Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
May 5th, 2008
10 Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
Do you like to come home and take a nice deep breath as you relax? You may be getting more than you bargained for! It may come as a shock to learn that according to the EPA the air in our homes is often two to five times more poisonous than the air outside.
There are many sources of indoor air pollution: furniture or cabinets made of pressed wood products, damp carpets, pesticides, cleaners, tobacco smoke, hobby supplies, mold and the list goes on. These chemicals can cause and aggravate allergies, some have been linked to nervous system disorders, and some of them are carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Immediate effects can show up as sore throats, itchy eyes, headaches or fatigue. Longer term effects can be much worse.
Here are 10 ways to improve your home’s indoor air quality.
1. Open the windows — get some fresh air into your house! Best of all, it’s free.
2. Change your furnace/AC air filter at least a couple of times each year. Definitely do it before winter heat season starts– your air filter has trapped all kinds of junk while it has been sitting idle. Find replacement air filters here.
3. Don’t use chemical air fresheners. Most air fresheners sold at your local grocery or drug store are laden with chemicals. If you need to freshen your air, trying getting a natural essential oil and some of those wooden “soaking sticks” to spread sweet fragrance around your home.
4. Similarly, be careful about candles. Paraffin wax candles are made from a petroleum derivative, and the fumes from the paraffin wax have been found to cause kidney and bladder tumors in laboratory animals. “Gel candles” are also dangerous; they are the ones that are clear, often colored, and usually come in a glass container. Most gel candles are also scented with artificial fragrances. Many types of scented candles (not just the gel type) are unhealthy–some scented candles include acetone, benzene, trichloroethylene, and a host of other toxic chemicals. Be sure to try to get soy candles and read the labels carefully– do you recognize the essential oils they are using as scents? If not, ask or don’t buy it!
5. Use non-toxic home cleaners. More and more people are coming to realize that standard home cleaning supplies contain many chemicals which are dangerous to breathe or touch. You can either click here to buy safe pre-made cleaners, or consider making your own natural cleaners– it’s cheap and easy!
6. Consider getting rid of your carpets– or get natural carpets. Carpeting can be one of the biggest air-quality culprits in your home: most carpets are treated with chemicals that off-gas and carpets act as traps for dirt, allergans, mold and other nasty items. If you can stand to part with your carpet, it will improve your air quality. If you must have carpet, consider natural area rugs.
7. Consider getting room air filters for your home. A HEPA filter can seriously reduce the presence of toxins, allergens, and particulate matter in your home. See air filters here.
8. Limit or remove vinyls from your home. Did you know that your vinyl shower curtain is releasing toxic gas? Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been found to discharge softening chemicals called phthalates into home air, increasing respiratory problems.
9. If you’re doing any painting or staining, be sure to use no- or low-VOC paints and finishes. Volatile organic compounds are found in most traditional paints and their off-gassing can be dangerous for your family. Find safe paints and stains here.
10. Obviously, make your home a smoke-free zone!
May 2nd, 2008
Green West Expo: Eric Lloyd Wright Home Exhibit
We are very excited to go to the Green West Expo taking place at the LA Convention Center May 20-22. And we’re especially looking forward to checking out the Sustainable Living Spaces installation. Eric Lloyd Wright and his associates at Design Integration Group (DIG) are designing the 1,600 square foot exhibit. It will include a foyer, kitchen, bath, landscaped patio, den/eco resource library, nursery, dining room, and living area. The entire installation will highlight the use of sustainable, natural, and non-toxic materials, as well green construction practices.
Lots of our favorite green companies are contributing to the exhibit– Cisco Brothers (furniture), Kliptech (makers of EcoTop surfaces), Eco-Partners (sustainable landscape design and maintenance).
If you’re tired of reading about green home design and want to see it and feel it in person, definitely make it to the Green West Expo. Low Impact Living will also be exhibiting so come by our booth and say howdy!
GET 50% OFF REGISTRATION to Green West by clicking here. Use priority code BF.
April 28th, 2008
Eco-friendly Catering for Your Wedding or Special Event
Written by Sharon Troy, courtesy of GreenOptions.com
It’s springtime and love must be in the air! Check out some green wedding tips here on Feelgood Style as well as some sources for eco-friendly wedding bands on Crafting a Green World. My own green wedding took place last summer, and I return to writing about it now because my husband and I were honored with being featured in this month’s issue of VegNews Magazine.
The publication profiles several weddings every year. I highly recommend picking up a copy (because I also love their recipes and features.) If you can’t find it at your newsstand, here’s a scan of the article where I’m featured.
I’m not just posting this to brag. I also wanted to point you towards some green catering resources. Whether you’re planning a wedding, a fundraiser, or any other special event, we all know that large groups of people can create a lot of waste. So choosing caterers who specialize in local, organic food is one way to lower your event’s carbon footprint.
When shopping around, we were excited to find just that type of service with our caterers, Back to Earth located in Berkeley, CA. In addition to our buffet dinner, they made our fabulous cake pictured here (flowers, courtesy of Oak Hill Farm). While our menu was all vegan, they work with all kinds of menus. From their website:
“You can taste every element of our food - the organic free-range chicken roaming free in Marin, perfect strawberries from Fully Belly Farm, the fresh spring greens from Riverdog Farm in Mendocino, Wild Salmon caught just miles from the San Francisco Bay, juicy portobellos from Solano Mushroom, artisan organic cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, and a rustic fresh baked organic bread from the Acme bakery, a local Berkeley treasure.”
Not only is their food spectacular, but a number of the vehicles they use for transportation run on biodiesel, and they can help you “green” a number of aspects of your event.
Some other catering companies I’ve found from across the U.S. with a commitment to the environment include:
Seedling Catering in Los Angeles focuses on vegan and macrobiotic menus.
Gail’s Vegetarian Catering in Washington, D.C. does a variety of events, but specializes in vegetarian weddings.
Eco-Goddess Edibles in Aspen, CO bills itself as “organic vegetarian cuisine” although their sample menus featured a number of fish dishes.
Phresh Organic Catering in Portland, OR caters to a more omnivorous crowd, and features a “commitment to sustainability” on its website.
Chowgirls in Minneapolis, MN has an adorable website, and puts a unique spin of things, with a section of “Retro Fare” on their diverse menu.
Pharm Catering in Chatanooga, TN was a bit light on the veggie options, but specializes on organic, local foods.
Herban Feast in Seattle, WA was my favorite of the caterers I looked at in Seattle, which has a number to choose from! Also worth a look is Ravishing Radish.
Lucid Food in New York, NY seems to have primarily done large upscale events, but also does corporate lunches.
There are dozens more in the Bay Area, and plenty more around the world. I’d love to hear your recommendations if you know of any. In the mean time, I’m going back to drooling over pictures of my vegan chocolate wedding cake… mmmm…
April 16th, 2008
Bush Speech on Climate Change: Progress?
President Bush delivered an address today on climate change. The good news is that he seems to be in a bigger hurry than before to address the problem. The bad news is that he was short on specifics for how his goals should be achieved.
Here’s his big statement: “Today, I am announcing a new national goal: to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.”
Now the fact that we’ll be belching out more carbon than you can shake a stick at until then wasn’t apparently a concern for the President.
He also stated, “To reach our 2025 goal, we will need to more rapidly slow the growth of power sector greenhouse gas emissions so that they peak within 10 to 15 years and decline thereafter. By doing so, we will reduce emission levels in the power sector well below where they were projected to be when we first announced our climate strategy in 2002. There are a number of ways to achieve these reductions, but all responsible approaches depend on accelerating the development and deployment of new technologies.”
What are those approaches? What are the new technologies? Not much was offered on that front– but he did encourage us to not give up on nuclear power or coal: “The right way is to promote more emission-free nuclear power and encourage the investments necessary to produce electricity from coal without releasing carbon into the air.”
Read some reactions to the speech from our friends at Grist.org. “Same as it ever was,” pretty much sums it up.
What did you think?
March 31st, 2008
How To Save Money on Gas and Cut Global Warming
As gas prices near $4 per gallon and artic ice shelves plunge into the ocean, there has never been a better time to save gas and help reduce your contribution to global warming. And hey, saving up to $100 per month doesn’t hurt either, eh?
There are many easy ways you can reduce your gas consumption, keep cash in your pocket, and be a better steward of the environment.
+ Use public transportation. Ride the bus, take the metro, ride your bike. Or, gasp!– walk.
+ Carpool. There is even a site that helps you find people to share with– eRideShare.com.
+ Telecommute. Could you work from home today? Got lots of emails and conference calls– consider doing them from home.
+ Combine errands and walk between stops. Can you go to the grocery store and the post office in one trip rather than two? Can you walk from the drug store to the tailor without re-parking?
+ Slow it down there, pardner. If you are driving, remember the faster you go the faster you burn fuel. And rapid acceleration is a big gas-burner too. Use cruise control when you can on the highway. Slow and steady wins the race.
+ Keep your tires well-inflated. Inflated tires help you get better gas mileage. It’s good to check your tires at least once per month.
+ Keep it light. Remove any un-needed weight from the car. Your fuel efficiency is highest when your vehicle is light and aerodynamic. Thus also remove any car racks you’re not using as they create drag.
+ Keep your car tuned up and change your air filter frequently.
+ Try to park in the shade. Gasoline evaporates out of your tank, and sitting in the hot sun speeds up that process. Parking in the shade also keeps it cooler inside, and you will need less A/C to cool off when you get back in.
+ If you’re in the market for car, please consider getting a low- or no-emissions vehicle. A hybrid can be a good option, or you can get a diesel and then use biodiesel fuel. To learn more about hybrids, click here. To learn more about biodiesel, click here.
+ Or what about a motorcycle or a scooter instead of a car? These two-wheel options are much cheaper than cars and they often get 70 mpg or better. You’ll save a ton of money over a car! Check out some cool motos and scooters here.
March 29th, 2008
Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming
We would like to tip our hats to LiveScience.com and share with you their very interesting feature on the Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming. Check it out!
As they say, “Earth’s changing climate is already wreaking havoc in some very weird ways. So gird yourself for such strange effects as savage wildfires, 25-mile long icebergs, disappearing lakes, freak allergies, and the threat of long-gone diseases re-emerging.”
To learn more about the causes of global warming and what YOU can do to fight it by taking action in your life, please click here.
