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April 17, 2018

Decluttering for your home and health - made easy

April 17, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Blog post by Green and Prosperous, with infographic by EZ Living Interiors

Did you know that there are a lot more benefits to decluttering your home than just aesthetics?

Spring has officially been here since March 20th, even if the weather may not be cooperating where you live. Whether you’re still waiting for the winter thaw or enjoying the sunny days, you can do your part to usher in the spring by decluttering your home. Spring cleaning and decluttering has a long and storied history, but the 21st century benefits to this ancient ritual are many. In short, spring cleaning is good not only for the aesthetic improvement it brings to your living space; it also has several mental and physical health benefits. Our ancestors were well aware of this fact.

April 07, 2018

Here’s Why You Should Recycle These Electronics (and How)

April 07, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

guest post by Tiffany Jersey

When you think about your smart phone or tablet, or even the batteries that you use in your remote, do you think about much more than their capabilities? Probably not: you’re mostly worrying about the Wi-Fi connection speed you have or the apps you want to download, or even just how long the batteries will power your remote.

But what goes in to all that tech is important because of what happens to it after you’re done using it. The U.S. is the biggest contributor to electronic waste on the planet, and we’re churning it out at an ever-increasing rate of about 8 percent more each year. When we don’t recycle that e-waste, we’re doing more than just building up landfills (although that’s important to consider). We’re also pushing small amounts of dangerous metals back into the soil and water, where they can eventually contaminate what we consume. What can and should we do about it? The suggestions in this graphic can help.

April 06, 2018

Beyond the Hype: The Science behind developing healthy eating habits

April 06, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Americans’ thinking about food has shifted dramatically over the past 2 decades. With major changes to the food industry (think the introduction of GMOs, the mainstreaming of organic foods, the popularity of celebrity chefs, and the growing number of documentaries about our eating habits – e.g. “Super Size Me”, and the problems with the industrial food complex), a growing number of people now think that eating healthy is important.

However, although many of us want to eat healthy, or think that we are eating healthy, the evidence says otherwise. In fact, most Americans do not get the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables and consume waaaay more sugar and saturated fats than they should...

What if you’ve been trying to eat healthier but can’t seem to break your unhealthy food habits? What if you eat pretty healthy already but want to make some small improvements to your diet? What if you know someone who has a very unhealthy diet and wants to improve his or her eating habits?

April 03, 2018

How to Turn your Car into an Eco-Friendly Vehicle

April 03, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Adam Fuller

Air pollution is one of the major factors that affects the spread of global warming. Certain inventions can help lessen the effect of harmful gases into our atmosphere, and one prominent innovation that has been contributing positively to reducing the burden on our the ecosystem is an eco-friendly vehicle. Over the years, and after consulting numerous studies about the best solutions for reducing harmful vehicle emissions, car manufacturers have offered one of the most effective ways to reduce vehicles’ hazardous impacts to the environment: manufacture and sell more hybrid and electric cars. While it is arguably one of the best solutions to reducing vehicle emissions, it is an undeniably expensive option, and thus ultimately not for everyone.

Even if you can’t afford to purchase a hybrid or electric car, there are things you can do to help reduce the impact of harmful emissions from your current vehicle.

March 21, 2018

The Case for Conservation-Friendly Construction

March 21, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Roof Stores

With the population ever-growing, the construction of residential and commercial properties is encroaching more and more into wildlife habitats, affecting how animals are able to live. The expansion of urban areas is leading to 1 in 10 UK wildlife species facing extinction, and this is something that we have a responsibility to try and change.

An important focus is being placed on solutions to allow us to continue to construct and build infrastructure, whilst also allowing us to peacefully coexist with the surrounding animal species and cause as little harm as possible to their natural habitats; this shift in focus is leading to the term ‘conservation-friendly construction’.

Not only is the construction of houses changing, specific elements within buildings are being developed to further help animals. Very specific innovations, such as changing the glass in windows to a different reflective nature so that birds don’t confuse them with flying into foliage or clear sky, are becoming more advanced. This is a simple addition to any home, one which shows that conservation-friendly construction doesn’t need to take over the whole house. Instead, small touches like these can make a difference to the welfare of wildlife.

Take a look at the infographic by Roof Stores below to get a better sense of existing issues and see how conservation-friendly construction can remedy them.

March 17, 2018

Servicing and Upkeep of Solar Panels – Solar Power Services

March 17, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

guest post by Sara Oliver

Solar panels are by nature designed to withstand everything that nature can throw at them and are therefore low maintenance items. That’s the point – low maintenance, not no maintenance. Anything, no matter how well engineered, must take account of Mother Nature.

The cleaning of solar panels is very important to the output of your solar system. Think of a clean car windscreen versus a windscreen that has not been cleaned in 6 months.

Dust build-up during the summer months can result in 5-10% loss of your entire solar energy system. It is recommended that you have your modules expertly cleaned, using only the right materials to ensure system optimisation.

There are a few obvious things that you can pay attention to ensure the most efficient output of your system.

March 13, 2018

How Good Stress Can Help You Become More Resilient in Life

March 13, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Let’s face it, stress is a major part of life in the world today, especially if you are working (inside or outside the home), have children, or live in an urban environment. As a divorced mom of 2 kids with a full-time job, consulting work, and running my business, www.greenandprosperous.com, I manage a fair amount of stress on a regular basis. During the course of my regular workweek, as a professor, I also see – and try to help mitigate – the stress my students face. With so many responsibilities to handle, and so many of them juggling long commutes, internships, volunteering, financial problems, or managing families (since most students these days are non-traditional) in addition to going to school full-time, I sometimes wonder how my students deal with it all, at such young ages. In fact, many of them do not deal well with stress, and a select few end up dropping or failing out of their programs. At worst, they become dependent on medication to manage their anxiety, or suicidal.

March 11, 2018

5 Reasons Why Going Green Will Futureproof Your Business

March 11, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

guest post by Jane Rodinson

With the environment consciously being at the forefront of people’s minds currently, going green is perhaps the most important things businesses should consider. And, with added efficiency comes extra benefits, futureproofing your business being one of them. Here’s why.

February 26, 2018

How Growing a Garden Improves Your Health

February 26, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Clara Beaufort

If you’re looking for a way to get more active, eat healthier, and improve your overall mental and physical health, look no further than your backyard. Gardening is one of the best activities people can do to benefit their overall health and well-being, and we explore how growing vegetables and flowers can pack such a powerful punch below.

Gardening Benefits Your Mental Health

You don’t have to be an adventurous whitewater rafter or mountain climber to get the mental health benefits of being in nature. When you work with the soil and plant bulbs and seeds, you are beginning a journey to better mental health. Gardening has therapeutic value, and spending time outdoors boosts people’s moods, reduces their depression and feelings of isolation, and relieves their stress.

February 21, 2018

6 Decadent chocolates worth the splurge

February 21, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Valentine’s Day may be over, but our love affair with chocolate continues. From its MesoAmerican origins to its migration eastward into the fashionable salons of the European aristocracy, chocolate has captivated our imaginations. Despite its sometimes-dark history and questionable health effects (some sacrificial victims of the Mayans and Aztecs were forced to drink chocolate mixed with blood, and wealthy European elites undermined the supposed health effects of chocolate by (over)processing it with alkaline salts, milk, and sugar), the global market for chocolate continues to expand. And although some of the chocolate that makes its way into retail stores in has been harvested by modern-day child slave labor in cocoa farms in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, the expansion of fair-trade, ethically sourced, and slave-free varieties of chocolate has meant that we can continue to enjoy our chocolate pleasures, guilt-free.

February 14, 2018

Going Green with Real Estate: How Environmentally-Conscious Improvements Can Help Home Sellers

February 14, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

In recent years, real estate agents have noticed a growing interest in clean energy features and green home improvement projects. Green living and green home improvements have impacted the real estate market and many sellers are not only making changes to reflect personal standards and financial objectives, but to potentially boost their home’s value.

What has become apparent is that green projects are becoming a selling point to segments of buyers in various areas in the United States. Understand more about how going green in the home may help sellers down the road today.

February 07, 2018

The Real Cost of Litter

February 07, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

There are not many places in the UK today where you will not see at least one piece of litter. Indeed, statistics from finance experts Money Guru report that roughly 62 % of people drop litter at some time, although only 28% ever admit to the fact. Litter and the resulting clean-up costs the local authorities, and the UK tax payer, more than £1 billion per year. £6 million of this is simply picking up litter from roadsides that has been thrown from passing cars.

February 02, 2018

Can seasonal eating keep you from getting the cold or flu?

February 02, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

The news out there is pretty bad: the flu is worse this year in the US, and the flu vaccine is only up to 30% effective. Strangely (to me), doctors and health care workers are making blanket recommendations that everyone should get the flu shot. As for me, I’ve taken the flu shot exactly once in my lifetime, when I was pregnant with my second child, and only at the insistence of my Chinese medicine doctor (who helped me overcome secondary infertility to achieve a healthy pregnancy at the age of 41). And yet, we rarely get the flu in my household, even when we’ve been exposed to many people who are clearly sick with it. In fact, my 7-year old is the only one in our household who ever gets a cold or flu, and it's always a mild version that she's able to overcome in a day or two.

January 25, 2018

the Road to 2040: An overview of the petrol and diesel sales ban

January 25, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

The UK government recently announced a plan to ban the sale of petrol and diesel engine cars from 2040, amid fears that rising levels of nitrogen oxide are posing a major risk to public health. The UK government claims that the ban must take place due to the unnecessary and avoidable impact that poor air quality is having on the general public’s health. Although over the past 15 years, government data shows that the UK has made huge steps towards improving air quality, it is felt that the only way to improve the issue and keep it at bay is to ban the worst generators of this pollutant for good.

Nitrogen oxide reacts in the atmosphere to form Nitrogen dioxide, which causes adverse effects on health. Studies show that long term exposure to Nitrogen dioxide can have many serious health issues to the public, such as decreasing lung function, increased risk of respiratory conditions and increased response to allergens. As Nitrogen dioxide is in the atmosphere around us, it is impossible to avoid breathing it in. Therefore, the negative health effects will only continue if nothing is done to improve the atmospheric conditions.

Check out this infographic by Select Car Leasing to see why this is happening and if the UK will be ready for the switch.

January 10, 2018

Must-Have Apps for Nature Lovers (Infographic)

January 10, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Jarrimber Furniture & Cabinetry

Having an interest in nature does not automatically exclude you from being enthusiastic about technology, and vice versa. While some nature lovers might decry the modern ubiquity of smartphones and mobile devices, there’s no reason why people who enjoy nature cannot use technology to supplement that interest...

Take a look at this infographic by Jarrimber Furniture & Cabinetry for the full list of must-have apps for anyone with an interest in exploring the natural world.