Natural and Sustainable

These tip can be used for any room in your home really. The choices we make when added items to our own home or bringing in our own personality can go a long way in making a better impact on the environment over all. Here are some ideas in keeping our homes in the eco-up all the way around.

• Go chemical-free: This is above all the most important tip. When we clean our home or bring in chemicals, we end up either breathing those chemicals in or allowing others to be in harms way when it comes to cleaning with the wrong types of chemicals. There is a lot of convenience in the world today, but you shouldn’t sacrifice health over convenience ever.

• Add the right furnishings: Look for materials made of bamboo, organic cotton, and even hemp and natural rubbers. These options are great alternatives to the PVC materials and other chemical-laden materials that are again convenience over what’s healthier for the environment and you.

• Go green with your paint choices: This one is one of the main topics that has been a staple in many green-blogs throughout the internet as well as at Natural and Sustainable as well. Look for low or even no-VOC paint. Even though paint says it is “no-VOC” it does contain a trace amount. A trace amount is better than a lot though.

• Forget that carpet: Steer clear of synthetic carpets and look for reclaimed wood and seal it with water-based sealant rather than oil-based polyurethane.

• Choose a better insulation: Look to eco-foam or recycled denim when it comes to your insulation into your home. They will help maintain a better temperature in your home just as the toxic-laden and unhealthy fiber glass insulation well.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: When looking for greener materials look to cork and bamboo. They are both highly renewable and are readily available worldwide. You can find these materials for cabinets and furniture and even flooring as well.

It seemed there for awhile that the gas prices would never come down and more and more people were depending on public transportation and car pooling to get to where they were headed. Even with the high gas prices it was a nice change to see more people depending on earth-friendly option rather than driving their own cars every single day. With the gas prices coming down now there is more you can do to save money and your gas at the pump when you fuel up. The choice in car your drive makes a huge different in whether you are burning through gas and cash. Here are a few car options that will have you singing with money and gas saving joy.

• VW Jetta TDI: Gets about 29 city and 40 hwy. The best part about this car is it can a good truck space for taking road trips to grandma’s or to Disney Land and it even is a better burning, earth-friendly diesel technology engine. You can get a federal tax credit of about $1,000 or more and it comes with standard front side air bags as well.

• Honda Accord: Gets about 22 city and about 30 hwy: The best part about this cant it is very reliable and Honda’s have been on the road more than any other car on the market. Has standard front air bags and side curtain air bags as well. Comes with antilock brakes and traction control all standard.

• Honda CR-V: Gets about 20 city and 27 hwy. The best part about this car is an SUV that rides like a car. This car was an IIHA Top Safety Pick and has side curtain air bags and a rollover sensor as well. Comes with traction control and a dual-deck cargo shelf that creates storage that is needed for just about anything.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Spring is almost here and now is the time to start giving that ole’ dryer a break. If rain isn’t in the forecast and the sun is shining through, consider a load to be dried on the clothes line.

There are many things to consider when you go to place in eco-friendly options in your home. There are also other ways that can actually save you money as well. Here are some options to consider.

1. With Appliances: When you got to choose a refrigerator choose one that is Energy Star rated. It will be the most energy efficient appliance that way and also end up saving you a heap of money throughout its use.

2. With Cooling Systems: Consider adding a ceiling fans or whole house fans above anything else. Also if you feel that the air flow is a problem throughout the entire house, consider whole-house fans. There is also the option of deep roof overhangs and opaque window coverings are another route to consider as well. Around your yard, consider shade tress that can help block the heat from the sun as well. This can help lower your cost as well as wasted energy too.

3. With Furnaces: The best way to help with heat loss as well as saving you money and wasted energy is to get the smallest unit to meet your needs in heating in your household. The best way to go is not to guess, but to get a certified contractor to come out and determine you needs. Proper insulation throughout your home is a must with considering this option to get a better energy saving model. If your insulation needs to be replaced or updated, take care of that before the furnace issue.

4. For windows: You want to stick with reflective glass, low-E (low-emissiveity) coating. You can also consider the frame type as well. Insulated gases in the window are a good choice as well, but may loose their gasses over time. Your best bet is to seek out the most efficient Energy Star rating.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Today is Abraham Lincoln’s and Charles Darwin’s Birthday. Two great men to have graced us with their presence here on earth.

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Abraham Lincoln

A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.
Charles Darwin

1. What Environmental Issues are your Passionate about? Do you want to focus most of your efforts in going eco-friendly toward energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, water conservation, waste reduction throughout your city or maybe beyond, indoor air quality, using and influencing sustainable forestry practices and purchasing. Or do you want to focus on something else eco-conscious? Have those issues in mind and where you want to focus your attention. Just stating you are going green isn’t enough for some. People want to hear reasons and if they have questions they want to hear answers to those questions as well. Always be prepared to give those answers out on a whim. If you are passionate about one thing, it will become easier to give out as much information as you can if you do your research.

2. Give out Green Strategies for those to change easily: Going green is easy and if you have strategies to give out it will be even easier for your to change as well. Changing for the better is something all of us should practice. If you walk the straight and narrow green path it will be easy for others to follow your lead and eventually you have changed more than yourself in going green. Remember: Every little bit helps.

3. Research where and what you need to change: Along with others following suit, research for yourself on how you can change even more. Start at your local library or green website such as Natural and Sustainable. If you follow a course you are sure to succeed. If you want to learn more about the small things you can do now to change, please don’t hesitate to email me for more information. To find out more about green living tips, visit Going Green.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Before you purchase a home, find out what green options the home offers. The more you have green the more you can be proud to own a home that has less of a carbon footprint over all.

Getting the bottom of some eco-issues may be a bit difficult. Here are few that can make sense of all the craziness.

• Water becoming more scarce: The amount of water on the earth hasn’t really changed in the past half-century, but the one thing that has gone up is the demand for the amount of water. The best way to help this is to conserve all the time. Never let the water run for no reason. Why do you need to hear the water running while you brush your teeth or peel a potato?

• Landfill space running out: Landfill space is becoming more and more scarce, especially in bigger cities like New York, but the best way to prevent the space from being used up altogether is to recycle and divert organic waste to commercial composters. So recycle whenever you and whatever you can to help with the crunch.

• Electric Cars being a good investment: Electric cars are a good investment the only issue with them is the demand on the energy and energy consumption. But the newer versions of the hybrids offer the option of electricity /gas ratio and take less of a demand off electricity or even gasoline. The electricity option is in the works to store longer surges of power so that you could go weeks without having to stop for gas.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Using a solar water heater in your home is a great way to save on powering and heating the water your household uses. They can also drive a radiant heating system and offer a better heat than the conventional form of heating. They are a better investment and will up the value of your home as well.

Here are five tips to help cut your costs at home as well as help the environment in the process.

1. Leftovers at home are the number one way to cut your food cost and save you from using unnecessary resources as well. If your leftovers aren’t appealing for a second or even a third night, try adding them to a dish already prepared. Experiment with different left over food and you may make a whole new recipe and dish

2. Another way to save on food cost and help the environment out at the same time is to eat close to home. Why travel 50 miles to a fancy restaurant when there are many restaurants in your own town. Even if they are mom and pop stands, it’s nice to be giving back to your own community as well as eating at a place that you don’t have to drive so far to as well.

3. If you close up drafts around your home with things called draft snakes, you can make a few out of old fabric, you will save on energy cost that is slipping out the cracks. This technique works great for the winter and the summer as well. Install a programmable thermostat as well; program it to come on about 5 minutes before you come home.

4. Order your products online before heading out to shop for them. Yesterday was the infamous “Black Friday” and many of us could have saved a bundle, as well as the man’s life in New Jersey, if more of us had shopped online on Friday. Many of your regular products can be found in many online retailers and it cost less for you to pay online shipping then it is to drive from location to location. Many retailers have free or drastically cut shipping cost if you buy many products at once.

5. When you leave you home consider biking or walking to your location if it’s close. Even if it is a couple of blocks from your home, consider walking or biking there as well. The more you do it the easier it becomes and you will burn calories as well. We are a society of convenience, how convenient is it to head out on your own two feet and leave the same way you came without having to pay for parking or try to find your car in the parking lot of a large store? Pretty darn easy I say.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Large sized dog food bags can be made into a kitchen waste bag instead of wasting a plastic garbage sack. Just fill it the same way you would you regular garbage sack and save yourself that expensive of using yet another plastic bag.

There are several questions that someone wanting to go green in their lifestyle may want answers to. The main question one may ask them self is what is my reason for wanting to become greener? Of course this reason is yours and yours alone. Do you want to continue with the lifestyle you are comfortable with or do you want to change for the better with the environment in mind and your own health.

Some other questions may be:

1. Do I want to be 100 percent green or are there areas in which I don’t need to be green with?There are certain things you can get away with in not being as green in your habits and lifestyle. If you feel the impact is not a good one, then consider changing it.

2. In any area where I cannot go green can I offset my consumption in another way?
There are ways to offset what you are doing, one example is to plant a tree to make up for taking drying your clothes for one load.

3. Are there any green group sin my area, or should I start one myself?
You can start one yourself of course, even if there are other groups in your area already. A good start would be to do a search online for “Green Groups” in your area, online. See what comes up. If nothing is in your area. Contact another Green Group and see how you can go about starting your own.

4. When choosing to buy products and services, how do I know they are green?
Simple, ask them before you hire them.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Ways to becoming more “green” may involve: Preventing pollution, conserving energy, water and other natural resources, reducing waste, controlling chemicals within your own home, and introducing green practices to other people around you and in your own area.