Green Talk

Photo by permission of Flip and Tumble

“I am not a plastic bag” in any form is the new IT bag. Anyone and everyone has their preferred e-bag, whether it is cotton, hemp or recycled polyethylene. Despite all of your good intentions, how many of you forget to take your bag with you when you go to the grocery store or to the gym? Perhaps you left it at home with the groceries you just brought in. Maybe it is too small for what you need to put in it, or you just plain forget.

I have to confess. I have this beautiful bag from a grocery store that cost me $.99. The first couple of time I wore my bag on my shoulder, I was a proud mama peacock. “She recycles. She cares about the environment,” my bag would politely mention as I was in line waiting with my groceries. I was an IT girl, and to be able to say those magic words, “no thank-you. I brought my own bag” well, that was just heaven.

Over the weeks, I kept forgetting my beautiful bag since it was buried under something in my minivan. Although I recycle my grocery bags, I had absolutely no excuse. I was continuing to contribute to the countless amount of petroleum oil being used to make plastic bags. Shame on me. So is there a bag out there that is so convenient to use that a greenie like me won’t forget to use it?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (7)

Photos in this Article courtesy of Smart Food Healthy Kids. (See Green Talk reader discounts below)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnzV33PKMNA[/youtube]

As busy parents from car pools, jobs, and sports, who has time to figure out what to serve our children that is healthy, organic, and tasty at the same time? Even if you try and cook healthy food (been there), our children just sneer at it and push it away. With reports of the increase in childhood diabetes 2, ADHD, and food allergies, Smart Foods Healthy Kids is a much needed beacon to empower parents to create a healthier lifestyle for their children.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (3)

Fall is one of my favorite seasons of the year. I love the fall foliage with its different colors of red, yellow, and orange. As beautiful as the colorful foliage seems, many people dread fall because they have to rake up all those leaves. On top of the hard work, they have to pay someone to haul them away. But what happens if I told you that those leaves are one of the most valuable assets in your garden? They are made by Mother Nature, herself. On top of this, they are plentiful and free.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (6)

Photo by Stephen Helms by permission.

The Holiday season seems to start right after you put that last plate away for Thanksgiving dinner. If you are going to spend your green this season, then consider giving environmentally friendly gifts that will lessen your impact on the Earth. Who knows? These gifts may turn out to be some of the most treasured gifts you have ever given. Here are some of the following suggestions with help from our green friends in the blogshere.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (4)

Photo by permission. Founder Brett Mosley,taking apart broken iPods.

Emma Lazarus said in her poem which is engraved on the pedestal of the Statute of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor,/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Although not as dramatic, Brett Mosley, founder of Buymytronics.com has taken that same philosophy and pays you for your broken or just used electronics to keep them out of the e-waste stream. Instead of just recycling the electronics, the Company gives them a second life. I can’t think of a better monetary and environmental incentive to empty those drawers, or think before you pitch.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (2)

Photo by Max Cook by permission

‘Tis the season for the onslaught of holiday parties, gift buying, and yes, the dreaded holiday catalog barrage. I don’t know about your mailbox, but during the holiday season, it is filled to the gills with tons of catalogs for every kitchen gadget, home improvement, and decorating accessory known to man. On top of my catalog barrage, I still have numerous marketing solicitations, and other assorted junk mail. My mailbox needs Advil after the holiday season.

I have always prided myself on the fact that I try to recycle as much as I can. The other day, I went out to my recycling bins and saw they were already full after one week. It suddenly dawned on me that I shouldn’t be that rooster in the hen house touting how good of a recycler that I am. As green as I try to be, why did I not stop all those catalogs and advertising from coming to my house in the first place?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (7)

Photo by Dee Teal by permission.

Would your feet look like the above picture if you took off your socks and shoes in your house? Better yet, does your body feel like the picture? Are you cold, unable to stay warm, and tired of giving away your money to the utility companies? Sometimes, you think they should be considered a charity since you seem to donate to them so often.

Just to recap, I have given your several tips in both my posts, “Look to Your Attic To Lower Your Energy Bills” and “Is Your Living Area too Leaky?” I know, winterizing you house is really sexy. Are you biting at the bit for more tips? So, here are the next 8, starting with lucky number 7! After I am done, arm yourself with your handy caulk gun and go to work so that you can be snug as a bug in your warm house.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (11)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSKTWc9Lq-c&NR=1[/youtube]

(Readers receive discounts for Battic Door purchases. See below.)

Do you feel like Goldilocks in your home? Either it is too hot or too cold. It is never just right? Could your house be suffering from leaky home syndrome??? Is it curable?

I am living proof, having lived in a leaky house, that you can plug up those leaks. Many of these tips for your living area, I actually used to make my prior home more comfortable. For tips to reduce your energy needs due to leaks from your living area into your attic, see my article, “Look to Your Attic to Lower Your Energy Bills.”

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (2)

Photo courtesy of Energy Star

You know the verse, “oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful?” ¹ Perhaps it should be changed to “oh the weather outside is frightful, our natural gas bills are not so delightful.” With the expected increase in natural gas prices, it is time to start looking at how to winterize our homes. “Air leakage and improperly installed insulation can waste 20 percent or more of the energy you pay to heat and cool your home. Typical homes have so many leaks, it’s like having a window open all the time, winter and summer.”²

As a veteran of having to plugs holes in a drafty house, I thought an article about winterizing your house would be appropriate for this time of year. After I wrote the fifth page and was still writing, I decided to break the article down into two different posts. This post is dedicated to winterizing your attic, and the next post will be about winterizing your living area.

The attic is getting special attention because heat rises. Guess where it rises to, along with your money?

So, take off those ear muffs and tune in:

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (3)

Photo by Cathy Stanley-Erickson by permission under the Creative Commons license.

Everywhere you read today there are green sections in magazines, television spots, and in newspapers. Even NBC has gone green! Everyone is giving you their top ten to fifty steps to becoming green. As you read these lists, are you saying to yourself, “I can’t afford to rip out my kitchen cabinets for less toxic ones, or put solar panels on my house. What can I do to help the environment?” Believe it or not you can become green and it won’t cost you a dime! Here are my favorite eighteen easy cost free steps. Why eighteen? I could not stop myself….

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you either sign up for my free email updates via FeedBlitz, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Continue reading or Leave a comment... (0)