Companies fighting to stop global warming.

Sometimes when we are shopping around, we have no idea what the store does to help the environment. Climate Counts.org helps you see what companies are helping out to fight global warming. From food products to consumer shipping, Climate Counts.org breaks down and puts on the spot the companies who are doing good at fighting global warming and companies that are doing not so good.

This is very eye opening and it may even make you consider to shop differently. I encourage all to research more here: Climate Counts.org for more information.

What does "Being Green" means to you?

"Being Green" may mean something way different from many people. That is why I will love to know what is your opinion on this topic? Is it impossible, hard, amazing, realistic, difficult, peaceful, etc? Here is a link to a 4 question, anonymous, survey where you can express yourself about this topic!

I will post some of the answers as a new blog post to share with others. I will love if you can help and I will greatly appreciate it!

What does "Being Green" means to you?-Survey

Homemade Cleaning Supplies

Now that spring is coming, the most common thing to do is clean your house, apartment, studio or room from left to right, up and down... you know. Many of us, including myself, are or have used many cleaning supplies that are very strong and you always make sure you got the door open because if not, you will intoxicate yourself... that is not safe at all!! Not only for your health but your wallet too!! We do not really think about how much we spend on cleaning products because we think on the result that the product will give, not the consequences.

Here I decided to list homemade solutions and formulas from Earth Easy that will work the same as many cleaning products that we know! Making things is a great step to practice the green way!

Homemade Solutions:

* Baking Soda: cleans, deodorizes

* White Vinegar: cut greases, removes mildew, odors, some stains and wax build-up

* Cornstarch: can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs.

* Lemon: effective against most household bacteria.

Homemade Formulas:

*  All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc. 

*  Air Freshener: Commercial air fresheners mask smells and coat nasal passages to diminish the sense of smell. 

**Baking soda or vinegar with lemon juice in small dishes absorbs odors around the house. **Having houseplants helps reduce odors in the home. 

**Prevent cooking odors by simmering vinegar (1 tbsp in 1 cup water) on the stove while cooking. 

**To get such smells as fish and onion off utensils and cutting boards, wipe them with vinegar and wash in soapy water.
**Keep fresh coffee grounds on the counter
**Grind up a slice of lemon in the garbage disposal.
**Simmer water and cinnamon or other spices on stove. 

**Place bowls of fragrant dried herbs and flowers in room. 

 *Furniture Polish:

1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax), 1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely. Furniture Polish

HERE ARE MORE WEBSITES WITH MORE HOMEMADE FORMULAS! 

* Earth Easy-Non Toxic Solutions

* Care 2 Make a Difference- Make your own non toxic cleaning kit

* Stain Removal 101

* Blisstree- 25 Safe, Non-toxic Homemade Cleaning Supplies

 

Trashion= Trash + Fashion... FABULOUS!

So living in New England, with the weather changing every other day, it just cannot wait for the Spring to come to have sunlight and decide whether or not I need to wear layers! After reading this blog by Kim Preloving- Spring/Summer 2011 Fashion, I decided to do the same thing!

Here is what I decided to do, Kim is in the search for second-hand clothes to create her own wardrobe by searching clothes in ebay and other second-hand clothing stores. Personally, I find this to be such a great, unique and creative idea. Also, it's a step towards being green. Here you will be recycling, in other words, clothes that someone else doesn't want! I recommend everyone to look into this trend of second-hand fashion/ recyclable fashion! You can also create handbags and many other cool things! you just need your imagination and drive to create it!

Here are some pictures I found about this topic. I hope they give you some inspiration!

 Maternity Top from Men's Button Shirt

 

 

 Upcycling BDUS

Grow to be Green is Carbon Neutral!

The purpose of Grow to be Green is to take simple steps for a greener lifestyle and being Carbon Neutral is a great step!! I found out about a program called "My Blog is Carbon Neutral" which will plant a tree to offset the carbon emissions of this blog.

According to the website:

“My blog is carbon neutral” is an initiative, originally started in Germany by the “Make it green” program, that has the goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We plant a tree for your blog and thereby neutralize your blog’s carbon footprint for the next 50 years! Everyone can make a small contribution to the environment. Every tree counts!"

I am very proud of being part of this great initiative and found out about it through another awesome blog! Here is the link for the blog I found out this program and I personally met a person working for this awesome, fashionable, vegan and eco-friendly clothing! Ecolissa.

Wanna watch me?

So there are many resources about sustainability and my favorite ones are documentaries. Being a visual learner, I have to see it to believe it and eventually put it into practice. Therefore, I will like to share you everyone trailers from great documentaries based on sustainability, food safety and much more.

* Food INC- Simply my favorite documentary EVER! First off, I have seen it a couple of times and I tear up all the time! It's an eye opener and I recommend when you watch this documentary and any other one to watch it with an open mind.

*Fresh The Movie

* DIRT! The Movie

* Botany of Desire

These are great documentaries that I recommend you to look into them. I want to let you know that when I first saw Food Inc. I felt overwhelm with all the information I saw. I am not trying to scare you, but I just want to let you know that these are real issues happening right now and many people feel like they have to join and change the world. I believe the same but you also have to be REALISTIC of what you can do, how you can do it and when. Everyone is unique and they bring to this world their own ideas, persona and great outcomes. I want to encourage you if you get this feeling after watching these and/or learning more about this topic to embrace it with all you got! Remember to bring your own flavor to great changes!!

Taking out the trash!

So after walking down the streets of Boston and seeing a good amount of trash on the floor, I said to myself, why is there so much trash? It almost the same amount as the snow/ice on the floor! Not only that, but I saw a lot of materials that can be recycled! But what can you do? you may ask. Make sure that what you throw away are materials that cannot be recycled. Here is a list of things that are recyclable.

THINGS YOU CAN PUT IN A RECYCLE BIN:

• Newspaper
• White paper
• Green, brown and clear glass
• Corrugated cardboard
• Paperboard such as cereal boxes, shoeboxes
• Plastic bottles
• Aseptic juice boxes
• Gable-top paper cartons such as milk cartons
• Metal food cans
• Aluminum beverage cans
• Aluminum foil (no food residue)
• Six-pack rings
• Magazines
• Junk mail and catalogs 

THINGS YOU CAN’T PUT IN A RECYCLE BIN:

• Yogurt cups
• Margarine containers
• Frozen food trays
• Plastic wrap
• Plastic bags
• Styrofoam
• Phone books
• Stamps and stickers in junk mail
• Pizza boxes
• Plastic bottles that contain oil or hazardous substances 

"What Items Can and Can't Be Recycled?"

The hardest thing about recycling is finding out a facility or a company that can pick up or accept deliveries from people. My first recommendation is to save all the bottles and cans and try to sell them! Get some extra money in your pocket. I know chain supermarkets have machines that you can recycle the bottles and cans. They also provide a bin for recycling plastic bags.
Look into your neighboring supermarket and/or recycling facilities. If these is too much for you, let me know and I can help you find a location!