Archive for Green Cleaning
Welcome back to the Planet Forward blog for another edition of our weekly green news highlights. This week: the EPA maps out the worst greenhouse gas emitters; 15 resolutions for a greener New Year; and 8 steps to a healthy home: the key for a healthy body and planet. Just click on the links to learn more.
EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Image Credit: epa.gov
The EPA maps the worst greenhouse gas offenders in the US. The EPA has developed an interactive map to help you understand who the major greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters are in the USA. “EPA’s online data publication tool allows users to review information quickly and easily by filtering GHG data in a variety of ways including by facility, industry, location, or gas. The tool displays data in two distinct sections: “Direct emitters” are facilities that combust fuels or otherwise put GHGs into the atmosphere directly from their facility. This data is the default view for the tool. “Suppliers” are those entities that supply certain fossil fuels or fluorinated gases into the economy which, when combusted, released or oxidized emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This data may be found by accessing the suppliers section of the publication tool.”
15 Resolutions for a Greener New Year. There are lots of zero cost green resolutions on the list from the Daily Green created by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Green basics like recycling, using reusable bags over plastic, and banning bottled water in favour of reusable bottles and good old fashion tap water make for excellent resolutions that are also easy to implement. One resolution that I immediately followed up on for my own household was to stop receiving those unwanted catalogues, which I seem to unintentionally stockpile and then eventually recycle. 19 billion catalogues are mailed in the US annually which requires 53 million trees to produce, not to mention the carbon footprint to deliver it to your mailbox. It’s time to get off those mailing lists sending you catalogues you aren’t even looking at. Besides, what’s in the catalogue is also available online which is a much greener way to shop anyway.
8 Steps to a Healthy Home: The Key for a Healthy Body and Planet. This article from the Huffington Post is a nice compliment to the green resolutions from the NRDC. Again, simple green tips for a healthy planet and healthier you. In fact, some of the steps suggested are also on the green resolution list like avoiding toxic chemicals and green cleaning with vinegar and baking soda instead; or eliminating bottled water with tap water and reusable bottles; or simply buying local and organic.
Got any green resolutions of your own? Sound off in the comments. Stay tuned for more green news.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
DIY Fruit and Vegetable Wash Helps Combat Pesticides
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome back for our weekly DIY series featuring various Do-It-Yourself health and wellness recipes or green DIY projects. This week, it’s all about fruits and vegetables and getting them clean affordably with an all natural DIY Fruit and Vegetable wash. We previously covered the top 10 dirtiest foods with pesticide residue and now it’s time to cope with those pesticides sometimes found in abundance on your favourite produce (hello, apples!). Over the next couple of weeks we’ll explore how vinegar can help with your green cleaning while simultaneously saving you a lot of money on cleaning products that are often laced with toxic chemicals and not environmentally friendly.
Photo credit: iStockphoto.com
Vinegar is a harmless, all-natural cleaning product with no toxic chemicals. Plus it’s incredibly cheap to buy and you can buy in bulk and pay even less. This recipe for DIY Fruit and Veggie wash is courtesy of Planet Green:
What you need:
1 spray bottle
1 tbsp. lemon juice (use fresh lemon juice if possible)
2 tbsp. baking soda
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup of filtered water
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients well in a sprayer bottle.
2. Shake before use.
3. Spray produce (except mushrooms, because they absorb and retain water) and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
4. Rinse well.
Preparation time:
This is the best part; the prep time is under 5 minutes.
So with a few simple steps, you have your own natural DIY Fruit and Vegetable wash that practically costs pennies because vinegar and water are the majority of the ingredients. Green cleaning couldn’t be any easier or more inexpensive. Why pay for a store-bought fruit and veggie wash when you can make one at home in minutes for a fraction of the cost?
November 30, 2011
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Tags: affordable green cleaning, all natural cleaning, DIY Fruit and Veggie Cleaner, DIY Fruit and Veggie Wash, DIY Green Cleaning, environmentally friendly, Green Cleaning, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions, pesiticides, pesticide residue, planet forward, planet green, reusable bags, reusable bottles, reusable lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, reusable stainless steel bottles, reusable water bottles, stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, stainless steel water bottles, top 10 dirtiest foods, top 10 dirtiest foods with pesticides, top ten dirtiest foods, toxic chemicals, vinegar, waste-free lunch bagsNissan Turns Over A New Leaf
Posted by: | CommentsLast year was the year that the long awaited electric car came one step closer to becoming reality. What brought this on was two major car companies brought viable electric car models to market: Nissan’s Leaf and Chevrolet’s Volt. Nissan’s Leaf model has so far out sold Chevrolet’s at 10,100 units compared to Volt’s 2,029.
Nissan recently unveiled that their Leaf can also double as a backup of generator to a house as it as the capability to feed energy back into the house. They say it can power the average Japanese household for forty-eight hours. This is an important selling point in post tsunami Japan where power outages are still occurring. Not to mention they are trying to phase out nuclear power, and until other grids are in place there are gaps in service.
And in renewable energy news: “Last month Nissan also demonstrated a system whereby electricity is generated through 488 solar cells that were installed on the roof of its headquarters in Yokohama near Tokyo. Nissan said that four batteries from the Leaf were placed in a box in a cellar-like part of the building, and stored the electricity generated from the solar cells, which is enough to fully charge 1,800 Leaf vehicles a year.”
It’s not just in Japan that the electric car is coming closer to fruition. In early August the Ontario government announced eighty million dollars to promote investment in electric car charging stations. If governments are willing to help put in the infrastructure needed to support the electric car not only is the idea a popular one amongst the general public, but also it will entice people to purchase an electric car in the future. One of the main concerns around electric cars, for everyday consumers, would be how to charge it when not at home.
On top of that the Ontario government offers up to eighty-five hundred dollars in incentives to buyers of electric cars, as they are entitled “to a green plate that grants them access to high occupancy vehicle lanes.”
This demonstrates that both the private and public sectors can work together to promote viable green alternatives like electric cars.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW!
