“Peak” energy hours are the time of day during which the most electricity is used – typically the daytime. The high usage of energy can strain the electrical grid, can cause brown / black outs and even the use of older (dirtier) backup plants. It is best to have the energy usage spread out more evenly throughout the day to prevent these things from happening. As an incentive, most utility companies offer a two-tiered rate plans, charging less for energy used during off-peak hours.

If you run your dishwasher, washing machine and other energy intensive appliances during off-peak electric times, you’ll save on energy and in turn money. Off-peak hours are different for every area, but are usually after 9pm and before 7am during the week.

Instead of tossing out those old used coffee grounds put them to good use to make yourself beautiful. Coffee grounds can actually help improve the quality of your skin by:

• Exfoliating
• Preventing and diminishing fine lines and wrinkles
• Balancing pH
• Controlling blemishes
• Pulling toxins from the skin
• Moisturizing

Here are a few different beauty treatments that you can do at home with your old used coffee grounds to help enhance your skin & hair.

• Face Mask – Mix a quarter-cup of used coffee grounds with an egg white for an at home skin tightening mask.
• Exfoliant – Massage your face with coffee grounds for an exfoliating scrub that will leave you with a radiant glow.
• Cellulite Treatment – To combat cellulite, mix a tablespoon of olive oil with a quarter-cup of moist, warm coffee grounds and apply to the troublesome areas of your body. Wrap the areas tightly with plastic wrap, leave on for a few minutes, and then remove and shower as normal. It’s recommended that this be done a couple times a week for best results.
• Hair Color Enhancer - Coffee grounds can add shine to brunette and black hair, improve scalp health, and prevent dandruff. In the shower, rub some used coffee grounds throughout your hair in between shampooing and conditioning. Make sure to distribute the grounds thoroughly and then rinse. Unless you want darker hair, you’ll want to avoid this one, blondes!

It’s the end of August and time for the kids to go back to school.

Back to school is the perfect time to start adopting some greener habits you & your whole family can practice all year long. Below are the top ten tips to going back to school the green way.

Top Ten Eco-Friendly Back to School Tips:

1. Ride your bike or walk to school whenever possible.
2. Use last year’s backpack.
3. Use a reusable lunch box & water bottle, instead of disposable.
4. Buy local & organic foods & snacks to pack in lunches
5. Buy recycled paper, notebooks & other supplies.
6. Use refillable pens & pencils.
7. Buy a canvas & cardboard binders, instead of plastic.
8. Buy used books.
9. Buy new school clothes from a second hand shop.
10. And don’t forget to always recycle.

It’s good to occasionally check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer. You want to make sure it’s set according to the manufacturer’s manual, so you don’t waste extra energy.

In general the EPA recommends keeping refrigerators at 37 degrees Fahrenheit and freezers at 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything colder is probably overkill, and just a big waste of energy.

It may sound difficult, but making homemade organic baby food at home is super simple and has huge benefits for your baby, the environment and your wallet.

All you need to do is buy fresh organic fruits & veggies at the local farmer’s market, cook them and blend/puree. You can even make extra and freeze in reusable single serving containers or in ice cube trays for later use.

By doing the leg work yourself you know what’s actually going into your baby’s food, giving yourself peace of mind that your baby is getting the freshest organic foods.

If you have the option, use a toaster oven instead of a conventional oven. Why? Because you’ll save on time and use far less energy.

Tests have shown that a well-insulated toaster oven, with plenty of room for air to circulate around it, consumes half the energy than a conventional oven does. Plus, using a toaster oven will keep your kitchen cooler, meaning less work for your AC and even more energy savings.

But what can one cook in a toaster oven besides toast & bagels?
Toaster ovens are great for casseroles, cheesy nachos, small pizzas and my all-time fave the grilled cheese sandwich.

So get creative & be eco-friendly in your kitchen this summer with the toaster oven.

Going green can be super easy with books like Robin Pharo’s ‘You Don’t Have to Wear Hemp Underwear: Changing the World Without Changing Your Life‘.

In Robin’s book she develops an approach that allows all of us to participate in living a more eco-friendly life. She offers a unique way to decide what each of us can do without forcing painful changes in our lives. In her book, she puts a new spin on things by describing seven personality types and how each can contribute in unique ways to an environmentally healthier world for all of us.

Buy Robin’s book now!

Just say no to those electric mosquito zappers. Several studies have shown that they are inefficient at killing the pesky biting insects, but great at turning beneficial ecologically important bugs into charred insects.

Part of the problem is that traditional zappers merely emit UV light as an attractant, however mosquitoes could care less about the light. Newer models, such as the Mosquito Magnet, release CO2, which does excite the biting bugs. All and all they work better, but do cost a bundle.

I still recommend just using a good old eco-friendly spray to keep those mosquitoes at bay.

Keeping your lawn longer will require less watering; saving you time, money and of course water. This works because the length of the blade will shade the roots more and help prevent the soil from drying out. According to Paul Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual, cutting your grass to 3 or 4 inches tall can reduce evaporation by 70% to 80% getting you greener grass with less work.

Kick off the summer this Memorial Day Weekend by greenifying your BBQ Party. Here are the top 5 ways to make your Memorial Day shindig a little more sustainable.

• Grill - A solar powered grill is the most eco-friendly way to grill these days, but if that’s not an option for you opt for a grill that burns natural gas rather than charcoal, as it is cleaner.
• Food - Shop at a local farmer’s market for your BBQ ingredients. You can usually find great local organic produce, breads & meats.
• Tableware - Switch to biodegradable dishes.
• Napkins – Use washable napkins to reduce paper waste.
• Compost - Compost leftover food scraps & other organic trash.

Happy Grilling!