Household
Saving Energy Helps You Lose Weight
Please excuse the sensationalist title, but it was just too good to pass up, and oddly true at the same time. Research into the links between the increase in weight and the warming temperature of our homes has resulted in some startling news- Warmer homes contribute to weight gain.
Now before you turn your house into a meat locker, you ought to know that small changes can have an effect. Just turning down the thermostat a few degrees can not only boost your energy savings, but also help shed ‘brown fat’, which lingers around the necks of adults.
The research focused around 1500 adults and found that over a six year period, those who kept their home temperature warmer (in the top third of the group), were twice as likely to become obese. To think that for every degree (F) you lower your thermostat below 68, you will save 3-5% off your heating costs. › Continue reading
Intelligent Auto Learning Thermostat – NEST
Ever taken a good look at your heating or cooling bill and wanted to do something about it? Well, even if you have and bought a smart programmable thermostat, you may be spending more than without one.
A recent study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that “as many as 50 percent of residential programmable thermostats are in permanent ‘hold’ status.” Even the the governments Energy Star program removed their endorsement from all programmable thermostats primary because people don’t have the time or patience to program them properly, and the thermostat controls half of the homes energy bill. That is a lot of power for a device that effectively works no better than your sprinkler system.
Enter the NEST Learning Thermostat, the brain child of Tony Fadell, the iPod hardware designer and former iPod and iPhone division VP for Apple, after trying to decide on a thermostat for his new green home in Tahoe. A complete departure from anything you find on the market today, it is an iPod in a world of cassette walk-mans. › Continue reading
Seattle Appliance Recycling – Appliance Away
I introduced these guys a little while back when they started their first landfill diverting project of recycling mattresses, they have now expanded to home appliances! Now serving Washington’s King County, they offer local residents the easiest way to go green by recycling old appliances that are taking over our landfills!
Appliance Away is the best way to dispose of an appliance in an environmentally responsible way in Seattle.
…you are not only helping our environment, but also boosting our local economy. That’s right, we recycle and re-purpose as many materials as possible (up to 90%) to keep things out of the landfill and cut down on pollution.
Reusable Grocery Bags and Bacteria
Society has seen a quick adoption of reusable grocery bags, especially with legislative measures in their favor in several cities/states/countries (like Washington DC and the Republic of Ireland). This progressive adoption is understandable on at least three counts outside of these two places as well. Firstly, as these bags are convenient for grocery stores, which in turn will save money on paper and plastic bags. Secondly, as they’re also convenient for shoppers who no longer have to hope the bag boy didn’t over-stuff the flimsy plastic/paper bags they would normally use. And finally, convenient for the environment as it results in less dependency on plastic bags which would to take millennia to biodegrade. 
The quick spread of these bags comes at a cost though as the people adopting them aren’t properly informed as to the measures they’d need to take in order to safely use them. They’re bags, is there really anything non-intuitive about their use? It seems that there is. They’re meant to be washed on a regular basis, but the people who purchase them don’t seem to be aware of this fact by far as a recent study indicates that as much as 97% of randomly selected interviewees were completely unaware of this health precaution.
› Continue reading
Last Minute Mothers Day Gifts
It’s May 8th. Mothers Day is May 9th. Time to celebrate this excellent occasion with the perfect present for your favorite Mom. Did I mention it is May 8th? Don’t worry! Here are some last minute recipes for eco-friendly gifts or even simple add-ons if you’ve already gotten something for her!
A Clean-Green Basket. Ingredients easily picked up at your local grocery or hardware store. Do your own take on a fruit basket and create a practical gift that your mom will feel proud to use.
Ingredients:
• 1 large basket
• A few leafy twigs
• Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes, multi-surface, and/or bathroom cleaner. Seventh Generation focuses on environmental sustainability and how they can provide products that reduces pollution and keeps natural toxins out of the air. They disclose all of the ingredients within their products to ensure the health of your home by producing safe and effective cleaning supplies. Check out their product coupons as well. › Continue reading
Seven Skin Care Ingredients To Avoid
Our skin covers our
entire body. Every day we have the option to apply lotion, sunscreen, make-up, or hundreds of other products to our skin. What we don’t know is that some of the ingredients lurking in our cabinet can be harmful or even deadly to us. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start when revamping our personal care routine, so I’ve listed seven of the worst ingredients you’ll find in your cabinets.
Parabens- These are commonly seen preceded by Ethyl-, Methyl-, Propyl-, or Butyl-. Parabens are used in lotions as a preservative, but they have been connected to so many negative things that I’m amazed anyone is still comfortable using them. Parabens are known endocrine disrupters that affect the hormone balance in your body, and can interfere with fetal development. Also, they have been liked to breast cancer, and are an immuno-toxin that can cause a myriad of allergic reactions.
Polyethylene Glycol- Often shortened to PEG, Polyethylene Glycol is used in cosmetics and face washes as a cleanser or emulsifier. When given orally in large doses to rats, it can cause them to develop tumors. Some claim that this isn’t relevant because the tumors develop when it is taken orally, not when applied topically. However, the reason PEG is used in synthetic cleansers is to allow your skin to draw more moisture (or anything else it comes in contact with), into the skin. This means that whatever you come in contact with can get drawn into your skin, and eventually into your bloodstream.
Genetically Modified Organisms- Commonly seen on labels as GMO, Genetically Modified Organisms are dangerous because they have unknown risks that are just beginning to be understood by scientists. Genetically modified crops have been changed at the genetic level using E. coli or other bacteria to produce a powerful insecticide. This is supposed to kill the insects posing harm to the crop, but has been known to pose harm to any insect including Monarch butterflies and Lacewings. Due to the way crops pollinate, it is virtually impossible to contain genetically modified crops and stop them from spreading and infecting non-GMO’s. For more information on GMO’s watch the documentary The Future of Food.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate- You usually find Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) in shampoos and other cleansers. This is what gives shampoo the familiar foaming action most people associate with clean. People are often shocked by the lack of foam in organic or non-SLS shampoos, even though they contain the same level of cleaning power. SLS is small enough to easily penetrate the skin, and changes skin’s structure in such a way that allows chemicals to enter deep into the skin.
The Cups I See Everywhere
Beverage cups at Mariner’s baseball games, parfait cups at the University of Washington, and cold or hot coffee cups, everywhere I turn the Cedar Grove Composting label seems to be there as well. Now it’s become a fun game to point out every label I see.
Cedar Grove is a leading organic recycling company in the Pacific Northwest which started way back in 1938. They even proudly state that Cedar Grove Composting has grown to become the largest single dedicated yard waste composting facility in the United States. They provide 100% natural soil amendments, soil blends, and mulches. Also, the cups I’ve been seeing everywhere are 100% compostable and will break down into quality compost. Cedar Grove also provides recycled paper sandwich bags, cutlery, straws, and cold or hot food containers. On July 1st, Seattle will require that all single-use service ware be either recyclable or compostable. Cedar Grove is assisting this movement 100% and will make it easier to save money on waste costs going to a landfill and protect the environment by enriching the soil with nutrients from food and service-ware waste.
Keep Your Agenda Green
The Equology Series of recycled paper planners from Quo Vadis
As you organize your homes during Spring cleaning make sure to think of organizing your everyday events as well. A personal planner is the perfect way to decrease the quantities of sticky notes around your desk, and manage information about your upcoming commitments in one vital place. Choosing the right planner, however, can be daunting. While trying to search for the perfect one for myself, I ran across planners made by Quo Vadis. They are extremely useful and chic, while also being environmentally friendly.
Quo Vadis works with the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) which is the largest forest certification program in the world. More than 6,000 companies have obtained forest certification through PEFC standards, and they also offer tens of thousands of PEFC-certified products globally. Forests certified by PEFC are bio-diverse, socially beneficial, and based on the sustainability of present and future generations. To learn more about how PEFC is teaching forest owners, companies and consumers how to manage, produce and buy responsibly, visit the the PEFC website.
