Eco-Friendly School Year

Kids have been in school for approximately two months now and it’s important to make sure that their school supplies are still in good condition. Often times when it’s back to school shopping time, many shoppers believe a great way to save money is by buying the cheaper binders, notebooks, and folders when it can actually cost them a lot more down the road when they have to replace fairly new materials. Investing in quality school supplies from the beginning gives you a bigger chance that the materials will last a lot longer than flimsy construction and cheap materials.

Green Living Ideas gives a few tips on how to prepare your children for the upcoming school year the green way. On top of buying high quality materials to pack in your kids’ backpacks, they suggest using recycled school supplies that neighbors or school districts may have left over from past years. Thirdly, it’s a good idea to check out your local library for used textbooks, calculators, or other school materials that would come in handy.

Festive Fall Wreaths

Fall foliage in New England is one of the most beautiful things to see during the month of October. Each year, many people drive up and down the Eastern coast just to catch a glimpse of the colorful decorations that Mother Nature has put on display while they snap pictures of each tree that passes by. A great way to put a little green design in your fall decorations this year is by constructing a natural seasonal wreath made from recycled materials from your own backyard. Follow the steps below to make a natural leaf and pinecone wreath of your own!

1. Use fresh vine to construct the foundation of your fall wreath by wrapping the length of vine into a circular formation. Once you have determined the diameter of your wreath, wrap and wind excess vine behind the wreath in order to help hold the circular shape in place. Repeat this 3-4 times with fresh vine for a steady wreath base.

2. Dry your vine wreath anywhere from 2-3 weeks in a dry area whether outside in the sun or indoors.

3. Walk around your backyard to gather fallen leaves, pinecones, and dried berries. Choose colorful leaves to bring vibrant, autumn color to your front door decoration.

4. Attach natural décor to the dried vine base with floral wire or hot glue and enjoy your recycled, handmade wreath!

Three Ways to Go Green This Halloween

If you’re anything like me, you’re still scrambling for the last few items on your Halloween To-Do List. With only two days away until the main event, the mayhem has definitely started to kick in and no one wants to be caught in the middle of it. If you must insist on getting your last minute terrorific items, keep in mind to throw in a few eco-friendly “to-dos” as well. Below is a short list to get you started:

1. Going green for Halloween can save the planet and your wallet at the same time. Before heading to the store, make sure to go through your home to see if you already have containers that can hold goodies for your trick-or-treaters. Dressing up a kitchen bowl with orange and black tissue paper, Halloween stickers, or recycled paper confetti will turn a regular dish into a candy treasure chest.

2. Ask around for Halloween costumes and accessories before stressing out about high store prices and long lines at the register. Your friends and family have been around for many Halloweens and are bound to have a few fantastic outfits lying around waiting to be reused. Trade with a friend each year and you’ll have a new costume every October 31st.

3. Keep it spooky at home during Halloween night by lighting candles. ‘Tis the season to keep your home scary and mysterious and what better excuse do you need to conserve energy? When lighting candles inside your home or for outdoor luminaries, use candles made from 100% beeswax or soy.

Eco Friendly Home Décor by Inhabit Living

Mike and Jennifer Tuttle, Inhabit Living’s fantastic designing duo, have created a unique line of green design décor for every room in your home. Not only is each item eco-friendly, but the handmade sketches that grace the surfaces of accent pillows, wall decals, bedding, interior lamps, and more are organic and beautiful.

The chic neutral palette Inhabit Living uses for their collection reflects one of the hottest trends in interior design today. Pairing natural colors with bold accent colored décor will bring life to any dreary room that’s looking for a makeover. Designing your room around organic, eco-friendly home décor brings about a natural and earthy feel to any room. You’ll feel so comfortable and calm in your new green design room, you won’t want to leave!

Eco Crafts & Green Design Tips for Halloween

One of the first things that kids think of when they hear the word ‘Halloween’ is candy. When I was younger, my Dad would give my friends and me a ride on the hay-filled trailer around the neighborhood while we spotted the houses we wanted to visit to get the biggest and best candy. After a fun night of trick-or-treating, I knew the night was a success when my pillowcase of Halloween treats weighed close to my body weight. My brother and I would dump out our treasures and trade/fight over our favorite candies over the kitchen table and compare the number of king-size chocolate bars we each were able to snag.

As great as those childhood memories are for me, Halloween doesn’t always have to be about the candy. There are plenty of other things we can associate the holiday with whether it is handing out fruit, change for UNICEF collection boxes, or creating a fall leaf collection. During the fall season, think of the ways we can implement green design into our festive holiday: decorate your home with pumpkins and gourds instead of yards of plastic bats and spiders, carve pumpkins for outdoor décor, and bake homemade apple and pumpkin pies! Kids can even dress up for the delicious bake-off!

Featured Green Site: The Daily Green

When your life has a need for green, The Daily Green is a great source to turn to for the latest in nearly every facet of life. In just a few clicks, you can access daily green news, tips on how to carry out an eco-friendly lifestyle, delicious green recipes, inspirational nature pictures, and more. In a green world, there are so many areas of our lives that we can improve and make eco-friendly and with a site like The Daily Green, it’s easy to stay informed and up to date on the latest in green trends.

After surfing a bit through the site, I found a wonderful section that I wanted to highlight. Halfway down the page on the right is a box called ‘Get Started’ and ‘Get Local Info’. I felt that this was such a useful tool for any newcomers in the green world. It’s a great way to get started on living an eco-friendly lifestyle in a snap and to be a part of a growing environmentally friendly world. In addition, I loved the feature “Get Local Info”. Here you can plug in your zip code and the site will lead you to your local weather, places to buy organic food, and recycling resources for particular items such as magazines, plastics, and electronics. Get your dose of The Daily Green and reach your goal of becoming a greener citizen!

Below is a sampling of green products that made the cut in the site's product review section. From bamboo kitchenware to cork flooring, this site has it all!

Last Minute Tips on How to Green Your Halloween

We all know how busy everyone can get around a fun holiday season like Halloween. At the start of October, we tell ourselves every year that we’ll be as crazy as the stores downtown and start our shopping for décor, costumes, and candy early this year, but unfortunately it usually never happens. If you are one of the many scrounging around for last minute staple items to make this Halloween the best yet, pay attention to these last minute tips that just may make your life a little easier.

Before getting in the car this weekend and heading off to pick up extra candy supplies or that perfect accessory that will just “make” your costume extra special, take a breather and think of what you have lying around your home to use before purchasing new items. The Environmental Defense Fund published a press release earlier this week regarding ways in which we can all make our Halloween a little “greener” by using pillow cases or canvas bags during trick or treating, constructing a Halloween costume yourself by using clothes and accessories at Salvation Army or thrift stores, and using a green form of transportation when traveling around the neighborhood.

Halloween can still be just as spooky and fun as it’s always been in the past – we’re just incorporating a few socially responsible ways to make your holiday the greenest possible. Stick to the same scary thoughts of ghosts and goblins instead of the damaging burden we could potentially be putting on the environment.

Halloween Treat Bag $18.95

Water Conservation and Eco-Friendly Shower Heads

On average, we waste five gallons of water each time we turn our shower on and wait for warm water. Think back to this morning’s shower and the pressured water that was pouring out while you waited for a temperature that was just right for you. In addition, 95% of the water we use in our home is wasted whether it is water we’re waiting to warm, water that is left on while we wash the dishes or brush our teeth, or the high pressure flow of water we use to simply wash our hands.

As always, an eco-friendly solution is available so that you can cut down on the number of gallons per minute that is used during your morning routine. Standard shower heads have a flow rate of 2.6 gallons per minute and anything below that is considered eco-friendly. A great eco-friendly shower faucet offers the option to adjust the water flow rate in order to cut down on the water being wasted. In turn, you can conserve the flow of water coming into your home and cut down on the money flowing out of your pocket.

Kohler MasterShower 2.0 gpm Showerhead $70

‘Old’, Reclaimed Furniture is the ‘New’ Thing

Reduce, reuse, and reclaim is the name of the game. In this ever-growing green design trend, one of the more appealing options in home design is using reclaimed wood for floors, furniture, countertops, stairs, and more. Reclaiming wood reduces the demand for deforestation needed to make new furniture while providing a quality, historical piece of furniture that tells a story in your home. Imagine having a dining room table from wood that was extracted from an 18th century barn and the stories it could tell!

Choosing to furnish your home with reused wood furniture provides vital environmental benefits such as reducing waste to be transported to landfills, the amount of chemicals needed to treat wood, and the energy spent prepping wood for use. Like good wine, wood improves with time. As the grain compresses and strengthens, the wood develops a natural patina or finish that adds an elegant touch to any home. Depending on the environment and wood type, the colors can run from a deep red to warm grey which doesn’t require a heavy chemical finish that normally would be applied to new wood surfaces. Despite the fact that reclaimed wood is older and reused, the quality can be significantly better than a new piece of furniture that was crafted from a healthy tree and chemically treated.

Since the majority of reclaimed wood comes from factories, houses, and barns that were built from slow growing forest trees, the wood is stronger and more robust. New wood furniture is made from second or third generation forests that haven’t had the proper time to grow and gain the strength seen in older furniture.

Guest Blog Post by Sue, My Internal Design

Featured Green Site: Fabulously Green

Just as the title states, this eco-friendly site is certainly all that and more. Stephanie Zhong, a talented designer and editor has served a number of prestigious positions including the Managing Editor of the G Living Network, a Green News columnist for LA Design Magazine, and co-chair of the Environmental Affairs for L.A. Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. While that might seem like a mouthful, it sure gives Ms. Zhong the credibility and recognition she deserves through her wonderful green blog, Fabulously Green.

With the hundreds of environmentally friendly blogs out there, this one struck me as refreshing, unique, and fun. The blog features a beautiful collection of designs that work well with our home and personal style while supporting socially conscious products. Through Ms. Zhong’s work, we see that it’s easy to help the environment without having to sacrifice the clothing, accessories, and home décor that we love and use every day. When there is a great design, there is always a green design.

Organic Table Décor

If there’s one eco-friendly trend for 2009, it’s resorting to a more neutral palette when painting and decorating a home. The soft, warm, and natural shades of white, green, and brown create a welcoming atmosphere from the living room to the bedroom. Neutral colors provide a subtle background that can be perfectly paired with a bold accent color such as deep green or burnt orange; shades appropriate for the fall season.

One way to dress up your kitchen or dining room table décor is with natural stone placemats and table runners from VivaTerra. Not only will the neutral colors serve as a wonderful backdrop for decorative plates and tableware, but the natural stones will create a new texture and dimension to your overall space. The earthy design will be a refreshing, organic change when it comes to decorating your tabletop for those special occasions around the dining room table.

Taking a Bicycle to a Whole New Green Level

Owning a bike is a great step in the right direction for going green. If you live in a populated suburban town or city, think of how many car trips and dollars you can save by doing your groceries on two wheels instead of four. Even if you need to pick up a few extra things at the grocery store, return a book to the library, or check out a park a couple miles up the road, there are so many more benefits when taking your bike along for the ride and leaving your car in the garage. Not only are you saving the environment and your savings account, but you are getting one of the best forms of exercise out there!

While you thought a regular bike was the greenest and cleanest, think again! The Greenhaus, a green design site filled with eco-friendly home products, features the Calfee Bamboo Bike. Made from heat treated bamboo and frames tied with hemp, this sustainable bike is expected to last for 10 years.

How to Reuse a Halloween Pumpkin Five Times

We’ve heard it time and time again that going green is all about the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. While on my quest to find some eco-friendly Halloween activities, I came across a great article on how to reuse your pumpkin from Gaiam Life, Your Guide to Better Living. This creative list includes some tips to follow when you want to get the most out of your organic Halloween decorations and give your pumpkin five times the life you normally would!

Gaiam Life starts off with picking an organic pumpkin as this ensures that the pumpkin patch hasn’t been sprayed with harmful chemicals that can endanger the environment. Secondly, when scooping out the pumpkin, save the filling! As mushy and gross as it may feel, this ingredient will pay off. After all, where do you think authentic pumpkin pies and breads come from? Gaiam Life gives you a wonderful recipe for scrumptious pumpkin bread to get you started!

Thirdly, separate the pumpkin seeds for roasting to make a nutritious afternoon snack. Pair a handful of roasted seeds with a warm mug of apple cider and you are on your way to an autumn paradise. Finally, the article suggests donating your carved pumpkins to a zoo or adding them to your compost pile. One fact I wasn’t aware of is that animals such as elephants and mongooses enjoy eating pumpkins! Also, a compost pile filled with leftover pumpkin scraps will create a nutritious mix of soil that is great for spring gardening. For more tips, visit the article and see how you can reduce, reuse, and recycle your Halloween decorations!

Eco-Friendly Halloween Crafts for Kids

Going green not only helps save the environment but it also saves quite a few dollars from leaking out of your wallet. The possibilities are endless when seeking out green alternatives to everyday items and activities. One holiday season that is quickly approaching, Halloween, is the perfect excuse to put our eco-friendly activities to good use. Just like for any holiday, decoration is key and what better way to adorn our homes and gardens than with ‘green’ Halloween decorations?

Kiwi Magazine has a great feature on their website entitled ‘Eco-Friendly Halloween Crafts’ which gives step-by-step instructions on how to spruce up your spooky space with recycled goods around your home. Some of these spooktacular arts and crafts include Pumpkin Masks, Toilet Paper Roll Bats, and Milk Jug Pumpkins. Not only are you reusing some common materials in your home but you are getting your creative juices flowing. Enjoy fun-filled afternoons with your kids teaching them about green living and Halloween decorating! I've provided one set of intructions to get you started!

Pumpkin Masks
Materials:

Paper Plates • Yarn • Optional Item-Crayons, Markers, Paint, Construction Paper • Glue • Scissors • Hole Punch

Directions:

1. Take a paper plate and color or paint it orange using crayon, marker or paint.

2. Decorate with a jack-o-lantern face. Using either black crayon, marker, paint or cut out pieces of black construction paper and glue on.

3. Using the hole puncher, punch a hole on each side of the plate near the edges.4. Lace yarn through each hole and tie yarn.

Featured Green Site: Sprig

Stepping onto the green scene can feel a bit daunting at first as there are so many eco friendly alternatives for many of the items we use in life. From the groceries we buy at the store and the clothing we put on our back, there is always a greener and cleaner option. The types of cleaning products we use in our home and the toys we give our children to play with for the afternoon make a difference when we decide to go green.

There’s no denying that we want to start participating in the green scene, but where do we begin? Sprig is a wonderful resource to use when starting an eco friendly lifestyle as they provide a countless list of green products, activities, décor ideas for your home, eco friendly fashion, and much more. Whether you use shopping as a form of therapy after a stressful day or just simply want to treat yourself, why not change your shopping routine up a bit and shop green? Finding environmentally friendly products will be a lot easier than you think after you have a great, user-friendly guide to green style with Sprig.com.

Green Design in the Fast Lane

If you know someone in your family that shares my father’s passion for cars, this eco friendly, retro design for a garage, barn, or game room may be the perfect gift to knock their socks of this holiday season. Eco-Artware has produced a creative and unique collection of recycled chairs made from traffic signs that we encounter on a daily basis. Each handmade, hand-shaped, and hand-finished chair reflects an original design that looks completely different from the other retro chair designs in this collection. Choose from a variety of options from traffic light and one way signs to speed limit and route number signs for your unique chair design. It’s time to start your engines and outfit your space with a fun, fast-paced, retro look that will never go out of style!

Featured Green Site: Eco Fabulous

It’s amazing to see how the eco-friendly world has really taken off in a variety of different industries. Now more than ever, there are ‘green’ options for nearly everything we need in life from home improvement repairs and transportation to groceries and fashion. One form of environmentally friendly gear that I couldn’t be more excited about is environmentally friendly fashion and accessories.

In an earlier post, I featured Ecoist, an eco-friendly designer that uses recyclable materials such as candy wrappers, Coke cans, and newspapers to produce amazing fashion accessories. To continue on that path, I was excited to feature Eco Fabulous, an informative site highlighting the latest in eco fashion trends that can be seen anywhere from your local store to the New York Fashion Week’s runway. Eco Fabulous is a great source to get your daily dose of how the fashion industry is rapidly growing and embracing the idea of ‘green fashion design’!

Green Up Your Backyard with Eco Kids Toys

Every kid goes through the wonderful stage of building forts and camping out in the backyard with friends while telling spooky stories and roasting marshmallows for late-night treats. It’s the time of make-believe scenarios and what better way to act out these imaginary scenes than in an eco-friendly outdoor fort! By Nature, a UK-based company focused on organic and ethical living has a user-friendly site filled with home, fashion, and children’s products that all support a green environment.

Within their ‘Eco Kids’ section, By Nature features a creative collection of recycled cardboard cut-outs that resemble anything from a Native American teepee to a rocket ship. Treat your children to a fun, interactive, and sustainable backyard toy while educating them on the importance of saving the environment with one recycled toy at a time. By starting the ‘green’ education early, your children will grow up to appreciate the natural world around us and make smart decisions in the future when it comes to enjoying recyclable materials and goods.