloth napkins.




You may remember the news stories in the past two years about the harmful effects of using and reusing certain plastics such as water bottles and some plastic baby bottles. Since then manufacturers and new companies have been offering alternatives to plastic or using different types of plastic but there is still a lot to keep in mind as a consumer. 
A little history: The first plastics were developed in the 1860's and in the 1930's the petroleum industry accidently discovered polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride (used ...




Whether you're trying to freshen up your house for guests or if you'd like to cancel out strong food odors from that delicious meal you just made, there are quite a few natural air fresheners you can use instead of chemical-laden commercial air fresheners. 

FRESH PLANTS / FLOWERSLive or cut, a bunch of flowers can add beauty to your space as well as purifying the air. They have been known to neutralize the air by removing the formaldehyde given off by furniture or kitchen cabinets made with fiberboard. Live rubber plants, azaleas, and bamboo palms ...




Fruit



Bowl Handcrafted with Recycled Wrappers Large Fair Trade
Dimensions: 5 ½” tall, including a 1” pedestal, 11” diameter. We use these bowls for everything – arriving mail, dog toys, fresh fruit, Legos, knitting… although not all together (we have a lot of bowls). Ingeniously hand-woven of carefully washed, dried and cut-up reclaimed food wrappers, these baskets are super tough, heavier than they look and moisture (i.e. dog slime) resistant. They are easily cleaned with a damp cloth. Differing ...



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