Why going green might ultimately be pointless

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Why going green might ultimately be pointless

It’s hard to ignore the expanding “green living” industry, even if you don’t particularly follow it or practice any of its tenets. Globally, more and more people – particularly those who are middle to upper-middle class, urban and peri-urban dwelling – are pursuing healthy living options, buying more organic and non-GMO foods, raising awareness about the presence of harmful and toxic chemicals in the water, the air, and the personal care products we consume, and investing in renewable energy sources.

Yet ultimately, going green may be pointless. Here’s why, and what you can do to make sure that your efforts to go green are actually helpful…

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Types of Air Plants for Your Home

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Types of Air Plants for Your Home

Guest post by Alexandria Heinz

Air plants are the latest trend in decor, but what are they? If you’ve ever been curious about these tiny, green succulent-like plants, you’ve come to the right place! Air plants, also known by their scientific name Tillandsias, are easily identifiable by their small structure and lack of roots. Similar to most plants, air plants do need a combination of air and water to survive, but unlike most plants, they don’t require soil to grow.

Epiphytes (plants that don’t need soil to grow) can absorb nutrients through their leaves rather than roots. This makes them a popular choice in home decor. They do need to be watered about once a week, but this is done by misting them, which leaves less of a mess in the home.

In their natural state, air plants are found on trees and shrubs. They are common in the warm climates of the southern United States, Central America, and South America. Many of these tropical plants produce a bright neon flower. To help you become familiar with air plants, we’ll show you 5 distinctive types that are unique in shape and color.

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5 Sustainable Steps You Can Take to Create a More Eco-Friendly Christmas This Season

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5 Sustainable Steps You Can Take to Create a More Eco-Friendly Christmas This Season

With Christmas fast approaching there are plenty of details to consider. From planning a busy schedule to buying gifts and keeping your guests happy, you may be feeling the stress and strain of the season.

So how do you manage all of this and have a stylish and elegant home throughout the holidays without being overwhelmed by all the stuff that goes with them?

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How to Build an Eco-Friendly Tiny House

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How to Build an Eco-Friendly Tiny House

Overconsumption and waste is not uncommon to see in today’s world. Take houses, for instance. A quick drive through any typical neighborhood in the United States and you’ll notice some pretty sizeable houses. Now, the chances that each family efficiently uses the space in their large home is pretty unlikely. According to the census from first quarter 2018 data, the average square footage of single-family American homes has increased to 2,641 square feet. Larger spaces not only take more energy to heat and cool, but they also produce more waste.

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The Five Steps to an Eco-Friendly Garden

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The Five Steps to an Eco-Friendly Garden

Guest post by Katie Myers

Did you know that 44% of young people are unhappy with the current state of the environment? There are many ways that we can help to improve the state of the environment, and many of these we try to practise daily such as recycling and leaving the car at home when we can. However, whilst many of us often try so hard to make our homes eco-friendly, we often forget about our gardens.

Becoming an eco-friendly gardener is not nearly as hard as it sounds. There are just five easy changes that you can make to transform your outdoor space into an eco-friendly one. The right gardening techniques will not only help you to achieve your eco-friendly status, but will also attract a wider range of wildlife into your garden, help you save money on your water bills and can even help you to lose weight.

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Green Home Activities That Will Increase Your Property Value

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Green Home Activities That Will Increase Your Property Value

Guest post by Will Sandford

It doesn’t matter if you’re thinking of selling your home in the next couple of months or years, or the idea is still far away in the future for you: knowing ways to increase your property’s value is always good. Seeing as how spring is always an appropriate season to get some remodeling done and it’s drawing near in Australia, we think that this is the perfect opportunity to give you a few tips. Read on to discover which green activities can boost the value of your home.

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7 Ways to Lower Energy Bills in Your Rented Apartment

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7 Ways to Lower Energy Bills in Your Rented Apartment

Guest post by Lana Hawkins

Being mindful of your energy consumption will not only help you save money on your electricity bill, it will also have a positive impact on the environment. However, when renting an apartment, you can’t make any major changes before discussing them with your landlord. What you can do is implement some simple everyday practices and make some minor updates that can help you reduce your energy consumption and make your apartment a bit greener.

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Helping Kids Learn to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

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Helping Kids Learn to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Guest post by Bob Roberts

By reducing the amount of natural resources you consume, reusing items that would otherwise go to waste, and recycling trash so it can be repurposed, you’re helping ensure a brighter future for children today. However, planning for the future includes not only taking steps in the present, but also preparing for tomorrow. By teaching children good conservation practices today, you’ll contribute to a cleaner future. Children who learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle now will gain the foundation they need to pass those practices on to their children and continue preserving natural resources.

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Preparing Your Bee-Attracting Garden for Winter

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Preparing Your Bee-Attracting Garden for Winter

Bees, unfortunately, are disappearing at a rapid rate. Those of us who are already gardeners are doing their part to sole the problem by setting up a bee-friendly series of plants. The Honey Bee Conservancy offers some tips for those who are not aware of what makes a garden attractive to pollinators like bees. Bee-friendly gardening is a year-round task, and with fall approaching it’s important to prepare. Winterizing your garden and planting cool weather-blooming species that will keep the bees coming back are crucial steps in making fall adjustments.

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How to Build A Bug Hotel (Infographic)

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How to Build A Bug Hotel (Infographic)

For the environmentally-conscious gardener, building a bug hotel can be a wonderful and rewarding DIY project. Not only do bug hotels provide an attractive garden feature, but they also attract beneficial insects that provide natural pollination and pest control. What’s more, building a bug hotel is a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy, and is a great way to teach children about the natural world.

Constructed from plant materials and common garden odds and ends, bug hotels offer a cost-effective and fun way to help preserve local wildlife by giving nearby insects a safe place to shelter. When it comes to designing a bug hotel, there aren’t any set rules, meaning you can get as creative as you want.

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5 Tips to Bring Nature Indoors

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5 Tips to Bring Nature Indoors

It’s common knowledge that nature has a positive impact on people and can help us relax and get in touch with our inner selves. Having this in mind, it’s not surprising that more and more world-famous interior designers are incorporating numerous elements of nature into their projects. So, if you want to follow in their footsteps and decorate your home according to the latest trends, take a look at the list of 5 tips on how to bring nature indoors which we’ve prepared just for you. Enjoy and get inspired!

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Addressing the Global Water Inequality Crisis – Infographic

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Addressing the Global Water Inequality Crisis – Infographic

Guest post by Tom Murphy

In a planet that’s 70% water, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there was more than enough of this precious resource to comfortably sustain its population. However, when you think through how much of this water is fit for human consumption, you realize that maybe there isn’t a whole lot to go around for more than 7 billion inhabitants. In the Western world, water scarcity certainly isn’t a problem for most (with some exceptions in pockets of the US, the EU, and Australia ), but delve deeper into impoverished Third World/Global South nations and it will soon dawn on you just how shocking the disparity of water availability is on this planet.

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Eco-Labels Around the World (Interactive Infographic]

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Eco-Labels Around the World (Interactive Infographic]

Guest post and infographic by Customlabels.net

Nowadays, people are more aware of the impact their purchasing decisions can have on the environment. In order to reduce their ecological footprint and negative impact on the natural world, a growing number of consumers have decided to buy products that will do less harm to the environment. They avoid buying bottled water, use their own grocery bags and choose eco-friendly products as much as possible.

Today, various products can have an “eco-friendly” or “green” inscription on their packages, but sometimes these statements can be false. So if you want to be sure that you are buying a product that is produced with a more controlled, less detrimental impact on nature, you should look for eco-labels on its packaging.

Eco-labels are certificates that mean that higher standards of environmental protection are upheld during all stages of the product's life cycle. Eco-labels are often mixed up with environmental labels, but they are actually a subgroup of environmental labels.

Check out the infographic below to learn more about eco-labels. It will give you an interactive overview of their meanings, managing organizations, and the industries they apply to.

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