Natural and Sustainable

When you are in the market for new appliances, make appealing the last thing on your list of wants. Look for ones that are good for the environment as well as beautiful. Here are three ways to help in that process in order to make it good for your home and good for the environment all the way around.

1. Make sure you make it healthy: You don’t want contaminates like mercury showing up in your food items, so why would you want them showing up in your refrigerator where your food is. Make sure your fridge complies with Restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) by eliminating the lead, mercury, cadmium and other chemicals that are potentially harmful when the fridge was manufactured.

2. Go for the Energy Star: Energy Star is a rating system given by the Department of Energy for energy efficiency within an appliance or other item, such as light bulbs. When you in the market and shopping for a new appliance or other item for your home, make sure the item or appliance is Energy Star approved and displays this symbol proudly.

3. Go for the green all the way around: Packaging and production and even waste removal systems also contribute greatly to the global warming issue more and more. Make sure you choose environmentally responsible choices at all stages of production, which includes the reduction of chemicals, solvents, and even the consumption of energy. Make sure your choice uses recycled packaging at 100 percent of these materials and the company is even environmentally responsible in the clean up after the production process of these goods as well.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Make Every Day Earth Day 2008 Program helps encourages companies to implement green initiative in their business though the spa community. This year’s winner was the Gaia Day Spa in California.

1. CFLs: The mercury in a CFL bulb us far less than the mercury emissions released from a coal-burning power plant lighting up a regular, less-energy-efficient light bulb. If you happen to break one, visit Environmental Protection Agency help page and then get a new CFL bulb.

2. Locavoring: The problem with reports that state that local food choices requires more energy and creates more greenhouse gas emissions than products sourced from far-flung lands is that often times the figures are distorted to make for a controversial story. The public likes to read drama, not what is.

3. Hybrids: If you are in the market for a new vehicle, don’t just fall for the word hybrid, do your research. Use tools like MPG Gennie to see exactly how fuel-efficient a car really is. This tool even help you calculate the cost of your commute will be as gas prices rise. Of course, taking public transportation, riding a bike and even walking are all better-for-the-planet choices as well.

4. Biofuels: Because corn ethanol requires so much more energy to produce, the end product is nearly more eco than petroleum itself. The entire U.S. corn crop would only produce enough ethanol to replace 12 percent of our current gasoline usage.

5. Bamboo Clothes: To make sure your favorite bamboo T-shirt is as green as possible, do your best to check up on the environmental and labor practices of the company you are buying from. The very best companies are members of Fair Trade or have a Co-op America Business Seal of Approval.

6. Bioplastic: It makes a lot more sense to bag a bad habit rather than to switch to a slightly less bad habit. Don’t just ditch the plastic. Ditch the one-use lifestyle, and embrace your reusable to-go mug and organic cotton tote instead.

7. Mineral Makeup: Until we have better FDA regulation of personal care products , evaluate each item on a case-by-case basis. EWG’s cosmetic safety guide Skin Deep provides hazard scores on over 25,000 products to help you make smarter makeup buying decisions. (Source: Some information pulled from Conscious Choice Magazine 2008)

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