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December 04, 2018

How small-scale farming can help reduce the effects of climate change

December 04, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

This past summer was terrible for my crops. I eagerly started the process of sowing seeds and transferring seedlings and cuttings into their permanent homes and looked forward to the day I could begin harvesting the results of my hard labor. I was also in the process of renovating my home for sale and purchasing another, so working in the garden was a welcome relief from the stress and uncertainty of that process. At least it was supposed to be…

December 01, 2018

How to Build an Eco-Friendly Tiny House

December 01, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

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.

November 07, 2018

Passive Housing: A Smarter Way of Living (Infographic)

November 07, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

This infographic looks at the trend for eco-friendly and sustainable passive housing design.

These days more and more homeowners are developing a passion for environmentally-friendly design. Smart design allows us to dramatically cut down on our energy consumption, or in an ideal situation avoid it altogether. Consequently, an increasing number of homeowners are opting for passive housing. A fantastic option for those seeking a greener way of life, passive houses are 90% more energy efficient than any normal home.

September 19, 2018

The Five Steps to an Eco-Friendly Garden

September 19, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

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.

September 18, 2018

Effective pest control without the harmful chemicals

September 18, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

If you have grown plants for food or aesthetics, you have probably experienced the frustration of losing some of your crops to insects and other pests. That is just a part of gardening, although if you grow crops year-round, you’ve probably realized that the upside of winter gardening is that you don’t have to spend much time fighting herbivores, since the cold weather kills them or drives them into a dormant stage.

September 12, 2018

Green Home Activities That Will Increase Your Property Value

September 12, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

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.

September 09, 2018

7 Ways to Lower Energy Bills in Your Rented Apartment

September 09, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

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.

September 05, 2018

Back-to-school healthy eating: starting out right, staying the course

September 05, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

With the beginning of another school year comes the inevitable question for every parent whose child has dietary restrictions, or whose kid’s school doesn’t have a cafeteria: what should I pack for lunch? In the first weeks of school this may not be much of an issue: you try the old standbys, only to eventually become bored with them. Maybe this year you want to make more of an effort to pack healthy (healthier) lunches. Maybe you are weaning your kids off packaged processed convenience foods that you know are not healthy for them.

August 29, 2018

Helping Kids Learn to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

August 29, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

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.

August 25, 2018

7 things you’re doing wrong in your garden (and how to fix them)

August 25, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

If you have been gardening for a while, you’ve probably realized that making mistakes is a big part of the process of learning. Even the most experienced gardeners make errors of judgment that can lead to a failing or otherwise unsuccessful harvest. Some problems are inevitable when it comes to growing your own food: weather changes can ruin a harvest in a single day, so if you are not prepared (or available) to act fast in case of unexpected frost, heat wave, extended periods of rain or humidity, or sudden insect infestation, all of your hard work can be ruined very quickly…

Whether you’re a neophyte, a seasoned grower, or a business owner looking to make a profit from your harvest (or just earn a little extra cash on the side from your farm), you may be making some of these common mistakes that growers make, all of which affect the health, productivity, and viability of your garden in a major way.

August 23, 2018

What Is Battery Recycling and How Can You Recycle Nickel Batteries?

August 23, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

People use 4-5 wireless devices powered by batteries on an average in their daily lives. Batteries contain environmentally hazardous heavy metals, which must be removed from traditional waste treatment systems. While these batteries do not pose threat to humans when in use, they can affect human, animal and aquatic life if not disposed of properly. Like newspapers, glass and plastic, batteries can and must be recycled and help us save the environment.

August 15, 2018

Preparing Your Bee-Attracting Garden for Winter

August 15, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

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.

August 13, 2018

Companion planting: how to do it, mistakes to avoid

August 13, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Companion planting is a small-scale method of intercropping, which refers to the practice of planting one kind of plant next to another or others that help it thrive. It is often associated with small-scale organic gardening (the type of gardening I have exclusively done for the past 18 years) or other biodynamic planting methods, and it is a favorite technique of farmers seeking to produce more yield in less space.

August 10, 2018

Sick Building Syndrome: a hidden cause of stress at your workplace?

August 10, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Toby Dean

A workplace involves a myriad of stressors, and each individual in the same office environment copes with the same stress differently. Apart from stress coming from human beings and situations, there could be unexplained health issues at the workplace that could be creating a problem in your life. This is especially likely if you have shifted to a new office building, have been transferred to a different place, or changed your job. If you have experienced sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, runny nose or blocked sinuses, itchy eyes and skin, etc. as soon as you enter your office building, and if these symptoms subside on their own when you step out of the building, then you are suffering from Sick Building Syndrome.

August 08, 2018

How to Build A Bug Hotel (Infographic)

August 08, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

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.