Eating sustainably isn’t all that tricky, but saving money while doing so may seem complicated at first. Luckily, there’s not too large a learning curve.
Learn to do it yourself: Growing a garden is one way you can learn something that results in healthy sustainable food. Learning to cook whole foods from scratch is another. You can learn to make foods organically that cost a lot more to purchase. From organic yogurt to whole grain breads to sauces to soups and more. Almost everything you buy premade can be made by scratch, but cheaper, especially if you’re going organic. I like …read more

I almost never talk about one high traffic area of your home – the living room. Not sure why, I guess I tend to focus on higher energy and water areas like the bathroom and kitchen, but you can have a greener living room, here’s how…

Always close the damper on your fireplace or woodstove (when not in use) or that air will rush right in.
Take your shoes off before hanging in the living room. Really you should take your shoes off in all rooms. Various studies have shown that shoes drag in tons o’ pesticides – especially during the …read more

Green doesn’t have to be costly. In fact, green done right is usually less expensive both up front (i.e. buying less junk) and in the long run (i.e energy saving appliances). However, green often gets a bad rap budget wise. People assume that green changes can cost a bundle. With that in mind, here are 10 easy green changes you can make for $15 or less.

Switch to a reusable water bottle. right now Gaiam is offering FREE standard shipping on new and pretty water bottles. COST: $10.38 (plus all that money you’ll save on bottled water).
Compost on the cheap: if …read more

Last month we started to look at how to create a non-plastic kitchen. So far we’ve discussed:

Just say no – to plastic in the kitchen
Tips for creating a plastic-free kitchen

Today let’s look at some non-plastic kitchen food storage and other containers. Later we’ll take a peek at some non-plastic kitchen accessories and extras. The only downside to many food storage containers is that they’ll be made with an eco-friendly material and then the company pops on a plastic lid. Better than all plastic, but still not perfect. In any case, some of the containers below are totally plastic free and …read more

In a earlier post this week, Just say no – to plastic in the kitchen, we looked at why you should start ditching the plastics in your kitchen.Today I’ll offer some general tips that can help you make the change from a kitchen full of plastic to a plastic-free, or at least safer plastic-less kitchen.

When ditching plastics, make sure to get rid of any plastics #3, 6, or 7 first. The other plastics are far less toxic.
If you keep some plastics, don’t microwave in them. This makes it more likely that chemicals in said plastic will leech into your food …read more

Clearing out the plastic in your kitchen sounds tough, but once you start making these changes, it gets easier; you start thinking in terms of non-plastic all the time.This week we’ll look at why it’s smart to ditch plastics, and learn some tips for clearing out the plastics in your kitchen.
Why say no?:
More and more studies pop up all the time that note the dangers of plastics. Plastics can leach toxins into our food and drink and then into our bodies. The most dangerous plastic threats continue to be BPA loaded plastics, but other plastics can contain chemicals as well.
While …read more

I actually can’t remember if we’ve ever discussed Green & Save here, but even if we have, it’s been a while and it’s worth a mention. Especially with spring coming up as you may have plans for your tax returns (home projects) or spring fix-it projects.
Green & Save is a super cool green living site geared toward the money end of eco-living. Basically, Green & Save provides Home Efficiency Consulting for consumers who want to save money on their utility bills or who simply want to be sweeter to the planet. That’s the short story.
The long story: Following is just …read more

Children of the Earth is a great family friendly, kid heavy, green focused website. There’s plenty to see and do, tons of activities, book rec commendations, eco-ideas submitted by kids, an eco-gallery of art by kids, a green home section, and lots more.
You could play around here for a good long while before running out of activities or ideas. Gather your kids and pay them a visit.
Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

Back in April I told you about my new PVC-free shower curtain liner from Target. It’s made of EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate). If I had my way, I’d have a shower door, but since I’m living the apartment life right now, I’m dealing with the liners.
The directions on my liner say to wash with a damp cloth. Does anyone else find this as challenging as I do? Am I supposed to take it down, spread it over my living room floor and spend the day with a wash cloth? Otherwise, I don’t see how you can really get a grip …read more

First off, I’m not a political writer. I’m also not a Republican. I’m not a Democrat either. Personally, I would have loved for there to be a really kick-ass, third-party candidate getting lots of attention. But that isn’t happening either.
So, what to do in November if you live in the United States?
I believe that the most important thing you can do is educate yourself about your choices. And vote!
While I’m not 100% convinced that John McCain would be a green President, I think he’s paying more attention than others in his party have in the past. McCain opposes drilling for …read more