www.livinggreenvictoria.com

Minimal Housing: Green Goes Small and Smaller

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

As the environment moves to the forefront of our consciousness, people are looking for more green ways of living. This includes the very houses we live in, cook in, and sleep in. It turns out that one of the essential ways to limit the amount of energy used in a house is to limit the size of that house.

By making a new house smaller, fewer building materials are used in the construction. This, in turn, causes fewer fuels to be used to transport those building materials. A large amount of waste comes from construction byproducts; instead of filling landfills with extravagant amounts of waste, there simply is less waste in a smaller house.

After construction, smaller houses have smaller heating and cooling bills. This is because there is less volume of air to be heated and cooled. Also, natural sources of heat such as human bodies and animals have more of an impact in heating up a small area than a large area. Cutting heating and cooling requirements cuts costs too while it helps the planet.

All in all, green houses that are small and getting smaller save building materials, empty landfills, and cut heating and cooling energy waste.

The Green Solution: Cleaning Your Home Without Chemicals

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When it comes to cleaning your home you want to be sure that you are using products that are safe for the people and animals in the home, and all natural green products are also going to be better for the items in the home. There are many different lines of green products on the market that are made of 100 organic substances, and they are just as effective as the expense cleansers that you can get, that are full of harsh and abrasive chemicals and toxins. There are also some different products that you can use that you may already have in your own home.

White distilled vinegar and lemons are both natural astringents that are capable of destroying bacteria and eliminating odors, and that is why many people use them as an alternative to the different products on the market. If you are sick of strong eye stinging odors from the harsh cleaning products that people traditionally purchase, then you are going to want to try using different green solutions instead. Shop for these different products or try making some of your home so you can make your home a safer place for you, your family, and also your pets.

Clean and Green: Natural Solutions for Personal Care

admin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are many natural solutions that an individual can use for personal care, and many of them go back thousands of years. Natural personal care is very good for the environment, and in many instances is a healthier alternative for the individual than the use of chemical based personal-care ingredients.

Honey is an excellent natural alternative for skincare, and has many properties that will help to enhance the health and well-being of the individual. Honey rejuvenates the skin, and contains many antioxidant properties which help to enhance the youthful appearnace of the skin. Honey also has many antimicrobial properties that help to eliminate harmful germs from the skin’s surface.

Aloe vera based soaps, lotions, and creams, are a viable and very healthy alternative to the chemical based products of today. Aloe vera based soaps nourish the skin with a number of nutrients and enzymes that very beneficial to the body. Drinking aloe vera juice will help to cleanse the body from the inside out, which will help to eliminate any breath odor and pungent skin odor.

Saltwater that is used to rinse the mouth, will kill a variety of germs. Saltwater will also help to eliminate plaque on the teeth.

Tips and Tricks

www.livinggreenvictoria.com — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Climate change is in the news everywhere these days whether it’s online, in print, on the radio, or on television. It’s real and it’s causing a lot of attention. If you’ve joined the “green” bandwagon to counter this darkening tide, here are a few tips to consider in your quest to make this world a better place.What’s a degree or two? Seriously, do you really think you’d suffer all that mush if you lowered your winter thermostat by a couple of degrees and increased your summer thermostat by the same? Wouldn’t it be nice to just alter your clothing, save a little money on your utility bill, and save the planet at the same time?Cold is good. Seriously, do you really need to launder your clothes in hot/warm water? Most likely not. When you realize that up to 85 percent of the energy used to machine wash clothes is as a direct result of the water temperature, we’re hoping you’ll take a new look at the wonders of cold water cleaning.Quality counts. Sure, when it comes to buying a lot of products these days we can be tempted to always purchase the least expensive option. But if you factor in the life span of the cheaper product versus the life span of a comparable product for a few bucks more, sometimes it makes sense to buy smart and quality can often be smart.Take action. There seems to be a lot of talk about it, but we wonder just how many people are actually “walking the walk” instead of just “talking the talk.” If you want to matter more than hot-air, then take action by joining a group such as the Sierra Club, Green Peace, or any other that sparks your interest. The point is simply to get started!

US EPA stays focused on education

www.livinggreenvictoria.com — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 18:42:46 +0000

The United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) released a statement on October 6, 2010 to announce its award of 1.5 million in grants to 14 organizations in 11 states and the District of Columbia to fund environmental education efforts.EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson commented that “every American community relies on clean air, water and land for their environmental and economic health. We want to help expand awareness on how they can get involved in environmental protection and these grants will help communities across the country show how a clean environment starts at home.”We applaud the agency for recognizing that efforts do indeed “start at home” even if the issues ultimately end up being as far-reaching as climate change and water quality.

Green Party? What the heck is the Green Party?

www.livinggreenvictoria.com — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:41:35 +0000

Formed in the United States in 2001, the Green Party has ten key values that deserve a closer look.1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another.2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment.3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature.4. NON-VIOLENCE It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments.5. DECENTRALIZATION Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE It is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance.7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY It is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines. 9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony.10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.

Lifestyle principles to follow

www.livinggreenvictoria.com — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:40:11 +0000

Eco-friendly principles are the perfect complement to a healthy lifestyle. Even though summer is now passed the focus to stay fit and keep our planet fit should never be too far out of anyone’s mindset. Check out our tips below for developing a workout program with minimal environmental impact.Get outside You could drive to the gym, run on a treadmill, watch TV and breath air-conditioned air, but electrically powered exercise machines require a lot of energy to operate – not to mention the power consumed by indoor lighting, TVs, heating and cooling systems, computers, etc. By taking your workout outdoors, the only energy you consume is what you ate for breakfast. Plus, you’ll connect with the natural world and your community. If you must hit the gym, opt for public transit, bicycle or foot power to get you there.Work out at home If outdoor exercise is not an option, try working out at home using equipment that requires you to generate the power, such as dumbbells, tubing, kettle bells, jump ropes and self-powered cardio machines like spinning bikes and rowing machines. Shop for eco-friendly fitness products such as yoga mats made of natural rubber and bags made of hemp. Check out and craigslist to buy or swap used sports equipment. Download yoga classes to do at home, in your yard or at the park. The options are virtually endlessDrink responsibly Individual plastic water bottles wreak havoc on the environment – even if they are recycled. Opt for some alternatives in the marketplace such as stainless steel reusable; or to be certain that you are choosing a bottle that does not leach, check the recycling symbol on your bottle. If it is a 2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a 4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a 5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine. The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is usually 1, and is only recommended for one time use. Do not refill it.Dress green When choosing workout clothes and shoes, look for organic cotton, bamboo or other natural fibers. Consider a pair of lightweight trail shoes since they use less energy to make, produce less waste, require fewer chemicals in production and are packaged minimally to reduce landfill. And don’t forget to donate your stinky old sneaks — recycled sneakers can have new life breathed into them or even help dress someone in need.

Cleaning tips for every season

www.livinggreenvictoria.com — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 18:39:06 +0000

The arrival of spring means fresh leaves, fresh air, and freshly cleaned homes for many an individual; but the turning leaves of autumn can evoke the same urge to get things clean and settled for the upcoming winter. Sadly, many of the conventional cleaning products we grew up with are petroleum-based and full of colorants, perfumes and toxic VOCs – risking not only our own health, but that of the environment. The hazardous chemicals in conventional cleaning products contribute to indoor air pollution in many homes and damage the environment by contaminating our groundwater, lakes and oceans. There are plenty of natural products on the market to help you keep your house clean and healthy without toxic side effects and we encourage you to check them out and incorporate their use whenever possible. And if you’re looking to escape from commercially made products, a few ingredients from your kitchen cupboards will alsoget the job done. Vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean almost anything. Instead of ammonia-based Windex, shine your windows and mirrors with a mixture of vinegar, dish detergent and water. Check out online resources for more basic recipes for green cleaners, and replace paper towels and other disposable cleaning wipes with reusable cloths. Cleaning your home shouldn’t put you or your family (or your family pet) at risk for asthma, cancer or reproductive harm. Be kinder to people and the planet by greening your cleaning routine.

Shifting tides: bottled water

www.livinggreenvictoria.com — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:33:52 +0000

Check out the shelves of your local supermarket or the bar of any restaurant and you’re likely to find water from all over the world. It might look and taste pure enough but the appeal ends there. For a start, bottled water is indistinguishable from tap water. In many cases, it is even derived from municipal tap water and filtered which is why PepsiCo agreed to add the words “public water source” to the label of Aquafina. Worse, shipping the stuff causes unnecessary environmental damage. Refrigeration wastes even more energy. And, of course, millions of plastic bottles end up in landfills. The regulations governing the quality of public water supplies are far stricter than those governing bottled-water plants. The industry responds that it is selling “portable hydration,” but filling a bottle from the tap works just as well. In fact, bottled water would appear to be the ultimate marketing success — what else can you get people to pay so much for that is already available to them at a low cost in their own homes? And so the idea persists that there is something magically superior about bottled water. However, a backlash against bottled water is gathering pace as people realize just how crazy it is. And irresponsible, given the wastefulness of it in every aspect, especially since more than a billion people on the planet lack access to it. But as fads shift so do elitist ideologies. Tap water snobbery is now emerging as born-again tap water aficionados argue it tastes better than many bottled offerings and state-of-the-art tap water filtration systems are emerging as new bragging points. Shifting tides? How appropriate that there is water involved.