Have you heard? Last week the city of New York announced a ban on styrofoam products from styrofoam containers to fill packaging. They recognized that since this toxic material cannot be economically recycled, it causes significant environmental harm. The ban goes into effect July 1, 2015, and even the public schools will be replacing polystyrene trays with compostable
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How to Use Diatomaceous Earth to Get Rid of Pests Naturally
This summer the ants came marching one by one all over our house. With our California drought, they seemed to be desperate for moisture, as they’d often march right past a sticky spoonful of honey, heading instead for the nearest half-full water glass. We tried just about everything (both natural and toxic), but still the
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All-Purpose Citrus Splash Spray For DIY Cleaning
When I was a pre-teen, my best friend, Jes, and I figured out the way to my mom’s heart (and how to get her to agree to just about anything). We would go gang-busters cleaning the house. We’d start with the kitchen, and dumped Soft-Scrub with bleach on every surface, wiping until they came up
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8 Easy Ways to Reduce EMF Exposure
Readers ask me all the time about the health risks from wi-fi, cell phones, and electrical devices. Being a lover of technology and convenience, I’ve mostly plugged my ears and hummed a happy tune. Slowly though, I started to look around and realized that I am surrounded by electro-magnetic fields (EMFs). I began to wonder
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The Great Crock Pot Lead Mystery: Solved
I get lots of concerned questions from readers worried that they are poisoning themselves and their families with lead leaching from crock pots. There are plenty of vague answers online from manufacturers saying that any lead in the cookware glaze is within government regulations and is otherwise harmless unless the glaze is cracked. Hmm. Not
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Am I Green Enough? Confessions Of A Modern Eco-Conscious Girl
Eco-conscious living isn’t just for tie-dye wearing, patchouli-burning, vegan-eating hippies. These days, “green living” has gone mainstream trendy. While the upscale eco-friendly folks and the dirt-loving tree huggers all have some smart ideas, I find the real life practice of green living to be sometimes easy, sometimes challenging, and sometimes down-right confusing. Is recycling actually good for the
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Interview With a Lover of Backyard Chickens
When I first met my friend Sophie, I quickly realized she wasn’t your typical chick. She knew things – about bees, about chickens, about all things pastoral really. Dubbed forevermore in my heart as Farm Girl, I love to spend an afternoon hanging with Sophie as she tends to her numerous chickens and kids, hearing
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Folk’s This Ain’t Normal: Book Review
I love to read. But with two small kids, an acupuncture practice, this blog, a busy kitchen, and my secret trashy TV habit, I rarely get a book in these days. Until I discovered AUDIO BOOKS! I easily drive at least an hour per day in the car (don’t feel too bad – it’s a
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8 Reasons To Grow A Garden This Spring
Birds are chirping and the air is warming, time to get outside! Are you thinking of starting a garden this year but need a little nudge? #1 – You like food that tastes good Have you ever tasted a tomato plucked fresh from the garden still warm from the sun? There is nothing like it.
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Choosing Fish For Your Health And The Environment
Fish are great sources of high-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients. But unfortunately in our modern world, there are two downsides to consider when you’re choosing fish to serve your family: possible mercury and PCB contamination, and the environmental impact of consuming certain fish. Mercury contamination in fish Today almost all fish and shellfish available
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Plastic Sucks And Here’s Why
Before my son was born, I swore my house was not going to ever look like a toy box threw up there. Toys would be functional and fun, yet appealing to both children and adults’ aesthetic. And NO plastic toys! Because even BPA-free plastic sucks. But now a mom to a 2 ½ year old
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