As you are shopping for your Forth of July parties, think about buying disposable biodegradable tableware & cutlery.

Jaya Biodegradable has a great natural alternative for styrofoam and plastic silverware. Their forks, knifes, and spoons are made from sugar cane fiber that is a waste product of the sugar refining process. Their products are heat resistant to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, microwave safe, freezer safe and non-toxic. They also cut as well as any plastic fork.

EarthShell has an awesome alternative for styrofoam and plastic plates & bowls. Their dinnerware is made from renewable resources such as corn and potato starches and abundant limestone. Plus they are much sturdier than paper plates and microwave safe too.

Celebrate the Forth & the earth this July by buying biodegradable tableware.

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When making your coffee each morning think about using a reusable hemp filter or a reusable mesh filter instead of using a brand new paper filter every time you make yourself a cup of joe. Or better yet, go filterless with a french press.

This is just another simple, sustainable step to decreasing waste & the harvesting of trees as well as improving the taste of your morning java.

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When it is hot outside try to park your vehicle in a shady spot. This will help you save on fuel in 2 different ways.

The first is the obvious of keeping your vehicle cooler, which means you’ll run your air conditioner less, resulting in a substantial savings. The second is that it helps decrease the amount of fuel lost to evaporation. That’s because gasoline evaporates rapidly, even escapes from a closed tank, plus the whole process is sped up by high temperatures.

So on those hot hot summer days…seek out that shady spot in the parking lot & you’ll save!

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Next time you pick up a gallon of milk look for the words “no artificial hormones or antibiotics used” on the carton.

That’s because in 1993, the FDA approved the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), otherwise known as bovine somatotropin (rbST), in cows. Farmers inject this synthetic hormone into the cow to increase their milk production. Note that this same practice has been banned in Europe, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

According to the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, cows injected with rBGH tend to have a higher instance of udder infections called mastitis. As a result they are treated more often with antibiotics. This increase in drug use can contribute to the growth of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, a major public health concern.

Milk from the cows that are injected with rBGH are not marked or labeled, therefore dairy farmers who do not use rBGH voluntarily and proudly label their products with such wording as “no artificial hormones or antibiotics used.”

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I absolutely hate doing the dishes. My skin gets so dry and sometimes even cracks. I recently started using Seventh Generation natural dishwashing liquid and can’t recommend it enough. It gets my dishes sparkling clean with its safe non-toxic formula that is even tough on grease but yet it is still gentle on my skin. And the best part of Seventh Generation liquid is that it is super eco-friendly, because they use ingredients that do not pose any chronic health risks & are safe for the environment.

Seventh Generation Natural Dishwashing Liquid is…

• Hypo-allergenic
• Non-toxic & biodegradable
• Free of phosphates
• Safe for septic & greywater systems
• Not tested on animals
• Kosher-certified

Ingredients:
Lavender Floral & Mint
Aqua, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamide MEA and coceth-7, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, citric acid, essential oils and botanical extracts* (citrus aurantifolia, lavendula angustifolia, mentha spicata, mentha piperita, cananga odorata), hexahydro-1,3,5-tris (2-hydroxyethyl)-s-triazine (preservative, less than 0.05%). *d-limonene is a naturally occurring component of these ingredients.

Lemongrass & Clementine Zest
Aqua, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamide MEA and coceth-7, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, citric acid, essential oils and botanical extracts* (citrus clementina, citrus aurantium bergamia, citrus sinensis, cymbopogon citratus, carnarium luzonicum), hexahydro-1,3,5-tris (2-hydroxyethyl)-s-triazine (preservative, less than 0.05%). *D-limonene is a naturally occurring component of these ingredients.

Buy Now!

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Clean your microwave with a natural homemade cleaner. It’s simple & easy…Just mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda or lemon juice and 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the mixture for about five minutes or until the liquid boils and condensation builds up on the inside of the microwave. Wipe down & presto…Your microwave is as good as new!

Live Green by cleaning Green!

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The best time to water your garden is usually in the morning to maximize the efficiency of water used. This is because mornings tend to be cool, without strong winds, so the amount of water lost to evaporation is much less, than it would be during the day when it is hotter. What about the evening your say? Well, the evening is typically cooler like the morning, but plants then can stay damp over night and are more likely to be damaged by fungal and bacterial diseases.

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Bamboo is an excellent natural sustainable resource used for many different uses including food, building materials, and even some medicinal applications. One of my favorites is to use it as a fabric.

Bamboo fabric is made from the pulp of the bamboo grass, and is remarkably strong & resilient, yet amazingly soft & silky.

Bamboo fabric has many benefits to the one wearing it, including the following:

• You Stay Dryer – Bamboo fabric has the unique ability of wicking. It will pull moisture away from the skin so that it can evaporate and in turn keeping you dry. Bamboo fabric is 3-4 times more absorbent than cotton.
• You Stay Cooler - Bamboo fabric has a natural breathablity keeping you around 2 degrees cooler in hot weather.
• You Stay Fresher – Bamboo fabric is antibacterial & antifungal, keeping you fresh and odor-free for longer than cotton. But how can a fabric be antibacterial? Scientists found that bamboo owns a unique anti-bacteria and bacteriostasis bio-agent named “bamboo kun”. This substance bonds tightly with bamboo cellulose molecules during the normal process of bamboo fiber growth. This natural feature is retained in fabric form. Tests have shown that there is over 70% death rate after bacteria was incubated on bamboo fiber fabric. In addition, tests by the Japanese Textile Inspection Association found that, even after fifty washings, bamboo fabric still possessed these functions.

Bamboo fabric in addition has many benefits as a textile in general, including the following:

• Softness – Bamboo fabric is extremely soft making it very comfortable to wear directly next to the skin.
• Durability – Repeated tests have show its strength, and also that bamboo fiber has a high abrasion-proof capacity and also tenacity.
• Sensitivity – Bamboo fibers are very smooth & round causing very little irritation.

Bamboo fabric also has many benefits for the environment, including the following:

• Sustainability – Bamboo is sustainable, as it is the fastest growing plant in the world.
• Biodegradable – Bamboo fiber is 100% biodegradable.
• Natural – Bamboo thrives naturally without using any pesticides or fertilizers.

Because of all these reasons Bamboo is growing in popularity at a rapid rate.

Live Green by wearing Green…look for clothing made from bamboo fabrics.

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Improve your home’s indoor air quality by installing HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters.

Ordinary disposable fiberglass filters (that are in most homes) were designed to remove the largest particles from the air, with the goal of protecting your heating equipment, not your lungs. They trap only 10% to 40% of the debris passing through them. A HEPA filter, on the other hand, can remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles. These filters are made of randomly arranged fibers and are based on Department of Energy standards.

HEPA filters will help cut down on allergens & dust in your home, helping you & your family breath a little easier.

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When cooking smaller meals, save energy & time by using a microwave or a toaster oven rather than heating up your full-size oven.

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