Natural and Sustainable

Many health food stores carry quality eco-products that are ready made and ready to go. There are many stores nation wide that carry quality products and they specialize in eco- and environmentally friendly products as well. It’s always best to find out about the company before finding out about a specific product.

There are many companies out there that say they are “green” but just because a company packages their product in a green container doesn’t mean their product(s) is good for the environment in a green way. Be leery of the term “non toxic” as well. Any company can claim that their product is “nontoxic”, “all-natural”, and even “eco-friendly”,mainly because their are no regulations on the use of these terms on any product. There are however, certain policies that a company should follow. Below is a list of those terms and things to avoid.

1. Their product is bridgeable within days not years.
2. There are no petroleum based ingredients in the list.
3. There is a clear list of ingredients not clear use of words.
4. No artificial fragrances or should be use in a well ventilated room.
5. No warming labels on the products container or anything that is flammable.
6. Avoid “phenol”, “glycol”, or any term ending in “-ene”.

If the products you are currently using contain any of the above, then consider changing them to something more eco-friendly.

Enter theThoughts Unveiled Contest!

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Capture light in a jar during the day and use that light at night to brighten any corner or area within your home. With the Sun Jar you are able to capture the sun during the day and with the help from LEDs, you can use the captured sun that the solar panels gathered in the evening around your home or on your porch. To find out more, please visit the Charles & Marie web page.

Just because a place is environmentally “fit” doesn’t mean you’d want to spend your life there. But finding the perfect balance between what’s green and what’s livable could lead you to paradise. Most countries are lacking turning around their sustainable efforts. The list of countries here could do a lot to change their green habits. If your country is listed, talk to the governor of your state or leader or your area even and see what can be done on your part to change the way your state alone looks at more green practices. Every little bit helps every country. Here’s a list:

• How countries rate:
Top 5:

1. Finland
2. Iceland
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. Austria

Bottom 5:

137. Chad
138. Burkina Faso
139. Sierra Leone
140. Niger
141. Ethiopia

• Air Quality: Rates concentration of several pollutant in urban areas.

(1) Moldova
(8) Finland
(63) United States
(126) Ethiopia
(141) Guatemala

• Greenhouse Gases: Rates carbon emissions per capita by GDP.

(1) Chad
(18) Ethiopia
(75) Finland
(107) United States
(141) Turkmenistan

• Environmental Health: Rates childhood mortality disease; deaths from intestinal infections.

(1) Austria
(8) Finland
(16) United States
(1256) Ethiopia
(141) Turkmenistan

• Energy Efficiency: Rates conservation efforts and use of renewables such as hydropower.

(1) D.R. Congo
(17) Ethiopia
(66) Finland
(106) United States
(141) Trinidad & Tobago

• The World’s Greenest, Most Livable Cities:

5 Best:

(1) Stockholm
(2) Oslo
(3) Munich
(4) Paris
(5) Frankfurt

5 Worst:

(68) Bangkok
(69) Guangzhou
(70) Mumbai
(71) Shanghai
(72) Beijing

• How U.S. Cities Rate:

(15) New York
(22) Washington, D.C.
(23) Chicago
(26) San Francisco
(36) Atlanta
(43) Denver
(46) Houston
(55) San Diego
(57) Los Angeles
(60) Phoenix

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Always recycle your magazines or take them to your local library for someone else to benefit from your old reads.

The details on air filtration devices: After doing all you can to try and solve your air-quality problem at its source, an air filtration unit with a HEPA filter may still be a worthwhile investment. Before you buy, speak to a reputable vendor about the specific problem you are trying to solve and what ever else you have done to address it. If possible, always test the noise level when the system is operating to be sure it doesn’t sound like a 747 during take off.

Other things to keep in mind:

• While a variety of technologies exist, there are no standards regarding the performance, efficiency and effectiveness of air filtration devices.

• Air filters designed to filter a single room will perform well when there is central air circulation. Isolating the room may yield better results, but remember to allow for some fresh air too.

• There is no filtration or ventilation system that can effectively remove secondhand tobacco smoke.

WATCH THE WATER TOO:

There’s no better way to water efficiently than with drip irrigation. In fact, in some water-strapped states with regulations, it’s the only way you can supply H2O to thirsty plants regularly. Have a system installed or put on in yourself with components from the hardware store. To save even more water, get a programmable timer with a rain sensor. No more turning the faucet on and off or having the system come on when it rains. These handy gizmos can be added to an existing system. Even more high tech is the “smart” controller. It communicates with area weather stations or satellites to supple the right amount of water for your garden based on current weather and rainfall. Get a controller just right for your garden from a dealer such as Rainbird or a local irrigation specialist. (Source: Garden Gate 2008)

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Green Fatigue: [/gren fuh teeg/] noun 1: a term (first spotted in media coming out of the über-eco UK) referring to the growing backlash of apathy among people for whom the initial buzz of going green is wearing off.
n. 2: the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness that can get greenies down, resulting in occasional indulgence in plastic and conventional fruit.
n. 3: doing and trying everything you can to live a more eco-friendly and eco-conscious life and still feeling like you haven’t done enough.

Usages in a sentence: “Hey, don’t succumb to green fatigue; it too shall pass, and your convictions will be restored again soon. Let’s do something green together, shall we?”

Creating a balanced ecosystem in your life is easier than you think.

When cooking outside or caring for your patio or deck, you want to go the organic way, here’s how:

1. Freshen cushions naturally: Combine a half cup of hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar with a cup of water. Spray on mold and dirt and do not rinse. Treat the mold with a spray mixture of 2 tsp. tea tree oil and 2 cups water. The mold and strong smell will dissipate in a few days. To brighten lawn furniture, dissolve a half cup of washing soda in a gallon of hot water. Rub soda on and let set for 10 minutes. Rinse off. Test on wood to be sure the finish won’t peel off. Be sure and wear gloves as well.

2. Get a cleaner start naturally: Lighter fluid contains hydrocarbon-emitting petroleum distillates, which contribute to unhealthful smog and impart a chemical taste to the food. Use chimney starter (available at hardware stores) to start the fire. It holds the charcoal above a burning piece of newspaper and relies on airflow under the charcoal to create a glowing heat.

3. Fuel the fire naturally: Grilling with natural gas is the most environmentally freindly method of cooking outdoors. Charcoal and wood give off soot particles that polute the air. If food cooked over wood is a must, use the wood ash as an amendment to neutralize acidic soil.

Here is more information on creating a balanced eco-system within yourself and your own home:

Hemp, unlike its cotton cousin, needs little or no pesticides. Plants grow close together to shadow out weeds, require little rainfall and will grow anywhere wheat grows. Hemp fibre is four times stronger than cotton, and although it feels harsh on the skin, manufacturers are working hard to develop a softer version.

Recycled Cotton is another more earth-friendly choice in cotton clothing. Recycled cotton is cotton fabric that has been made from recovered cotton that would otherwise be cast off during the spinning, weaving or cutting process. A trade name for recycled cotton is Eco Fibre; there are no harsh chemicals used in the processing of this fabric.

Recycled plastic (PET) soda pop bottles are refined and purified, chopped down and processed into spun fibre strands. These strands are then knitted and woven into fabric.

New textiles using soy fibres, bamboo and organic wool, which comes from sheep raised solely on organic meal, are also in the works.

The Organic Trade Association
OTA (www.ota.com) is a North American association representing the organic industry in Canada and the United States. Members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmer associations, brokers, consultants, distributors and retailers. The Association has been instrumental in shaping both the regulatory and market environment for the organic products industry. As of Dec. 2003, its members included 76 Canadian companies.
(Source: Women-can-do-anything)

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip®: When trying to find “just the right’ gift to give, think outside the box and gift a gift that keeps on giving such as a charity. They not only give to the less fortunate but they also help cut down on planetary waste.

1. Bloomington, Indiana:

• Population: 68,779
• Climate: Mild, four-season weather. January average temperature; 30 degrees. July average; 76 degrees.
• Median House Value: $150,6000 as of August 2007
• Natural Assets: Elevation is at 840 feet. Near various large wilderness areas, picnicking and fall colors. Nearby lakes are great for canoeing, kayaking and bass fishing.
• Sustainable Initiatives: The city signed the U.S. Mayers Climate Protection Agreement to meet the standards of the Kyoto Protocol, and international agreement to address alimate change by reducing greehouse gas emissions. Bloomington also has a major sustainable development program empowered by a citizen/government commission.
• Also: Bloomington residents describe their hometown with words such as “homey”, “affordable” and “politically active.”

2. Bellingham, Washington:

• Population: 72,992
• Climate: Mild weather with a long rainy season, January average temperature; 35 degrees. July average; 62 degrees.
• Median House Value: $252,000
• Natural Assests: Access to Bellingham Bay, San Juan Islands and Mount Baker as well as the 241-acre Whatcom Falls Park that features four waterfalls and well-maintained walking trails. During the summer, Whirlpool Falls is a popular swimming hole where locals jump off cliffs as high as 50 feet into the natural pool below.
• Sustianable Initiatives: Strong municipal and county commitment to resource efficiency and stewardship. Bellingham has signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and administers the Vluntary Metering Program that promotes residental and commercial water conservation.
• Also: Some locals insist that snowboarding was invented and prefected on the slops of Mount Baker, a 10,800-foot glacier-covered mountain clearly visible from the streets of Bellingham.

3. Ukiah, California:

• Population: 15,580
• Climate: Mild in general, warm summer afternoons, buffered by coastal breezes. January average teperature is 45 degrees; July average temperature is 73 degrees.
• Median House Value: $330,000
• Natural Assets: Elevation: 615 feet. Within an house of the Pacific coast, and neat the virgin redwoods of Montgomery Woods State Reserve, one of the few remaining redwood groves you con’t drive through.
• Sustainable Initatives: Local activism, renewable energy, drafting of a new comprehensive plan for Ukiah.
• Also: Edowed with ecological wealth in the form of a mild climate, fertile soil, and surrounding forests of oak and some remaining redwood, Ukiah and Medocino County are a mecca for all things sustainable.

4. Eau Claire, Wisconsin:

• Population: 62,570
• Climate: Chilly winters and warm, potentially humid summers. January average temperature, 14 degrees. July average, 72 degrees.
• Median House Value: $139,900
• Natural Assets: Chippewa River State Trail, a spectacular riverside trail from Eau Claire to the city of Durland. Access to Wisconsin’s 15,000 lakes and 44,000 miles of rivers and streams.
• Sustainable Initiatives: Extensive use of bicycles and bicycling infrastructure. Methane generator at a local dairy operation and increasing use of solar energy.
• Also: This west central Wisconsin city is not a hige tourist destination, and that’s OK with most of its residents.

5. Paonia, Colorado:

• Population: 1,589
• Climate: January average temperature. 25 degrees. July average teperature, 72 degrees.
• Median House Value: $124,300
• Natural Assets: Great rafting, fishing and camping at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and West Elk Wilderness Area; bicycling on beautiful country roads.
• Sustainable Initiatives: Citizen activism (such as the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council) to protect Paonia from over development and create local self-reliance.
• Also: This little western slop gem was first established as a home base for coal miners, many of whom still occupy the bungalow houses of the downtown area.

6. Dixon, New Mexico:

• Population: 1,529
• Climate: Mild summer, erratic in winter. Average January temperature is 31 degrees, July average is 72 degrees.
• Median House Value: $220,000
• Natural Assets: Confluence of Embudo River and Rio rande; pastoral countryside of rolling hils, characterized by sagebrush, apache plume, cliffrose and pinon pines.
• Sustainable Initiatives: Passive solar architecture, local economy, preservation of land, water rights and watershed.
• Also: The housed and farms in Dixon (about half an hour from Taos and an hour from Sant Fe were built failry close together to make use of meticulously maintained acequais, which is irrigation ditches fed by snowmelt.

7. Ocean Springs, Mississippi:

• Population: 17,698
• Climate: Hot and muggy summer. Annual precipitation is 62 inches. Average January temperature is 68 degrees. July average is 82 degrees.
• Median House Value: $120,5000
• Natural Assets: Elevation, 30 feet. Accessto 170,000 acres of public lands in Jackson and George Counties and the 80-mile stretch of the Pascagoula River that is protected from development. At this year’s Wild Wing festival, more than 200 or 342 species of birds in the region were identified.
• Sustainable Initiatives: Restoration of natural wetlands; replacement of destroyed houses with smaller, more energy-efficient homes; and creation of an eco-tourism industry around the unspoiled mature of the area; birds, marine life and other wildlife on huge tracts of undeveloped land.
• Also: If you have survived a hurrican with the fury of Katrina, the word sustainability is partly synonymous with survivability. The dowtown area of Ocean Springs was one of the few commercial districts on the Mississippi coast to come through Katrina intact, or nearly so, but 177 houses in the small city did not.

8. Brattleboro, Vermont:

• Population: 11,994
• Climate: Winters that usually make the holiday season white (average annual snowfall is 68 inches). Average January temperature is 25 degrees. July average is 73 degrees.
• Median House Value: $180,000
• Natural Assets: Skiing at Mount Snow, Haystack and Stratton ski areas, kayaking on the Connecticut River, mountain biking and hiking in the Green Mountains.
• Sustainable Intiatives: Civic activism to preserve quality of life (for instance, no billboards allowed.) Recently, 200 residents took the “localvoe” challenge in which they pledged to eat locally grown foods for either a week or a month.
• Also: Faced with the challenge of preserving their agricultural heritage and their beautiful landscape, the residents of Battleboro created a local tradition that has captured New England’s heart: “The Strolling of the Heifers,” a feminine version of Span’s famours “Running of the Bulls”. (Source: Some information pulled from M.E.N. 2007)

**Need a question answered about wine, or a wine flavor? Or how about making a day of wine touring through different wine countries or just through one winery alone. Over at Wine Outlook, Farley has the latest and greatest on what’s happening now in the world of wine. Read more about it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Pop your sponges and plastic scrubbing pads in the microwave at full poer for two minutes. This will kill 99% of all the living germs and bacterial spores, including E. coli. Be sure and dampen your sponges and any others before doing this, so that it doesn’t create a fire. This is a environmentally safer alternative to bleaching them.

Five Steps To A Greener Yard: (Source: Conscious Choice Magazine)

• Go Native: Native vegetation requires less water (if any) and attractsbeneficial bugs, butterflies and birds, and because native plants are adapted to the area, they are more resistant to disease and pesky insects, negating the need for pesticides. The EPA’s web page Green Landscaping with Native Plants and The Washington Native Plant Society’s page are great places to start in looking for great native plants that will work in your garden.

• Eat Your Estate: You have head the stat: grocery store produce travels and average of 1,5000 miles before reaching your plate. But what could be more local than replacing your front with food for your family and your neighbors maybe. Start at these sites to give you the push in the right “gardening path”. How to Turn your Yard Into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community; The Edible Estates initiative, a national project designed to replace ther American lawn with fruit and vegetable garden.

• Keep The Rain: Growing in popularity, rain gardens are depressed areas of a yard that collect runoff instead of letting the water be carried to storm drains, collecting pollution along the way. In turn, the garden feeds native wetland plants, wildflowers and animals. Try Pond Appeal under their Eco-Friendly Rain Gardens to get started.

• Swap Your Shingles: If you live in an urban area and want a patch of green, or if you are looking to utilize the space on top of your house, consider swapping your shingles for a rooftop garden. Roof plants drink in storm water, mitigating runoff. They also absorb less heat, helping control temperaturs (particularly useful in metropolitan areas. Check out Green Roofs to get some ideas on where to begin.

• Give A Hoot: If you must have a lawn, don’t pollute. Reel mowers keep the air clean. Try organic fertilizers (the new generation of products on the market is far more effective). Gather your orange peels and grass clippings from composting. Rain barrelks can help with irrigation, or conserve water by using drip irrigation systems or watering by hand. With a few changes, you’ll be on your way to a more sustainable yard. Check out Safe Lawns and In Harmony to get a good idea of how easy it is to start a change for the positives right away.

**Find out the about the wonderful world of Apple over at Apple Reporter. Kristian Freeman, walks through the 2007-2008 year, at-a-glance with Apple Inc. Read it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: When lighting a fire use sustainable matches from a sustainable company or use a refillable variety so it won’t end up in the landfills later after the flame is out.

Mixing your own cleaners at home almost always will save you more money than buying then. You are not only paying for the cleaner, you are also paying for advertisment, packaging. Here is a list of cleaners everyone should have on hand to make yourself and save that extra money:

• Baking Soda: This mild alkaline powder can be used for a variety of household cleaning purposed, such as absorbing odors, cleaning the inside of the refrigerator, loosening baked-on food from pans, and removing stains from tile, glass, oven doors, and even fine china. It also acts as a stain remover for fruit juices and other mild acids.

• Castile Soap: A mild soap in liquid or bar from that can be used for general purpose cleaning. It was once only made from olive oil, but now might even include vegetable oils. It is a great cleaner because it is free of petroleum-based ingredients.

• Hydrogen Peroxide: A mild alternative to chlorine bleach, its oxidation abilities make it useful in stain removing and sterilizing.

• Lemon Juice: This familiar acidic ingredient can be used to lighten stains and cut grease. It also can be used to remove tarnish on brass, copper, bronze and aluminum. Never use it on silver or sterling silver though.

• Washing Soda: A stronger slternative to baking soda, washing soda can be used as a water softener in conjunction with laundry detergents (gloves are recommended as it may irritate the skin; do not use with solks, woolens or vinyl). It’s also good when trying to lift oil or grease.

• White Vinegar: Good for a variety of household cleaning tasks, vinegar may be used to help kill germs and deodorize, removes some carpet stains, and clean coffee makers, chrome, cookware and coutertops. It’s acidic enough to clear minor drain clogs. Vinegar has an odor when it’s wet, but once it’s dry the odor is gone. Don’t use vinegar on some delicate fabrics because it will eat the fabric.

**Pushing Daisies wins satellite award. And over at the Pushing Daisies blog here at 451 Press, Lira Cruz has the whole story behind the award winning show. Read it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Buy Fair Trade products whenever you can. If you can’t buy Fair Trade, at least buy organicly grown products. It’s better for your health and the environment.

There have been trace amounts of antimony, a toxic metal found in several brands of bottled water. Because water in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles have a considerable amount more antimony than water in glass containers. It’s been suspected PET is the problem the bottles have been tested by adding water to PET bottles. The longer the water sat in the bottles, the more antimony was released. While levels were still below drinking water guidelines, it’s not currently known what the long ter, effects might be. One more reason to do away with plastic polyethylene bottles all together.

More information for you:

• Kids with asthma and dogs don’t play well together. While it’s not surprising that they have more severe symptoms than kids with nop petsa. they also farced worse than cat-owning children.

• Eating lots of carrots, tomatoes and leafy vegetables reduces your chances of having asthma. A daily diet containing at least 90 grams of leafy veggies has a risk 22% lower than the viggue-averse person who consumes less than 40 grams of leafy veggies.

• Conserve energy by using power strips (many electronics suck power even when off-but power strips in the off position don’t.)

**Over at Watching KVille, Lulu Mcgrew has the latest “Writer’s Strike” update for you. Read it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Carpool whenever you can.

The environmental footprint that we leave behind when we develop our beauty habits is costly to the environment. Chemicals used in self-care and beauty products add to the burden that the environment is already struggling with. Switching from regular lipstick to organic lip gloss does not slow down global warming in a significant way, but every little change that you do counts. Keeping the skin healthy and glwoing through the years might not seem directly connected to saving the planet, but it is.

There was a time then people thought that beauty was equivalent to keeping up with the latest and most expensive cosmetic products out on the market. Lately, this image is changing. Beauty and health go hand in hand and more and more people are learning that over the fact of buying the most expensive and most chemical laden products. And the more people start to change the stronger the health of one’s face and body.

Here are some organic beauty and planet helpers that will help you make that change to help the earth glow, as well as your face:

* I have said it in many posts and it still stands true, reduce your environmental footprint and greatly improve your health by choosing local organic food as often as possible. Use fresh, organic fruit masks to make your skin glow. Your new beauty mantra should be “inside and out.” So just remember, whatever you put on your skin your body ingests. So if you wouldn’t eat mineral oil or dyes, why put them on your skin?

* Recycle as much as you can, including your beauty products containers. In fact, it it’s not reusable and/or recyclable, pass on the products no matter how spectacular the results. Beauty without guilt involved is a priceless state of mind.

* Install a water filtration system and use stainless steel containers to carry your much needed water around. Use plastic bottles only if forced too. Recycling plastic bottles is only partially alleviating a serious environmental issue.

**Vote for Sally Anderson over at Living Without Meat for Project Blog. Read the rest of the story and how you can cast your vote for her here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Victoria’s Secert Pink line is now going organic. So the next time you go to purchase under-roos opt for the more sustainable Pink Line from VS.

u>1. Nuts:

Origin: Millions of tons of coconut shells are discarded by the food processing industry annually.

Process: TrapTrek buys leftover carbon extracted from the shells by the water-filtration industry and enbeds it in their Cocona fabrics.

This All Equals: The Cannondale L.E. Carbon jerset ($150) effectively traps odor, disperses moisture for better evaporative cooling, and provides added UV protection.

2. Plastic:

Origin: Driving back from a day hike, you buy a drink at the gas station mini-mart and, being ecoconscious, chuck your empty bottle in a recycling bin.

Process: Clear plastic soda bottles get chopped into pieces, melted, and extruded as fine polyester fiber.

This All Equals: Each Mountainsmith Phoenix backpack ($289) uses 72 plastic bottles saving landfills an estimated 2.5 million of them over three years.

3. Soles:

Origin: You have worn your old shoes ragged. Instead of tossing them, you drop them at one of the dozens of locations Nike and the National Recycling Coalition, which are set up nationwide.

Process: Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program grinds them up in three categories-the outsole rubber, midsole foam, and upper fabric-then outsources the raw materials to its partners.

This all Equals: Materials are used to create surfaces for athletic fields (80,000 pairs of shoes), running tracks (75,000 pairs), and playgrounds (2,500 pairs).

**Winnie McCarthy, over at Chicago, IL blog here at 451 Press finishes up her The 12 Days of Chicago with day 12: Treat Yourself!. Read the whole story here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Support the continued effort in recycled goods by buying products made from recycled materials.

You can make your drinking water purer with a home filtration system of any kind. Your options vary from brand to brand. The main systems are ones that treat the water as the water enters your home and water filters that treat the water straight out of the tap. Here are some of the common forms of making your water more purer:

• CARBON FILTERS: Removes cholrine, disinfection by products, pesticides, radon. Reduces heavy metals including copper, lead, and mercury. Be certain to check model as all carbon filters do not preform the saem filtration benefits. There are countertop pitchers, faucet filters and under-the-sink models. They are generally low in cost and they retain minerals in the water as well that are very beneficial to your health.

• DISTILLATION: Removes bacteria and heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and mercury, arsenic, barium, fluoride, selenium and some sodium. There are countertop or whole house point-of-entry units, and some branda can be combined with carbon fiters. Without carbon filter additions, does not remove chlorine, chlorine byproducts or VOCs. The process removed all minerals, leaving behind acidic water.

• REVERSE OSMOSIS: Removes most disease-causeing bacteria, fluoride, nitrates, asbestos, metals including lead. There are under the counter versions that hit the water before it hits the tap. Without carbon filters, Reverse Osmosis filters fo not remove VOCs or chlorine. Removes all minerals resulting in acidic water.

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*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Next time you hear “Paper or plastic?” at the grocery store checkout, surprise them with your answer of neither. A reusable tote or wicker market basket is one step toward reducing plastic in the environment. We use 100 billion plastic bags a year. Breakdown time for thse bags is up to 1,000 years. The manufacture of paper bags produces greehouse gases the trees are not there to absorb, because they have been cut down to make the paper bags. Here are a list of stores that currently offer cloth bags for their customers.
1. Walmart. $1 for 1 bag.
2. Whole Foods. Offers a discount when you bring in your own cloth or canvas bag.
3. Fred Meyer. Offers cloth reuseable bags and offers $.05 off your bill for each bag used.
4. Kroger. Has the same policy as Fred Meyer due to the fact they are owned by the same company.

Cut off part of your downspout on your home from the main gutter system. Screw on flexible spouting and direct the rainfall into a 75-gallon or larger or smaller given your space available and set the barrel on top of tw- layers of cinder blocks. These tips will help you get started.

• Don’t haul water: Put the barrel close to where you nedd the water.

• Place the barrel in a shaded area: If possible. Water evaporates more quickly from a barrel set in full sun than it does from a barrel set in the shade.

• Try to obtain an offset diverter: Which functions as a Y splitter, for your downspout. It allows for two downspouts, on to the rain barrel and the other to the ground. Water flow can be directed from one downspout to the other simply by flippinf a lever.

• Never use a barrel with an open top: If the barrel doesn not have a lid use a screen to keep children and small animals from getting into it. Use BT dunks to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in a barrel with a screened lid.

• Set up an overflow: Even a moderate rainstorm can surpass a barrel’s storage capacity. Direct the overflow away from your home’s foundation and into a well-drained area or a pond.

For more information or to buy a rainwater harvesting kit for your home, check out Rain Barrel Guide.

FACT: 36 states are projecting water shortages in the next 10-12 years.

**Into G.I. Joe? Then read the latest for the plastic 80s hero over at Toy Bender. Paul has the latest on Snake-Eyes staring along side G.I. Joe. Read the rest here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Switch your paper coffee filters to a reuseable one. It will not only cut down on paper-waste it will also cut down on time in the morning for you, just rinse and go.

• CHLORINE: Prolonged exposure to these byproducts increases your risk of liver damage and cancer.

• FLUORIDE: Research has shown that prolonged exposure to excess fluoride (more than the standard level of 4 mg/L) may result in bone disease.

• LEAD: Children and pregnant women are most susceptible to lead-related health risks such as meurological damage, kidney, and liver problems, and development delays in children.

• RADON: Exposure to radon in drinking water and by inhaling the gas as it is released from the wayer during showers, washings, and laundering increases your cancer risk.

• VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS: VOCs are commonly found in fuels, colvents, cosmetics, drugs and dry cleaning solutions. Health effects vary from eye, respiratory, and skin irritation to risk of cancer depending on the VOC and length of exposure.

• PHARMACEUTICALS: The EPA is studying this more to assess the long term side effects as well as what treatment options may remove them from our water supplies.

• NITRATES: They pose immediate threats to newborns beacuse they interfere with the oxygen-carrying capacity of the child’s blood.

For more information to see if your drinking water si effected by any of these contaminates, go to Environmental Protection Agency.

**Does your pet have pests? Not sure what they might be? Over at My Freindly Pets, Susan Mead has a list of the common pests that every pet may encounter in their life time. The best prevention is prevention itself. Read more here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Buy organic food, especially when it comes to milk, meat, fruits, and vegetables known as the “Dirty Dozen”.

Grass length is important to your lawn’s ability to ward off weeds, retain moisture, and develope strong roots. Cut grass to 2.5 to 3.5 inches tall and leave clippings to mulch back into the soil which will provide about 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn per year, and elimnates the waste issue. Grasses will preform better when the entire root zone is saturated and allowed to dry between each watering. On an average, a lawn needs about one inch of water per week which soaks to about 6 inches. 30% of water consumed on the East Coast goes to watering lawns, doubling to 60% on the West Coast. Water is not the only thing consumed in great quantities. There are 10 times as much chemical pesticides per acre of farmland.

Non-toxic and natural corn gluten kills weed seedlings within days of application while adding nitrogen to your soil. You may also need to change you soil pH. Dandelions love a pH of about 7.5 while grass loves a pH of about 6.5. Add limke to lower the pH. So go organic, Conventioanl lawn care is largely responsible for the staggering statistics surrounding the lawn. You already know how to care for plants organically in your garden, so use this same idea when trying to build up a healthier lawn. Start with these techniques listed and you should enjoy a healthy lawn all summer and into the winter months.

For more information on how to achieve a healthy soil, visit Safe Lawns, this is a non-profit group, dedicated to bringing about an industry-wide change to organic lawn care through initiatives such as their organic lawn certification program and efforts to legislate natural lawn care on schools and campuses.

**Looking for a last minute Christmas gift for that someone who has everything already? Does that person have a puppy? Over at Home Zookeeper, Lynn Little offers the idea of giving a dog as a Christmas gift this year. I think it is a mighty fine idea. Read how to get your hands on one of these puppy gifts, by clicking here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Bring your own mug or thermos to your coffee spot. Cutting down on paper waste in this manner is one way to live a more sustainable life style.

Stripping loose paint is an essentail part of any effective repainting job, but there’s a potentail problem, too. The old paint could contain lead, in fac, if your home is more than 30 to 40 years old, it almost certainly does, especially in the olderst layers. Even small amounts of ingested lead can cause permanent brain and organ damage. It also reduces intelligence and causes behavioral problesm in children, just be cerain to analyze each layer carefully. If you do detect lead, here are some safe stripping precaustions you should use no matter what.

1. Wear a respirator, not a duck mask, gloves, eye prtection and disposable clothing while stripping. Shower immediately after each work session. Be sure to soap up compeltely and don’t forget areas where the dust could have settled on the body.

2. Don’t sand lead paint or use a conventional, open-flame heat gun to soften it. This releases lead into the air and your lungs.

3. Chemical strippers are one way of making lead managebale. Swab the area and keep it wet while scraping. Dispose of all grim as toxic waste at an approved municipal facility.

4. To soften large, flat areas, try a lkow temperature electric heat gun or infrared paint removeer. These tools soften paint without vaporizing lead. Scrape off the mess and deal with it as toxic waste, not matter how much or how little.

5. Work over disposable drop sheets. Lead paint residue can contaminate soil.

6. Don’t sand the wood until all traces of paint have been reomved. Even then, wear a respirator, eye protection and a head covering while sanding to protect your from lead that may still be present in the bare wood.

**Andrea Crome took a travel to Egidir, Turkey and she shares her trip experience and sight-seeing over at World Traveler here at 451 Press. Read all about her trip by clicking here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Collect rainwater from your down spouts and use it on your plants outdoors, direct it toward your garden, or even use a watering can ans scoop it up to use on your house plants. You can even use rainwater to irrigate a rain garden.