A community with environmental and healthy resources
Originally Published on Huffington Post
Let’s face it: Reducing your home’s negative impact on the planet will likely require a huge amount of work.
But solar panels and temperature-regulating walls aren’t the only ways to help your household adopt more eco-friendly practices. There are a ton of easy — and fun — ways to conserve energy.
Luckily for us, UK-based magazine Good To Be Home has some clever ideas on other ways to do it.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional in the kitchen, or a newbie who’s looking for direction, there are always ways that can make your culinary ventures easier. Find out how you can spend less time slaving over the stove and more time enjoying your delicious creations.
Continue reading “Expert’s Cooking Tips that will save you Time in the Kitchen”
We all wash our clothes to keep ourselves and our clothes smelling so fresh and oh-so-clean, but there is such a thing as too much washing and too little. There are downsides to both extremes: laundering your clothes more than you need to can shorten their lifespan and wear them out quickly, but washing too rarely can be unhygienic and cause a lot of icky bacteria growth. Here’s a general guide to follow:
Continue reading “How many wears before you need to wash your clothes”
Manage your waste
Separate your garbage at home. Reuse what you can, send those that can be recycled to recycling plants, and collect organic waste for compost. By managing your waste properly, you will be able to send only those meant for landfills.
Make do with things you already have
Buy less crap. Next time you go out shopping, resist the temptation of purchasing trinkets, thingamabobs and what sits you only find cute but really don’t have any use for at all. Instead, make do of things you already have.
Go for organic food
When doing grocery, go for produce from local farmers. Local produce reduces the need for transporting food. It’s healthy for you and the environment.
Get a reusable bag
A reusable bag when going shopping not only is it convenient (carrying all your grocery in a single bag), it also lessens plastic bags that end up in the trash every minute.
Switch to energy-saving appliances
You can start by switching to energy-saving appliances. Check the energy label – more stars means more energy efficient.
Line dry your washed clothes
Instead of using the dryer, line dry newly washed clothes and sheets. It saves electricity and forces you to exercise altogether.
Choose safer cleaning products
When purchasing cleaning materials, choose those with ingredients that have less impact on the environment and human health. You can also choose those with recyclable packaging to reduce garbage.
Green up your work space
Commit to turning off electronics in your office every night. Have your whole department do this for maxium impact.
Green your ride
Evaluate how you currently get to work each day and make a pledge to reduce your impact. If you can ride the bus, bike, walk, or car pool, make this pledge.
Never buy bottled water again
Trade your bottled water habit for an at-home filtering pitcher; pair it with a reusable bottle
Brew your own Fair Trade coffee
Carrying your own coffee in an insulated travel mug helps you reduce waste from cardboard cups and carrying sleeves.
Cut back on paper towels
Invest in a few cotton cloths and some fabric napkins; then drop them in the wash when you run a load of laundry. Using the cloth alternatives is just as easy as using the paper versions.
Become a weekend vegetarian
Cutting meat out of your diet just two days a week can decrease your carbon footprint by about 1/3 of a ton — and coming up with meat-free meals for Saturday and Sunday isn’t as hard as it sounds. Try pancakes and fruit for breakfast; fresh salads or roasted vegetable sandwiches for lunch; and veggie pizza, bean soups, and creamy risottos for dinner. And since doubling a recipe rarely adds any time to your prep work, you can make extras to eat throughout the week (and trim your carbon footprint even more).
Replace your lightbulbs
Replacing your lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lights may be the ultimate change for the eco-slacker.
Sources:
GreenBlog
Naspa
Mother Nature Network
More Ideas:
Times Union
Green Moxie
Healthy Voyager
Eco Women
How To Clean Fruit & Vegetables Using Apple Cider Vinegar
If you are like me and don’t have easy access to organic food (or refuse to spend $3 on a tomato) and don’t enjoy eating pesticides and chemicals then you should definitely be cleaning your fruit and vegetables. It is really easy, takes little time or effort and uses one simple and cheap ingredient: apple cider vinegar.
ACV has so many different uses. I use it a lot in vegan mayonaise or sour cream recipes to give it that tartness. But ACV is also excellent for cleaning and medicinal uses because it’s anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial.
I have been using this method of cleaning my fruit & veggies since my Dad told me about it 6 months ago. You only need to wash veggies that you plan on eating the skin of, like: greens (spinach, kale, lettuce), tomatoes, capsicums, cucumber, zucchini, pears, apples etc.
My favourite brand of ACV is Braggs ACV. Use the code ZIV994 at iHerb and get $5 off your first order.
How to Clean Fruit & Vegetables Using Apple Cider Vinegar
Step 1: In a big bowl, cover veggies in water and add 1 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
Step 2: Let the veggies sit for 5 – 10 minutes (I usually skip this step, I’m too impatient!).
Step 3: Scrub the veggies with a brush (make sure its a brush dedicated for this purpose only).
Step 4: Wash scrubbed veggies with water.
Step 5: Let veggies sit on a tea towel and dry, or hand dry them.
And you’re done!
Source: The Vedge
ecogreenlove 