I Want to Start Living Green, but Where to Start?…..
Here’s your chance for a leg-up on starting to live more green.
Two yogis put together all you need to take the first steps toward a greener life-style with an eco-startup kit.
The two women who are behind the company Rocklovepeace, Melanie Monroe and Del Harley, are musicians who met in Nashville, Tennessee, 10 years ago. They found they were kindred spirits and decided to perform and record together.
Their professional relationship took a turn for the environmental about a year ago., The two started working on a plant to inspire others to make changes that would benefit the planet. The outcome in Change: A starter kit, it contains a number of items, each with its own instructions. There’s an energy-savings compact florescent bulb in a box that urges you the “switch”; a tree-free journal made from lokta-bush bark that suggests you “write”; a tree sapling your can “plant”; “be grateful” gratitude cards; fair trade cocoa mix that reminds you to “be fair”; a sudoku booklet encouraging you to “think”; an envelope motivating you your to “give” to end hunger; and a stylish tote fashioned from recycled materials that says “reuse”/ Tags are embedded with flower seeds your can plant/ The bag, string, and ribbon are all biodegradable. A portion of the proceeds goes to the organization Action Against Hunger. It was yoga that was the inspiration for this. Harley practices yoga on the beach, and Monroe is a devotee of Anusara Yoga. “Ahimsa [the practice of nonviolence] is definitely a part of this. They want to leave the planet a better place for their child and others children. Yoga has really helped open their eyes to the fact that the world is so much bigger than just them. (Source: Yoga Journal 2008)
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Organic is better for you, want to know why? Organic fruits and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants than nonorganic produce, according to a four-year study from the United Kingdom. Researchers at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne grew fruits and vegetables on adjacent organic and nonorganic sites across Europe and then analyzed the yields. It was shown there are more of certain nutritionally desirable compounds and less of the baddies in organic foods, or improved amounts of the fatty acids you want and less of those you don’t’ want. The ongoing study will next focus on determining where the difference between organic and conventional food comes from. (Source: Organic Gardening 2008)
February 10th, 2010 at 6:34 am
Have you considered a solar hot water system? It would be more affordable way of ‘greening’ your home than the electricity-producing photovoltaics, and can provide most of your hot water needs during the warmer months.
These installations generally come in two types - flat plate collectors and evacuated vacuum tube collectors. The latter is more sophisticated in that the tubes reduce conducted heat losses, allowing them to reach considerably higher temperatures. Also, the curved surface enables it to compensate for changes in the angle of the sun. Look around for a well-established, reliable system. One example is the LaZer2 system produced in the UK by SolarUK.
In most countries there are financial incentives in the form of grants to help people with the initial costs involved. ‘Payback’ times are coming down as well, which is good news.