5 Things you can do now to have a winter food garden

/
5 Things you can do now to have a winter food garden

Most people who garden believe that the growing season ends when the weather begins to turn cold and morning dew turns to frost. This is absolutely not true, though. A few places (USDA zones 0-2) have extremely short growing seasons that make it very difficult to grow vegetables outdoors without using specialized techniques and growing plants that are uniquely adapted to grow in that climate. However most people, even those who live in places where it reliably snows every winter (like Ontario, Canada), can continue to grow fresh herbs, vegetables, and even some flowers all year round.

Read More

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

/
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?

Read More

A Homeowner’s Guide to Environmentally Conscious Water Use

/
A Homeowner’s Guide to Environmentally Conscious Water Use

Guest post by Jason Baldauf

It’s almost impossible to imagine modern living without the convenience of running water. We take it for granted that we can cook, clean, wash and bathe with it. As such, we may not think about how imperative it is to conserve and protect it. Despite being readily available with a turn of the spigot, it is not an unlimited resource.

Read More

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

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

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…

Read More

How to Build an Eco-Friendly Tiny House

/
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.

Read More

Passive Housing: A Smarter Way of Living (Infographic)

/
Passive Housing: A Smarter Way of Living (Infographic)

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.

Read More

The Five Steps to an Eco-Friendly Garden

/
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.

Read More

Effective pest control without the harmful chemicals

/
Effective pest control without the harmful chemicals

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.

Read More

Green Home Activities That Will Increase Your Property Value

/
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.

Read More

7 Ways to Lower Energy Bills in Your Rented Apartment

/
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.

Read More

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

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

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.

Read More

Helping Kids Learn to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

/
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.

Read More

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

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

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.

Read More

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

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

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.

Read More

Preparing Your Bee-Attracting Garden for Winter

/
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.

Read More