HOW TO CHOOSE SAFE COSMETICS
Trying to stay green and healthy should not end with recycling but also involve the cosmetics we use, be it make up or lotion and moisturizers. However, the long ingredient lists including names that are hardly pronounceable make choosing a safe cosmetic quite difficult. To make things easier for consumers, “The Green Guide” has developed a “Dirty Dozen” list, which contains ingredients you should avoid when purchasing a new personal care product.
The list is as follows:
Antibacterials
Coal tar colors: FD&C Blue 1, Green 3
Diethanolamine (DEA)
1,4-Dioxane
Formaldehyde (diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea and quaterniumcompounds)
Fragrance (containing phthalates)
Lead and mercury
Nanoparticles
Parabens (methyl-, propyl-, butyl-, ethyl-, isobutyl-)
Petroleum distillates
p-Phenylenediamine [...] Continue Reading…
RAIN DROPS FALLING…
It is becoming increasingly vital to conserve water, especially in the hot and dry season. Unfortunately, dry spells only make things worse as people use up to 40% of their average water consumption outdoors (watering lawns, plants, washing cars, etc).
For those of us who are more environmentally conscious, there are a few things that can be done to maintain that lawn green and not waste water:
Collect the rain water in a barrel connected to the gutter system. An inch of rain gathered on a 1000 square foot roof provides up to 600 gallons of fresh water.
When purchasing a barrel, look [...] Continue Reading…
TANKLESS WATER HEATER?
There is a new and quite revolutionary utility device on the market and it is a tankless water heater, or as it is also known “demand” or “instantaneous” water heater. This type of heater is extremely effective (up to 34% more), mainly because it heats water as needed. The conventional heaters, on the other hand, keep water in and heat it repeatedly as it cools down. This contributes to around 9% of a household cost of water heating.
Moreover, the tankless heaters are water efficient as well, which is most likely the bets part about it since this precious natural [...] Continue Reading…
PAPER STORY- part II
Since now you know the problems and concerns surrounding both paper production and consumption, you probable wonder what you can do to minimize the damage done not only to our health but the environment as well.
Here are some tips for shopping and usage:
Look for acid-free paper, especially if you want your work to last a long time. Most processes leave the paper slightly acidic, which affects its lasting capabilities.
Purchase light weight paper, since it requires fewest materials to create it and most of it should meet your printing and copying needs.
Recycle used paper. Not only does recycling save trees, [...] Continue Reading…
PAPER STORY—part I
Paper production is an increasing concern around the world since it is predicted that it will rise in nearly half by 2010. Computer usage, contrary to expectations, did not reduce paper consumption and household printing constitutes a big part of the problem. In addition, only 20% of office or other business paper is recycled in the US. Paper production has many destructive side effects that include health, environmental and social issues.
Here is a glimpse of the issues surrounding paper production:
Health—milling logs into paper involves using chlorine or chlorine derivatives for bleaching, which combined with organic matter (such as pulp) [...] Continue Reading…