Green Living

Tips on Cutting Your Energy Bill

My microwave oven broke last winter. We have been living without it and not missing it much. If we absolutely needed to reheat, we used the stove top until it was warm enough. But in general, I tried to cook just enough portions to avoid having leftovers that needed reheating. Occasionally, we ‘made do’ with room temperature foods or even cold foods without reheating them and without too much sacrifice. [...]

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Final Day: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Wine Gift Bag

We made it! It’s the final day of “24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts” series! Break out the champagne!!! … or wine, in this case. Did you have fun? Did you learn how to make new crafts? Bet you are all set for Christmas! What? You want to send me a case of wine to thank me for giving you all these nifty ideas? Awwww….don’t thank me. Thank my readers. [...]

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Day 23: 24 Days of Green Christmas – Green Gift Basket Ideas

Christmas is in two days! We’ve covered numerous crafty ways to decorate and make gifts but what if you are not the crafting or the baking type? Or you are running out of time? No worries. Here are some green goodies that you can package in your own creative way and give as a gift basket. Disclaimer: I am including these photos as reference. I am not suggesting that you [...]

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Day 22: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Recycled Paper Bows

I’m sure you’ve had this happened to you before. It’s almost midnight on Christmas Eve and you are tired and cranky because you were all over the world looking for that toy that your child has been wishing for. You finally find it in the last toy store, buy it, and you figured, you can wrap it yourself when you get home. The cookies and milk are waiting for Santa [...]

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Day 21: 24 Days of Green Christmas – Caramels as Edible Gifts

I was going to include this Apple Cider Caramels recipe in last weekend’s baking post but I didn’t get a chance to take photos. And good thing I rushed to take these today because they were being gobbled up preeeet…ty fast. I usually make Chocolate Butterscotch Peanut Toffee as holiday gifts. But I wanted to try something different this year for an edible gift. And being that there’s apple cider (fruit) [...]

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Day 20: 24 Days of Christmas – Shopping on Etsy

Personalized Christmas Stockings by Sunshinedaydream4u I took a break from crafting and baking and browsed Etsy today. And I found some amazing crafters who hand-make items and as always, they blew my mind. There are some really really talented crafters on Etsy and this is just a glimpse of how creative and skillful they are. I would love to own some of these. OK, maybe even just one. *Click the photos [...]

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Day 19: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Paper Snow Flakes

Christmas is less than a week away folks. If you bought gifts, are you done with wrapping them yet? Look at this pretty paper snow flake you can make out of any scrap paper. Isn’t this a great way to decorate your gifts? Howaboutorange has neat tutorials on making snowflakes like this and other more intricate ones that can be used as gift wrapping decoration or to just hang and [...]

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Day 15: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – T-Shirt Hat

Do we love upcycling t-shirts or what? We made t-shirt fabric yarn, a memory quilt and a Christmas tree skirt. Today, we are going to make a hat. And why not? We have plenty of t-shirts and the soft well worn t-shirts make great fabric for a cozy hat as a gift….especially, if you are using his/her favorite shirt to make his/her favorite hat! And, its easy peasy! How to Make [...]

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Day 14: 24 Days of Green Christmas – Edible Gift Ideas

Before I talk about my favorite type of gifts to receive, give – food – I have to tell you about an interesting phenomenon that’s been happening on my blog for about ten days…..no, it’s not the “24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts”…although it is a phenomenal series! Beginning of December, Fox News published an article titled, “7 foods you should never eat” from Prevention magazine – an article I posted [...]

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Day 13: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Paper Leaf Wreath

Remember the poinsettia wreath made out of toilet paper tubes on the Day 1 of this series? Even since I saw the wreath, I have been fiddling around with my collection of toilet paper tubes to make something out of them. At first, I thought I can make some words out of them and insert christmas lights in the holes to light them up, like a billboard. But the tubes [...]

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Day 12: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Gift Card Holder Ornament

WOW! We’ve made it half way through “24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts”! Time flies when you are having fun! I can’t believe it’s 12 days before Christmas already. Can you? I hope you are having a blast making these crafts as I am. And thanks for spreading the word about this series. We are getting some nice visitors and I am so glad you are helping to promote green [...]

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Day 11: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Hoopster Snowman

Ever since I saw Betz White’s Hoopie the Snowman, I knew I was going to make it some day. But I don’t felt wool so I had to think of another way to dress this little guy. Then, I realized that I had a bag – ok, a basket – full of old t-shirts; some whole and some remnants from the T-Shirt Memory Quilt I made. I figured, there are [...]

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Day 10: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Christmas Stockings

What’s Christmas without stockings, right? We used to put little gifts for 12 days leading up to Christmas when the kids were young. They’d run down to check the stockings every morning, as if it’s Christmas morning. And I’ll be honest, the kids never noticed the stockings for their beauty. They just shoved their short arms and reached down to see what were in them. But sadly, now that they [...]

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Day 9: 24 Days of Christmas – Chicken or Turkey or Mushroom Pot Pie

With all the crafting and blogging, I am always short on time for real dinner lately. But this life saver of a “Dinner in One Pot” meal is my all time favorite. Of course, I don’t eat meat anymore so I’ll scoop out a bowl before I add the meat and finish it off, while standing over the stove. But what’s really really great about this dish is that you [...]

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Day 8: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Fish Terrarium

What is better than giving someone a living organism as a gift? Give this awesome terrarium for anyone who knows how to shake a salt shaker. That’s really all it takes to take care of this little neat guy. There is no maintenance and you don’t need to walk it or groom it. Ok, you’ll need to change the water when it gets dirty but that’s it! One of my [...]

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Day 7: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Burlap Ornament

Wow. It’s been one week since we started the “24 Days of Green Christmas” series already. Are you tired yet? I hope not. I’m just getting warmed up! So, let’s continue with crafting, shall we? For today’s craft, I want to share a post I wrote for Crafting a Green World back in October. These shabby chic ornaments used up leftover burlap after making trays and baskets so I was [...]

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Day 6: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Pants Bowl

Today’s tutorial involves one of my favorite upcycling methods – making yarn out of clothes. Remember my tutorial on how to make fabric yarn out of T-Shirts? Sonya of Kanlestrand makes yarn out of pants to make this adorable fabric bowl. All you need is an old – yes, that means OLD, not your son’s favorite worn out baggy pants, thinking, he won’t notice it’s missing. Uh-huh. He’s onto you. [...]

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Day 5: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Felted Poinsettia Brooch

We have a winner for the cute little clutch from La Alicia’s shop! Commenter #2, Cynthia, won the cute clutch! Yay! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Now, Felted Poinsettia Brooch Tutorial… I have this amazingly talented friend who lives up in the “Arctic“. I call it “Arctic” because when it snows in the winter – actually, I think it already snowed up there before Thanksgiving – it S…N…O…W…S… boat loads! Not like this gentle [...]

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Day 4: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafs – Table Runner

I created a Flickr group called, “Green Christmas Crafting“ so that you can share your Christmas craft tutorials from December 1st to December 24th every year! Yay! this will be an annual event! I will upload mine if you upload yours. Eeek….that didn’t sound good. Anyway, please share your recent Christmas craft tutorials and maybe I’ll feature them here, with your permission, of course. On with today’s Day #4 tutorial…. [...]

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Day 3: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – T-Shirt Christmas Tree Skirt

Making T-Shirt quilts is a great ways to use up old t-shirts. Not only that, it’s a great way to preserve sentimental memories and keep us closer to our past a little longer. I posted this tree skirt tutorial on Crafting a Green World when I used to write for the site and I thought I’d post it here, just in case, you missed it. The cool thing about this [...]

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Day 2: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Using Up Paper

http://youtu.be/pb72LFW0KPI

Using up recyclable paper, like magazines, catalogues, Christmas wrapping paper, and Christmas cards are not only fun but very practical. Let’s check out how these creative crafters are recycling paper into functional goodies. Simple Matchboxes These matchboxes are so cute for wrapping jewelry or even gift cards. All you need are some paper, knife, and glue! Who needs to buy gift boxes? You can see the instruction on Mary Zoom. [...]

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Day 1: 24 Days of Green Christmas Crafts – Wreath, Garland, and More to Come

This is it! Today is the official start of ecokaren’s “24 days of Green Crafting for Christmas” Countdown. Everyday from today (GULP!), I will post green holiday crafting tips and ideas or recipes until Christmas. Some will be my originals and some will be a round up of ideas that I think you’ll enjoy. I know. I’m crazy. I might pass out by Day 14 but I have ambitious goals. [...]

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Green Holiday and Gift Guide

Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? I did too. And I’m over it now. The dishes, platters, trays, serving utensils, cooking utensils, pots and pans are all washed, dried, and put away. I’m even done with washing bazillion dish towels and napkins. By the looks of all that I had to wash, you’d think I’d servie the Brady Bunch! And now that I am preparing to make my traditional After-Thanksgiving [...]

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Interesting Facts About Thanksgiving

This year’s Thanksgiving post will be different from last year. I think you know how to green your Thanksgiving and you know I’ve adopted another turkey by now. But….. Did you know that turkey was NOT served on first Thanksgivng? The first feast probably served seafood and there were no pies or cakes either. And in 2011, 248 million turkeys were raised for consumption – up 2% from last year. And did [...]

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Ecokaren Will Be On The Joy Cardin Radio Show

Oh, my. I hope Wisconsinites are ready. For me, that is. I will be on The Joy Cardin Show, a public radio show hosted by none other than, Joy Cardin. What am I going to talk about? How to achieve world peace. No, I’m kidding. I mean, I could but I’d be doing Dalai Lama’s job. No, I’m going to talk about “How to save energy during winter and save [...]

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How to Make Dishwashing Liquid with Castile Soap

As you might have guessed, I’m on a Castile Soap kick lately. I use it in my Dishwasher Detergent that makes my glass squeaky spotless clean and my wonderfully scrubby Soft Scrub. I think my upstate friend would be very jealous at how spotless my glasses come out. She has hard water and she says she has to use detergents with phosphate to make her glasses spotless. I wonder if [...]

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Non-Toxic and Cheap Dishwasher Detergent

OK, the party is over. This middle aged, pampered, prima donna has to get back to doing the dishes after celebrating her 50th birthday. (And THANK YOU for all your birthday wishes. My “Fifty things to Remember” post received over 1100 page views! I feel so loved. ♥) And after my “AR” finished cooking – yes, he grilled this awesome Asian Citrus Salmon on my birthday and even brought home [...]

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Kill a Watt Power Meter

I have a quick post today to tell you about this little gadget called “Kill a Watt Power Meter”. I was given this little gizmo that I can plug in any appliances to test to see how much electricity they are using, whether they are “ON” or “OFF”. Yes, appliances use electricity even if they are “OFF” – it’s called Vampire Power. How appropriate, right? – sucks energy when you [...]

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Governor Brown Makes Shark Finning Illegal in CA

http://youtu.be/r65FgUYdBOc

I never had Shark Fin Soup even though I’ve seen it on the menu at every Chinese restaurant. It just never had an appealing “sound bite” to it - pun intended. Why would I want to eat such a weird sounding dish when there are so many other dishes that are so tasty? The same goes for, tripe, chicken feet, pâté, or Foie Grás, “Sweet” Bread, etc… Gah~ To justify my [...]

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Sugar Scrub vs. Sea Salt Scrub

My heels have been cracking lately and it’s not even winter yet. Does your feet look like the Sahara desert like mine? Or are you the weekly Mani-Pedi type and they look like the baby’s bottom? Obviously, I’m not that type and my heels are the tell-tale sign of my highly pampered life. *Cough Cough* When a chapped piece of skin caught my husband’s leg under the sheets and he [...]

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Money Saving Green Habit Change Project and Weekend Round Up

I had breakfast with dear old friends yesterday. Carving out an hour in a week doesn’t seem that monumental but when you have deadlines, work, car pools, house chores, and other life essential duties, it seems nearly impossible for three busy moms to get together. Sometimes it takes two weeks of e-mails and texts, just to narrow down a month that we are available. So, when a last minute day [...]

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Solar Energy Industry Can’t Compete with China

I should be writing about something more upbeat, after Irene ripped through Northeast last weekend. Some of my neighboring towns are still without power and water. I feel pain when I see the pictures. *Groan* I should be more optimistic and positive, rather than getting mad about politicians making “jokes” about the climate and God, and what God’s message is. *Stupid politicians* I should be energetic (no pun intended) about [...]

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Hurricane Irene Cometh

As you heard, Irene threw a tantrum but wasn’t as bitchy as we feared. I guess she couldn’t handle NYC. But nevertheless, she did wrinkle my skirt a bit last week. Instead of spending a leisurely drive to and from Andrew’s school, we hurriedly dropped him off on Thursday and came right back on Friday, well, early Saturday morning. We took a long winded, scenic drive, through back roads and [...]

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Mixing Reality and Weekend Round Up

What do you think about the picture above? Is it beautiful? Does it look familiar? What is it? Is it an oil painting? Acrylic? Watercolor? I found these images in a post on StumbleUpon (see the “SU” badge on the right?) and I couldn’t help it but to click the article. I loved the colors of these abstract artful images and I thought the article would lead me to more [...]

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How much land do you need to feed a family?

My pseudo-industrious and dreamy (in both sense of the word) husband (a.k.a. accidental recycler) says we should live off the land as he puts away the grocery bill in his pocket. And I say, “Good luck with that but you hate nature.” And I add, with a zing, “You don’t even know when to water the garden.” But seriously, if we wanted to grow our own food, even if we [...]

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A Landscape Designer Fined for Her Front Yard’s “Unkempt” Look

Remember the story about a woman in Michigan who was fined for having a vegetable garden in her front yard and the charges were later dropped after her story went viral? Well, it seems like cities, in general, like to to give fines for front yard gardening related reasons. Margie Ruddick is a landscape designer in Philadelphia who designs gardens for a living. But last year, she received a summons [...]

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Happy Birthday America!

Happy 235th Birthday America!! Photo from Conservative Daily

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Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Birthday America!! How are you celebrating America’s 235th Birthday? BBQ with friends? A trip to the beach? A picnic at the park? Whatever you do, consider these factors when you are BBQ’ng or driving to your vacation destination. 1. Don’t drink and drive. I know. It’s a no brainer but I just had to remind you….cuz, I love you. 2. Take it slow on the road. It will save [...]

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Formaldehyde is Carcinogenic? No way!

Of course, I’m being sarcastic in the title. Formaldehyde is that awful smelling agent used as embalming liquid, as a preservative fixer in medical labs (that clear liquid in big glass jars in bio labs), in fabric finishes, in bath and beauty products and in particle board furniture. I know firsthand this chemical is unsafe. I had a miscarriage while taking Anatomy and Physiology class with Lab in Chiropractic school. [...]

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Weekend of “Green” Colors

I opened this carton of eggs from the farmers market over the weekend and was greeted with such a delightful surprise that I had to share it with you. Benetton Eggs! There were freckled brown, solid brown, tan, peach, cream, white, and my favorite, GREEN!!! Have you ever seen these colored eggs? I loved the fact that they were all stained with nature, not perfectly cleaned from factory but imperfectly [...]

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7 Natural Stain Removers for Fabric

I think someone should invent ONE stain remover for ALL stains. Period. Just one little bottle of magic solution that removes blood stain, wine, coffee, oil, grass, or whatever. Is that too much to ask? I know. I know. The chemical make up of these pesky stains are all different, ergo, different stains require different removers. Yeah, I get that. Well, I did some digging into the most common stains [...]

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Happy Mother’s Day Weekend

Mother Dear God sent the birds and sunshine to gladden all the world: He sent the foliage and flowers. In radiance unfurled: He sent the June. The stars, the moon. The pearly dewdrops sweet And then he sent you Mother dear. To make it all complete ~Maurine Hathaway~ Wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day Weekend!

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Almost Green Royal Wedding for Prince William and Kate

Are you a royal family gawker? I’m not. OK, I cried when Princess Diana got married. I was in college and I so wanted to get married in that dress, be a princess and live in a palace. May be not with that Prince but I dreamed about that wedding for years afterwards. Then, I sobbed when she died. Don’t get me started. And this Friday, her handsome son, – [...]

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Handmade and Eco-Friendly Consumerism

Definition of CONSUMERISM 1: the promotion of the consumer’s interests 2: the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods ~Merriam Webster Dictionary~ “…increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable” is exactly the reason why environmentalism poo poos consumerism. Why? Because “increasing consumption of goods” makes oodles of money for the companies and is [...]

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Duke University Class Trip to Midway Atoll

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PiNaJjAX8A&feature=share

We know we have a plastic problem. We are addicted to it and we can’t seem to live without it. We also saw how the birds living on Midway Atoll have become an iconic species representing this problem. Pictures from Midway Gyre by Duke University field class, and if you thought you understood plastic pollution before, watch this video and really think about what you can do to reduce your [...]

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Should There Be Earth Day?

I have been thinking about this since someone criticized me when I tweeted about Earth Hour App last month. Remember I posted about it here? Yeah, that Earth Hour App ….which, by the way, my friend’s son downloaded the free app and it showed him what people around the globe are doing to be eco-friendly. He thought it was neat and entered what he was doing too. Mission accomplished. But [...]

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Team Eco Etsy on Sprint’s New Green ID Pack on Android

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoaxwnfQkUY

I am so very proud and excited to announce that Team Eco Etsy, the team I am captain of, have partnered with Sprint, one of the highest ranked green telecom companies, to link its site to select Android devices for easy green handmade shopping experience for their customers, right at their finger tips. Today, Sprint announced its newest ID Pack called, Green ID Pack that “automatically loads apps, widgets and [...]

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LED Light Bulbs in My Will

I’ve been really busy since I last posted. There is a huge Handmade for Earth Day Auction going on at Eco Etsy. I’ve been posting all the auctions and it’s been quite fun but it’s also a lot of work. I donated two items and one of them was a pillow that Cat Ivins won (YAY!) and I had to finish a Skinny Organic Scarf for next week’s auction last [...]

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Jamie Oliver Banned From LA Schools

The Daily Show – Jamie OliverTags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

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Earth Hour App

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mxjbip6y04

You know Earth Hour is tomorrow, at 8:30 PM, right? Every year, kids’ spring break is around this time so, we tend to spend this fun hour with friends in Upstate, NY, whom I have to remind about the benefits of being green. So this year, it’ll be another fun adventure, being in the dark for an hour, with a bunch of screaming teenagers and two confused four legged fur babies. [...]

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World Water Day is Today

Today is World Water Day. Here are 5 tips on saving water. 1. Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth – Did you know running your water from your faucet for one minute wastes 2.5 gallons of fresh water? Turn it off while brushing your teeth!! 2. Take shorter showers – Every minute of shower uses 12 bottles of water! Learn to take shorter shower. Learn from the [...]

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Here comes the flood…

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Hope

These few days have been too much for me. Too many images of devastation. I know you’ve been watching them unfold on TV too. But this 60 year old man was washed out to the sea, witnessed his wife being swept away, but was rescued, 9 miles out from land. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many miraculous rescued stories like this, but learning about this rescue, made me smile with hope. [...]

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Nature is an incredible source of an inspiration

After such brutal winter, look what I found in my garden this morning, amidst the still barren, dry, and desolate … Hope.

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Feng Shui for Healthy Work Space

When I opened my Chiropractic office, I wanted to be a successful doctor but also a successful businesswoman. Someone told me about Feng Shui for creating positive energy and I wanted to try it for my office. But there were so many resources for Feng Shui that I was more confused than ever. There were Feng Shui for every aspect of life, even for pets! So, when I came across [...]

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Colin Firth is the Best Actor but Livia Firth Wears the Best Dress on the Red Carpet

Livia Firth, the 41 year old wife of Colin Firth, who won the Best Actor category at the 83rd Academy Awards last night, wore the best dress on the Red Carpet. Livia Firth, the owner of Eco Age, asked Gary Harvey, a very well known in the sustainable style with bringing eco-consciousness to couture, is a former creative director of Levi Strauss where he only began designing when he needed [...]

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Scott’s Tubeless Toilet Paper vs. Seventh Generation

Scott’s Tubeless Virgin Bathroom Tissues: SINGLE PLY, 400 sheets per roll, 30 in a pack ——>$19.00 Seventh Generation’s 100% Recycled Bathroom Tissues: DOUBLE Ply, 300 sheets per roll, 4 in a pack ——> $3.79 Scott’s = .00316 per sheet vs. Seventh Generation = .00313 per sheet. But Seventh Generation is made with recycled paper and Scott’s isn’t. Scott’s big news broke last year when it introduced its tubeless toilet paper [...]

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{Eco Tips} Decorate Sustainably

If you are planning to re-decorate or renovate this spring, here are five sustainable tips. Conventional wallpaper often contains PVC. Look for papers made from renewable resources like pulp from bamboo. Check out these wall flats by Inhabitliving. Use recyclable carpet tiles so that you are not replacing the entire room when certain parts are stained. Use safe sealant on your particle board furniture to help keep the toxins from [...]

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Hearing to Ban Bisphenol A (BPA) from Cash Register Receipts in CT

As I was telling the cashier at the supermarket that I didn’t want the register receipt, I thought about the public hearing that is going to be held this Wednesday, February 22, 2011 in Hartford, CT to ban Bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor, from cash register receipts. According to Associated Press; Connecticut lawmakers are being asked to ban a chemical that some scientists consider to be dangerous, from being used [...]

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{Eco Tips} 5 Ways to be Greener Today

Here are today’s five ways to be greener: Use Smart Strip for your idling appliances. I know you unplug all your idling appliances but did you know that there is a power strip that turns off those appliances for you automatically? It’s called Smart Strip. It was even featured on Oprah! If you don’t have a low-flow toilet, put a half-gallon milk jug filled with water in the tank. Displacing [...]

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{Eco Tips} 5 Easy Ways To Be Greener Today

If you think about being ‘green’ in a big monstrous scale, you’ll be overwhelmed. So I want to break them down into manageable chunks. You may already do many of these already, which means, you can see where you need to improve on and where you can feel good about yourself for being one step ahead. Avoid BPA. This might sound easy, but it’s not. This means, you shouldn’t take [...]

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10 Tips for Planning a Successful Garage Sale

Yes, folks. It will be spring soon. I promise. You couldn’t tell that from looking out my window right now as another doozy of a storm is well under way. But besides cleaning out the pantry and straightening out your thimble collection for the umteenth time, what you can do is plan a garage sale. Yes. Now. What else are you going to do with your time inside the house? [...]

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Laboratory Grown Meat: Shmeat

First, there was “Frankenfish” and now “Shmeat“?? What the heck is Shmeat? This is shmeat – artificially grown meat in a laboratory. What is Shmeat, exactly? Vladimir Mironov, M.D., Ph.D.,a developmental biologist and tissue engineer, has been working for a decade to grow meat, Shmeat, he calls it. Dr. Mironov, 56, is one of a few scientists worldwide involved in growing “cultured” meat. It’s a product he believes could help [...]

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Old Man Winter and Mother Nature

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A machine that converts plastic back to oil

This is so wild! Thank you my friend KB for posting this clip on facebook. Watch the whole video. The reasons why this machine is valuable is surprising to me. And it’s not because it produces oil.

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Merry Christmas!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let your heart be light From now on, our troubles will be out of sight Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Make the Yule-tide gay, From now on, our troubles will be miles away. Here we are as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more. Through the years we all [...]

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Pantone Color of the Year 2011

Do you know what Pantone is? According to their website, Pantone, Inc. is the world-renowned authority on colour and provider of colour systems and leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of colour. The PANTONE Name is known worldwide as the standard language for colour communication from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer. With 40 years of experience, we are the worldwide market leader in colour communication and [...]

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Don’t Forget the Animal Shelters During Holiday

They don’t need jewelry, or fancy collars. They don’t need engraved food bowls or elaborate beds. Animals only need some warm old blankets, and some kibbles. They only need your love and maybe worn out sock-turned-chewable toys. They are hungry and lonely. They just need shelter that’s homely. Please donate old blankets, sheets, old sweater or coats to any animal shelters in your neighborhood. They don’t need much. But they [...]

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Glass Dharma Reusable Straws Review and Giveaway

Giveaway is CLOSED I admit. I don’t use straws. “Then, why the heck are you reviewing straws?” you say? Before you click off to read other earthier blogs, let me ‘splain. Even if I don’t use straws at home and generally refuse them at restaurants, drinking a cold root beer float or a thick frothy fruit smoothie seems so much tastier with a straw. And the squealing and shhhlurping sound [...]

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I was about to post about Thanksgiving – you know, what I am grateful for, how to green your Thanksgiving and what I am doing to prepare, and all that. Then, I thought, you know all that already because I wrote about that last year! So why reinvent the wheel? Duh~ So today, I’m going to talk about Easter. No. I’m kidding. I’m just going to tell you the “Cliff [...]

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Most Reusable Grocery Bags are SAFE!

I heard about some reusable grocery bags being unsafe with high levels of lead and I cringed. I can just see people throwing away their cheap grocery bags (mostly made in China where the standards for quality control has been under fire for many years now) and going back to their old ways of using single use grocery bags. After the recent TEDx GreatPacificGarbagePatch talk on trying to empower people [...]

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Watch TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch stream LIVE talk today

Today is a special day in the fight for reducing plastic in our world. Plastic Pollution Coalition is airing it’s TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch talk LIVE all day today. And I personally know one person who is giving the talk. Beth Terry of FakePlasticFish. I met her at BlogHer10 in NYC this past summer. What an inspiring person she is. She was moved by Chris Jordan’s Midway: a Message from the Midway of [...]

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Trip Down South to Durham, NC

Just in case you were wondering what I’ve been up to, we went to visit Andrew at Duke in Durham, NC last weekend. It was the first time we saw him since we deposited him in Durham in August. It was great to see him flourish in his new home with his new family – a bunch of bright eyed, bush tailed teenagers who are confident on changing the world…as [...]

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What happened to all those letters you sent about the GE salmon?

Remember when I was ranting about Aqua Bounty’s Genetically Engineered Salmon when we were given less than a month to voice our opinion on it? Remember when I said we were all waiting to see whether FDA would approve GE Salmon? And remember all those letters and forms we filled out to our Senators and House of Representatives? Do you know what happened to all those letters? It turns out, [...]

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Blog Action Day 2010 – Water!

Today, October 15th, is Blog Action Day. It’s an annual event when bloggers all over the world blog about one issue and this year is about WATER. Why water? Because over a billion people in the world have no access to safe drinking water, unlike you and me. I am really lucky to live near so many reservoirs and dams. I drive through winding roads around reservoirs daily. The colors [...]

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Should you clean your produce with fruit wash detergents?

I’ve always washed my produce – organic or conventional – with Environne’s Fruit and Vegetable Wash. Compared to just using tap water to wash, fruit washes seem to make them cleaner…to me, anyway. But today’s NY Times’s article tell me otherwise. Really??? According to the article, scientists at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in 2000, “tap water “significantly reduced” residues of 9 of 12 pesticides, and it worked as well [...]

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FDA delays its decision on genetically engineered salmon, for now

After 11 hours of deliberation, FDA is delaying its decision on Aqua Bounty Technology’s (ABTX) genetically engineered salmon…for now. It is unclear as to when the agency will decide but at least, it promises to investigate further before approving the company’s technology of breeding genetically engineered salmon for human consumption. According to Center for Food Safety (CFS), however, FDA is misguided in thinking that GE salmon is safe for human [...]

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25 More Ways to Eat Sustainably

Hope you enjoyed the first 25 ways to eat sustainably. Here are 25 more ways. Save that Cooking Water – I have to admit, I never do this but what a great idea! When you blanch or steam vegetables, use the nutrient rich water to boil pasta or water the plant! (only if it doesn’t have oil or salt) EAT SAFER SEAFOOD! Any WILD fish from Alaska is SAFE to [...]

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25 Ways to Eat Sustainably

With my recent disappointment about genetically engineered salmon being pushed to be approved for food, I wanted to change my gear into thinking more positively and revisit the ways to eat more sustainably. Although I probably do most of it, I figured, it wouldn’t hurt to check the list again. This list, “50 ways to eat Sustainably” is from one of my favorite magazines, “Body and Soul “. 25 Ways [...]

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STOP Genetically engineered salmon from your dinner plate!

That’s right. GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON – FRANKENFISH! – will soon be available – like in 18 months – for you to serve for dinner if FDA approves it on September 17th. ** See below for undated info on hearing dates** That’s ONE week away!! Wait. You hate fish? You don’t like salmon? This is not just about salmon. It’s about biotechnology. It’s about fooling with nature. It’s about our food [...]

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Goodbye Summer and Hello Fall!

I can’t believe summer is already gone. When and how did that happen? These past few months have been all a blur to me. I guess too many things happened this summer and I just as soon would like to forget about them. I can’t wait for the the cool breeze (I think they said this was the hottest summer on record. Global warming, anyone?), fallen leaves, pumpkin pies, and [...]

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CA Senate fails to approve single use plastic bag ban

I posted about CA’s single use bag ban bill, AB 1998 Bill, in June and how I was expecting it to pass without a glitch. Well, the glitch was the big green dollars. The American Chemistry Council has spent big bucks in the last few weeks to disseminate false information to the public and won the pockets of senators…like the video below. So the bill, AB 1998, DID NOT friggin’ [...]

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How green is Duke University?

As many of you know, we just returned from dropping off our son, Andrew, at Duke University last week. We are very excited for him as it was his first choice school and he will be fencing for its Division I fencing team. We can only hope that he’d have the best time of his life during the next four years there. The school is beautiful and the administration did [...]

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Thank You Origins!

Epilogue I had fun writing the last two posts about my experience of buying make up. But the most fun part was reading all the comments AND receiving this “Thank You” card from Origins. They made my first experience as a make-up buyer very special. Thank YOU Kali and Theresa at Origins. I will be back for more. (I guess they did their job of getting ME as a customer.) [...]

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How to buy make-up for a teenager. Part 2

This is the second article of a two part series written by my fifteen years old daughter Emily. She wrote in her first article how she learned to “choose” make-up. In this article, she goes to the Mall to actually “buy” her first make-up. On my birthday, my mom and I went to Sephora at a local mall. Make up was going to be my birthday present and I was [...]

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How to choose make-up for a teenager. Part 1

This guest post is written by my fifteen years old daughter Emily, who recently discovered what it’s like to buy make up for the first time. Her experience couldn’t be more timely as “The Story of Cosmetics” by Annie Leonard will be released today. See the video after the article. Many girls start to play around with make up when they are young. But when they become older in their [...]

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Happy Fourth of July from Eco Etsy Team!

I love birthdays. Not my birthdays, mind you. But everyone else’s! So here is to America’s 234th Independence Day with some awesome Red White and Blue gift items from Team Eco Etsy! 1. Nestle and Soar, 2. Reiter8, 3. Sea Find Designs, 3. RosyUndPosy

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My, so called, “Meatless Life”

I am an omnivore. I love medium- rare Fillet Mignon, crispy double-fried chicken, and any fish cooked in any fashion. But I love vegetables too. Give me a generous heap of sauteed any vegetables with a bowl of rice and I’m set for the course. But these clams made me re-think about eating animals that were once alive. I know what you are thinking. “Clams made you think about eating [...]

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What BP doesn’t want you to know

Photos: Hufffington Post According to the NY Daily News , BP does not want you to see what’s going on and is making the clean up crew sign contracts NOT to talk to anyone. Read more about it here and see more horrid pictures here.

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First fresh water wind farm planned on Lake Erie

First there was Cape Wind Farm off Cape Cod in MA. Now wind farm on Lake Erie. Whoo hoot! According to Earth and Industry, a non-profit Lake Erie Energy Corporation has ordered five wind turbines from GE to build the first fresh water wind farm, 3-5 miles offshore from Ohio in Lake Erie. This is $3-5 billion dollar business for GE and this order is start of many more to [...]

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CA assembly approved ban on single use plastic and paper bags!!

According to San Francisco Gate, the state Assembly has narrowly approved a measure that would make California the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic and paper bags from being handed out at grocery, convenience and other stores. San Francisco already banned plastic bags in favor of paper bags but since paper bags produce about twice the greenhouse gas emissions as plastic and results in about 80 percent [...]

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Local Farmers Market Opens for the Season

Despite the oil spill in the Gulf, how top-kill method by BP failed to stop the gushing, and how the recent article said that organic is no better than conventional food – I felt GREAT this weekend. Why? My local farmers market in Pleasantville, NY opened on Saturday with a ribbon cutting ceremony and entertainment throughout the morning. It was great to see those familiar smiling faces of vendors who [...]

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Coming up for air

Since my last two ranting posts, I’ve received many comforting e-mails, messages, and comments about my green fatigue. I am so humbled by your caring words of encouragement. It’s friends and crusaders like you that will keep me going and continue to live the best way I can, to be proactive…even with these little hiccups along the way. I was also pleasantly surprised, although sad too, that I wasn’t alone; [...]

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Green Fatigue Part 2 – Depression but Acceptance?

When dealing with the environment, I feel like I am going through Kublor Ross’s five stages of grief. 1. Denial – done that all my life about the environment 2. Anger – explained in yesterday’s post 3. Bargaining – I think I go through this every day, which is the reason why I’ve reached … 4. Depression – explained below 5. Acceptance – will it ever get to this? I [...]

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Green Fatigue Part 1 – Anger

Anger I’ve been kinda down lately. There’s nothing optimistic about what’s been buzzing in my ears recently and humming incessantly inside my head, like an ongoing droning sounds of a dryer. I want this humming to stop so I thought I’d try the ranting therapy. I normally don’t rant – especially on weekends. Mind you, I’m a hopeless, eternal optimist. Ask my hubby. But I feel like I have to [...]

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How to remove oil from oiled bird

If you have been reading and watching the horrific oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico as I have, the first thing that comes to mind is the threat to wildlife in the environmentally sensitive areas. Tri-State Bird Rescue is the lead organization to help the rehabilitation of the affected seabirds along with International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC). Although BP is vowing to pay for the cost of [...]

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Happy Mother’s Day!

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Offshore Wind Farm Approved for Cape Cod

Photo: Cape Wind On April 29th, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar approved America’s first offshore wind farm project! But before construction can start, there will additional studies to make sure that there are certain things, like the site, where Indian burial grounds, can be preserved and whether the views of the cape can be minimally obstructed as opponents, like late Senator Kennedy, were concerned with. The project has [...]

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