Eco-friendly tips for Pet owners

Pet ownership has many benefits but can contribute to environmental problems.  Reducing the impact of pet ownership on the environment  could save yourself money and make your pet's life better at the same time as helping the environment.  A few simple changes in how you care for your pet can make a big difference.

Spaying and neutering
First of all if you have dogs, cats or rabbits get them neutered or spayed.  Apart from improving their (and your) quality of life this reduces the numbers of animals looking for homes and consuming resources.  It also places a lot of stress on an animal to keep having babies.  Unaltered animals can suffer from many other associated health problems.

Have a pet suited to the climate
When getting a new pet consider their needs.  Will you need to consume more energy simply to keep them comfortable?  If you live in a cold climate and are out at work all day you might want to think carefully about whether you want to bring home an animal who will need the heating left on.  It is your decision but it may be better all round to have animals better suited to the conditions of your home.

Reduce waste.
Starting with the messy stuff; for indoor cats use environmentally friendly litter, ones who can go outside do not need a litter tray at all. You can actually add dog and cat mess to a compost heap but be very careful because of the disease risk.  It should be buried with other compostable materials and left for a good long time (at least a year), and do not ever use it on vegetables.  That from rabbits, chinchillas, horses and other herbivores is generally perfectly safe to add to your normal compost bin.

The best bedding for small animals such as rabbits, mice, rats, chinchillas and hamsters is actually recycled.  Use all that paper and cardboard that every home accumulates as bedding and for rabbit litter trays.  Finely shredded paper is at least as comfortable a bedding as the stuff you can buy.  Once soiled it too can be added to your compost heap.

Use eco-friendly pet food
Buy organic pet food if possible and food produced as near to where you live as is available.  A large percentage of the diet of most small animals will consist of fresh vegetables.  You could grow some of these yourself even without a garden. For example if you have rabbits then growing your own hay is fun.  You will also know

Eco friendly vacation spot

Since I live in Michigan I will recommend a Michigan vacation.  Most people love all the beaches that are here.   But, this is a great time to go to Isle Royale with the great fall colors going on right now.

Rock Harbor Lodge, Isle Royale National Park, Mich.

Hidden on a remote island in northwest Lake Superior, Rock Harbor Lodge is about as far away from it all as you can get (rockharborlodge.com, 906-337-4993).

Changed the look of the blog.  Let me know what you think.  I like to make it different
every few months.

Green travel tips

• Greening your travel starts even before you leave home by unplugging unused appliances, turning down the thermostat of the hot water heater, adjusting your AC/heater thermostat and stopping your newspaper
• Book flights electronically and book flights with airlines that recycle the waste created when serving food and beverages to passengers
• Book your guestrooms with hotels that are clearly interested in protecting our environment, and let management know that's why you chose their hotel
• Participate in the hotel recycling programs by placing recyclables in appropriate bins
  When you leave your hotel room, turn off the AC/heat, lights, TV and radio and close the drapes
• Eat at organic restaurants that serve healthy food
• Try to incorporate “Car-Free” days into your trip. Use public transportation when available or when renting is needed
• If renting a car is necessary, rent from places where hybrid and low-emission vehicles are available
• Carry a water bottle and refill as needed and try to avoid carry-out
• Buy local products; talk to local people, and enjoy your time

Green ideas for Recycling old Bar Stools

Do your kitchen bar stools look like they've seen better days? Or have you freecycled some secondhand stools only to find they look dated and tired? Even if your limited budget doesn't stretch to new eco-friendly furniture, there's no need to make do with shabby looking bar stools. There are several environmentally-friendly, easy and inexpensive things you can do yourself to smarten up your old bar stools.
1. Polish wood bar stools with a homemade polish made from olive oil and a few splashes of lemon juice - a little goes a long way! It's surprising what a difference polishing wood can make. Simply rub your oil mixture all over the wooden frames and then use a clean, dry cloth to polish to a shine after a couple of minutes.
2. Use baking soda to rejuvenate metal bar stools. Sprinkle dry baking soda onto a clean, damp cloth and wipe it all over the stainless steel or chrome parts of the stools. Remove any powdery residue with another clean, damp cloth and then use a dry cloth to buff to a shine.
3. Remove drink stains from wooden seats. There's no need to spend money on expensive stain removers. Mix up a paste of baking soda and linseed oil and rub it into alcohol stains to remove them. You might have to leave it a little while and reapply, but with a little effort this should shift them! Watermarks can be removed by rubbing with toothpaste and baking soda.
4. Re-paint. You could cover up unattractive wooden frames by painting them. You'll need to sand them in preparation. If you need to strip the original finish to get back to the bare wood, you can make your own non-toxic, eco friendly paint stripper. Mix up a thick paste of washing soda crystals and water and spread it over the old finish. If you leave it overnight, it should help loosen the finish so you can use a scraper to remove it. You probably won't need much paint, so rather than buying a new tin that you're not going to finish, why not ask friends for any leftover eco paint they want to get rid of?
5. Make new seat covers. If your stools have padded seats, you should be able to remove the original upholstery and replace it with your choice of fabric. If you've got an old pair of jeans in the closet, denim is a good durable material for covering seats. Or you could look in your local thrift store for pretty curtain fabrics you could use. Fit the new fabric over the padding and secure it in place with a staple gun. With these green tips you can make old bar stools look almost as good as new, without blowing your budget!

Article Source: Written by Caroline Smith.

Cangle flower cuffs

Organic cotton headbands and how they help the environment

I was checking out organic cotton headbands for Cangles and came across a fair hemp site and this is what it says about how much water can be saved by using these headbands.   Fair Hemp headbands are the stylish yet responsible choice for the environmentally conscious promotional item or spa accessory. Replacing 1000 headbands made from conventional cotton with Fair Hemp's hemp/organic cotton version saves over 14,000 gallons of fresh water that would be used in cotton production and keeps over 23 pounds of chemicals and pesticides out of the environment.

Top 10 Household products to Avoid

 1.  Styrofoam cups
 2.  Paper products and plastic utensils
 3.  Bleached coffee filters
 4.  Overpackaged food and products
 5.  Tropical hardwoods
 6.  Household cleaners
 7.  High octane gas 
 8.  Toys made with PVC plastic
 9.  Incandescent bulbs
10. Disposable batteries


  

Tips for being green

• Fix slow drains. Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain and follow it with half a cup of white vinegar. Let it sit for twenty minutes to a half hour, then pour boiling water down the drain (about two quarts).
• Turn your soap-bar scraps into usable shavings. Using a cheese grater, grate several scraps into shavings and put them in a decorative bowl next to the sink. Just take a pinch from the bowl with a dry hand, add water and work into a lather.
• Buy a shower curtain that will far outlast cheap plastic ones; a shower curtain made of hemp will naturally resist mildew and is machine washable.
• Save old, tattered towels and T-shirts for cleaning. Cut them into squares and they become useful rags that can replace store-bought rags and paper towels.
• Make your own household cleaners. This is a safer alternative to relying on harsh, toxic commercial products. Effective cleaning products can be made with borax, washing soda, distilled white vinegar, baking soda, salt, club soda, cooking oil and lemons. On their own or combined together, you can make scouring powder, furniture polish, an all-purpose cleaner and more!
• Arrange furniture to take advantage of natural light from windows. Place desks and reading chairs next to windows to cut down on the need and use of supplemental, artificial light during the day.
• Reuse glass jars for food storage. Plastic food tubs, such as those used for yogurt, can also be reused. For larger portions of leftovers, use soup and mixing bowls, then fit the top with a saucer or plate in place of plastic wrap.
• Turn off the oven ten to fifteen minutes before cooking time runs out; food will continue to cook without using the extra electricity.
• Buy several cloth napkins and use them instead of paper at home and on the go. Cloth napkins can be used several times before washing. Give each family member a unique napkin ring to store their napkin between meals.
• Fill a bowl with cold water and wash fruit and vegetables this way, instead of letting water from a faucet run over them.

Cardboard tube wall Flowers - kids recycle craft

What you'll need:

• Cardboard tubes
• Acrylic craft paint
• Paintbrush
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Paper clips
• Mounting putty

How to make it:

1. Paint the cardboard tubes in your choice of colors and let dry.
2. Flatten tube slightly while holding in your hand. Cut tube into ¾" "slices." These are your flower petals.
3. Position petals on a covered work surface and arrange them into flower shapes. You can pinch the ends of them so they are pointy, or manipulate with your fingers to make them round. You can even square them off if you wish!
4. Once you have them in place, glue all the "petals" together and secure with paper clips. Let them dry completely.
5. Remove paper clips and add a little putty to the back, then press gently onto the wall or window!

Freecycle

The Web is giving new life to old junk by helping people give it away to those who need or want to reuse it, for free.
Freecycling (sometimes called freesharing) is a growing, volunteer-driven movement that makes it easy to clean out the garage without filling up a dumpster. Just register your stuff on the Web, and the neighbors you didn't know you had will take it off your hands.
Generally, the only rules are that everything must be offered for free, and no illegal or adult-themed materials are allowed. If you're in the market for an item, you can browse the listings or tell the community what you're seeking. You never know what people have tucked in the attic. The most popular items tend to be appliances, furniture and clothing. You sure can't beat free!

Beauty tips using Oatmeal

People have been using oatmeal to promote healthy, beautiful skin for a long time. It can provide soothing relief from sunburn, poison ivy or other irritations, and is said to heal skin and open pores. In fact, many moisturizers and beauty products on store shelves contain oatmeal for its benefits, sometimes ground up and sometimes in flake form. 

 

 

A soothing way to unwind at the end of a long day is to take a bath with oatmeal. Here's a simple recipe from AltUse.com: While running a lukewarm bath, add one cup of milk, two cups of uncooked oatmeal and a tablespoon of honey. Soak for 10 to 20 minutes, and your skin will be moisturized and rejuvenated. How relaxing! Note that some folks like to use colloidal oatmeal for the task.

 

 

Make your own scrub by grinding two tablespoons of oatmeal into a grainy consistency in a blender or food processor. Add one teaspoon baking soda and very small amounts of water until the mixture has the consistency of paste. Spread that on your cleansed and dry face. Leave on for 10 minutes and gently remove with cool water.
It also isn't difficult to make your own oatmeal soap (find a recipe at crafts.lovetoknow.com).

Think before you buy

• Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether you've just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.
• Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
• When making purchases, make sure you know what's "Good Stuff" and what isn't.
• Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.