Why House Plants Are Good for the Inside Home Environment

It is known to many that the Environmental Protection Agency has determined that potentially hundreds of organic, damaging chemicals are at any given time taking up residence inside of homes and buildings. They make their way to us in the air we breathe, and take up space in our residence as they off-gas from walls, ceilings, clothing, carpet and even the furniture. Another cause for tremendous worry? Maybe not. Offsetting the damaging effects of these gases can be as simple as bringing a bit of live greenery into the home.


Having plants inside the home can benefit the inhabitants for a variety of reasons. But perhaps most importantly, house plants can [Read more →]

The Lowdown on Baggy Shirts: Reusable Bags for Shopping in Style

BaggyShirts is a company that creates reusable bags that are actually made from recycled clothing. They take the reduce-reuse-recycle slogan to another level with this eco-friendly business.

According to their site, “BaggyShirts tote bags can be used as grocery bags, bike bags, yoga bags, wine bags — use your imagination!”

Reusable Bags Made From Old Cotton Shirts?

Founded by Jan Ramos and Dana Miller, “friends and next-door neighbors who became extremely concerned about the serious state of our precious Planet Earth” one day in Denver. Like many, Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth film was the call to action — specifically the words from the film’s co-producer Laurie David, who said in an interview for each person listening to do one thing in order to help reverse the effects of climate change. [Read more →]

Paper or Plastic: Which Do You Choose?

So which will it be then, paper OR plastic, hmmm? The question is tough to avoid, unless you’ve figured out how to eat without EVER going to the grocery store. Chances are, most of us haven’t given the choice too much thought – or if we have, we remained clueless as to which was the lesser of the two evils. Understanding the impact that paper and plastic bags have on the environment is a great place to start. Inevitably, consciousness will lead you to purchase a canvas or otherwise re-useable bag for your grocery shopping, but educating yourself on the differences between paper and plastic is also a smart idea.

The Troubles With Paper Bags

It’s common knowledge that paper comes from trees that are found and later felled by the logging industry. Logging involves machines — from the machines used to remove the trees from the forests, to the logging trucks or helicopters involved in the process of harvesting, to the machines used to strip the bark – and like anything involving machines, fossil fuels are not far behind. [Read more →]

Burt’s Bees Natural Beeswax Products
Many of you already know about Burt’s Bees, a company whose mission and vision states directly – they’re on the planet to “make people’s lives better every day – naturally.” The company creates an Earth-friendly, personal care line of products, all of which are crafted from “time-tested, proven recipes using ingredients that are the best nature has to offer: beeswax, botanical and essential oils, herbs, flowers and minerals.”

My personal favorite is the Beeswax Lip Balm ($3), which includes “ingredients like ultra-emollient lanolin, coconut oil and sunflower oil, and seals in hydration with beeswax,” which is made naturally by bees. You never get that metallic taste that often happens when you get other lip balms on your tongue, and the tingle of peppermint is always nice. When the weather gets dry and windy in fall and winter, nothing works quite as well as Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm.

Copyright 2008 Easy Ways to Go Green

On the Subject of Cell-Level Healing

Dr. Joyce Hawkes, a biophysicist and cell-biologist by training, completed her doctorate in Biophysics at The Pennsylvania State University. She was later awarded a postdoctoral Fellow with the National Institutes of Health.

Hawkes is currently a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During her 15 years of work through that association, she has earned an international reputation for her scientific contributions in the field of ultra high-speed laser effects on cells, and the effects of environmental pollutants on cells. She has published 36 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Question Posed to Dr. Joyce Hawkes on Cell-Level Healing
Taken from the Website of Dr. Joyce Hawkes.

What do you mean by Cell-Level Healing? Most people understand that if our cells are healthy, we are healthy, and if our cells are sick, we’re sick. Are you suggesting there’s more to it than that? [Read more →]

Green Owl Records Puts Out Environmental Charity Album

Green Owl Records recently put out a benefit compilation CD for the Energy Action Coalition, a team of 48 members and an active council of representatives from partner organizations and program developments for sustainable energy solutions. Energy Action , which is a founding partner of 1 Sky Platform, formed an alliance with other groups supporting young activists in climate change and environmentalism.

The Green Owl Comp: A Benefit for Energy Action

The featured bands are a hodgepodge of artists so different in genre listeners might wonder who put the mix together in the first place. However, they certainly have good taste ranging from chart-topping acts to eclectically eccentric groups to unheard-of newbies. Muse, Harper Simon, Citizens Band, Of Montreal, School of Seven Bells, Violens, Feist, Bloc Party, Deerhoof, The Exit and The Appletrees all show up on the 16 tracks of the first disc. The second disc features a DVD component containing video footage of Billy Parish from Energy Action, 6 music videos and bonus tracks from CSS and A Place to Bury Strangers.

Green Owl has 100% recycled packaging and understands the need for more enviro-friendly music practices, such as getting people to recycle plastic jewel cases and keep them out of landfills. So while this music collection may seem a bit disparate, it’s still got some good tunes and a charitable cause.

Look at the list of tracks on the CD, available at Whole Foods Market.

Copyright 2008 Easy Ways to Go Green

Yoga Pose: Balasana (Child’s Pose)
by Kerrie Cason

Bala = Child
Asana = Posture

Balasana (Child’s Pose) Description:

Begin by sitting on your heels; the tops of your feet should be on the floor. Keep your knees slightly apart, about as wide as your hips, and bring your big toes together. Inhale and grow long through the spine. Exhale as you come forward, allowing your hips and the sides of your waist to rest between your thighs.

If you are a bit stiff, you can rest on top of your thighs or you can bring your knees wider apart. This will allow you to completely relax in the posture. Rest the top of your forehead on the floor (or a blanket or block if your head doesn’t reach the floor), and lay your arms next to your torso, palms face up. [Read more →]

How Eco-Friendly Is Republican Nominee John McCain?

So it’s pretty clear that the Bush administration has treated the issue of climate change in a completely inept and incompetent manner. With John McCain as the presumptive Republican presidential candidate for the 2008 election, it’s his job to bring the GOP up to date on this whole “global warming” issue.

John McCain Vs. Global Warming

McCain has been calling for greener political initiatives long before Bush’s administration even bothered to acknowledge there is any kind of problem, and while he has been quick to point this out on the campaign trail, his legislative record has been shaky at best. He has called for a mandatory cap-and-trade to reduce U.S. carbon emissions to 60 percent compared to levels from 1990 by 2025 and has also stated in several speeches how working with China and India to stop the issue is one of the necessary steps the U.S. must take to fight global warming. However, this plan looks great on paper, but may not be properly executed compared to the Democrat’s longer-term solutions to search for alternative energy sources.

The verdict on McCain and the environment? He’s definitely a green Republican, but not quite the greenest candidate. Granted, he still needs to appease the hardcore members of the GOP, yet now is the time for him to show just what he can do to convince the American people he can battle climate change. Don’t give up on him — he was a POW, after all. But so far, the greenest president possible is on the Dems side.

Click here to read more about John McCain and what he thinks about environmental change.

Copyright 2008 Easy Ways to Go Green

Fashion Goes Green With Recycled Plastics and Packaging

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that American companies toss out 7.6 billion tons of waste each year. Instead of keeping it in the trash, fashion designers have started recycling plastic bags and garbage, or post-consumer and industrial waste, into new accessories sported by celebrities and coveted by the rest of us.

Ecoist, an eco-fashion label, partnered with Coca-Cola, Aveda and Luna bar to make handbags from leftover packaging. Ecoist has sold over 100,000 products in the last four years, making them one of the most profitable companies to turn waste in wearable accessories. According to Ecoist co-founder Jonathan Marcoschamer, “We tap into that source of waste because it is reliable, and unfortunately, it’s abundant.”

Eco-Fashion Companies on the Rise

Reiter8, another recycling tote bag maker, uses recycled boat sails. Vy&Elle takes vinyl billboard ads and makes wallets and bags. Anna Built creates handmade jewelery from recycled tin cans. Timbuk2, known for its messenger bags made from plastic bags, has run into legal issues concerning logos on the leftover plastic.

Target called for the company to stop making the bags last September when it found out its bull’s-eye design was part of the bags. “We believed that the prominent use of our bull’s-eye design mark implied a sponsorship or affiliation with Timbuk2 that did not exist at that time,” said Target in a statement. Timbuk2 is cooperating and admits it was their fault, but the idea of creating unique bags based on an eco-friendly policy and neighborhood trash is what keeps the company in business. In the meantime, mass produced bags like these will have to wait, but it looks as though discarded materials will start finding another use instead of sitting in a landfill.

Find out more about eco-friendly recycled bags here.

Copyright 2008 Easy Ways to Go Green

Yoga Pose: Virasana (Hero Pose)
by Kerrie Cason
image
Vira = Man, Hero
Asana = Posture

Virasana (Hero Pose) Description:

Kneel on the floor; your knees should be touching. With the tops of your feet flat underneath you, separate them so they rest on either side of your hips. Inhale, allow yourself to elongate the spine, let your shoulders fall away from your ears. Exhale; start to sit down between your ankles. Before you fully rest your buttocks on the floor, take a moment to slide the calf muscles towards your heels. This will enable you to be more comfortable in the pose.

Your sit bones should be resting on the floor. If this is not available to you, then place a block or a blanket under them. Be sure to [Read more →]