Tag Archives: green

Weeds That Are Good for Your Garden

by MeridithShade5 Posted on July 6, 2016

While some weeds are invasive and steal nutrients from intentionally planted flowers or edibles, there are other “weeds” that may actually helpyour garden or lawn. Before declaring war on those dandelions, read on to learn aboutsome of the beneficial volunteer plants.You might find some new helpers and save yourself some work.

1. Nitrogen Fixers

Plants require nitrogen to survive. The problem is most nitrogen naturally occurs as a gas in our atmosphere and is unavailable to plants.

Nitrogen fixing plants solve this issue with specialized root nodules that can take nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots. The nitrogen becomes available to other plants once the nitrogen fixers die and the roots start to decompose.

The legume family of plants are excellent nitrogen fixers, including clover, vetch, peas, beans, lupines, false indigo, and alfalfa. Leave these plants to die at the end of the season or till in perennial varieties to allow the nitrogen to be released.

Even some potentially weedy trees and shrubs are great for fixing nitrogen, such as sea buckthorn, broom, alder, locust trees, and Russian olives. The older roots that die off naturally will release nitrogen into the surrounding soil.

Dandelion

2. Deeply-Rooted Weeds

Plants with deep root systems, like docks, dandelion, pigweed, or thistles, will draw hidden nutrients to the soil surface. This often includes trace minerals that many of your shallow-rooted ornamental plants would have a hard time accessing. The deep roots also break up compacted soil to improve water permeability and texture.

These weeds are excellent to add to your compost. Try leaving some in place throughout the growing season to harvest and compost the leaves regularly before they start to flower or seed.

You can also dig up the roots at the end of the season. But make sure they dont survive in your finished compost. Try putting the harvested roots in the sun for at least a week to thoroughly dry out. Soaking the roots in a bucket of water until they ferment will also finish them off before adding to your compost.

3. Ground Covers

Ground cover plants in any form, including weeds, can help your garden in many ways.

Their roots will stabilize soil, preventing erosion and the loss of nutrient-rich top soil. The stems and leaves will provide shade to keep your ground moist and reduce irrigation needs.

Although it may sound contradictory, a good ground cover of weeds will also help with weed control. Weeds that make a tight mat of vegetation over the ground, such as purslane or dead-nettle, will prevent more invasive weeds from taking hold.

Chickweed

4. Edible Weeds

Many of our modern-day weeds were once sought-after food crops. The flavor of wild greens is often stronger than our cultivated varieties, but this is no reason to disregard them.

In fact, weeds such as lambs quarters, yellow dock, dandelion leaves, purslane, chickweed, and sorrel have two or three times the nutritional value of spinach or Swiss chard.

If you steam or saut the greens, it will remove any bitter aftertaste they may have when raw. Then you can use them as you would any other green vegetable in soups, stews, sauces, or as a simple side dish.

These are some tasty edible weeds you can try:

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) eat the fresh leaves or dry the roots in small pieces and use in tea.
Clover (Trifolium pretense) leaves and blossoms are good fresh, blossoms can be steeped in tea.
Plantain (Plantago major) leaves are excellent steamed.
Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) lemon-flavored leaves are tasty raw when young, or steamed when older.
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) tangy leaves are good fresh or steamed.
Chickweed (Stellaria media) fresh leaves are great in salad.
Lambs quarters (Chenopodium album) young leaves are good raw or steamed, and the seeds are also very nutritious.

5. Cover Crops

The main purpose of a cover crop is to provide more nutrients and organic matter for your soil. Many farmers and gardeners will purposely sow certain plants as cover crops, but you can also use your existing weed species.

Its recommended to regularly cut off the greens of a cover crop and leave them as a mulch to decompose on the soil, or take them to your compost. The plants can be tilled into the ground at the end of the season.

You can leave lush weeds you already have in place, such as clover, burdock, thistles, chickweed, or pigweed. Just make sure to keep cutting them down before they flower and make seeds.

Ladybug on Burdock

6. Insect Attractants and Repellants

You can help support pollinating insects by keeping some wild, flowering weeds around to provide food. Some of their favorites include dandelions, clover, thistles, evening primrose, borage, and Queen Annes lace. Allowing weedy shrubs, such as wild cherries or roses, to grow in unused corners of your yard is also useful.

These weeds can attract beneficial predatory insects to your garden as well, such as ladybugs, parasitic wasps and lacewings, which control your bad bugs.

On the other hand, some weeds can keep unwanted bugs away. A study in Florida found there was less armyworm damage in cornfields with weeds like dandelion, cockleburs and goldenrod. Plants like pennyroyal, feverfew and peppermint are known to repel mosquitos.

Weeds can also lure harmful insects away from your desired plants. For example, lambs quarters often attracts leafminers, which could attack your spinach or other greens instead.

7. Soil Indicators

Certain weeds grow best under specific soil and climate conditions. If you see them growing in an area, youll have a good idea of whats going on in that soil.

For instance, knotweed, sow thistle and plantain are all indicators of an acidic soil. Whereas sheep sorrel and yellow toadflax will often grow in poor soils low in organic matter.

If you see a lot of one or two types of weeds in a location, look into what theyre telling you before you make any further plans for the area.

Related
Homemade Pepper Spray: To Deter Garden Critters Naturally
7 Phenomenal Companion Planting Pairs
How Much Do You Actually Have to Water Your Plants?

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Weeds That Are Good for Your Garden

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7 Kid-Friendly Outdoor Green Summer Activities

by VirginiAaron Posted on July 6, 2016

One in three children spends less than half an hour outdoors. Image Credit: luckat / Shutterstock

Summertime means play time for many, especially kids. We’ve complied 7 kid-friendly outdoor green summer activities that are sure to excite. But first, let’s take a look at some worrisome trends.

A recent study of 12,000 children in 10 countries found that a majority of children ages 5 to 12 play outside for an hour or less per day.
One in three children spends less than half an hour outdoors. This literally means that many children spend less time outside than maximum security prison inmates.
Of the countries surveyed, children in the U.S. and the U.K. spent the least time outdoors.
Eight in ten parents reported that their kids often will not play outdoors without some form of technology being involved.

Many child development experts agree about the importance of outdoor play and activities. It is a great way for children to learn about the world, develop gross and fine motor skills, and get exercise.

Green summer activities

If you want to get kids off the couch and unplugged from their gadgets this summer, it might take a bit of creativity or a fun activity. Here are 7 outdoor green summer activities for your little ones.  Try just one or all seven!

1. Read books together on nature-inspired topics

Image Credit: BestPhotoStudio / Shutterstock

This is a great way to inspire children and get them excited about the world around them. I read books about frogs that live in my area with my kids last spring, and then they were delighted to go for night walks where we would listen for them. This spring we dissected owl pellets, read about owls, and then went for an owl walk. The possibilities are endless, even if you live in an urban area. You can learn about how to make a compost pile and then build a compost bin together or learn about bugs and then go on a bug hunt. You can learn about astronomy and then study the night sky or take up bird watching.

2. Garden with children

Growing flowers or vegetables is a great way for children to learn first-hand about the cycles of nature while hopefully boosting their interest in eating vegetables. If you have enough space, give your children a small plot to tend and let them choose what to plant. Some crops that are especially suitable for young gardeners are sunflowers, carrots, pumpkins, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, nasturtiums, green beans and potatoes, because they are easy to grow and fun to harvest.

When my daughter was just two years old, she planted and maintained six pots with sunflowers that were on a patio right next to a rain barrel. She really enjoyed filling the watering can herself and sprinkling the flowers every day or two.

It is helpful to make gardening a positive experience. If your children looses interest in the middle of the growing season, help them out or find a fun new way to engage them. I give my young children relatively small plots because I don’t expect them to have the stamina required to maintain a large plot without help. My kids really enjoy contributing vegetables to dinner and seem very proud when a meal features one of their crops.

If you do not have yard space for a garden, there may be community garden space available in your area. Otherwise a container garden using pots on an outside patio or stairwell may be an option.

3. Organize a treasure hunt

Image Credit: Maria Evseyeva / Shutterstock

Most kids from young children to teenagers are delighted to participate in a treasure hunt. It is generally the most fun if there is a small group of children, so invite friends or neighbors to join in. Keep the children and ages in mind when writing the clues to encourage active participation from all the children. If the group has a large span of ages, ask kids to wait until all the children are present before reading clues to foster inclusivity.

When planning a treasure hunt for younger children, keep the clues relatively close together, and draw pictures on clues for young children that have not learned to read yet. For older children, spread out the clues and the kids will get more exercise. If there is a treasure at the end of the hunt, it can be a necessary material for another project, such as seeds for the garden or books about outdoor projects.

4. Participate in citizen science projects

A wide variety of organizations sponsor citizen science projects, allowing non-scientists to contribute to the advancement of the sciences. Although these projects can vary quite widely, many of them do involve spending time in the great outdoors. Monitoring wildlife, water quality, air quality, and other outdoor activities are all common for such endeavors. This is a great way to help encourage children to learn about science while befitting a given project.

5. Discover outdoor volunteer activities

Image Credit: wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock

Once a week, my children help maintain the gardens at the local middle school. This helps encourage children to contribute to the community, while also learning about plants and spending time outside. Wildlife restoration projects, maintaining a food pantry garden, walking dogs for the local animal shelter, and maintaining hiking trails or local parks are all possibilities. Find out about local volunteer opportunities by speaking with organizations or conduct an online search. Some organizations might have rules prohibiting the participation of volunteers under the age of 18.

6. Create nature-friendly projects

Making bird feeders, bat boxes, bird houses, a compost pile, or a rainwater harvesting system are great ways to involve children in green projects. My children also really enjoy making sculptures with found objects in nature. It can be helpful to find a canvas (a clear space) to begin building or add decorations to trees or boulders. If you know of any local sources of clay, perhaps by a riverbed or lake, children may enjoy making pots, masks, or figures and leaving them to dry in the sun.

7. Make an obstacle course

This is a fun activity that doesn’t require buying supplies. To make this activity as simple and green as possible, try using items that you already own. Use a garden hose or spare board to create a balance beam or tight rope, or lay a stick across two chairs and have children crawl underneath. Ask children to crawl through a large cardboard box, jump over chalk lines on the sidewalk, or throw items into a bucket. If you have older children, encourage them to make the obstacle course and then invite younger children to participate.

Have other suggestions? Share them with the group in the comments section below!

Feature image credit: gpointstudio / Shutterstock 

About
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Sarah Lozanova

Sarah Lozanova is a renewable energy and sustainability journalist and communications professional, with an MBA in sustainable management. She is a regular contributor to environmental and energy publications and websites, including Mother Earth Living, Earth911, Home Power, Triple Pundit, CleanTechnica, Mother Earth Living, the Ecologist, GreenBiz, Renewable Energy World, and Windpower Engineering.Lozanova also works with several corporate clients as a public relations writer to gain visibility for renewable energy and sustainability achievements.

Latest posts by Sarah Lozanova (see all)

7 Kid-Friendly Outdoor Green Summer Activities – July 6, 2016
Food Rescue Program Fights Food Waste Intelligently – June 10, 2016
Textile Recycling Initiative Seeks To Save Fashion – June 8, 2016

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7 Kid-Friendly Outdoor Green Summer Activities

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12 of the Biggest Threats Facing Our Oceans

by ChristeCarder Posted on July 1, 2016

As we spend our summer days enjoying beach days and fresh seafood, please considerthe biggest threats facing the health and future of this most important of ecosystems.

1. Ignorance

We know less about the oceans than we do about the moon. And yet, the oceans are far more essential to our survival.Less than 0.05 percent of the ocean floor has been mapped to a level of detail useful for detecting items such as airplane wreckage or the spires of undersea volcanic vents, reports Scientific American.

2. Indifference

Maybe it’s because they’re so big. Maybe it’s because they’re so deep. Or maybe it’s because things sink out of sight. Whatever the reason, people generally seem to worry less about the health of the oceans than almost any other ecosystem on Earth. Here are six reasons why you should be more concerned about ocean conservation.

3. Climate Change

The oceans are vast heat sinks that, despite their size, are highly susceptible to climate change. A “mere” 1 degree Celsius increase in ocean temperatures hascaused marine life to die, set off superstorms and hurricanes, and changed weather patterns around the globe. Climate change is among the most serious threats the ocean faces because it will take so long to reverse the impact it is having on the oceans. Even if today we stopped emitting the carbon dioxide, methane and other “greenhouse gases” that cause climate change, it would be decades before the ocean would benefit, because they are so large and in constant flux.

4. Trash and Toxic Runoff

Untreated sewage, garbage, fertilizers, pesticides and industrial chemicals are common on land, and sadly, they eventually find their way into the ocean, as well. Sometimes they’re deliberately dumped. Sometimes, they “run off” because they’re not contained properly when they’re disposed. TheGulf of Mexico suffers daily from the chemicals routinely carried into it by the Mississippi, says Ocean.org, especially the nitrogen and phosphorous doused on agricultural operations. Rivers carry these chemicals steadily to the oceans, creating “dead zones” in many gulfs, bays and estuaries all over the world.

5. Oil and Gas Development

Speaking of dead zones, when an oil spill happens, thousands of square miles of undersea life can be affected for decades.When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up, it was called the”worst environmental disaster the U.S. has faced,” by White House energy adviser Carol Browner.The spill was by far the largest in U.S. history, almost 20 times greater than the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Though disasters of that magnitude don’t occur regularly, smaller oil spills plus the oil that finds its way to the sea from improper disposal on land, still take a serious toll killing marine animals, polluting waters and reducing the productivity of fisheries.

7. Air Pollution

Just as air pollution causes smog in our cities and sends acid rain falling on our forests, it threatens the oceans, too.Ateam of climate scientists and coral ecologists from the United Kingdom, Australia and Panama discovered that pollution from fine particles in the air, like those emitted by coal-burning power plants as well as volcanoes, can shade corals from sunlight, which is needed for the coral to grow. Acid rain falling on coastal areas makes them more acidic, threatening the ability ofsea urchins, corals and certain types of planktons to create the hard outer exoskeletons they need to survive. And if these animals don’t survive, the entire oceanic food chain could be affected.

8. Plastic

From plastic microbeads to plastic bags, the amount of plastic filling up the oceans has reached epidemic proportions. Each year, 8 million tons of plastic are added to our seas,equivalent to one municipal garbage truck pulling up to the beach and dumping its contents every minute, reports Fortune magazine. Areport by the Ocean Conservancy, in partnership with the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, warns that by 2025, the ocean could contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of finfish.

9. Unsustainable Fishing

Ninety percent of the world’s fisheries are already fully exploited or overfished, while billions of unwanted fish and other animals die needlessly each year when they are trapped as the “by catch” of other fishing operations.

“Unsustainable fishing is the largest threat to ocean life and habitats … not to mention the livelihoods and food security of over a billion people,” says World Wildlife Fund. Greenpeace concurs. “Weve already removed at least two-thirds of the large fish in the ocean, and one in three fish populations have collapsed since 1950. Put simply, there are too many boats chasing too few fish.”

10. Lack of Protection

Though they cover over 70 percent of our planets surface, only a tiny fraction of the oceans has been protected: just 3.4 percent, reports Oceana. Even worse, “the vast majority of the worlds few marine parks and reserves are protected in name only. Without more and better managed Marine Protected Areas, the future of the oceans rich biodiversityand the local economies it supportsremains uncertain.”

11. Tourism and Development, Leading to Habitat Destruction

All over the world, our coastlines have become burgeoning sites for housing, vacationing communities, commercial development, and factories and refineries. Coastal wetlands are filled in, waste gets dumped into the seas, and habitat for fish, birds and other marine life gets destroyed.

12. Shipping

More freight is moved via ocean cargo vessels than any other method; more oil is carried on tankers than through pipelines. Unsurprisingly,oil spills, ship groundings, anchor damage and the dumping of trash, ballast water and oily waste are threateningmarine habitats around the world.

What Can You Do? Startwith these helpful articles from Care2.

5 Human Habits Harmful to Ocean Health
There’s a Better Way to Protect Our Ocean Ecosystems

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Oh, Say, Can You See (but Not Hear) Those Fireworks?

by Myrna Posted on June 30, 2016

A new genre of fireworks displays caters to audiences that can do without the noise, but they will be hard to find this Fourth of July. View article:  Oh, Say, Can You See (but Not Hear) Those Fireworks? ; ; ;

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Oh, Say, Can You See (but Not Hear) Those Fireworks?

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Mining Companies Buy Political Influence in Australia, Report Says

by Myrna Posted on June 29, 2016

A report cited six instances where political donations were made and companies received favorable legislation for mining projects. Original post –  Mining Companies Buy Political Influence in Australia, Report Says ; ; ;

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Mining Companies Buy Political Influence in Australia, Report Says

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5 Surprising Animals You Didn’t Realize Were Pollinators

by AllisonPTJ Posted on June 25, 2016

You’ve probablyheard a lot about the important role honey bees play in pollinating flowers, fruits and vegetables. But did you know that bees aren’t the only animals that are busy transferring the pollen that makes it possible for plants to reproduce? Here are five other important creatures that make it possible for our gardens to grow, farms to thrive and Mother Nature to stay happy and healthy.

Longhorn Beetle -Beetles, the largest order of insects in the world, pollinate as they move from flower to flower, where they consume nectar, pollen and flower parts. Though not as important as flies, butterflies, and bees, they still play an important role in pollination, especially in the tropics. With that said, it’s estimated that there are 52 native plant species pollinated by beetles in North America north of Mexico. There are no crops in the U.S. known to be pollinated by beetles except for the nativepaw paw. The long-horned beetle, Cerambycidae, is one of many beetles that help flowers reproduce.

Mexican Long-nosed Bat – A bat is actually a mammal, not an insect or a rodent, and bats generally play an important role pollinating fruit trees and flowers. At sometimes almost four inches long, the Mexican Long-nosed Bat is relatively large compared with most bats found in the U.S. It can be dark gray to “sooty” brown, and itslong muzzle featuresan obvious nose “leaf” at the tip. It has a very long tongue so it can dip three inches deep into a flower to slurp up the nectar. Found in Mexico and Texas, these bats help agave or century plants stay alive.

“They are very strong, highly maneuverable fliers,” reports, Texas Parks and Wildlife, “and like hummingbirds, are able to hover in flight while they feed. A mutual relationship exists, with the bats depending on the plants for food, and the plants benefiting from the bats as pollinators.”

Crested Honeycreeper – This bird,(Palmeria dolei), lives onthe Hawaiian Island of Maui. It is different from other pollinators in that it only pollinates one plant: the one it eats to survive. It’s the `ōhi`a plant, and until recently the plant itself was threatened because it was being overrun by wild pigs. The Fish and Wildlife Service has now protected the crested honeykeeper under the Endangered Species Act, setting aside a 7,500 -acre natural reserve and fencing two thousand acres to keep the pigs out. That’s been important because while the bird once lived on 485 square miles of terrain spread out over both Mauri and Noloka’i, it now lives on only 5 percent of its former Maui territory, and no birds at all remain on Molokai. If you ever get to Maui, you could identify this bird by its series of large white feathers running down its head, just above its bill and its bright orange plumage. Orange and silver accents on the wings and legs make this a beautiful bird.

Miami Blue Butterfly – As you might imagine, this little butterfly lives in south Florida, specifically on a few of the Florida Keys. Though it pollinates flowers, its ability to continue to perform that service is threatened by its very survival. The insects habitat and range are being destroyed by development and population growth, agriculture, and climate change.

“Collection of the butterfly is also a significant threat,” reports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ”Impacts from increasing threats are likely to result in extinction.”

Delhi Sands Flower-Loving Fly – You may never have thought of flies as pollinators, but this one is. It’s found in the Delhi Sands area of the “Inland Empire” region of California, from north of Sacramento to Los Angeles. It’s the first and only fly to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Like butterflies, honeybees and other pollinators, the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly feeds on nectar from flowers. Thisfly is important, in part, because it will protect many other species also living in the dunes, notes the Xerces Society, including not only the flowers it pollinates, butthe western meadowlark and the burrowing owl, mammals like the Los Angeles pocket mouse, butterflies and other insects, and numerous reptiles.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has pulled together this list of other pollinators if you want to appreciate how many there are!

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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5 Surprising Animals You Didn’t Realize Were Pollinators

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How To Give Your Bathroom A ‘Go Green’ Makeover

by WillDriggers Posted on June 22, 2016

If you’re an eco friendly individual looking to go green, there are a few obvious places to start — perhaps you create a recycling command center in the garage, outfit your backyard with a compost bin, and stock your fridge and pantry with minimally processed, minimally packaged healthy food and drink.

These are all fantastic ideas and indeed, essential components of an eco friendly home, but in planning for the garage and the backyard, the kitchen and pantry, we’ve left out one very important area: the bathroom. Chronically overlooked and left to last on the list, the lowly bathroom presents a fantastic opportunity to go green by making just a few simple changes.

Go green in the bathroom in 3, 2, 1

Chronically overlooked and left to last on the list, the lowly bathroom presents a fantastic opportunity to go green by making just a few simple changes. Image Credit: Iriana Shiyan / Shutterstock

First, the basics. It’s easy to make a massive reduction in paper waste just by switching to 100% post-consumer recycled toilet paper. Over 27,000 trees are cut down every day worldwide just to make toilet paper — so choosing a recycled roll can put a significant dent in the number of trees lost with virtually zero effort on your part.

Second, if you’re a woman, consider rethinking the way you have your periods. Rather than using committing to a lifetime of disposable pads or tampons, it may be worthwhile to do some research into cloth pads or menstrual cups like the Moon Cup or Diva Cup. Cloth pads are an easy go green switch and they simply get tossed in the washing machine (just like cloth diapers would) to be washed and reused. Likewise soft silicone menstrual cups are a great, virtually waste-free alternative for tampon users. Full disclosure — There’s a bit of a learning curve, but it’s also a great way to reduce the amount of waste associated with your monthly cycle.

Also for the ladies (sorry, we do most of the heavy lifting in the bathroom it seems), evaluate your makeup and see if you can cut down on the packaging, the number of cosmetics products used, or even switch to a more eco friendly brand. If you’ve established a loyalty to one specific brand, don’t worry! You can go green while still looking good.
Recycling powerhouse Terracycle offers a recycling brigade for cosmetics and beauty products, where you can collect and send back an incredible array of product packages which would ordinarily be destined for the trash. Products included in this recycling program include,

Hair gel tubes and caps,
lip balm tubes,
lipstick cases,
lip gloss tubes,
mascara tubes,
eye shadow cases,
bronzer cases,
foundation packaging,
powder cases,
eyeliner cases,
eyeliner pencils,
eye-shadow tubes,
concealer tubes,
concealer sticks,
and lip liner pencils.

That’s a whole lot of waste that can completely bypass your bathroom wastebasket!

A sharp idea

A gender-neutral way to go green? Switch out your razor! Image Credit: Nejron Photo / Shutterstock

Next, a gender-neutral way to go green — switch out your razor. When your shave gets less than smooth, instead of buying some eight-bladed monstrosity where a package of replacement heads cost as much as a nice meal, invest in a stainless steel safety razor, instead. There’s a reason the world shaved this way for decades — it works! It’s clean, efficient, and waste-free, and replacement blades are a few bucks for a pack of five razor blades. It’s also an excuse to avoid gendered marketing. I don’t have to pay more for a pretty pink razor to fit my delicate lady hands, I’ve been using a “man’s” safety razor for almost three years now and I absolutely love it. Find one secondhand and disinfect it by boiling, or visit your local shave shop for options.

Prescription to go green

It’s now time to tackle the medicine cabinet. Disposing of medications properly is rarely mentioned, but it’s a vital part of prescription medicine safety. Emptying expired or unused pills into a garbage can be quite dangerous because of the possibility of small children or pets ingesting them, and if you think you’re being safe by flushing them down the toilet – think again. A story in the Harvard Health Letter states,

“A study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1999 and 2000 found measurable amounts of one or more medications in 80% of the water samples drawn from a network of 139 streams in 30 states. The drugs identified included a witches’ brew of antibiotics, antidepressants, blood thinners, heart medications (ACE inhibitors, calcium-channel blockers, digoxin), hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone), and painkillers.”

Yikes. Moral of the story? Don’t flush your pills! Take any old, unused or expired medications back to your pharmacy to ensure that they’re disposed of in a safe manner.

A clean slate

And last but not least, the task that we often leave until the bitter end: cleaning the bathroom. It’s easy to whip up a few simple recipes to give your bathroom a sparkling green makeover. Tub scrub, shower door spray, and an easy toilet cleaner — the recipes are all here and unbelievably easy to whip up with just a few natural ingredients. These DIY cleaners are a great way to go green in the bathroom without spending a ton on cleaning products with questionable ingredients, packaged in wasteful plastic bottles. They work like a dream and they make the often-onerous chore of bathroom cleaning seem a little less like drudgery.

Being able to go green means taking on all aspects of your house — from the fun and glitzy eco-tech to the more, ahem, down-to-earth aspects of green living, like embarking upon an eco friendly bathroom makeover. By addressing everything from your toilet paper to your cosmetics and beauty care products, tackling menstrual care and shaving gear, and even being a responsible adult by disposing of medications and finally getting rolling up your sleeves to get rid of that toilet ring, going green in the bathroom is a great idea.

Feature image credit: Steve Cukrov / Shutterstock 

About
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Madeleine Somerville

Madeleine Somerville is the author of

All You Need Is Less: An Eco-Friendly Guide to Guilt-Free Green Living and Stress-Free Simplicity

. She is a writer, wanna-be hippie, and lover of soft cheeses. She lives in Edmonton, Canada with her daughter. You can also find Madeleine at her blog,

Sweet Madeleine

.

Latest posts by Madeleine Somerville (see all)

How To Give Your Bathroom A ‘Go Green’ Makeover – June 22, 2016
When Is Composting Better Than Recycling? – June 9, 2016
TrailRider Proves Access To Nature Is Attainable – June 4, 2016

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How To Give Your Bathroom A ‘Go Green’ Makeover

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This Eco-Friendly Smartphone Charger Generates Electricity from Plants

by MartinaLorenzo Posted on June 21, 2016

Could you imagine a world where you only had to look for the nearest houseplant tocharge up your smartphone? Believe it or not, plant-based electronic charging could be a reality much sooner than you think, thanks to Bioo Lite a new piece of technology that uses USB charger to harnesses the energy produced by plants via photosynthesis.

The USB charger is attached to a biological battery system that sits in the bottom of the pot beneath the plant. Thanks to the magic of water and bacteria within the system, electricity can be generated in one of the greenest and most energy efficient ways possible. Simply use any USB smartphone cable to plug into the USB port, which is disguised as a rock and sits at the plant’s base to begin charging your device.

According to Barcelona-based Arkyne Technologies (the creators of the charging system), electricity is collected around the clock so you can power up your deviceday or night. Depending on the type of plant being used and how well you’re able to stick with maintaining it, a single potted plant can produce anywhere from 3 to 40 watts of power, allowing you to fully charge up your device 2 to 3 times every day.

The charger also has equal output to charging up your device via USB from a laptop or desktop computer, so you don’t have to worry about waiting around forever for it to be fully charged. All you have to do is keep watering your plant as needed and you can keep using the charger for years. Even if your plant ends up dying, you can always remove the system and use it with another plant.

Although different types of plants will generate power at different rates, any potted plant can be used with the charger. The creators only recommend against opting to usethe charger with a cactus. Cacti don’t need a lot of water!

Now you might be wondering, if the system is relying on the plantfor power, doesn’t that harm it in some way? Arkyne Technologies claim that the the system doesn’t force the plant to do or create anything else or anything more than what it already does naturally. The technology used by the system and the process itself doesn’t stress or damage the plant in any way.

So, would you be interested in getting one of your own? Well, it looks like you may have to wait at least another year or two. The Bioo Lite project was launchedon Indiegogo as a crowdfundingand just recently closed.

Backers who got in while it was open were able to reserve a Bioo charging system of their own for about $135.Production is scheduled to start in September to deliver the systems to backers first and the creators hope to push the system into the commercial market sometime in 2017.

There certainly seems to be a lot of skeptics, which isn’t surprising, but hey any innovative technology that encourages people to have more plants seems worth a try!

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Photo Credit: Arkyne Tech via YouTube

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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This Eco-Friendly Smartphone Charger Generates Electricity from Plants

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Here’s What’s Killing 4 Important Pollinators (And How You Can Stop It)

by MaybellTichenor Posted on June 17, 2016

Why are so many animals that pollinate our flowers, trees and food crops under siege? Generally speaking, it’s because we humans don’t value these creatures enough to band together to protect them.

So much food is available in grocery stores and farmers markets, it’s probably hard to believe that our food system might actually be threatened due to lack of pollination.

Regardless of the reason for our nonchalance, it’s a mistake. That’s because the creatures that pollinate the plants that produce our food also pollinate the plants that support the very web of life, what scientists call biodiversity. So even if you don’t care whether bees will be around to pollinate your almonds or apples, you should probably worrythat pollinatingbees, butterflies, bats and birdsmay not be around to helpthousands of plants survive in the wild.Because without all those wild plants, entire ecosystems could collapse.

To drive the point home, here’s a description of what’s killing four pollinators we depend on for both food and beauty and what you can do to stop it.

Honey Bees and Bumble Bees– Honey bees live in colonies of tens of thousands, buzzing around in a hive or a colony. The colonies have become infected with a bacteria called Paenibacillus larvae. The bees themselves have been attacked by mites. Both the mites and the bacteria, plus pesticide exposure, and the disruptive way the bees are trucked around the country to pollinate crops like almonds, have led to what scientists call colony collapse disorder.

Climate change is also a large factor, because warming global temperatures has accelerated flowering seasons and the bees haven’t quite caught up yet. In other words, flowers that bees normally depend on for food have bloomed and faded before the bees arrive to feed on them. Bees are also particularly susceptible to a kind of pesticide called a neonicotinoid. “Fully half of the 46 or 47 species of bumble bees in the U.S. seem to be in some level of decline,” reports Bioscience.

What you can do: You can help make a difference by not only gardening organically yourself, but by shifting your spending to purchasing organically grown food. Consumer demand creates the financial incentives farmers need to stop using insecticides. Show them there’s a market for food grown with pollinators in mind. On the energy front, do your part to help put the breaks on climate change by driving less, switching to solar and wind, and saving energy at home and at work. Here are some great energy saving tips you can adopt today.

Monarch Butterflies – Any animal that migrates is particularly at risk, because opportunities for them to be exposed to threats occur all along their migratory path and at virtually every stage of their life cycle. One such case is that of monarch butterflies.

These elegant creatures have a complex life cycle that takes them, in some cases all the way from the eastern seaboard of the U.S. to Mexico, a trip of 2,000 miles. As they travel,they need flowers on which to lay their eggs and nectar to eat. But lack of their primary food source, milkweed, along with rampant pesticide spraying, habitat loss and climate change, is killing monarchs in alarming numbers. Scientists say that the number of monarchs that overwintered in Mexico in 2012-2013 was only 59 percent of those that overwintered the year before, reports Bioscience. Monarchs cannot survive cold winters so they have no choice but to migrate.

What you can do:Grow a butterfly garden that will provide both food for the adults and host plants on which adults can lay eggs to support new populations. Practice organic gardening, planting milkweed and other plants that monarchs specifically love. Consider becoming a Certified Monarch Waystationand convince your neighbors and community to do the same.

Bats – In addition to loss and degradation of habitat, bats may be killed indiscriminately simply because people aresuperstitious about them or fear bats carry disease. Bats are also hunted for food and folk medicine. Non-native, invasive species like snakes, ants and feral pigs can also take their toll. Bat Conservation International saysas many as 25 of the 47 U.S. and Canadian bat species may be vulnerable to the introduced fungusPseudogymnoascus destructans, the cause of White-nose Syndrome. By some estimates, WNS has killed more than 6 million bats since 2006 in central and eastern North America.

What you can do: Support global bat conservation by “adopting” a baby bat. Urge your elected officials to support national and global policies that will protect endangered bat “hot spots,” reduce habitat destruction and fund research into strategies to protect bats. At home, build bat houses to make it easy for bats to reproduce, raise their young and shelter in a safe place. You can find instructions here.

Hummingbirds – Hummingbirds are important in the U.S. for the role they play in pollinating wildflowers. Because hummingbirds have good eyes, they’re particularly attracted to bright colors like red, yellow or orange. They love flowers that produce abundant nectar, so they manage to collect pollen on their heads and back when they stick their long beaks into the flower blossom to take a nectary slurp.

But hummingbirds face a lot of threats. Like other animals, they’re losing habitat as suburbs expand, industrial agriculture spreads and clearcutting knocks down forests. Hummingbirds are much smaller than may other birds which makes them more vulnerable to pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers and pollution. They could be attacked by cats, fly into windows or get diseases from dirty hummingbird feeders. Plus, invasive plants might crowd out the native nectar producers that hummingbirds need to survive.

What you can do: If you have a cat, keep it inside, particularly during the day, when hummingbirds are out and feeding. Put up a hummingbird feeder, but clean it regularly so that the food it provides is clean and healthy to eat. Of course, garden organically and use no toxic chemicals in and around your yard. Urge your neighbors to do the same, and work with local officials to create non-toxic, safe habitats for all of the pollinators that visit your ecoregion. And plantcardinal flowers and other plants specifically to attract and nourish hummingbirds.

Related
An Easy Guide to Saving Energy at Home
 How to Create a Pollinator Oasis Right at Home

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Here’s What’s Killing 4 Important Pollinators (And How You Can Stop It)

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This Company Turns Recycled Plastic Bags into Something Pretty

by WallyFair135676 Posted on June 17, 2016

Plastic shopping bags, as useful as they are for the 12 minutes when they’re in use, are a curse on our planet. While it can be simple enough to avoid them by bringing our own reusable shopping bags with us, the fact that millions of them are made each day, to be used only briefly and to then spend years afterward contaminating our shared resources, is enough to make even the staunchest treehugger throw their hands up in defeat.

Of course, we’re not all so easily swayed into giving up on finding alternatives and solutions for this plastic menace, and some innovative designers are coming up with ways to upcycle plastic bags into products that not only make us feel good about them, but that also look good as well.

One such initiative comes from Reform Studio, which has developed a rather ingenious solution to our plastic bag epidemic, in which the bags become the feedstock for a traditional, yet disappearing, industry in Egypt – handweaving.

Reform Studio is the brainchild of two designers, Mariam Hazem and Hend Riad, who came up with the original concept as their project for the Faculty of Applied Arts at the German University in Cairo two years ago, in which they followed their belief that “design can solve stubborn problems.”

“It all started with a plastic bag. We believe that design can solve stubborn problems and thus we started from a major issue in Egypt: waste. One experiment after another, and after many design proposals, we came up with our first product Plastex. Plastex is a new eco-friendly material made by weaving discarded plastic bags.” – Reform Studio

Plastexstarts with used plastic bags collected by friends, family, and the public, as well as with flawed bags that can’t be sold or used as-is, which are then converted into long plastic strips. These strips, or ‘threads’ are strung on a handloom and manually woven into a fabric that retains the original colors of the threads, which adds to the unique look of the upcycled material. The company claims that the material has proven to be “durable, strong, washable and tolerant to sand and dust.”

By turning what was once waste into a valuable resource, this process can help reduce the negative impacts of single-use plastic bags, as the material is not only a colorful and useful material, but one that can also spur further conversations about waste and plastic and reuse.

Reform Studio

“Plastex is designed to raise awareness about how we define waste and the possibilities behind reusing what was once destined to become trash.”

Currently, Reform Studio offers two types of chairs, theAhwa(coffee) collection, and the Grammys collection(named after grandma, not the music award), both upholstered with Plastex, along with a variety of other goods made with the material, at six stores in Cairo and one in London.

According toFuturePerfect, Reform Studio employs mostly women (70%) in its upcycling workshop, and the company offers job opportunities for untrained workers, either at the facility or working from home, through referrals from charitable organizations.

Find out more atReform Studio’s website.

Written by Derek Markham. Reposted with permission from TreeHugger.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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This Company Turns Recycled Plastic Bags into Something Pretty

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