TheGoGreenBlog.com

When defrosting frozen foods, either plan ahead by placing frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or defrost them in the microwave rather then running them under warm water. By doing this, you have the potential to save 50 to 150 gallons of water per month.

Greenify your family’s dinner by planning ahead!

With summer right around the corner, lots of people like to enjoy the warm weather by going out on a boat. This can be great fun, but you need to protect the waters. One way is to use a funnel when refueling your water vehicles. This will help to avoid spills.

Greenify your family’s dinners by turning the oven off 10 - 15 minutes before the baking time runs out. By doing this, the food will continue to cook in the already warm oven without using wasting any extra electricity.

Most families go through at least one gallon of milk a week. Even if you recycle each container, that’s still a lot of waste! Keep those plastic milk jugs out of the landfill by reusing.

Here are 5 ways to reuse plastic gallon & 1/2 gallon milk jugs:

1- Painting: Cut the front, top quarter off, keeping the bottom and handle in tact. Fill with paint for a portable, easy to hold bucket.

2- Piggy Bank: Cut a 1/4 inch slit near the top of the milk jug & drop all your extra spare change into the jug. Before you know it, it will be full and time to go to the bank to cash in. You can also decorate your new penny saver to match any decor.

3- Scoop: This works best with a 1/2 gallon jug, having the handle as the top of your scoop. Cut diagonally around the jug until you have a nice scoop shape. For a bit of a lip to your scoop, keep a little bit of the bottom of the jug intact. This is super useful for things like birdseed, fertilizer, dog food and potting soil.

4- Lantern: Cut of the top of the gallon jug, fill the container with sand and a votive candle. If you have several, you can line a walkway or driveway to welcome guests.

5- Plant Markers: Cut the jug into strips, write plant varieties in permanent marker, and stick it in the dirt for easy reference.

Fleece is not a natural fiber but it is still eco-friendly because it can be made from recycled materials like plastic soda bottles. It takes about 25 plastic bottles to make an adult sized fleece garment.

Fleece is the ideal alternative to wool, and is a great cozy layer to wear outdoors or indoors instead of raising the thermostat on those cold days.

Easter is right around the corner and fast approaching. Before you know it, it will be Sunday morning, March 23rd, and the kiddies will be racing around the back yard looking for eggs. Instead of using fake plastic eggs, or dying real eggs with those nasty chemically filled pellets that come with traditional decorating kits…Greenify your Easter egg hunt by using free farmed organic eggs & natural dyes.

Natural dyes are awesome. In fact, they give you more color possibilities then the toxic pellets, including every shade of the rainbow from reds to yellows to blues and greens and everything in between.

All you need to do is boil your eggs in water with a bit of vinegar and one of the natural dye ingredients below, then let simmer for at least 15 minutes. And presto! You have beautiful colored organic eggs that are super eco-friendly!

Pink - Use beets, cranberries, or raspberries
Red - Use red onion skins, or pomegranate juice
Orange - Use yellow onion skins, or paprika
Dark Orange - Use chili powder
Yellow - Use carrot tops, ground cumin or turmeric, orange or lemon peels
Green - Use spinach
Blue - Use red cabbage
Lavender - Use purple grape juice
Brown - Use coffee, tea, or black walnut shells

Got a new toothbrush? Don’t know what to do with the old one?
Don’t throw them away. Instead toss them in the dishwasher for a good sanitizing, and use them around the house. They are great for cleaning just about any small space in your home, car or office.

Top 10 Ways To Re-Use Your Old Toothbrush:
1- Spot clean laundry, carpet or your furniture upholstery with a non-toxic cleaner & scrub the spot with your old toothbrush
2- Clean vents, blinds and window screens with your old toothbrush and some warm soapy water
3- Make your jewelry shine again with your old toothbrush and some warm soapy water
4- Scrub around the blades of your manual or electric can opener with your old toothbrush and some warm soapy water
5- Scrub shower corners, tile and tile grout with your old toothbrush and an eco-friendly cleaner
6- Clean out electric razors with your old toothbrush
7- Clean under your finger & toe nails with your old toothbrush and some warm soapy water
8- Clean and oil tools and car parts with your old toothbrush
9- Save your fingers and clean your cheese graters with your old toothbrush
10- Use your old toothbrush for any fun and funky art project

Green to Grow is a new company, founded by the need for eco-friendly alternative products for babies.

Husband & wife team, Michael & Shelley Ritterbrow, began Green to Grow, with a commitment to provide the best possible care for their son. As they researched products & materials they were alarmed at the potential dangers presented by polycarbonate plastic, which contains the hormone disruptor bisphenol A. Dissatisfied that there were no eco-friendly options for their new baby boy, they started Green to Grow.

Green to Grow bottles are produced from Polyethersulfone (PES), which is a BPA-free plastic and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The nipples for the bottles are made from a medical grade silicone, which is nitrosamines free.

Green to Grow uses 100% recycled paper and soy inks, they donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental causes, and they also have programs in place to help recycle used bottles.

Their bottles start at around $8…check them out.

TreeHuggerTV and nutrition expert Marion Nestle take us grocery shopping where they teach us the pros & cons of selecting organic fruit and vegetables in the supermarket.