Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Travel Green with Eco Hostels

January 13, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Most world travelers know hostels are the cheapest most budget friendly way to visit the world without wasting important travel dollars. Now you can consider staying in a hostel that is eco-friendly. Staying at an eco-hostel helps reduce energy and unwanted waste; all the while, it is using less energy and water. These hostels are rising up all over the world helping in creating green travel for the world traveler.

Although to travel the world there will be no choice but to leave a carbon footprint via airplane, which can be offset by staying in an eco-friendly hostel. These hostels vary in how they are environmentally friendly, but nonetheless they are rated as such. As hostels are cheap, these eco-friendly ones are no different, although they may require upfront costs.

To ensure your hostel is green, here is a variety of signs to look for. The first noticeable the hostels will operate with their common sense when it comes to heating and water waste. They will not use harmful cleaning products and make the utmost use of solar power. Some hostels will go to the extent of operating on a bio-diesel generator for power or even a geothermal plant. All foods served at the hostel will be organic and locally grown and purchased. Many hostels enjoy having their own organic garden on site and some even have “living” roofs. When it comes to water, depending on where the hostel is located, rain harvesting maybe implicated. Eco-friendly hostels are keen on not wasting water and will use low flow faucets and or drip irrigation.

Why stay at an eco-hostel? Hostels budget friendly with costs starting as low as $10.00 to say in a friendly green environment. It promotes living the green lifestyle with community involvement as well as the involvement of their guests. It is healthier on yourself as well as the planet.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Green

Electric Vehicles and Green Energy

December 29, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are becoming more available, and one of the criticisms is that the electricity used to power them comes mostly from burning coal. This does not need to be the case for several reasons.

Green Energy

The most obvious argument for EVs is that power companies are providing more wind and solar generated electricity, so at least some of juice used to charge EVs comes from green sources. This trend is bound to continue as the power companies explore other green energy sources such as geothermal and tidal/wave action.

Feeding the Grid

A not so obvious argument is that individuals with the resources to do so can install their own solar panels and feed the green energy back into the grid. The solar panels can be installed on top of the garage that houses the EV, and if enough land is available, a wind turbine can also be installed. The forward thinking Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) suggests that a combination of green energy sources should be built into new homes in support of personal EVs.

Maintenance Costs

EVs have yet to be fully understood regarding how green they can run or how the maintenance costs compare to gasoline or diesel fueled vehicles. Some principles are undeniable, such as fewer moving parts to wear out and simpler power train designs. An electric motor does not need oil changes and does not require a transmission, strictly speaking. This will save on the crude oil required for manufacturing motor oil and possibly transmission fluid. An added benefit is that recycling of petroleum products is also not required.

Buying an EV may make perfect sense for commuters in urban environments without considering the green advantages, and this will likely keep driving the sales upward. However, the criticisms of EVs have lost their bite as the world heads toward green energy production. The trend is not only good for the environment but makes economic sense as well.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Electric vehicle, Electrical grid, Energy, Sustainable energy

Green Products to Clean Up After Your Pets

December 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Going green is currently the focus of many individuals and of business. It is the trendy thing to do right now, but it is also the right thing to do for our world. Not only can the human beings of this world help out, Mr. Kitty and Fido can lend a helping paw in the movement to go green. Think about helpful products next time you head to the store to buy cleaning supplies to clean up after your furry, four-legged family members. Do some research as not all products that are advertised as “green” would actually meet that criteria by some green watchdog groups. So what is out there that is healthy for our pet and the environment? There are actually some regular household items that you would normally find in your pantry that can do all the work of chemical cleaners.

Natural Cleaning Products

Baking soda is a great way to deodorize your carpet. Sprinkle, let sit and vacuum. Baking soda can also be used in numerous ways for household cleaning. Do a search and you will be amazed at how much you can do with this product.

Lemons are great to add to tea, but did you know you can use them to clean as well? Many people use lemons to remove stains as the lemon juice can act like a bleaching product. Therefore, if you use lemon on clothing or fabric you should wash immediately after applying.

Vinegar can be used to clean more items than you could possibly think of at one time. For our pets it can be used to remove stains, eliminate urine stains from the carpet, kill germs on surfaces, deodorize the air to help prevent pet odors, and so much more for general household uses.

So try these natural products which are safer for the environment and safer to use around pets. Your pets will probably thank you for not having to smell the chemical cleaners anymore.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Cleanliness, Lemon, Natural cleaning product, Natural product, Pet

Feeding Natural Diets to Your Cat

December 19, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Feeding a natural diet to your cat can be very healthy for your furry family members and the environment. Yet, if you choose to feed a natural diet make sure you understand what your cat has to have in order to obtain all the nutrients it needs. Cats have to eat meat. Have you ever seen a nature show where a cat is sitting down to eat a salad? No, a cat is usually seen walking around with its recently killed prey. If they could order at a restaurant and given the choice, cats are not going or order a Caesar Salad when they can order a steak. A strictly vegetarian diet can result in a cat developing serious health issues. You can feed cats natural diets if you do the research to ensure you are getting the best product for Mr. Kitty. It is risky to create the diet yourself unless you have done extensive research. Cornell University Feline Health Center suggests that “it is usually recommended that cat owners use a commercial nutritionally balanced product,unless a veterinarian recommends a home-formulated recipe for medical purposes. Often these recipes come from published sources and are created by veterinarians certified in animal nutrition”.

There are a couple of sites that is recommended by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) for homemade diets.

Petdiets.com
Balanceit.com

The ACVN has additional information on their site about proper nutrition for your furry family members whether it is a cat, dog, or even a horse. In this time of green living where nature is taking the front seat in many homes, make sure you do your research. Without proper understanding of your cats nutritional needs in your quest to go natural you may be doing more harm than good to your beloved feline. So, take your time and discover the world of feline health and nutrition.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Animal, Cat, Health, Nutrition

Where Can I Find a Recycling Program?

December 15, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Recycling programs come in a variety of forms today. From the sanitation departments or other governmental agencies of towns or cities to individually owned businesses trying to make a difference, recycling programs are easy to find. If your city or town does not have its own curbside recycling program that picks up on a weekly basis there are things you can do to recycle.

Online searches can help you locate businesses in your area that may accept different types of material that can be recycled. Some cities have places where you can bring your aluminum, paper products, even old monitors and electronics. Many corporations are starting programs that their stores in some cities will hold recycling drives for materials. Electronic recycling has become more popular over the last few years. Best Buy is one such company that has a recycling program. Details about the Best Buy program can be found at www.bestbuy.com/recycle and gives details about what can and cannot be recycled and in which states they have centers. The EPA also lists information about where you can go to recycle electronics. Their site at www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/live.htm also includes sanitation and other departments that accept electronics.

If your community does not have a recycling program there are resources that can help you start a program. The EPA also has information on how to start a program at www.epa.gov/region4/waste/rcra/mgtoolkit/starting.html which lists considerations of what needs to take place in order to have a successful program. Planning and community support are important factors in establishing a program. Take your time, do your research and get your community involved in the process. Simple programs can be started at schools or at businesses that can serve as starter programs to determine community involvement. With enough community support a curbside program could be established with the support of the local government.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Business, Environment, Recycling, United States Environmental Protection Agency

Going Green in Your Car

December 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Can a person go green in their car if they do not own a hybrid? The answer is yes there are things you can do in your normal gas guzzling car that can help the environment. First of all do not use your car for every trip if you live within walking distance of the places you want to go. Granted if it is 20 below zero then do not risk your health to go green, but in good weather and safe conditions consider walking an alternative. For when you do have to use your vehicle there are some things you can do to help the environment.

Even if you have to use your prepaid credit card to pay for it, keep your car in top shape with new filters and keep your tires inflated. When it comes to driving do not go excessive speeds as this lowers fuel efficiency. Another aspect that can lower fuel efficiency is overloading your car. Putting so much junk in your car that your bumper is almost dragging the ground is no way to save on gas consumption. If you have to stop somewhere and people are still in the car, do not leave your car running because you think restarting will use up more gas. Letting the car idle is worse on gas consumption than turning the car off and back on when you return to your car. If it is extremely cold or hot outside, make your passengers come inside with you instead of sitting out in an idling car.

Finally, for work consider carpooling if you have others that live in your area. Using one care instead of four or five during the week will always help out our environment. Plus it helps out our wallets. Think of the money you would save on gas if you only had to drive it to work once or twice a week instead of five days a week.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Energy, Fuel efficiency, Technology, Vehicle

Teaching Your Kids to Love the Environment

December 10, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The future of our world depends on the next generations. How can we make the environment fun for our kids so they will want to protect Mother Earth? Here are just a few ideas:

Plan outdoor field trips for your kids to let them actually experience and have fun in the environment. There may be a problem if the only experience your kids have with the environment is that brief period between walking out the door to go to school and coming back so they can get on their video game system. Why would your kids want to protect something they do not even appreciate? Get them involved in outdoor activities that help them to love nature.

Every year towns and cities across the world celebrate Earth Day. This is a good chance to take your children to an event that celebrates a wide variety of environmental causes. Get outside, have some fun and learn about the world and how to protect our environment. Information about Earth Day can be found at www.earthday.org as well as information about programs and policies relating to the earth.

Make conservation and environmental issues interesting to your kids. Do some research and you can probably find that one of their athletic or celebrity idols has an environmental cause they support. Looktothestars.org lists many celebrities and the causes they represent. Many kids want to be like athletes and celebrities and if you can show them that the celebrities care about the world as well perhaps this will spark some interest in your children. Your kids may feel that if a celebrity is interested in something it must be worth taking a look at and learning about in some way.

Just find a way to make our world interesting. In the process of teaching your children you will probably discover a whole new world yourself that you would like to care for and protect just like your kids.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Children and Youth, Environment, Outdoor activity

Why Go Green?

December 7, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Going green has become a popular slogan in the recent years. It is widely known that going green helps our environment and reduces pollution, yet some people still do not take the steps to go green. Without help, future resources are not guaranteed to future generations of people.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2050 the world will have over 9 billion people. If natural resources were distributed evenly, the people of 2050 would only have 25% of the resources that people in 1950 had. Not going green depletes these resources further, which means future generations will not have the same standard of living we now enjoy.

Throwing away items that can be recycled or reused not only fills our landfills unnecessarily, but can be harmful. Buying new goods and throwing away old ones when not necessary can also be dangerous. Used batteries and appliances in landfills can leak harmful chemicals that go into the ground and eventually end up in water sources that people drink or water food with.

Recycling is so easy to do, and saves energy, water, and oil. Every recycled ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil, and can enough energy to power a house for six months. Just one aluminum can save enough electricity to run a TV for up to six hours. One glass bottle can save enough to power a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.

So why go green? It is so simple to do and gives such massive benefits. It preserves the earth for future generations. It saves energy and lowers the cost of electricity. It saves landfills from being filled and the earth to stay clean. Going green can be done by small changes to daily habits and will benefit the earth for years to come.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Business, Earth, Environment, Environmentalism, Incandescent light bulb, Landfill, Recycling, Television

Green Gift Ideas

December 1, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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It seems as though we are consistently reminded by environmentalist of the impact we have on our planet. Many times, if a person abuses there body with items like alcohol or drugs, they might utilize a treatment center such as Rehab-International.org for help, but most of us are not even aware of the damage that happens to our earth each day. I may not have always been environmentally conscious, but I do believe that we definitely can make improvements on how we treat the earth. I have recently been purchasing products that are environmentally recyclable and safe. I recently had an idea that I thought would not only be good for the environment, but could also be good for our family and friends. The idea is to buy green gifts and give them to others. I believe that giving green gifts may even have a domino effect with the receiver of the gifts becoming environmentally conscious.

A great green gift to give is an eco gift because it can last for a long time. Items that are biodegradable are a great benefit to our environment, but many will find that these items do not have to be thrown out after one use; if it is still sturdy, you can use it as many times as you are able. Try giving a gift like reusable shopping bags, which may not seem like an actual gift, but for the constant shopper, it may serve as both ideal and practical. This gift benefits as it helps reduce the amount of plastic bags going to the landfills and it also helps save the trees. Other items that may be good green gifts ideas include kitchen items or “green” themed decorations. If you know of someone that has a cleaning company, give them a host of the many green cleaning supplies that are available.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: Gift, Plastic bag, Reusable shopping bag, Shopping

Natural Ways to Keep Bugs Away

November 29, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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During the summer months, many people use chemical bug sprays when they are outside in the yard, pool, or beach. For people striving to lead a greener lifestyle, keeping bugs away naturally can be a challenge.

Start in the Garden

There are several herbs that naturally repel bugs in the yard. Rosemary and sage are both good options that also create a nice base for an herb garden. Mints, especially spearmint, are great natural bug repellents. Mint should always be planted in containers, however, because it will quickly spread and fill the container or take over the yard.

Garlic
Planting garlic in your yard can help to prevent insects much like the herbs listed above. Some people find that even consuming garlic is enough to prevent insect bites during the summer. As strange as it may seem, garlic can make you taste bad to bugs and therefore keep them from coming too close.

Consider Natural Options at the Store
California Baby and Burts Bees both make a bug spray that does not contain DEET and other chemicals found in most store bought bug sprays. Many of these contain citronella, lemongrass, and a blend of herbs. Citronella candles are another option that you can find in many stores during the summer months. Candles are a great option for outdoor parties when many people will be gathered in an outdoor space, however, some people do not like the smell.

Make Your Own Simple Spray

Plain mint mouthwash can be poured into a spray bottle and used like a traditional bug spray. Many people who have tried this to get away from chemical sprays find that it is just as effective at preventing insect bites. Most insects hate all kinds of mint and will keep their distance when people have on a spray that smells like mint.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Tagged With: DEET, Garlic, Herb, Insect, Insect repellent, Rosemary, Shopping, Spray bottle

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