The holidays are one of the best times of the year, but can also be among the most wasteful. Here are some tips for making the season a little greener:
Switch to LED lights – I was in holiday lighting hell last weekend. I think every strand I took out of the box and plugged in was half lit. Or worse, worked initially and then burned out the instant I had it up on the tree. The exception - all my LED lights worked like a charm. Many strands we have had for four or five years now and not o…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on December 3, 2009 at 10:30am —
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I’m planning to spend big this Black Friday, but I won’t have to get up early, clip coupons, fight the crowds, or lug around armfuls of shopping bags. How am I going to do it?
On Friday, I’m going to sleep in, take a hike with the family, play board games and watch movies. And sometime throughout the day, I’ll get online and take the money I didn’t spend shopping on Black Friday and contribute it to charity. So instead of getting more stuff I don’t need maybe I can help feed some people, clean…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on November 25, 2009 at 4:29pm —
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This week, my daughter (my little girl) is turning 10. Yes, double digits – what the heck?! I’m freaking out about this and I’m not sure why. It’s not a case of “wow, if I have a ten year old, I must be old”. It’s just that I’m enjoying my kids so much at the age they are right now, I don’t want them to grow up. My husband and I always say to them, “Can you do me a favor and please stop growing?” Which we are kidding about, sort of…
Some unsolicited advice I would give to moms with younger kids…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on November 11, 2009 at 11:50am —
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The
Environmental Working Group just released this new report titled “
Can Cleaning Supplies Contaminate Classroom Air?”. The answer, as you can imagine, is a resounding yes.
Although I use natural, non-toxic cleaners at home, it didn’t really occur to me that my kids spend a…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on November 4, 2009 at 8:16pm —
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Let me first say that I love, love, love Halloween, so I’m not trying to spoil the fun. But lead in face paint, toxic costumes, high-fructose corn syrup and mounds of trash can make Halloween not so sweet. With a few simple changes though, we can enjoy the holiday while protecting our kids’ health and our planet.
Here are some suggestions for a Halloween that’s not so frightening:
Forgo the face paint –
The Environmental Working Group tested…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on October 28, 2009 at 10:30pm —
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This week, I’m participating in
No-Impact Week hosted by the
Huffington Post and Colin Beavan, better known as
No-Impact Man.
It’s a week-long carbon cleanse, designed to help you live a better, happier, and healthier life by reducing your consumption and buying l…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on October 20, 2009 at 1:54pm —
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In my two most recent posts, I discussed the
problem with plastics and how to
use plastics more safely. The last step now is to reduce plastic use.
As a start, here are three items that I carry with me every day. Each is small and inexpensive, but has…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on October 13, 2009 at 11:30am —
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I hope you will check out my previous post, “The problem with plastics” for a better understanding of the need to reduce your plastic use in the first place. In addition to all the information I included there, in case I haven’t convinced you yet, please read this Planet Green blog post,…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on October 1, 2009 at 9:53am —
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When people ask me where to start going green, one of the first things I always suggest is to reduce the use of plastics, particularly disposable plastics. I say this because it is one way to go green that is easy to do, healthier for you, better for the planet, and puts money in your wallet. It’s a win-win for everyone.
But first, what’s the problem with plastics?
The toxicity of plastics is not fully understood or adequately tested. Most plastics contain chemical additives to m…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on September 24, 2009 at 9:38am —
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Last week, the
Environmental Working Group (EWG) released an interesting
report regarding cell phone radiation. After a 10-month long study, scientists at EWG found that cell phones do indeed release radiation and this radiation may be linked to po…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on September 15, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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Unfortunately, fires are a reality of living in Southern California, especially in the late summer and fall. As we’ve seen this week, fire season has started early this year. And as hot and dry as it is right now, I fear this is not the last fire we will see before the end of the year.
Two years ago, the fires that we burning Southern California felt like they were in my backyard. Thankfully our home was okay, but we came pretty close. I remember firsthand how bad the air quality was at that ti…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on September 2, 2009 at 9:52am —
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If you’ve turned on the TV, opened the newspaper, or been out shopping lately, you can’t avoid the fact that it’s almost time to go back to school (even if you want to). While I’m a little sad about the end of summer drawing near, I’m also excited for the kids to get back in a routine again and looking forward to an end to my daily juggling act of being a full-time mom and full-time business owner.
Back to school usually means a lot of shopping. This year, get school started off right by making…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on August 12, 2009 at 8:43am —
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If you have read my previous posts on the
why and the
what of composting, maybe you are ready to think about trying it yourself. This is part three of this series (I apologize for the delay – I was busy enjoying a great vacation and some needed downtime with the family).
Here are some methods and products…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on August 3, 2009 at 12:30pm —
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Once you are ready to start composting, one of the first things you need to know is what type food waste can be composted and what can (or should) not.
Good compost material:
Fruit & vegetables – you can compost any part of your fruit and veggie waste – the peels, pits, stems, cores - even those tomatoes you find rotting in the bottom of your crisper because you bought more than you could use.
Egg Shells – egg shells are great but not the actual eggs.
Tea bags and c…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on July 17, 2009 at 9:39am —
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This is the first post in a series on composting. Please do not be afraid and stop reading at this point - it’s not so bad, I promise.
I understand how most people feel about composting. In my own journey to going green, composting was one of the last activities that I embraced. I was worried that it was complicated, time consuming, and that it would be messy and smelly. I also thought that I wouldn’t have room for a compost bin in my yard or have enough garden space to use the top soil it woul…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on July 9, 2009 at 11:00am —
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Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love the warm weather, barbeques, block parties and fireworks. Here are some ideas for making this year’s celebration a bit more sustainable.
Recycle - If your neighborhood has a block party, volunteer to collect and recycle all the bottles and cans. Every year, my neighborhood has a huge Fourth of July celebration. A few years back, I was enjoying the party but then noticed that there were no recycling bins and all the cans and bottles we…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on July 1, 2009 at 12:30pm —
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Summer has officially started and my kids could not be more excited. About day number two though, I heard the dreaded “Mom, I’m bored.” Now I’ve already told my kids it’s not my job to keep them occupied all summer, but to help us stay busy (and me stay sane), I decided to look for some fun, economical, eco-friendly activities.
Here is what I came up with:
Museums and Exhibits – These are always a great learning experience, and generally economical too. For those of you in the Orange Co…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on June 24, 2009 at 4:12pm —
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In my last post, I encouraged you to
protect yourself and your family from the sun as much as possible, limiting exposure, and wearing a safe, mineral-based sunscreen every day. So what’s a fair-skinned girl to do – forgo any hint of a summer glow? I know that I don’t want to be a shade of shocking white when I hit the beach this summer - so, what’s the alternative?
Hit the tanning bed of course – okay, just kiddin…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on June 19, 2009 at 4:38pm —
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With summer right around the corner, it’s time to stock up on sunscreen. But it’s more than just an issue of what’s on sale and what level SPF to buy. Sunscreens vary widely in terms of safety and effectiveness. A recent study of 1000 sunscreens by the
Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that four out of five sunscreens they tested contain chemicals that may pose health hazards and/or don't adequately protect skin from the sun's damaging rays. They found tha…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on June 11, 2009 at 7:30am —
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After the recent bankruptcy of General Motors, experts say that this may be a great time to
get a new car. I’ve been thinking about doing this for awhile now, and it may be time for me to go for it.
The decision of whether or not to buy a new car is complicated for me. First and foremost I would have to accept that I actually have a car payment. I have had my car for seven years…
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Added by BuyGreen.com on June 3, 2009 at 1:04pm —
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