Archive for the ‘Green Living’ Category
Natural Pest Control
| It’s that time of the year again – mosquito season is upon us! Here are some tips to repel the nasty little critters that tend to invade our homes this time of year; naturally, of course!
Ants: Apparently more than just small children are repelled by vegetables. Ants are said to hate… cucumber of all things! Leave some cucumber slices or peelings around the point of entry; bitter cucumber works best.
Ants are said to never cross a chalk line. Other lines they reportedly will avoid: Already have fleas in the house? Trap them! Take a shallow baking pan and fill it with a few inches of water. Add a little squirt of soap. Position a lamp directly over the pan to attract the fleas. The light will attract them in, and the soap will prevent them from jumping back out. (This also works for moths.) Mosquitos: We all know that the best way to keep mosquitos off our property is to remove all standing water. But what to do if there is standing water that is too difficult to remove? Add 1 tsp of dish soap per gallon of standing water to destroy the larvae.Another easy way to repel mosquitos (and pretty up the yard!) is to plant marigolds. The little bloodsuckers can’t stand the smell. Got vaporub? Mosquitos are naturally repelled by the eucalyptus scent. DIY Bug Spray: Add 2 1/2 teaspoons of any combination of the following essential oils to 1 cup of vodka: Basically, try to smell like a tree! |
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Green Irene Update – We now have a local consultant!
You may (or may not!) remember me posting some time ago about Green Irene, a wonderful new company providing Green Home Makeovers through highly trained Green Irene Eco-Consultants. Their Green Home Makeovers run around $99, and cover topics such as energy-efficient lighting, energy conservation, toxic-free living, water purity and conservation, indoor air quality, waste reduction and recycling, and emergency safety and preparedness. While of course it is perfectly possible to learn all this stuff on your own, a Green Home Makeover can save you tons of time in research and trial and error, which I think makes it a great resource for busy families.
For awhile I considered becoming a Green Irene consultant myself, just because it fits in perfectly with my passion for helping people remove the toxins from their daily life and go green! In the end, I decided I am already wearing too many hats and didn’t sign up for the training.
I was quite excited to recently find out Lara Williams with The Green Team Real Estate has officially joined up with Green Irene and become a certified Eco-Consultant!
If you are serious about going green, Lara is going to be an invaluable resource. Visit her website here to book a Green Home Makeover, or check out her blog here. If anyone has already had a Green Home Makeover, I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
Green Drinks Fort Collins – Green-Minded Locals Unite!
Green Drinks is a monthly meet-up here in Fort Collins where green-minded folks come together to network and socialize.
Green Drinks is an international organization started in 2001, with similar meet-ups happening all over the world. In Fort Collins GD is organized by Lara Williams with Green Team Real Estate, and meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at various locations around Fort Collins. Green Drinks is typically PACKED, and a whole lot of fun! If you’ve never attended, you should stop by and say hello!
The June 2009 Green Drinks is scheduled for Wednesday the 24th from 6-8 pm at TST Inc., 748 Whaler’s Way in Fort Collins. Join us on the patio for socializing and networking with fellow green-minded locals, complimentary beer generously provided by Odell Brewing Co. and American Eagle Distributing, and a selection of light food offerings provided by TST.
Tour TST’s groundbreaking office environment (complete with slide) and learn about their dedication to four levels of sustainability and innovative community design. Alpine Gardens will also be there showcasing native plants and landscaping options out on TST’s lakeside patio.
RSVP to Lara Williams at lara@greenteamre.com. I hope to see you there!
6 Quick Tips to Save Energy – And Put Some Cash in Your Pocket
| Here are 6 quick tips to make your home more energy efficient, and potentially save hundreds of dollars in the process.
Washing clothes in cold water saves $40 per year and 80- 90% of energy used in washing Did you know Americans pay 1 billion dollars a year to power TV and VCR while they are turned off? Install a power strip and put an end to phantom power once and for all – and save up to 10% off your power bill in the process! Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: Change your furnace filter every month. It will save you up to 5% on your heating bill – and cut down on those pesky dust bunnies in the process! Program your thermostat. Did you know up to 75% of people with programmable thermostats don’t use them? It only takes about 5 minutes to insure you are not heating and cooling your home unnecessarily while no one is home. Program to 78 degrees in the summer and 62 degrees in the winter – and save up to $100 a year. Get an Energy Audit. You can set them up through Xcel Energy for as little as $35. The standard audit offers a thorough examination of the home’s energy efficiency and usage and is conducted by certified energy auditors. The auditors prepare a personalized energy report detailing improvements that will make your home more comfortable and decrease your energy bill at the same time. |
The Truth About Trash
I stumbled across this wonderful blog today called 365 Days of Trash.
1. If something is waste that I have generated, I’ve got to deal with it. If I buy something for myself, the packaging is mine to deal with. Hopefully this will entail figuring out what it is made of, what would happen to it if it were “thrown away” and what I will be doing with it.
2. Any waste that I generate that can be recycled, will also be saved. Recycling is better than “throwing away” but it still takes energy and creates waste so I think accounting for recycling will be an important factor.
The All Star Recycling Program
I am excited to announce All Star Cleaning Services’ new Recycling Program! Well, it is not really new, but it recently occurred to me we have never put anything up on the website about it before!
You can now leave any recyclable material that does not qualify for curbside pickup out for your crew, and we will recycle it for you. This completely free service is available to all current All Star clients – just one more way we are making your life a little easier, and a little greener.
- Batteries
- Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
- Plastics types 3-7 (some waste services will pick these up now – check with your provider)
- Plastic Grocery Bags
- Electronics Recycling and Cell Phones
- Chemicals Too! Haven’t gone green yet? Ready to make the switch but don’t know what to do with all the harmful chemicals still lurking around your home? Leave them for us, and we will properly dispose of them for you.
20 Alternative Uses for Baking Soda (It’s Not Just for Baking!)
- Use in place of your regular scouring powder to scour sinks, showers, and bathtubs, and to remove stains from countertops
- Clean yellow stains off of piano keys with a mixture of 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart warm water
- Use as a natural deicer on your walkways in the winter. Unlike salts and commercially available chemical deicers it won’t harm floors if tracked in
- Remove crayon marks from walls by scrubbing lightly with a damp cloth dipped in baking soda
- Polish your silver with a paste of baking soda and water. Rub on to remove tarnish, rinse in warm water and dry with a soft cloth
- Mix baking soda with water to form a paste, and use it to clean and polish stainless steel and chrome
- Apply a paste to barbeque grills, allow to dwell, scrub and rinse
- Dry clean the dog – rub baking soda into Fluffy’s fur and comb out
- Mix baking soda into cat litter to help control odor
- Scatter baking soda around vegetable gardens to keep rabbits out
- Got ants? Pour a solid line of baking soda across points of entry – ants won’t cross it
- Sprinkle some baking soda into your vacuum bag to prevent odors from being released into the air when vacuuming
- Remove coffee and tea stains from china. Dip a damp cloth in baking soda and gently rub the stains away
- Relieve heartburn by drinking a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in half a glass of warm water
- Wash new baby clothes without any harsh detergents – just use some mild liquid soap and 1/2 a cup of baking soda
- Add a teaspoon of baking soda to vases of fresh cut flowers to extend the life of your blooms
- Add two teaspoons of baking soda to your baby’s bath water to clear up diaper rash
- Forget those expensive scrubs – a paste of baking soda and water makes the best facial exfoliant you will ever try!
- Clean mildew from shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water
- Sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil surrounding your tomato plants
Eco-Organizing for the New Year – 5 Ways to Limit Clutter
- Limit junk mail from entering into your home in the first place. Simply register your preferences with the DMA (the direct mail association) and your name will be removed from the majority of direct mail lists. Go to www.dmachoice.com. Cost is $1.
- Opt out of prescreened credit card offers. This will limit the amount of junk coming into your home, prevent identity theft, and extend the life of your paper shredder too! Go to www.optoutprescreen.com.
- Do you really need 5 phonebooks when you have quick and easy access to the internet? Go to www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org to opt out of phonebook delivery.
- Sign up for electronic statements through your bank, utility company, cell phone company, credit card companies, and anyone else you do business with who offers this option. Most companies make years worth of statements available to you online, so there is no need to keep hard copies. If you don’t trust the companies to do your bookkeeping for you, it is still quite easy to download all of your statements onto your hard drive, and back up onto a thumb drive.
- On a similar note, sign up for automatic debiting or electronic bill pay for as many of your bills as possible. It is easy to set up, saves paper, saves stamps, and saves time! What’s not to love? Just set it and forget it.
By limiting the inflow of paper into your home, you will cut down on clutter and save more than just a few trees in the process:
Fully grown trees needed to make a ton of paper? 24
Gallons of oil needed to produce a ton of paper? 380
Cubic yards of waste taken up by a ton of paper? 3
Gallons of water needed to produce a ton of paper? 7,000
Kilowatts of energy needed to produce a ton of paper? 4,000
Lawn Care goes GREEN
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Marty Shults, Owner of Enviro Friendly Lawn Care here in Fort Collins.
His company is the first (that I am aware of) HUMAN POWERED lawn care company. They use old fashioned reel mowers, hand trimmers, and best of all – they haul all of their equipment on custom made bike trailers! Brilliant! Services offered include:
* Lawn Care * Hand Weeding * Aeration * Organic Fertilizers * Organic Soil Amendments * Clean Up * Landscaping * Xeriscaping * Edible Garden Designs
Marty can be reached at 970.590.2235. Current clients of ALL STAR take note – we may offer a “bundled services” package in the spring. Call the office for details!
Green Irene
I just came across this blog post and video today on the Green and Clean Mom blog about Green Irene. Green Irene is a company that trains independent Eco-Consultants, who can come to your home and give you a green makeover.
Here is some information about Green Irene’s services taken directly from their website:
Our Flagship service for your home or apartment at a special introductory price of $99.
Your local Eco-Consultant will walk through your home with you and develop a customized set of recommendations on what you can do to save
money, energy, water, and live a healthier life. Your Eco-Consultant sells many of the green solutions you select.
Green Home Makeover Topics include:
- Energy conservation improvements
- Energy efficient lighting replacements
- Water conservation and purity tools
- Green energy sources available in your area (i.e. electricity from wind power and other renewable sources rather than coal)
- Improving indoor air quality
- Toxic free living by reducing harmful chemicals in use
- Recycling and waste reduction
- Safety and emergency preparedness
- Tax Credits, rebates and other financial incentives available in your area
- Your carbon footprint and Carbon Offset Programs
- Referrals to members of Green Irene’s Sustainable Contractor Network
- Included is a six-month membership with Ask Green Irene, which entitles you to access to our large,green database and email support from a Green Irene researcher as questions arise on your path to greening your world
