If you are going to clean your own vehicle, check out the waterless wash products available now from many manufacturers, such as Eco Touch. Many are nontoxic, biodegradable and petrochemical-free. Just spray on, wipe and buff gently with a clean towel, and voilĂ . Clean car.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Car Wash or DIY
Springs Hot New Colors
Wild Mushroom Soup
I LOVE mushrooms, especially mushroom soup! I think if you were to add some other mushroom varieties (shiitake, oyster, portobello) to this recipe it would be delicious. Having extra mushrooms is not something that I consider to be a problem.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
Half a white onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh white mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine, or 1/2 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 1/2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1 cup fat-free half-and-half
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Black pepper
1 cup cooked wild rice
Directions
Put olive oil in stockpot and bring to medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery and carrots. Cook until tender. Add mushrooms, white wine and chicken broth. Cover and heat through. In a bowl, blend half-and-half, flour, thyme and pepper. Then stir in cooked wild rice. Pour rice mixture into hot stockpot with vegetables. Cook over medium heat. Stir continually until thickened and bubbly.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Earth Day 2010
Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.
Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Earth Day Network is galvanizing millions who make personal commitments to sustainability. Earth Day 2010 is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, corporations and governments to join together and create a global green economy. Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.
What have you done to make your life greener? Every day should be Earth Day.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Stinging Nettle
Did you know you can eat stinging nettle? That nettles contain the highest plant source of iron? It is an EXCELLENT source of vitamins, minerals and protein. It is literally a “super-food.” Forget all these designer capsules and energy drinks. Nettles are far more nutritious, and they are FREE!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Second Garbage Patch Confirmed
Mike Melia from the Associated Press writes:
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Researchers are warning of a new blight on the ocean: a swirl of confetti-like plastic debris stretching over thousands of square miles (kilometres) in a remote expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
The floating garbage - hard to spot from the surface and spun together by a vortex of currents - was documented by two groups of scientists who trawled the sea between scenic Bermuda and Portugal's mid-Atlantic Azores islands.
The studies describe a soup of micro-particles similar to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a phenomenon discovered a decade ago between Hawaii and California that researchers say is likely to exist in other places around the globe.
"We found the great Atlantic garbage patch," said Anna Cummins, who collected plastic samples on a sailing voyage in February.
The debris is harmful for fish, sea mammals - and at the top of the food chain, potentially humans - even though much of the plastic has broken into such tiny pieces they are nearly invisible.
Since there is no realistic way of cleaning the oceans, advocates say the key is to keep more plastic out by raising awareness and, wherever possible, challenging a throwaway culture that uses non-biodegradable materials for disposable products.
"Our job now is to let people know that plastic ocean pollution is a global problem - it unfortunately is not confined to a single patch," Cummins said.
The research teams presented their findings in February at the 2010 Oceans Sciences Meeting in Portland, Oregon. While scientists have reported finding plastic in parts of the Atlantic since the 1970s, the researchers say they have taken important steps toward mapping the extent of the pollution.
Cummins and her husband, Marcus Eriksen, of Santa Monica, California, sailed across the Atlantic for their research project. They plan similar studies in the South Atlantic in November and the South Pacific next spring.
On the voyage from Bermuda to the Azores, they crossed the Sargasso Sea, an area bounded by ocean currents including the Gulf Stream. They took samples every 100 miles (160 kilometres) with one interruption caused by a major storm. Each time they pulled up the trawl, it was full of plastic.
A separate study by undergraduates with the Woods Hole, Massachusetts-based Sea Education Association collected more than 6,000 samples on trips between Canada and the Caribbean over two decades. The lead investigator, Kara Lavendar Law, said they found the highest concentrations of plastics between 22 and 38 degrees north latitude, an offshore patch equivalent to the area between roughly Cuba and Washington, D.C.
Long trails of seaweed, mixed with bottles, crates and other flotsam, drift in the still waters of the area, known as the North Atlantic Subtropical Convergence Zone. Cummins' team even netted a Trigger fish trapped alive inside a plastic bucket.
But the most nettlesome trash is nearly invisible: countless specks of plastic, often smaller than pencil erasers, suspended near the surface of the deep blue Atlantic.
"It's shocking to see it firsthand," Cummins said. "Nothing compares to being out there. We've managed to leave our footprint really everywhere."
Still more data are needed to assess the dimensions of the North Atlantic patch.
Charles Moore, an ocean researcher credited with discovering the Pacific garbage patch in 1997, said the Atlantic undoubtedly has comparable amounts of plastic. The east coast of the United States has more people and more rivers to funnel garbage into the sea. But since the Atlantic is stormier, debris there likely is more diffuse, he said.
Whatever the difference between the two regions, plastics are devastating the environment across the world, said Moore, whose Algalita Marine Research Foundation based in Long Beach, California, was among the sponsors for Cummins and Eriksen.
"Humanity's plastic footprint is probably more dangerous than its carbon footprint," he said.
Plastics have entangled birds and turned up in the bellies of fish: A paper cited by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says as many as 100,000 marine mammals could die trash-related deaths each year.
The plastic bits, which can be impossible for fish to distinguish from plankton, are dangerous in part because they sponge up potentially harmful chemicals that are also circulating in the ocean, said Jacqueline Savitz, a marine scientist at Oceana, an ocean conservation group based in Washington.
As much as 80 per cent of marine debris comes from land, according to the United Nations Environmental Program.
The U.S. government is concerned the pollution could hurt its vital interests.
"That plastic has the potential to impact our resources and impact our economy," said Lisa DiPinto, acting director of NOAA's marine debris program. "It's great to raise awareness so the public can see the plastics we use can eventually land in the ocean."
DiPinto said the federal agency is co-sponsoring a new voyage this summer by the Sea Education Association to measure plastic pollution southeast of Bermuda. NOAA is also involved in research on the Pacific patch.
"Unfortunately, the kinds of things we use plastic for are the kinds of things we don't dispose of carefully," Savitz said. "We've got to use less of it, and if we're going to use it, we have to make sure we dispose of it well."
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Coconut Oil
Many of you have probably heard that coconut oil is good for you. I have actually never used it but just the other day my girlfriend was telling me that she uses it in her hair and moisturizes with it after her shower and I must say her skin was very soft! My brother in law is also a big fan and buys it regularly from the health food store. I thought I would do a little research on this great smelling natural product and test it out for myself, I mean who doesn't want to be healthy and have baby soft skin! Coconut Oil does it all.
What Coconut Oil DOES NOT Do:
What Coconut Oil DOES Do:
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A Fresh Start-Day 5
Baking soda
Baking soda is a staple in many refrigerators because it helps absorb odors, but it can also dissolve dirt and grease in water. Like vinegar, baking soda has a wide variety of uses.
All-Purpose
To remove scuff marks from the floor, sprinkle with baking soda and wipe clean with a warm, damp cloth. You can also use this multipurpose cleaner to remove odors from carpet. Simply sprinkle baking soda on the floor, wait 10 minutes, and vacuum.
Baking soda’s mild coarseness is similar to common abrasive cleaners. When mixed with water, baking soda turns into a scouring paste you can use to remove substances from tubs, sinks, countertops and dishes. Mix 1 part water with 3 parts baking soda to scrub away unwanted stains and messes.
Kitchen
Use baking soda anywhere you need deodorizing action—especially in the refrigerator or cupboards. You can also control garbage-can odors by sprinkling baking soda in the bottom of the can and into each new garbage bag.
Sprinkle baking soda on pots, pans and dishes with burnt or caked-on food, add water and soak for a few hours to loosen the food. Keep a box of baking soda close to your stove; it puts out grease fires.
Laundry
Adding 1/2 cup baking soda to your laundry will help remove dirt and grease.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Green Garmento
I got to wondering what happens to all those plastic bags from the dry cleaners? I don't dry clean many items but there are dry cleaners all over the country and they are filled with one time use plastic bags. I did a little research and found out that over 300 million pounds of single-use plastic dry-cleaning bags are dumped into the landfill each year!
I saw this product and thought it was a brilliant idea. Its a hanging laundry hamper, a duffel bag and a garment bag! The best part is you can use it over and over again. It is made of 100% recyclable polypropylene, each bag comes with an outside ticket pocket so the dry cleaners can easily identify your bag, don't you hate it when your clothes go missing!
Get yours today at Green Garmento. Comes in three different lengths (40"/48"/54") one bag will cost you around $10.
Friday, April 2, 2010
A Fresh Start-Day 4
Australian tea tree oil is well-known for its medicinal purposes, but the antibacterial and antifungal properties of this ancient remedy can also be useful in the household.
All-Purpose
In a reusable spray bottle, mix 15 drops of tea tree oil with 1 quart warm water for a multipurpose cleaner. It's great for cleaning your yoga mat! For a more powerful antiseptic spray for areas that need specific attention-such as toilets-use 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil to 2 cups of water. The more potent mixture also works well on mold; just spray on the moldy area and don’t rinse. Although discoloration might not disappear, the mold will be killed.
A Fresh Start-Day 3
Vinegar
One of my favorite household products. Powerful and economical, distilled white vinegar is one of nature's most versatile cleaners. Its odor can be overwhelming, but the smell dissipates as it dries. If you find the smell is too pungent, try adding lemon juice to neutralize it. I usually open some windows and the smell is gone pretty quickly.
All-Purpose
In a reusable spray bottle, mix a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar for an effective all-purpose cleaner that disinfects and deodorizes. Use this solution to clean countertops, sinks, appliances and floors, but avoid granite or marble because vinegar's acid can damage them.
Bathroom
The all-purpose vinegar cleaning solution above can remove soap scum and hard water stains, and clean tile grout. To remove mildew, directly apply pure white vinegar and let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes before rinsing with warm water.
Conventional toilet bowl cleaners are among the most toxic cleaning products. To get a sparkling, odor free toilet, pour 1 cup of vinegar into the toilet and let it sit for several hours to help deodorize and kill germs. Use a toilet brush to easily remove toilet rings, and flush.
Kitchen
The microwave often becomes a haven for strong smells and hard to remove food. Here's an easy trick: Mix 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar and 1/2 cup water in microwave safe bowl and bring the solution to a rolling boil in the microwave. Odors will dissolve, and baked on food will loosen for easy removal with a damp cloth.
Finish off the kitchen with a sponge soaked in pure vinegar, which will remove grease from ovens and exhaust fan grids.
Laundry
Many people have heightened sensitivities to the perfumes and chemicals in fabric softeners. Remember the blog on fabric softner sheets? If not make sure to read it. Vinegars naturally breaks down laundry detergent, so adding 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle will give you softer sheets, towels and clothes.
A Fresh Start-Day 2
All-Purpose
Abrasive coarse salt can help remove stains, caked on food or mildew on stovetops and in bathtubs, or anywhere scratching is not a concern. Mix baking soda with salt to whiten while scrubbing away grime.
Kitchen
Salt works well on pots and pans with caked-on food. Soak pots and pans with 3 tablespoons of salt in a couple inches of water. The mess should come off with ease. Scrubbing cast iron pans with salt cleans the pan without removing the seasoned finish.
A Fresh Start
Lemons
Lemons are natural disinfectants because of their antibacterial properties. For many, the refreshing citrus smell exemplifies cleanliness.
Kitchen
Dip a cut lemon in coarse salt and scrub copper-bottomed pots and pans. Use the same preparation to help dissolve soap and hard water stains in sinks. Throw the used lemon into your compost pile for Eco-friendly waste disposal.
One of my personal favorites is placing a lemon into your garbage disposal and turning it on for a quick, easy way to clean this hard to reach area. It kills bacteria and leaves a nice fresh scent.