Ride Your Bike to Work: Save the Planet and Your Health | Green Keen Magazine

Excerpt from: 
How to Ride Your Bike to Work
by Shane Johnson of Green Options

"If I told you that I was going to give you a magic device that would save you money, save the planet, and, oh yeah, firm up that flab you have been carrying around with you for the last couple of years (all for three easy payments of $19.95!), what would you say? Most people would be pretty stoked, but when I tell people that this magic device is a bicycle, the thrill dies down a little.

I have been in love with bike riding for years now, from the flat open roads of Ohio, to the bustling SUV traffic of Austin, the winding roads of Cape Cod, and now the horn-honking traffic of Boston. When I tell people that I ride my bike to work they say "that’s great" as they look at me like I might be a couple cards short of a deck...

But It’s Too Far to Ride
At each point in my life, the concept of "too far" has changed. When I first started riding, too far was 5 miles: the idea of riding my bike that long was just too hard to comprehend....The bicycle is one of the most efficient ways of using human power for travel. Using the gear and chain system of a bike, you can transfer relatively little effort into a lot of motion....The more you ride, the better you feel, so the more you want to ride..." Want to read more?

Green Options states on their About Page:
"Whether you want to go green to fight climate change, save some dollars at the pump, or give your kids (and yourself) a healthier home, Green Options has it all..."

Green Options has eco friendly products, technologies and forums in which to share and learn. Check them out...

Thanks to FreeFoto for the photos.

Stonyfield Organic Farm: The Going Greener Guidebook | Green Keen Magazine

This is one of my all-time favorite brands of yogurt. It is rich, creamy and delicious. Stonyfield currently has a contest on their website to win an all-expense paid trip to their organic farm in Vermont. Stay in a B&B and enjoy learning more about organic farming, all during New England's glorious Autumn...Sounds great to me! Check out wwww.stonyfield.com

Raw Food Tips For Busy Families From Celebrated Raw Food Chef | Green Keen Magazine

Raw Food Tips For Busy Families | Green Keen Magazine

This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Renegade Roundtable, which can be found at http://www.RenegadeRoundtable.com. In this excerpt, Joel Odhner shares raw food tips for busy families.

Renegade Water Secrets with Joel Odhner, restaurant owner, chef, and raw food chef with clients from Delaware to New York.

Kevin: So let's get onto today's guest, Joel Odhner, is a raw food prep chef who has quite an interesting story which I'll let you, I'll actually let Joel explain his story. I'm not going to go into it. I think it's great that he's got the story that he does have and he's made a massive transition and he provides raw and vegan meals to a bunch of private clients along the east coast. And when I asked Joel what his range was, I was actually kind of shocked because he drives all from...?

Joel: Delaware to New York.

Kevin: Delaware to New York. He's got a huge range of clients and a lot of them are just really great people and what's even better is he's just now been recently been in Dr. Oz's most recent DVD preparing food which is really cool. So without further ado, I want to welcome Joel Odhner to the call.

Joel: Well, thank you, Kevin, I appreciate it. Hello, folks, and I guess as Kevin said, I'll give you a little quick history of where I came from, probably about eight or nine years ago, I was running a restaurant, a good old standard American diet restaurant. And I also decided that I would be doing more partying than working.

So what I did was I quit doing that because I realize that that was other than the best type of lifestyle. And right after I quit that I got introduced to raw foods. I actually went through a Victoria Boutenko talk and she ever talk about raw foods and it kind of really made a lot of sense to me and I said I'm going to do this. She, her last statement in her talk was to try it for two weeks.

So, as they say, I'm still trying it, eight going on nine years now. Trying raw foods in different ways and after I was just planning out to do it myself, I started a business called Raw Lifeline and we ship raw meals all over the country including Hawaii, too. We have a couple clients in Hawaii that would get food. And then I decided I really wanted it to be more personal and go more creative, so about a year or so ago, I moved into the private chef area and so now I have private clients from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. And what I do is I go to their homes and make them delicious raw vegan and vegetarian meals and lasts about, depending on how much they eat, you know, three to five days with the food and I really enjoying it. So that's a little bit of background and I'm up for some questions.

Kevin: We've got a ton of them and there was a theme, my friend, that I think kind of echoes through every single one. And we're going to start right with the big elephant in the room here. It's how do I fit my busy schedule and how do I prepare raw foods with what I'm doing. That's seems to be the bar-none question that we got the most of. So I think this will answer a lot of peoples' questions. Right here, what are some tips, tricks and techniques that you use to really break through the time barrier?

Joel: Okay, well, one of the things that I want to say is that some of that is kind of a mental thing. People have it that it's going to take long and there's a lot of steps and what I've learned over the last seven or eight years is that there are some shortcuts of which I will talk to you about. But I remember one of the questions was just even about washing, when you're getting your produce, whether it's organic is ideal and if not, about washing it and a couple times people ask me about that. The quickest way is literally to just fill up your sink with water, put in a capsule of hydrogen peroxide. Soak your veggies in there for maybe three to five minutes. Wash them around, get all the dirt off and everything and then pull them out and let them dry off. And that shouldn't take more than a few minutes. And my feeling and my experience is that you're not going to get it much cleaner than that. If you really want to take it and scrub it and go for it that's a choice you can make. I just don't think that you're going to get much more off, either. If you're not using organic and you are only able to get non-organic, you're only going to get the outside pesticides off anyway. Anything that it is in the produce, it isn't going to come off no matter how hard you scrub it.

Kevin: Right.

Joel: So there's that. And then, the other thing, another trick is, what I've learned is there's a handful of items that you can make that will last three and four days. And when I say that, clearly, in raw foods optimally you want to make it and eat it. That's the optimal solution, but we have lives. A lot of people are busy. They either have kids, they have jobs and all these different kinds of things and they don't have two hours, three hours a day to be making an individual meal. And I'll be honest with you. Even me, personally, I hate making food for one person. I mean it takes just as much time to make it for one as it does for eight if you really think about it.

Kevin: Right.

Joel: So some of the tricks are to make things in larger batches. And making food easy, so you can make like a burger base, which is kind of like a carrot and nut base which will last an easy three to five days. You could make a kale salad. That's like one of my number one favorites, kale with basically, just lemon-lime and olive oil, salt and pepper. And you massage that in and if you've got two or three heads, chop it up, put it in your fridge. It will last literally three to five days. In fact, it's actually better the second and third day. So if you make a large batch of that, grab a handful, you're all set rather than having to slice and dice every single day.

Kevin: When you talk about the washing the vegetables, are you talking about when you buy them. Just bring them home and wash them and then dry them and store them?

Joel: Yeah, okay. Yeah, unless you're going to make them right there and then, yeah, just bring them on back, just everything you have right out of the bag, wash them up and then store them in your fridge. And that is one less. It's easier to do en mass than individually every time you're going to make it.

Kevin: Got you. And you mention the burger base. I think a lot of people would be interested in what are the kind of things you put into a burger base and do you sprout, if you're putting lentils or any sort of grain in?

Joel: Sure. No, I don't use grains. The basic one I was thinking of is I take raw almonds put them in the food processor, chop them up as fine a consistency as you want, relatively fine. A couple carrots, do the same thing, grind them on up and then that's what I consider sort of the base and then I will dice some peppers, celery, onion and then mix that in. And if you want to put in, like, maybe, some fresh parsley or something like that, that's great. And that's what I consider sort of a base. It's pretty plain and the advantage to that is you can take that base, that you made the large batch of it and then tomorrow you take a handful and make a burger out of it and maybe you want to sprinkle a little bit of chili powder on it so you have like a chili flavor on it or the next day you could sprinkle a little Italian seasonings and fresh herbs and stuff a pepper with it or you could roll it up in a collard green or romaine leaf. If you're not totally raw, you could roll it up in a in a tortilla, like a sprouted tortilla wrap. So there's lots of different options or just take a handful and throw it on your kale salad or any other type of salad you're having. So the nice part about it is you can literally change the flavors each day with that base. You've only had to make it once. Another great thing is to stuff a Portobello cap. You can put that with a little slice of tomato, a little slice of onion on it and you have a great, great burger. Ideally, if you do that do it in the morning, by the time it's lunchtime, the moisture from your burger has sort of soaked into your portabello cap and it's sort of like an open-faced bun.
Kevin: Oh, wow. Now you are making me hungry.




Author: Kevin Gianni



Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/raw-food-tips-for-busy-families-from-celebrated-raw-food-chef-530472.html

About the Author: To read the rest of this transcript as well as access The Renegade Roundtable experts just like Joel Odhner please click here! Kevin Gianni is an internationally recognized health advocate, author & film consultant. He has helped thousands of people take control of their own health naturally. For more information visit raw food diets and holistic nutrition.

Going Green for Spring Around the House and Yard | Green Keen Magazine

Going Green for Spring Around the House and Yard |     Green Keen Magazine

Spring has sprung in most areas of the country and the ritual of “Spring Cleaning” has begun. Planting flowers, planting plants and prepping our lawns for summer, airing out our houses from the winter, cleaning windows, replacing winter window covers with summer screens are all a part of the spring preparation process. Depending on where you live your ritual may vary but one thing we can all do this spring is go greener. It’s easier than you think.

WEED CONTROL
It happens every spring, weeds begin to grow, EVERYWHERE; in your grass, in your rocks and up through cracks in the sidewalk and driveway. The simplest way to get rid of these pesky plants is to spray them with an herbicide and you’re done. Unfortunately the chemicals in the weed killers are often washed away into our drainage systems and end up in our water supply. Here are three easy ways to go green and control your weed problem

1. Pull by hand. Use a long handle, flat screw driver to dig them out by the root. Not the easiest way but an effective and safe way to get rid of weeds.

2. Pour boiling water on the weeds in the rocks and driveway cracks.

3. Try this interesting weed killer – mix one ounce of white vinegar with one ounce of cheap gin and eight ounces of water, then pour or spray on the weeds.

GREEN UP YOUR LAWN
You can also help control weeds on your lawn by developing strong, healthy root systems. There are a few simple ways to do this that are safe and effective.

1. Mow high – high grass will help shade the weeds and keep them from growing, develop deeper root systems and prevent run off and evaporation of water. If you have a really BIG weed problem mow twice as often for a while. The growing point for weeds in near their tops so continually cutting off the tops will stunt their growth and eventually kill them.

2. Leave the clippings on your lawn. This will add nutrients back into the soil, help maintain moisture and can help strengthen your lawn.

3. Use an organic, slow release fertilizer. Check your local nursery for fertilizer brands that match the needs of your type of soil. You can also log on to Planet Neutral to find information on the Ringer brand of organic fertilizer or Rich Soil for additional ideas on organic lawn care.

4. Get a spring tune up on our mower, especially on the blades. The sharper the blades the easier it is on the grass. A tune up will also help your mower run more efficiently and cut down on emissions in the air. An even better way to go green is to trade in your gas mower for an electric mower. Many states and cities offer exchange programs with discounts for trading in your gas mower for an electric mower. You can check out the options in your area with a simple Google or Yahoo search for “lawn mower exchange program.”

SUMMERIZE YOUR WINDOWS
Nearly half of the heat gain in your home during the summer comes in from your windows, especially those facing east, west and south. The easiest way to cut down on the heat that enters your home is to shade your windows both inside and out.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development studies show the most effective way to keep you home cooler in the summer and cut down on energy bills is to block the sun’s heat before it enters the home. Researchers recommend removable shade screens with a low SHADING COEFFICIENT to cover your exterior windows.

Home Depot, Lowes or your local hardware store have do-it-yourself kits that allow you to create screens that fit your windows with a variety of colors and SHADING COEFFICIENTS.

ADD TREES ADD SHADE
Another more earth-friendly way to shade your windows is with trees, so if you are building a new home or remodeling, look for shade trees that shed their leaves in the winter. This will allow heat to enter in the winter and help heat your home.

Reduce the amount of heat entering your home by using interior window films on the east and west facing windows. You should avoid placing these types of products on the south side because most are permanent and will block heat in the winter. There are a wide variety of products available, although many require professional installation. You can log on to Energy Film for Do-It-Yourself projects that do not require adhesives and can be easily removed.

When it comes to cleaning your home and windows there are several “green” glass cleaner, floor cleaner, and all-purpose cleaner options. Unlike many of the products on the market today, brands like Shaklee and Holy Cow sell products that are not only safer for the environment but safer for your family.

The spring season brings green colors to many parts of the country and you can participate in this green evolution by taking some of the simple steps mentioned above. So please do your part, join with nature, and go green this spring.

Author: Gary Hillery


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/going-green-for-spring-400532.html

About the AuthorGary Hillery owns The Green Path Company and is dedicated to helping build a greener path to the future by helping people learn that it’s easy being green. You can learn more about the efforts of the Green Path Company by visiting their web site @ www.thegreenpathcompany.com or their blog @ http://thegreenpathcompany.com/blog

Photograph from freefoto.com

Make Your Floor Green | Green Keen Magazine

Make Your Floor Green | Green Keen Magazine

Green flooring technically refers to flooring made with natural renewable materials like bamboo, cork, rubber, linoleum, hardwood and the like.

Can any one deny the need to protect natural resources? Environment is the most precious natural resource. So it’s high time we wake up from our long slumber and take a step forward to ensure a better environment for generations to come. Moved by this green push, green flooring is gaining huge popularity with trendy homemakers.

Bamboo Flooring Eco Friendly Choice
Bamboo is one of the eco-friendly options that are extremely high on the sustainability quotient. Bamboo floorings look great with the appearance of hardwood. It is therefore an excellent pick for homeowners looking to take the greener route.

Cork Flooring Renewable Resource
Another interesting choice for green floorings can be cork. It is a renewable resource material extracted out of the bark of the oak tree. Since only the bark is required, it prevents cutting down the entire tree. Cork floors absorb noise and are very comfortable to walk on. Cork floors are resistant to fungus and bacteria and are even good for people suffering from asthma.

Linoleum Can Be Green And Biodegradable
Linoleum is a durable as well as bio-degradable item which makes a good pick for green floors. It is produced out of recycled natural contents such as linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, tree resins and ground limestone. Linoleum floors are easy to clean and offer good foot support.

Hardwood Recycled Or Refurbished
Hardwoods are very durable. It is generally obtained from old buildings and thus averts ruthless cutting down of trees and greeneries. Thus hardwood flooring is the right choice for those looking for a pepped up retro look.

Reasons To Go Green With Green Floorings
Green floorings are manufactured out of natural resources. The intrinsic materials are mostly renewable. Green floorings have varied price range so homemakers can make a choice depending on their financial resources. Green floorings are not that hard to maintain. Going green minimizes felling of trees to a large extent. Green floorings are trendy and fashionable and lend a snug natural feel to your home décor.

Opting for green floorings will be your step forward in the pursuit of eco-friendly and sustainable living. So now you can get stunningly textured and great looking floors without cutting down a single tree. Transform your sweet abode into a cozy nest of mirth and tranquility by going green with the flooring.

Author: Kathleen Chester


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/furniture-articles/make-your-floor-green-956587.html


About the Author Green Wood Flooring - Contempo is a shared gem for those who seek uniquely distinct flooring in Los Angeles. Our mission is to provide flooring products that inspire, amaze, and satisfy your desire for self-expression.

Want Something for Free?? | Green Keen Magazine

Want Something For Free? Green Keen Magazine

A wonderful website Ecofreek.com combines the power of 45+ free and swap websites and functions as a search engine for recycled things for you to get or share for FREE!

Want a new dog? A new couch? Have a table you want to give away? Or extra wood or bamboo from your yard? What a great way to be green! It is easy to sign up and start searching. Ecofreek has a user-friendly set-up where you can see pictures of items you are looking for and where you can choose want area you want to search in.

Recycle your reusable items through Ecofreek.com . Check them out and "give FREE a chance"...

Yurts Living in Unity with Nature Growing in Popularity

Yurts: Low-cost, Eco-friendly Homes Springing Up Everywhere

Yurts are an ancient form of housing used for thousands of years by the nomadic peoples of the Mongolian steppes. Circular tent-like structures, made primarily from canvas, a flexible wood wall, and ropes; yurts have graced Mongolia's windswept lands and kissed the starlit zenith with their domes roofs.

Contemporary Yurts Offer Green Living Options
Today, around the world, yurts are finding their niche as eco-friendly structures for inexpensive close-to-Nature living, using mostly green components. Yurts are used today in the Western hemisphere for everything from camping options in State Parks to vacation homes, exercise facilities and year-round homes.

Modern yurt manufacturers  such as, Pacific Yurts, Inc. add current technology to the age-old, aerodynamic design of yurts, while keeping with the earth-friendly concepts. For instance, sometimes yurt fabricators will reinforce the structure with steel cables versus only rope, line the canvas roof with plastic tarp or build the yurt on a circular wooden floor. However, the building techniques of yurt structure and closeness to nature is still beautifully kept by the yurt design itself.

Yurts by their ingenious and simple design allow for the variability of nature, as well as, enabling people to enjoy the fresh open air and contemplative views of the world around. People who live in or just sleep in yurts often comment on the relaxing experience they have being able to look up at the stars, surrounded by natural building materials. There is something intuitively peaceful by the circular room and domed roof of yurts that people are attracted to--visit a yurt at your local State Park to try one out!

Green Eco-Friendly Shopping to Help the Planet | Green Keen Magazine

Green Eco-friendly Shopping to Help the Planet Green Keen Magazine

What are some simple ways that you as a consumer can shop "green"? Here are some, let me know if I've missed something....

Buy Local

Support a cleaner environment by buying local. Local artisans and farmers sell their products at small shops, Craft Fairs and Farmer's Markets. Supporting their businesses eliminates the need for products to be transported far distances, thereby saving non-renewable resources like oil. It is an excellent way to encourage your local economy and culture. 100 Mile Diet gives you some great tips and inspiration on how to start eating local. Your local newspaper will have listings for Farmer's Markets and Craft Fairs.

Buy Fair Trade

The Fair Trade Certification label received high marks from Consumer Reports' Greenchoices website, which provides information on eco-labels and what they really mean. Buying Fair Trade helps to end abuses such as child and slave labor. There is some controversary on the effectiveness of Fair Trade vs. classic Free Trade economics. The issues causing global poverty and labor abuses are complex, rising from a combination of local country governmental corruption and multi-national corporate exploitation.

Buy Organic

Buying merchandise certified with Organic labeling is another way to be eco-friendly. Less pesticides in our ground water is certainly a big plus for the health of your family and the Earth. Buying organic, whenever possible, sends a clear message to Growers and Manufacturers that you want more organic products in Mainstream stores.

Buy Bamboo

Buy products made from sustainable resources like bamboo, a wood-like grass, which regrows to full maturity in 5 years versus the 50-60 years of typical hardwoods. Americans are familiar with Bamboo patio furniture, but recently there has been an explosion of bamboo products flooding the market: cutting boards, dishes, flooring, and even clothing.

Be Creative

Driving and gasoline usage can be drastically cut down, if you try your hand at making things like crafts. Simplicity and enjoying being at home is craved by many Americans, who are running the career rat-race. Weekends or commute time can become creative time--a green way to make rather than to buy clothing, décor, or gifts. Use recycled materials that you already have--enjoy creativity!

Buy Bulk

Buying Bulk enables you to use less plastic. After the initial investment of storage containers, you can just keep reusing them over and over again. This cuts down driving time, but it does take planning, so that what you buy will be used before it expires.

Buy Online (See here for great sidebar choices)

Buying online, is a great, green option for the eco-conscious consumer, also resulting in less driving time. The products are delivered to your door, which amounts to splitting your "driving" time with a group of consumers via the delivery service like FedEx or UPS, instead each consumer driving to and from his individual store.

Buy Pre-Owned

Pre-Owned--the more palatable name for "used" is a great way to buy green. It is essentially recycling. The choices can yield wonderful, cheap, unique finds. Yard and Estate Sales, while they necessitate some driving, provide cheap, negotiable prices. In the same time that it would take you to peruse a Shopping Mall, you can shop 10 or more yard sales. Attend an auction: numerous non-profit organizations, like churches, schools, and volunteer groups, have Annual auctions that double as a Family Night Out. Also, an afternoon of Antiquing uses much less non-renewable resources than manufacturing and shipping merchandise from around the globe.

Enjoy the creativity of thinking and shopping outside-the-box , when you try Green Shopping Choices!

--Pamela Palmer

EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me

Eco Carpet Cleaning – Go Green and Reap the Rewards

Eco Carpet Cleaning – Go Green and Reap the Rewards
Author: Bob Robertson

In recent years many Carpet Cleaning businesses have been pursuing green methods of cleaning to avoid using dangerous and polluting chemicals in the industry in favour of more natural solutions.

Health Hazards of Toxic Carpet Cleaning
Years ago, it was said that carpet cleaning chemicals got into the air of a room when applied during cleaning, and could also be ingested by kids who played on the floor soon afterwards.

Besides such health hazards, carpet cleaning chemicals could pollute local groundwater if disposed of improperly (such as directly down your drain). Also, waste water from carpet cleaning required treatment and/or filtration in order to neutralize contaminants.The local carpet cleaning businesses that have greened up their processes are now reaping the rewards as environmentally aware consumers take advantage of a more responsible approach to cleaning their carpets and upholstery.

Health Benefits of Green Carpet Cleaning
The health benefits come without additional cost and indeed considerable savings can be made from using such methods. Nowadays more and more people are well aware of the long-term health effects of toxic chemicals in cleaning products and appreciate the benefits of using companies that use products that are safe, more effective and better for the environment.

Eco-Friendly Carpet Cleaning is Toxin Free
An Eco Friendly Carpet Cleaning service involves using products which are free of detergents, free of toxic chemicals and free of harmful solvents. These products are completely safe to children and pets, are water based and do not contain solvents, bleaches, enzymes or phosphates.

These new natural products promote good health, sustain the environment and at the same time remain highly effective and produce superb results.What motivates the local business to be green? Is there a genuine concern for the planet and its occupants or is it just good for business? Probably a bit of both….


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/small-business-articles/eco-carpet-cleaning-go-green-and-reap-the-rewards-635087.html

About the AuthorBob Robertson is an Eco Friendly Carpet Cleaning Professional based in Scotland. He is a member of the National Carpet Cleaning Association and Glasgow's first LTT Leather Technician. Visit his website at http://www.mattvac.co.uk/ for more cleaning tips.

Other Helpful Links:
Seventh Generation Citrus Carpet Cleaner Citrus essential oil and plant-derived carpet cleaner.

Real Natural Flower Power a synergistic blend of anti-microbial essential oils for carpet cleaning!

EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me

Soap Nuts: Biodegradable, Hypo-Allergenic and Sustainable Detergent

Independent Review of the Only Tree-Grown, Sustainable Soap

Soap nuts are one of the Earth's truly sustainable, all natural soaps. Actually a fruit containing saponins, soap nuts are harvested in India and Nepal from trees in the wild.

Sustainable and Biodegradable Detergent

Soap nuts are not only sustainable, but they are also biodegradable, chemical-free, and gentle. For a natural detergent for your laundry, look no further than the humble soap nut. They have been used for thousands of years for cleaning in Central Asia. They can be purchased online from buysoapnuts.com and other websites.

How to Use Soap Nuts for Laundry

Soap nuts are very easy to use in your washing machine. Pop 3-4 soap nuts into one of the small cotton bags, available at buysoapnuts.com . Tie and toss into the washer, add clothes and water. You can use the same soap nuts for 4-5 loads, then they can be disposed of in your compost pile, a benefit of using all natural detergents!

According to Erin Johnson, who co-owns buysoapnuts.com with her husband, a business they run from their Melfort, Saskatchewan home in Canada, you can also make liquid soap nuts laundry detergent outlined on her website.

Adding 1/2 cup of borax or baking soda to the wash cycle boosts the cleansing power of soap nuts and to increase the germ killing power, add 1/2 of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Soap nuts are naturally softening, so you do not need to use any fabric softener.

Soap nuts are great for washing delicates. They are non-irritating, a wonderful perk for those with sensitive skin.

Do Soap Nuts Have a Fragrance?

The clean, fresh scent of Nature is the only "fragrance" that soap nuts have, which is a plus for those with allergies. If you want to add fragrance, add essential oils; a few drops into the wash or onto a clean rag, tossed into your dryer will do the trick.

Soap Nuts and Dirty Jobs

When asked if soap nuts work for heavily soiled items like dirty cloth diapers or a teenager's athletic socks, Erin, a mom herself states that soap nuts work great to remove bad and musty smells. She recommends adding 1/2 cup of borax or hydrogen-peroxide to whiten and disinfect. She was amazed at the natural clean smell after she first used soap nuts to launder her daughter's dirty diapers with soap nuts, the lingering urine smell was gone! Another bonus, she found, was that the natural saponins in soap nuts worked to strip the old detergent residue from the cloth diapers, making them more absorbent again!

Soap Nuts and Your Eco-friendly Conscience

Although some consumers are concerned with the energy costs of shipping products from the far corners of the globe, harvesting and exporting soap nuts creates jobs for villagers in India and Nepal. Often, these jobs are community-based co-ops that provide sustainable, economic prosperity for local people. The alternative can be a loss of forestry, when the soap trees are cut down for a one-time use as firewood. Look for soap nut's suppliers which are certified as Fair Trade.

Soap Nuts might look a little funny--but they pack a powerful, all-natural option to the chemical, manufactured detergents polluting our bodies and water. Try some and you might just keep on "buying soap nuts"!

--Pamela Palmer

Buy Fair Trade | Green Keen Magazine

Fair Trade Importers sell crafts created by artisans from impoverished regions of the world at a fair price, to provide steady income and prosperity for community co-ops.

Ten Thousand Villages

Businesses such as Ten Thousand Villages, a program of the Mennonite Central Committee, which recently was "recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute and Forbes Magazine." They import to the United States and Canada from local co-ops in Developing Countries, where the artisans are encouraged to use eco-friendly practices, such as creating with recycled products and using organic plants and foods when applicable.

Ten Thousand Villages, a member of both the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) and the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), according to their website, "both of which aim to improve the livelihood of disadvantaged people in developing countries and to change unfair structures of international trade" has been a world leader in the Fair Trade movement. The crafts and artwork that you can purchase from Ten Thousand Villages are produced by local co-ops that are monitored under strict guidelines to ensure not only the quality of the artistry, but also the economical sustainability for the community that produce them.

Local Co-ops of World Artisans

The myriad of middlemen of international, big business is cut-out and since Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit retailer, all the profits go to either the artisans themselves or are reinvested into providing for additional orders, including establishing new partnerships with artisans around the world. These profits benefit the local communities as a whole, providing funds for such needs as wells and schools—the co-ops are not only the producers, but co-owners of their own businesses.

Unique, Handmade Gifts

Beautiful works of art can be purchased to be given as gifts—like the handmade, multicolored shoulder bags made from recycled traditional Guatemalan skirts, costing $34.00, a similar price to regular, factory-made, department store purses. Each soft, cotton bag wears the distinctive fabric design from the local community where it was created. Or the Unity Candle holder hand-carved from Kisii, Kenyan soap stone—a graceful couple of figures dancing around a tea light can be enjoyed for a mere $20 dollars.

Other Fair Trade Websites I love:

Two Hands World Shop

Agbanga Karite

TransFair USA "Where To Buy" List (At Bottom of Page)

Pamela Palmer

http://www.greenkeen.blogspot.com/

Green Keen Magazine

Suite 101 Magazine Contributing Writer

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Go Green for Preschool: Using Recyclables to Teach Your Child

Professional educators agree using manipulatives to teach mathematics and reading to your Preschool child is advantageous. But buying them can be expensive and unnecessary! I introduced my kids to Math and Reading using simple, homemade manipulatives from easy-to-find recyclable and inexpensive items.

Preschool at the Kitchen Table
Under your supervision, your child’s booster seat at the kitchen table can be transformed temporarily into a “school desk”, on which fun, homemade manipulatives can be sorted and formed into letters and numbers. If you cringe at the mentioned of the word “homemade” and think only the “Martha Stewarts” of the world can handle that—be assured—my suggestions are easy with a capital “E”.

Recyclable Supplies are Everywhere
Recyclable items are everywhere in your home, look around at what you routinely recycle or throw out. Toilet paper rolls can be collected and turned into puppets. If you are not the artistic type, don’t fret—a quick marker-drawn face on one end of a toilet paper roll and instantly you have a Superhero! Kids love to pretend, so with just some encouragement from you, and that “artistic handicap” of yours will help them exercise their imaginations. Have your little ones insert their fingers in the center—and your puppet comes alive for the cost of the ink!

Gather Recyclables then Brainstorm
Gather your recyclables and do a little brainstorming! I collected lids from milk and juice bottles, disinfected them, and tossed them aside in a plastic container on my counter. Within a few weeks, I had an interesting collection that were great for learning patterns, an important pre-reading and pre-math skill. Look for plain-colored plastic lids vs. the ones with writing on them. Collect ones that match in size and color, and also collect a variety of sizes for sorting. Add a few plastic bowls and you can play endless sorting games! “Going Green” never was such fun!

Ideas will abound when you check-out your recycling bins. Margarine tubs with lids can be slit at the top, and “Presto” you have a cash register for playing money games. Egg cartons can be transformed into boxes for you child’s collections. Newspaper taped together can be morphed into large sheets of drawing paper. Kids love to color to “themselves” after having their whole bodies outlined with fat markers on a large sheet of paper.

Old magazines can be treasure troves for photographs to decorate your creations. We glued magazine, cut-out photos to paper plates, tied them together on one side with yarn and made instant “books”. This is a fun way to allow your child to practice her “writing” skills. I still have a motorcycle-themed book in my son’s keepsake box!

Include Your Student in Curriculum Planning
Include your child in this discovery process. You can ask him, “How can we use these plastic lids for school?” You will be amazed at the suggestions you will get! Once you start on the adventure of making your own preschool supplies you will never look at a box the same way again!

Shoebox Panoramas to Reading Rooms
Shoeboxes can be transformed into panoramas with glued-in miniature toys and crayon-colored backgrounds. Appliance boxes decorated by your preschool artist and with windows cut-out (by an adult); can become a cozy “Reading Room”. Just add a light source through the “ceiling” and throw some pillows inside.

Recycled boxes for Building Blocks
Cereal boxes can yield a harvest of colorful, cut-out letters. Cover them with clear contact paper and they last forever! Busy, little fingers love to sort them. Empty shoe boxes decorated with construction paper, convert into light-weight building blocks. Your child’s architectural designs with be limitless and environmental-friendly!

Look around your home for inexpensive items that you normally stock. Dried beans and spray-painted pasta make excellent finger-friendly counters. I found numerous uses for bulk-bought plastic straws and coffee stirrers. We bound them together to show One-Tens-and-Hundreds. We formed letters with them on the floor. We used them as puppet arms.

Pasta or Fruit Loop Necklaces
Multi-shaped pasta and Fruit Loops can be used to make patterned necklaces. Tape one end of a length of yarn to a table top and let little fingers do the threading. Remove and tie in a bow and let the Artist wear her masterpiece.

Your House is Full of Preschool Curriculum
Paper plates can be transformed magically into masks. Coffee filters are great for mini-drawing paper, puppet hair, and mini-Art frames. Let your imagination run wild.

Cookie sheets can double as a surface for magnetic letters or a base for messy projects. Bowls, pans, and lids can be musical instruments, just add a plastic serving spoon and a child’s energy! It might be noisy, but it is unbeatable (excuse the pun) as an introduction to rhythm for little ones. Drums made from round oatmeal boxes decorated with construction paper are easy to make. Paper towel rolls, with wax paper and a rubber band on one end, can be turned instantly into a kazoo! You and your child can make music with things that you already have in your house.

Inexpensive Preschool Homeschool Supplies are the Best
Contrary to what you think “expensive and factory-made”, does not equal “educationally-successful”, or for that matter, “memorable”. My oldest daughter, who recently graduated with honors from a local public high school, still talks with fondness of the homemade school supplies we used in her preschool years. She recently paid me the greatest compliment by saying she wanted to teach her kids in the exact same way that I taught her.

I’m not saying throw out every whirling, buzzing, manufactured gizmo that overflows from your child’s bedroom, but I am encouraging you to move toward the fun and simplicity of homemade toys and games. You will never regret it! It’s green and cheap—good for the environment and your bank account!

How to Choose a Reusable Shopping Bag

How to Choose a Reusable Shopping Bag
Paper or Plastic? What is the Best Green, Eco-Friendly Choice?
Author: Pamela Palmer aka Green Keen

Paper or plastic? Plastic bags are not biodegradable, but recyclable. Paper bags are biodegradable, but cost trillions of trees! Which to choose? Neither, please!

What is Wrong with Using Plastic Shopping Bags?
They are reusable and recyclable, except that large amounts of oil are used to manufacture and recycle them. The Worldwatch Institute estimates that "Americans use 100 billion plastic shopping bags a year." Most of them are thrown away. Only a small percentage actually get recycled, less than 20 %. These discarded bags are filling up our landfills and oceans.

What is the Matter with Choosing Paper Bags?
The classic paper bag, while actually biodegradable, is still fraught with ecological problems. According to Christy Jones: "14 million trees were cut down to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans in [one] year alone." It may seem innocuous when you, as one shopper, get your paper bag, but multiply that bag, by 10 billion and that's a lot of trees sacrificed for billions of one-use, trashed items. Again, most end up piled in landfills, where without adequate light and air they won't decompose any time soon.

How Do We Make the Choice?
What's behind Door #3? Most stores now offer inexpensive, reusable shopping bags at their checkout counters. Often these bags cost around $1, sometimes a little more. They can be used repeatedly. They are washable. They have helpful handles.

Also, they hold more than the typical, plastic bag and stores will often give a few cents discount for using them. A small drawback is that sometimes they will have the logo of the store you bought it in—not so stylish. When shopping you may raise the eyebrows of a few cashiers, if you use a competitor's bag!

You Can Save The Planet!
Reusable bags can be just that: reused, again and again. They are often made of recycled items. They can save animals from sea turtles to whales, who mistake plastic pieces for food. And you can save the landfills from trillions of tons of trash.

High Fashion, Green Chic?
Reusable shopping bags may have started out plain and simple, decorated with grocery store advertising, but now, they have become big business and very chic! Martha Stewart regularly hosts various celebrity-designed recyclable bags on her show.

Green artisans online and in boutiques are creating beautiful and functional, eco-friendly bags, with prices ranging usually around $10 to $15 Here are a few interesting ones to try out:

The ChicoBag rePETe Original follows the Chico Original reusable shopping bag design but is made from 99% recycled content by weight! Each rePETe has uniquely accented handles with the phrase, "This bag is made from 7 plastic bottles!" Some ChicoBags are priced very affordably starting at $4.75 . (Click on this sidebar at BuyGreen.com)

Blue Q (Click on this Sidebar at HerbTrader.com) has a cornucopia of colorful, tongue-in-cheek, fun and beautifully-designed reusable shopping bags.

ACME Earth Tote: ACME EarthTotes, simple and earthy, are the same size as the standard paper grocery bag and have a lifetime guarantee. They stand up by themselves, a big help while loading groceries!

WhatsURbag: Manufactured in New Orleans. According to Treehugger Magazine, "These reusable shopping bags that support Americans, as well as, a green lifestyle, with emphasis on style." It is made from a newly designed, strong and flexible fabric, trademarked as "its-laS-tik"(TM).

Bags Made with Saris--a little pricier--but Fair Trade by Indian artisans--reusable bags created from vintage saris from Two Hands World Shop. Each one is unique, with a spectacular spectrum of colors to choose. These would be a special gift to an eco-friendly friend!

Happy Green Shopping and Green Cleaning! from Green Keen aka Pamela Palmer

Dummies Guide To Green Living

Dummies Guide To Green Living
Author: Paul Hata

What is Green Living - Green Living is a life philosophy. Proponents of green living aims to conduct their lives in such a way that they have an all encompassing awareness of saving the earth and its environment.

As a supporter of Green living, you carry out your life in an eco-friendly and responsible manner, an attempt to minimize the size of your ecological footprint. Green living includes the conservation of resources, recycling, sustainability, green construction, alternative energy, organic food choices and other environmental topics.

Green Lifestyle - Each choice you make requires a consideration of the consequences of the choice, and the way that the decision will affect the environment and all living things within it. Ecological consciousness and care for the earth are of paramount importance in the decision-making process.

By minimizing their "ecological footprints" - the extent to which they create an environmental impact, proponents of green living hope to preserve the earth for future generations of human beings and other life.

Green Technology - Green technology is essential for the conservation of energy, soil health, green building, environmentally preferred purchasing, green chemistry and green nanotechnology.

Developing green technology includes toxic-waste-eating trees, smart electricity grids and floating environmental sensors. Then there is the alternative-energy home fueling station that could jump-start the long-awaited hydrogen economy. This technology may seem far out-but it will probably be here a lot sooner than we think.

Green Building - Green building is basically the practice of using eco-friendly building materials and designing homes and offices to be more energy efficient.

A zero-energy building has no net energy consumption when measured across a year's time. It uses alternative energy sources like solar and wind power. Both zero- and low-energy buildings are great for green living.

Green Energy - Green technologist aims produce energy without burning all the world's coal and using all the world's fossil fuels and natural resources. Alternative energy is related to green living as it includes energy alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. The main drive behind alternative energy is to find renewable, eco-friendly sources of energy like solar or wind power.

Organic Food - Organic food refers to food items that are produced, processed and packaged without using chemicals. Organic food is increasingly becoming popular due to its perceived health benefits over conventional food.

Droves of people are turning to organic produce as a way to feel safer about the foods they eat. People are worried about the foods they put into their bodies. With all of the reports of food poisoning from fruits and vegetables, many people are worried about what they are eating.

Renewable Energy - Strictly speaking, renewable energy is energy that is replenished at the same rate it's used. As the center of green living, renewable energy encourages use of solar, wind, and other alternative forms of energy.

Solar Energy - Solar energy is the conversion of the sun's rays to energy, very good for green living. Active solar technology uses electrical or mechanical equipment to convert the sun's rays into usable energy for heating or whatever. Passive solar technology does not use any outside non-solar energy.

Sustainability - Sustainability, central to green living, is about preserving the environment and natural resources for years to come. It is the process of maintaining a small ecological footprint so that one's life has no permanent detrimental effect on the earth. There are specific fields within it like sustainable architecture, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable development.

Green living habits are worthwhile no matter what our circumstances - privileged or not.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/dummies-guide-to-green-living-469558.html

About the Author Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company. Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com

Go Green with Organic Kitchen Towels -- Green Keen Mag

Go Green with Organic Kitchen Towels
Author: RK Oberoi

Morph the Boring Kitchen Towel
Bored from your normal kitchen? Having the same old kitchen towels, kitchen linens and other furnishing fabrics? Then it is the time when your kitchen needs a metamorphism from normal to organic to protect your family & nature.

As more and more consumers are getting aware of eco-friendly & organic concept, the green organic kitchen towels are getting very hot and you can get these in numerous designs, colors, texture and patterns.

These are also called green kitchen towels or natural kitchen towels.The most common fabrics are cotton, hemp & bamboo. Most of the organic kitchen towels are hypoallergenic. Also, like normal towels you will find different sizes, colors & patterns of kitchen towels that are used for drying dishes, as hand kitchen towels, tea towels and hanging kitchen towels.

All these organic kitchen towels have good water absorbing tendency that make them a perfect kitchen furnishing.

Organic Kitchen Towels
We keep on talking about organic, natural and eco-friendly concept, but what is this is all about?The organic kitchen towels like any other organic furnishing or product are made from the fabric that is grown organically without the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Also for the processing of fibers, production & dyeing, non-toxic chemicals are used. This makes for a fabric that is completely biodegradable.

Every organic kitchen towel like other organic products will have the label to guarantee that the product is really organic. But the tag also depends upon the specific rules of the country from where the organic products is coming.

The most common fabric that organic kitchen towels are made from include: organic cotton, organic hemp and organic bamboo. Organic cotton is the most widely grown organic crop, that is used to manufacture organic kitchen towels.

Try a Trendy Style
You can decorate your kitchen with colorful and trendy organic kitchen towels. Stripes, embroidery at the corners, piping, floral pattern and geometrical patterns are common to see in organic kitchen towels. You will also find natural kitchen towel sets which can have two, four or six towels. Honeycomb style is common & very popular in this category of towels. Unbleached cotton terry kitchen towels are also in vogue; these are unbleached and undyed to give more natural touch

Organic Hemp Kitchen Towels
Hemp is taken from the flax plant that is again grown without harsh chemicals and Europe is the best source of hemp fibers. Thus any product of kitchen furnishing that is made from organic hemp will be of finest quality if made in Europe. Organic hemp kitchen towels are generally soft and have a natural color, as these are not bleached or dyed.

When you use these organic hemp kitchen towels in your kitchen then the whole atmosphere goes very natural & pure. Hemp fiber is also anti-bacterial & anti-mold in nature with high water absorbing and quick-drying capacity. This makes the hemp kitchen towels the perfect accessory for kitchen linen.

Organic Bamboo Kitchen Towels
If you are ready to spend bit more money to your kitchen furnishing, then do not miss the bamboo kitchen towels. Bamboo is another plant that eco-friendly and bamboo kitchen towels are anti-fungal and antibacterial in nature. It is also very easy to dry organic bamboo kitchen towels and they have more water absorbing tendency & softness than cotton.

You will either find 100% bamboo kitchen towel or blends of rayon with cotton or bamboo fabric. Rayon is also made from bamboo cellulose.Advantages of Organic Kitchen Towels Organic kitchen towels are safe not only to the nature, but also to you and your family as these have anti-allergic, anti-fungal and anti-mold qualities.

During processing and dyeing harsh chemicals are not used, so they do not pollute nature and its resources, like water, air & soil. Organic towels can be recycled easily, which again is beneficial for nature! Less resources are used to grow the plant and to process it.

Major Brands for Organic Kitchen Towels CK Ecolution Williams-Sonoma

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/kitchens-articles/go-green-with-organic-kitchen-towels-1204913.html

About the Author: R Oberoi is associated with Textile Furnishings and suggests www.textilefurnishings.com for further reading & information. It is an online B2B marketplace for global buyers, sellers, manufacturers, suppliers & consumers of international home furnishings market.

Green Keen Mag

Bamboo Fabric - Green and Gorgeous

Bamboo Fabric - Green and Gorgeous
When people think of bamboo they usually think of the hard bamboo that is used in construction and landscaping. Too few are aware of bamboo as a fabric, which is now making its way into the market. Bamboo is one of the softest fabrics in the world — softer than cotton but with a drape like silk, less expensive but more durable - perfect for babying your skin. It is luxuriously soft with what has been described as a similar feel to cashmere. Its cloth is an indulgence with its wonderful silky softness.

Bamboo Clothing -- For All Seasons
Bamboo clothing is for all seasons and for all skin types. It does not stick to the body or skin even on the hottest of days and will always make you feel extremely cool under any condition.
Bamboo Fabric is Green

Bamboo grows over 3.5ft/day at its maximum height during its peak growth. Unlike other forest trees which require a 60-year recovery period, natural bamboo plants are easily recovered within 2-3 years after cutting without leaving any adverse impact on the environment. A bamboo plantation requires less energy to maintain than any other trees or plants for fiber production. The bamboo plant can survive in drought and in flood.

Natural, Green and Eco-friendly
Bamboo fiber is manufactured from 100% bamboo plant using top-of-the-line technologies. Most companies use raw bamboo that is 3-4 years old. Its vast root network assures its sustainability. As new shoots sprout, more sunlight is able to filter through, and greenhouse gases are converted into new green growth. The fiber is completely biodegradable in soil, making it eco-friendly. Bamboo fiber is praised as "the natural, green, and eco-friendly new-type textile material of 21st century."

Bamboo plants thrive even without any pesticide. Research has proven that bamboo contains "bamboo kun", a singular unique anti-bacteria and bacteriostasis bio-agent that when blended with bamboo binds tightly into the fiber. Bamboo fiber contains natural anti-bacterial components that, unlike chemical antimicrobial treatments, do not cause any skin irritation or allergies when added to clothing. The natural and unique features of anti-bacteria and deodorization of the bamboo fiber have been proven through research by the Japan Textile Inspection Association, which showed that the bacteriostasis is still present in the fabric even after being washed more than 50 times.

Absorbent and Anti-bacterial
Bamboo Fabric is Gorgeous Bamboo fabric is destined to revolutionize the clothing industry. What is most notable of bamboo fiber is its unusual breathability and coolness. The micro-gaps & micro-holes that naturally occur in the bamboo fiber make its fabric moisture-absorbing and ventilating. This element enables bamboo fabric to absorb and eliminate moisture instantly. The textiles have many fantastic properties that when combined make this a truly amazing fabric - breathable and cool, nice luster; extremely soft; fast water absorption performance; and anti-bacterial. Those familiar with cotton, nylon and other textiles are amazed with the great difference and comfort bamboo fabric provides.

Bamboo Clothing has been tagged "Air-Conditioning Dress." The fiber is highly absorbent, moisture-rich, quick-drying, anti-bacterial, deodorizer, brightly colored yarn & ultimate softness is breaking textile markets and fashionistas' choices of clothing and apparel. Designers like as Kate O'Connor, known for creating ponchos and knits, have shifted from silk to the eco-friendly bamboo fabric. Other eco-fashion designers like Amanda Shi and Linda Loudermilk have followed suit.

Bamboo is for Babies
Perhaps the best use of bamboo fibers is for babies, and lots of bamboo clothing is already available in the market, along with towels, blankets, and other linens. Whether at play or at sleep, babies are extremely comfortable when wearing bamboo fibers because the fiber keeps them cool and comfortable.

Author: Virginia Ginsburg
Copyright (c) 2008 Virginia Ginsburg

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/bamboo-fabric-green-and-gorgeous-673940.html

About the AuthorVirginia Ginsburg specializes in research related to ecologically-sound life and business practices. She writes about green living and socially-conscious investing. Her company, Green Baby Gifts http://www.greenbabygiftsonline.com/ , specializes in gifts that are both beautiful and ecologically-sound.