MY LIL GREEN DRESS

Review

“Loaded with easy to implement strategies that will help you look good, feel good, and do good for the planet – simultaneously.”-Christiane Northrup, MD
–This text refers to the

Hardcover
edition.

From the New York Times bestselling author, a 30-day plan to a leaner body In the follow-up book to her bestselling Gorgeously Green, Sophie Uliano reveals the secrets to getting slim while being good to the planet . It turns out that eating local, orga (more…)

If you want to go green in your home, and save a little money at the same time, it’s never been easier. As the planet faces an uncertain future of global warming, which is believed to be the result of us all burning fossil fuels indiscriminately, we all have a duty to do the best we can to redress the balance. Here are some vital tips to help you get started…

Your home is where you spend a lot of your income, so it makes sense to be spending it as efficiently as possible. You can start to go green in your home by insulating the house. Loft insulation, wall cavity insulation, double or even triple glazing – it will all make a tremendous difference. Yes, there is an investment to consider, but you will save in the long term, and save a lot too.

We all use too much water. Go green in the home by cutting back as much as you can. We could all, collectively, save one billion gallons of water a year by changing our old flush toilet cisterns. The old ones use three and a half gallons per flush and the new high-efficiency ones use just over one and a quarter gallon. It makes a big difference! If you did only this to go green in the home you would save 20,000 gallons of water every year, and pay a lot less in water bills.

The standard light bulbs that most homes have are very inefficient. Compact fluorescent light bulbs burn around 5% of the old bulbs and they last 10 times longer. They may cost slightly more to buy initially, but this is an obvious way to go green in the home and save a bundle in the long run. But you can do even better, The new LED lights are almost twice as efficient as even the compact fluorescent light bulbs, and they will last even longer too.

Heat leaks out of a house in winter and into the house in summer. Better insulation all round is a great way to go green in the home. Look at your loft, your wall cavities, your windows and your doors. Sort out all of these and you can go green in the home and really save too.

Home utilities are a drain on energy. Did you know that modern washing powders are so good that they don’t really need hot water? your washing machine uses most of its energy heating the water, so wash your clothes cold. They will clean great while you go green in the home. You may think your dishwasher is also an energy drain, Strangely, it isn’t. If you use it fully filled it uses less resources than if you wash by hand. Once you know these little tips and tricks, it’s easy to go green in the home!

Spring is here and it’s time to start thinking about your garden. There’s nothing that makes me happier than getting my garden spruced up each spring and I’m always on the lookout for new plants and products to add to what I already have.

I’m also obviously interested in being as eco friendly as I can, so I’m constantly trying to use green products in and around my home. Solar garden lights are one way that I green my garden while also adding beauty and functionality.

As I started my search for new products this year, I was on the lookout for some new high-quality solar garden lights to use outside. I came across these Moonrays 91225 Verona Style Solar Powered Plastic Path Light, Black, 10 Pack
that I am extremely pleased with. Besides wanting green products, I also want to find good deals and I want high quality products. These lights meet all of my criteria and they work great.

If you haven’t yet used any sort of solar light in your yard or garden, you are missing out on great ambiance and a potential way to save some cash on your electric bill. Quite simply, they collect energy during the day, with small solar collectors on the top of the light and then light up after dark. The ones that I purchased, shown above, utilize LED lighting which means that they stay lit longer each night. They are also extremely tolerant of water and can be placed without worrying about rain or irrigation.

I use mine all over the place – I always have them on either side of the path leading to my front door so that the walk to the door is illuminated after dark. I also use them throughout my flower beds to give them some light after the sun goes down.

The type of solar garden lights that you choose is going to be based mostly on your personal taste and style. No matter what style appeals to you, there are a few things that you should look for in your purchase of any solar lighting product.

~ Look for LED lighting. LED light bulbs last the longest, so you’re lights will stay lit longer each night.
~ Look for lighting that is weatherproof so you don’t need to be concerned about rain or irrigation getting on them.
~ Check for easy to access batteries. The batteries are what will hold the charge that is being collected by the solar panel from the sun. They will need to be replaced every once in awhile, so you want to be able to access them easily.
~ Make sure that whatever lights you choose come with quality ground spikes so that you can easily place the solar lighting in your garden.

Amazon has a great selection of these solar lights. Be sure to check them out if you’re looking for ways to spruce up your garden this spring. Here is a highly rated one; Moonrays 91225 Verona Style Solar Powered Plastic Path Light, Black, 10 Pack

The average person spends about a third of his/her life in bed. When you think about it, that’s a lot of time. So, when I decided recently that it was time to replace my mattress, it only made sense to buy an organic cotton mattress, and one that was eco friendly in a variety of other ways as well.

In my mind, there are many compelling reasons to consider the purchase of an eco friendly mattress. I’ve talked about the hazards of traditional cotton production in my organic cotton clothing post recently. If I don’t want to wear cotton that’s been doused in pesticides, I certainly don’t want to sleep on it. It’s also important that I’m conscious of the environment as I make my buying decisions.

Which leads me to my search for the perfect new bed. When I really started to think about it, I wasn’t sure, but I had a sneaking suspicion that the manufacturing process used to make traditional mattresses probably wasn’t the most eco friendly in the world. It also bothered me that almost all the mattresses that I was looking at were completely covered in plastic that would have to be dumped in a landfill. And, I was concerned about all of the material inside of my mattress – I really had no idea what I’d been sleeping on.

After lots of searching, I found the eco friendly mattress by Keetsa. I didn’t know what exactly what I was looking for; I just knew that I wanted an organic cotton mattress. My main concern at the time was the exterior of the mattress.

What I learned is that there are some companies that are going much further than just the mattress cover in their efforts to create an eco friendly mattress.

Keetsa for example, uses wool as a fire barrier, as opposed to material that’s been treated with chemicals. They also use something called “biofoam” in their memory foam mattresses. You know that memory foam that’s gotten to popular lately? Well, basically all memory foam on the market is made with 100% petroleum oil. That sort of bothered me. Keetsa however, uses castor bean oil. They aren’t able to completely replace the petroleum oil, but it makes me feel good that they are doing something.

I really liked what I was learning, and when I realized that they compressed their mattresses into recyclable boxes for shipping, I was sold.

The company also offers something like a 20-year warranty on all of their organic cotton mattresses, which I like. I’m a strong believer that anything made well is inherently more eco friendly than things that are not – simply because they have a longer life cycle before they end up in a landfill.

Keetsa isn’t the only company that is working to manufacture eco friendly mattresses, they just happen to be the company I chose. When it’s time for you to purchase a new bed, I encourage you to check out the organic cotton mattress and eco friendly options offered by – as well as other manufacturers to see what’s best for you.

Do you already own an eco friendly mattress? I’d love to hear what you own and how you feel about it!

Amazon has great prices and a wide selection of Keetsa mattresses.
You can check them out here; Eco Friendly Memory Foam with Spring Mattress the Keetsa Plus Queen 9inches Height Organic Cotton Castor Bean Oil Based Bio Foam

For people who are remodeling, eco friendly flooring has become almost a staple. In my line of work – working for an architect, that is – I’m seeing a heck of a lot of cork flooring. I’m also seeing some concrete flooring. Both are great choices, but I’d like to talk about another great option that hasn’t yet gotten as hot.

I’m talking about bamboo wood flooring. Bamboo is one of the most sustainable and eco friendly options on the market today. First of all, it grows like crazy. Some types of bamboo can actually grow up to a foot per day. That makes it far more renewable than traditional hardwoods.

Many people falsely believe that hardwood is the strongest flooring available, but that’s simply not true. There are actually many types of bamboo that are actually stronger than wood. Bamboo wood flooring has been tested to be harder than maple and twice as hard as red oak.

If you are laying new floor in your home, you want it to look good. Whether or not you’ll like bamboo depends on your personal style and what’s appealing to you, but it looks quite similar to hardwood and it’s extremely attractive. The drawback is that it can’t easily be stained, so what you purchase is what you get. It does, however, come in different stain colors and those colors are mostly affected by how it’s been baked.

Last, if you’re remodeling on a budget, bamboo might be a great choice for you. The cost of the actual floor depends on a number of factors – but can run between about $3 – $8 per square foot. Compare that to the cost of hardwood or travertine, which typically runs between $4.50 – $6.00 per square foot. If you go with a lower grade of bamboo, which is still quite high quality, you can easily save over the cost of other options.

You can also save money on the installation of bamboo wood flooring. for do-it-yourself types, this type of flooring can easily be installed by yourself. Most people install bamboo as a floating floor. You don’t need adhesive (which is good, because adhesive contains VOCs). Installing is basically as simple as connecting sections of flooring. The most difficult part may be adding sub flooring.

Overall, I give bamboo wood flooring a 9.5 on a scale of 10. It’s extremely eco friendly, the price is right, it looks great, it holds up well, and it’s easy to install and care for. As you look for new flooring, don’t overlook this great option.

[caption id="attachment_317" align="aligncenter" width="116" caption="More Bamboo Flooring"][/caption]