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GreenLifestyle Newsletter October 2008 October 21, 2008

By Founders of BioCleanMaid.com

This month we wanted to bring you an exiting topic, Money…instead of School.

Everybody is talking about so we decided to jump on it too. But in different way,

instead of worrying about, we’ll share some “tips & tricks of the trade“.

First who’s your source of money?

You should not trust the economy, banks or your job for the source of money. We believe a a more higher-power. God is our source…He’s the provider, the Creator of all. Learn how to enter into partnership with Him, before it’s too late. We did 4 yrs ago, by reading Malachi 3:10 and by getting close to him. The goodies about this are:

• worry-free lifestyle
• continual supply
• increase in your actual income
• true peace in your personal life

Second, start thinking on solutions not problems.

The nature off mankind is to be ungrateful and most of the time we just focus on what we do not have. Think in 3 new ways you can increase your income examples:

• Start a Business that works with or without you, something that can expand larger than you.
• Create some Business cards with your expertise (i.e photographer, wedding planner, pet-sitter) and give them to 50 people you know. And yes we all know 50 people…but remember do not think small (by yourself).
• Create a blog, where you write in your free-time about your passions or expertise and create an audience. Later you’ll find your self with readers and eventually you can sell advertising spots, or membership to more valuable info. WordPress.com is a great site to start your blog.
• Read a book on personal Finances i.e Rich Dad-Poor Dad, Secrets Of The Richest Man Who Ever Lived
  
• or a crazy book to help you get create some cool idea such as Blink the Power of Thinking without Thinking

Third, Increase your skills, performance or production in your work place or business

Most people work using 50% of their full potential. Here some boosters:

• Dream daily,  think on the things, desires and goals that motivates you and set a 6 month action plan to achieve.
• Eat organic and open your eyes for my gold tip: read the labels on each product you eat and look for this ingredient: High Fructose Corn Syrup. If you do this you will gain strength, reduce weight and increase performance overall.
• Skills are gained by learning: Download audio books or take a new online course in your field. You can raise you knowledge by 50% for less than $500.00 and increase you income.

Fouth, rest better-sleep the smart way

• Get a tempur-pedic mattress
• Buy a CD on relaxing sounds see example and listen for 3 hrs when you go to bed.

Cool Website you should visit.

If you want to know how the Stuff that we use everyday moves, check this

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Being Green on Travel 1 of 1 September 22, 2008

GreenLifestyle Newsletter September 2008

by founders of BioCleanMaid.com

The Simple Steps

At the Hotel:

1. Use the same linens and towels in your hotel room throughout your stay.
2. Travel in groups. Put 4 people in a taxi instead of two and double the fuel efficiency. Better yet, catch the bus.
3. Pack lightly. Every 10 lbs per Traveler = 350 million gallons of jet fuel per yea

Flying

About 3 quarters of a billion people fly around the United States each year. This put more toxins in the air at higher altitude which can be more damaging to the air and ozone layer than ground level emissions.So, Offset your flying emissions at the Conservation Fund, click here and calculate Go Zero Carbon Calculator.

Driving

Yes, when traveling drive a hybrid or a more fuel-efficient vehicle. When in the city take a hybrid cab and share rides.

Ticketing

Use eTicket instead of paper ticket. We can save as much as 3 dollars per ticket and the airline industry could save as 3 billion annually by eliminating paper tickets altogether. Plus with the paper saved you’d have enough to provide boarding passes for all the people in India!

Hotel

The average hotel room consumes 209 gallons of water per a day. Look into visiting eco friendly hotels. You might just sleep easier knowing that you’re helping to use 20% less water and 40% less energy that you’d be using if you were staying in a standard hotel room.

Destination

Try eco-tourism which focuses on local culture and promotes environmental awareness. Also pumps $250 billion into the economies of developing countries!

Lakes, oceans, rivers, wetlands

Make sure to not leave trash behind and do not step on fragile aquatic habitat such a coral.

Mail

Stop delivery over your mail while you’re away. Every penny of transportation counts. Too much! Just one cent increase in fuel prices costs the Post Office $8,000,000. Add a stop delivery of your newspapers while you’re away. About 30% of all newspapers are thrown in the trash, not recycled.

Appliances

Before leaving home unplug your appliances where possible. Residential Consumers in the United States spend more than $5 billion annually on stand-by power alone; about 5% of all electricity consumed in the country!

Thermostat

When you are away adjust your thermostat to 50 degrees during cold months and to 85 degrees in hot months. The US uses $1 million worth of energy every minute. You can help to lower that by turning the dial.

Toiletries

Pack your own shampoo, soap, and toothpaste. You’ll create less plastic waste. A single 300-room hotel in Las Vegas uses more than150,000 plastic bottles of shampoo per year.

Camera

Use digital camera instead of one that needs film. Avoid using disposable cameras, some 686 million rolls of film are processed each year and more than half end up in the trash.

Water bottles

Use and refill a single water bottle, thermos, or canteen when you travel. It takes 1.5 Million barrels of oil annually to satisfy America’s demand for bottled water.

Souvenirs

Buy souvenirs from local manufacturers rather than trinkets made somewhere else. It helps support the economy’s of sites your visiting .

Green Resources

If you like mountain gear check this Green company Altrec Outdoors

Stop all junk mail by 90%

» Quick Actions to make a difference:

1. Get active make happen at least 3 items on the list.
2. Mail this information to the top 3 people in your life.

being green on entertainment August 28, 2008

GreenLifestyle Newsletter August/Sept 2008

by founders of BioCleanMaid.com

being green on entertainment

part 1 of 1

The simple steps (excerpts from the green book)

1. Use fewer napkins everywhere.

2. Buy rechargeable batteries.

3. Drink tap water when dinning out.

The little things

• Albums: about one million vinyl LP’s are still sold each year in the United States instead of just tossing your old records in the trash, you may be able to sell them for about $10 each.

• Books: use the library or buy second hand books.

• Candy: buy loose or wrap candy from the bin if you can.

• Compact disks: download from iTunes instead of purchasing them at the store.

• DVD’s: rent DVD’s instead of buying them or use iTunes (also netflix.com, greencine.com)

• Gift wrap: reuse ribbons or use other paper materials like old newspaper or old maps.

• Invitations: use electronic invitations or choose “chlorine-free post consumer recycled paper”.

• Magazines: subscribe to your favorites magazine instead of buying them from a newsstand.

• MP3 players: recycle or return to manufacturer. (or send to www.erecycler.net Dallas based company that takes your e-waste)

• Newspapers: subscribe to and recycle your newspapers.

• Placeware: use porcelain plates, silverware and glasses instead of plastic and paper.

• Popcorn: share your popcorn when you are at the movies instead of buying multiple cartons of bags.

• Restaurants: take home what you don’t need, and ask for as little packaging as possible.

• Soda:  If you have to choose choice buy soda from the fountain in a paper cup instead of a can or a plastic bottle.

• Televisions: unplug your TV when it’s not in use you’ll save money and energy between 10% to 15%  percent of a TV’s energy still used when it’s been powered off.

• Tickets: buy your movie and event tickets online or via telephone and print them at home.

• Video cameras: sell, donate or recycle your video camera rather than tossing it. Consumers will throw  about 400 million electronics this year. E-waste the fastest growing segment of municipal waste. (or send to www.erecycler.net Dallas based company that takes your e-waste)

Amazing green website you should visit:
We’re always looking for interesting things to share with you, this month we found two cool things/sites, below you’ll see Vitalicious a company that makes baked goods, with the good stuff in them. And also one called Vitasoy, soy snacks with a twist.

Vitalicious: Better-For-You 100 Calorie Baked Goods

Genisoy – Soy that tastes good

Quick Actions to make a difference:

1. Get active make happen at least 3 items on the list.
2. Mail this information to your top 3 people in your life

Any comments? visit joinEco.wordpress.com and post. Helps us make the GreenNewsletter better.  We’re open  to comments.

Next month’s:

being green on travel

Be Green @ Home Part 2 0f 2 July 29, 2008

GreenLifestyle Newsletter July 2008
We continue on part 2 of 2. Check it out.

In this issue: from the green book I’m reading

@ Home

In the living room

• Fire place: Keep your fire place damper closed, unless a fire is going.
  
• Junk mail: Rid yourself of junk mail or at least recycle it.
  
• Light bulbs: Dust your light bulbs and change them to compact fluorescent-only when they burn out.
• Matches vs. lighters: When choosing between matches and lighters, choose matches. Lighters are made of petroleum derivate.
• Shades drapes: Close the curtains when it’s sunny in the summer and when its cold in the winter and you could reduce your energy needs by up to 25%.
  

In the utility closet

• Air conditioner and furnace filters: Instead of having to replace your disposable air filter several times a year, consider buying a permanent one that can be washed and reused indefinitely
  
• Dry cleaning: If you most use cleaners, find a green dry cleaner company (Dallas: swiss cleaners by mockingbird & 75)
• Dryers: Clean your drying lint screen and don’t overload the dryer
• Phone books: Recycle them. Better yet, call to stop phone book delivery and then use an on-line telephone directory instead.
• Washers: Set warm wash and cold rinse cycles, and save 90% over the energy used when machine using hot water only.
  
• Water heaters: Wrap your water heater in an insulating blanket to store heat.

In the Garage

• Car idling : limit the amount of time you let your vehicle’s engine  and keep the garage door open.
  
• Car wash:  Washing your car in a commercial car wash is better for the environment than doing it yourself in the backyard.

In the Backyard

• Drip irrigation:  For flower beds and gardens, use drip irrigation, or soaker hoses instead of regular sprinklers. Save up to 70% of water.
• Hoses: Fit your garden hose with an automatic shut off nozzle in order to prevent waste when the water is turn on and hose is not being used.
  
• Lawn care: Cut your grass so it’s two inches high and leave the clippings on the lawn.
  
• Pool: Cover the pool when your aren’t using it and you would cut water lost to evaporation by 90 percent and therefore the cost of replenishing it.
  
• Outdoor lighting: Turn off your outside lights when they are not needed. If possible use timers or motion sensors.
• Sprinklers: Try to use your sprinklers in early morning or evening. The average lawn needs only about one hour of watering per week.

Cool green website you should visit

Ecofoot.org

Quick Actions to make a difference:

1. Get active make happen at least 3 items on the list.
2. Mail this information to your top 3 people in your life

Any comments? visit joinEco.wordpress.com and post. Helps us make the GreenNewsletter better.  We’re open  to comments.

Next month’s:
being green on entertainment

Be Green @ Home Part 1 of 2 June 23, 2008

GreenLifestyle Newsletter June 2008

This month, I want to share interesting easy, accomplishable steps to become a greener human, no I’m not going to tell you to move to the amazon and live out of the nature…but I’m sure that if we’re educated we can become part of the solution. Being green just makes sence, save your pocket$, your health and the planet the Lord has given us.

In this issue: from the green book I’m reading

• be green @ Home on this issue Part 1

@ Home

The Simply Steps

1. Take a shorter shower.

2. Set your thermostat a degree higher
for air conditioning and degree lower for heating.

3. Recycle

In the kitchen

• Composing: Keep your kitchen straps scraps from fruits
  vegetables and coffee grounds that come posting bin or container.

• Dishwasher: Run full loads only

• Food waste: When cooking and baking try to avoid wasting food by using
  perishable ingredients before they spoil. Measuring and carefully and
  saving leftovers for future meals instead of throwing them away.

• Garbage
  disposal: Use cold water when you run your garbage disposal.

• Microwave: Keep your microwave clean and you’ll be able to maximize its energy.

• Refrigerator: Keep your head out of the refrigerator and the door
  closed.

• Storage containers: Instead of using plastic, store your food
  in glass or porcelain containers.

• Stove: Use the right-size pod on
  your stove burners.

• Trash bags: Use left over paper or plastic as liners for your trash cans.

• Water filters: If you want to be sure that tap water in you house is
  clean, try installing water filters on your faucet instead of buying
  bottled water. You will save money overtime and get better tasting
  water.

In the bath

• Brushing your teeth: Turn off the tap while you
  brush your teeth.

• Shaving: Instead of letting the water run when you
  brush your teeth brush while your waiting for a water to get hot for
  your shave.

• Shower curtains: Avoid plastic containers (you don’t really
  need them) with your shower curtains and you will keep unnatural vinyl
  plastics out of the landfills.
• Toilet: Try to flush just one last
  time per day, and you will save about 4.5 Gallons.
• Tub: Plug the drain in the tub before turning on the water when you take bath.

Cool green website you should visit

Stop Junk Mail for $0.00 yeap!

Quick Actions to make a difference:

1. Get action in action.

2. Mail this information to your top 3 people in your life

Any comments? visit joinEco.wordpress.com and post. Helps us make the GreenNewsletter better. We’re open to comments.

Next month’s:

Part 2 of @ Home

10 Things to Look for When Buying Eco-Friendly Furniture June 3, 2008

GreenLifestyle Newsletter May 2008 (a little late but here you go!)

In this issue: from our Friends at planetgreen

• Eco-Friendly furniture what to look for
  
• Brands that will help your Green Lifestyle!
• Cool green website you should visit

What’s the Big Deal with Furniture?

Some people obsess over furniture. Others hardly even notice it’s there. One way or the other, making environmentally savvy choices in furnishing your home or office can make a big difference in your impact on the planet and your health. The modern sustainability movement has attracted such a large number of innovative designers that it’s hard to know where to start. In this article we won’t be listing every green furniture company or designer under the sun but rather give a rundown of basic concepts that might guide your search. Of the specific products and brands we <do mention, not all will be budget-friendly for everyone–at this point, a lot of the green design is still specialty stuff, and thus pretty high-end. But don’t worry. There are always cost effective ways to go green.

Eco-Friendly furniture what to look for

1. Certified sustainable wood

Whether a piece of furniture is made from wood, cloth, metal, plastic, or whatever else, there are earth-friendly options. When cave people realized that boulders weren’t the most comfortable things to sit on, wood was almost certainly where they looked, so let’s start there. The world needs more trees, not less, so practices that lead to deforestation aren’t any good. Not only do trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, they keep the surface of the planet cool, they hold soil together so it can stay rich, and they provide the habitat that animals, insects, birds, and other plants call home, not to mention they support many people’s livelihood. Simply put, don’t mess with the trees. There are sustainable ways to harvest wood, however. Wood from sustainably harvested forests, sustainably harvested tree farms, and reclaimed wood are the main sources. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and its largest forest certifier, the Rainforest Alliance, is the most widely used standard for sustainable forestry.

2. Furniture made with reclaimed materials

If wood is taken care of, and sometimes even if it isn’t, it can last a really, really long time. So shouldn’t we be able to make good use of all the wood that’s already out there? A lot of designers think so and are doing just that. Reclaimed wood usually comes from old furniture, houses, or other built things that are ready for some friendly reincarnation, from flawed wood, or from scraps from a factory that makes other stuff. Some reclaimed wood even comes from logs that sunk to the bottom of rivers as they were being floated downstream to the sawmill, or from the bottom of man-made reservoirs (check out the Sawfish). Either way, furniture made from reclaimed wood is a great example of resource efficiency, but usually comes in shorter supply. The Rainforest Alliance has a Rediscovered Wood Certification label to look for.

3. Bamboo

You’ve probably heard by this point that bamboo isn’t a tree at all, but a grass. Bamboo represents a family of grasses that range in size from tiny to huge, and in color from lime green to maroon stripes. It is incredibly fast-growing and versatile and has become the unofficial poster material of environmental designers and builders. Bamboo can be flattened into flooring, molded into furniture, pressed into veneers, sliced up to make window blinds, or hey, you can just build your whole house out of it. Using bamboo in buildings earns architects and builders LEED points. Most bamboo comes from China and is grown with few of no pesticides. Because it is so fast growing, it is much easier to maintain healthy bamboo forests. This also means it uses a lot of water, however, and harvesting too fast can deplete soil fertility. Some growers do use pesticides and other chemical inputs, however, so keep that in mind. But for the most part, bamboo is one of the greenest materials around.

4. Recycled/recyclable metal and plastic

Since both metal and plastic are recyclable, at least in theory, these can be considered eco-friendly materials for furniture. More and more furniture is being made from recycled plastics and metals as well, like the recycled aluminum Icon Chair . Recycled materials require less processing and fewer resources, and help support the market for recycled materials. Technologies are always improving, meaning that recycled plastics and metals are always going up in quality. It’s not all about materials, though, so here are some basic guiding principles to keep in mind when looking for furniture.

5. Recyclable and disassemblable

Good eco-friendly furniture should lend itself to easy repair, disassembly, and recycling. Products certified by MBDC’s C2C (Cradle 2 Cradle) product regimen are a perfect example, like certified office chairs from Herman Miller and Steelcase. These product can be easily taken apart, sorted into their constituent parts, and recycled at the end of their useful lives. When buying furniture, stay away from “monstrous hybrids,” pieces that are an inseparable amalgam of materials. If they can’t be taken apart it’s probably a sign that they can’t be repaired very well either.

6. Look for furniture that’s durable and fixable

One of the most important but often overlooked aspects of green products (and this definitely goes for furniture) is durability. If something is tough and/or can be readily repaired, this lessens the chance that it’ll end up in the landfill, and could easily save you money in the long run, even if it’s initially more expensive. Even recyclable materials if they break (and can’t be fixed) require energy and other resources to reprocess and then replace. Durable goods that will last a long time can be passed on from person to person. Even if your style changes and that kitchen table isn’t your thing anymore, a good strong table will almost always be appealing to someone else, while a broken (and unfixable) one probably won’t. When it’s time to part with your possessions, think of Craigslist, Freecycle, or eBay, and find it a new home.

7. Low-toxicity furniture

When you buy a piece of furniture, bring it home, and set it down in a room, it doesn’t just sit there. No matter what it’s made out of, chances are, it’s offgassing (or releasing substances into the air). Almost everything offgasses, which isn’t necessarily bad, but synthetic materials or those treated with synthetic substances can offgas chemicals which are toxic. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are the most common family of chemicals that are offgassed and have been linked to birth defects, endocrine disruption, and cancer. Flame retardants and formaldehyde are common VOCs offgassed by furniture. Especially if your home or office is well-insulated (which it should be for energy purposes) toxins can’t get out easily. In fact, studies have shown that air quality inside your house (or car) is often worse than outside. Everyone should be conscious of the kinds of chemicals they bring home, but especially if you have kids, pets, or other family members who are low to the ground and prone to licking things. There are some good ways to help maintain good indoor air quality when it comes to furniture choices.

Greenguard is a certification which ensures furniture is low toxicity. Herman Miller, Haworth, Knoll, and Izzydesign all offer Greenguard certified furniture options. Also, look for furniture that is untreated or treated with natural substances, like natural wood finishes, or naturally tanned leather. Organic cotton is also less likely to be treated with toxic stuff. Another great way to dodge toxic chemicals is to buy furniture that is vintage or second-hand and has already done most of its offgassing (just make sure it doesn’t carry anything worse, like lead paint). You can tell intuitively that new things offgas more actively–just think of that new car smell.

8. Buy vintage

With all the slick, mod, “eco” brands jumping into the market it can be hard to keep in mind that pre-owned goods can be the most green purchase of all. Vintage and second-hand and furniture requires no additional resources to manufacture, is often locally sources (cutting down on transportation), is pre-offgassed and eases the load on the landfill. Quality vintage furniture can also have excellent resale value (sometimes selling for the same price it was bought) which certainly can’t be said for most new furniture, green or otherwise.

9. Buy local

Just like the food on the dinner plate, we might be amazed how many miles the constituent parts of a piece of furniture might have had to travel in order to reach us. If possible, source furniture close to home. This will support the local economy, small craftspeople, and decrease the environmental cost of shipping (not to mention the other kind of cost).

10. What to do with it when you’re over it

We can’t promise we’re going to like something forever or that our furnishing needs won’t change. When it’s time to bid a chair, table, bed, or dresser farewell, make sure it goes to a good home. Sell it on Craigslist, eBay, or the local paper, give it away via Freecycle, or include it in your next yard sale. Putting it safely on the curb with a “free” sign on it can also do the trick. If you are the crafty type, lots of furniture can be repurposed into new functions or just freshened up with new paint or finish. No sturdy artifact should have to live out eternity in the landfill.

Brands to keep up green!

www.FeelMoreHuman.com
www.Hivemodern.com
www.greenhomeguide.com

Cool green website you should visit
Cool: Fridge Without Using Electricity!
FeelMoreHuman.com

Quick Actions to make a difference:

1. Get informed, by the sites provided
2. Mail this information to your top 3 people in your life

Any comments? visit joinEco.wordpress.com and post!

Next month’s:
Surprise!

30 Ways to Green-Up Your LifeStyle April 7, 2008

1. Eco-Action Tip: Sun Power
Adjust your window blinds to reduce energy used for heating and cooling. In the summer, keep sunny-side blinds closed. In the winter, open up and let the sunshine in to help heat your home.

2. Eco-Action Tip: Get Involved
Join a local action group that promotes environmentally friendly practices, organize carpooling or petition your municipality to increase local energy conservation measures. One person really can make a difference-and inspire others to as well!

3. Eco Action Tip: Plant a Tree, Seriously
A single tree can absorb one ton (2,000 pounds) of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. One acre of tree cover in Brooklyn can compensate for automobile fuel use equivalent to driving a car between 7,200 and 8,700 miles.

4. Eco-Action Tip: Go “Green” When You Clean
Many household cleaning products contain various chemicals and toxins detrimental to the environment and to your health. Read the labels!

Popular Brands: Ecover Dishwashing , switched! Wood & Stainless Steel Cleaner, Seventh Generation cleaners

5. Eco-Action Tip: Grow Your Own
Plant a garden or a few pots of veggies without pesticides and chemical fertilizers that can harm both human health and the environment. How delightful to step out the back door and pick a ripe, organic tomato!

6. Eco-Action Tip: Avoid Products with a Lot of Packaging
You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide a year if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

7. Eco-Action Tip: Drive Smart
Try walking, riding a bike or combining trips in your car to cut back on the miles that you drive each day. If you stopped driving just 20 extra miles per week for one year, you could save about 900 pounds of CO2 per year.

8. Eco-Action Tip: Office Overhaul
At home or on the job, switch to “green” office supplies, such as recycled paperclips, tree-free note pads and 100% recycled paper. Producing recycled paper requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.

9. Eco-Action Tip: Turn Out the Lights
Before leaving your home or office, make sure all of the lights are turned off. This simple task will save energy and save you money.

10. Eco-Action Tip: Buy Recycled Products
Buying new products made from recycled materials allows you to “close the loop,” creating a market for the recycled material items recycled curbside or in other recycling programs.

11. Eco-Action Tip: Switch to Organics
Organic agriculture protects the health of all the earth’s inhabitants by limiting input of toxic and persistent chemicals into the air, soil and water. Organic methods support natural ecosystems by using long-term farming solutions that help preserve the earth’s resources for future generations.

12. Eco-Action Tip: Start a Compost Pile in Your Yard
As landfill space becomes increasingly scarce and expensive, composting is an extremely valuable idea for reducing needless garbage. Composting requires little effort and, in time, will create an earthy, crumbly substance to help your plants flourish.

13. Eco-Action Tip: Buy in Bulk
Purchasing food in bulk allows you to choose just how much or how little of a certain product you want. This reduces both product waste and packaging waste.

14. Eco-Action Tip: Quench with Respect
80% of the 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles Americans use each year end up in landfills. Recycle your bottles, or better yet, choose to reuse with a refillable water bottle made of a refill-safe material.

15. Eco-Action Tip: Reduce Hot Water Use
Wash your clothes in cold or warm water to save up to 500 pounds of CO2 per year. Rinse your dishes with cold water (they don’t need two hot baths), and wait to run the dishwasher until it is full.

16. Eco-Action Tip: Recycle More
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.

17. Eco-Action Tip: Support Eco-Smart Packaging
When shopping for packaged products, seek out companies that use minimal amounts of packaging and use recycled and/or recyclable materials.

18. Eco-Action Tip: Be Disposable Conscious
To decrease waste, purchase durable, long-lasting products that can be reused or refilled, such as rechargeable batteries and refillable razors. If you do use disposables, choose those made with eco-friendly materials from companies you can trust.

19. Eco-Action Tip: Choose Your Food Like it Matters
Choose products from companies and businesses that do something to support the health of the planet. And, eat as many whole foods as possible. Not only are they better for you, but they’re better for the Earth. The more whole the food is, the fewer the resources used to get it to your plate.

20. Eco-Action Tip: Reuse Your Bags
More than one billion single-use plastic bags are handed to consumers each day and it takes a 15-year-old tree to produce just 700 grocery bags. Paper or plastic is no longer the question. Reusing shopping bags significantly reduces both emissions and waste. All Whole Foods Market stores offer at least a nickel-per-bag refund to encourage you!

21. Eco-Action Tip: Change a Light
Twenty percent of the electricity consumed in the United States is for lighting. Replacing one regular bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

22. Eco-Action Tip: Tread Lightly
Walk, bike, carpool or take mass-transit more often. You’ll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don’t drive, reducing your carbon weight, and maybe some body weight, too!

23. Eco-Action Tip: Turn Off Electronics
Simply turning off your TV, DVD player, stereo and computer when you’re not using them will save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Some appliances even use electricity when turned off, so unplug those used infrequently.

24. Eco-Action Tip: Think Before You Print
It takes 390 gallons of oil to produce a ton of paper. To reduce the amount of paper that gets thrown away or recycled, triple check documents before printing. When you print drafts, try printing on the other side of used paper.

25. Eco-Action Tip: Keep Your Appliances Clean
Cleaning your refrigerator coils and heating vents regularly allows them to operate much more efficiently. When appliances aren’t forced to work as hard, you reduce your electric bill while reducing energy.

27. Eco-Action Tip: Cut Back on Water Use
In the United States, 27 percent of our water is used in bathing. Instead of taking a bath, take a quick shower and use a water-conserving showerhead, which can save 350 pounds of CO2 a year. Repair leaky faucets, too, as they could leak up to 100 gallons of water per day!

28. Eco-Action Tip: Stop the Junk Mail Overload
The public landfill is approximately 36% waste paper products. Unwanted junk mail contributes to that, while also wasting energy and trees. Sign up for a “mail preference service” that can decrease the amount of mail you receive by up to 75%.

29. Eco-Action Tip: Don’t Trash Clothing
Use worn out t-shirts, towels and bed linens as rags for cleaning around the house. Pass along unwanted clothes to friends, family or charitable organizations.

30. Eco-Action Tip: Adjust Your Thermostat
Moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer could save 2,000 pounds of CO2.

Greendimes April 7, 2008

Greendimes

Spring Cleaning Tips- Allergy-Free Cleaning March 3, 2008

Finally here! Green Newsletter

Spring Cleaning Tips- Allergy-Free Cleaning

In this issue:

• Tools you must use for an allergy-free home
• Why not to use chemicals (regular cleaning products)
• Brands that will help your Green Lifestyle!

Here’s the complete info from the interview of BioClean Maid’s expert Karen and QuickDFW.com on effective Spring Cleaning tips!

Read it and share!

QUICK: 1. What are there tools that everyone should have that make cleaning a lot quicker, easier or more effective?

KAREN: *The dream cleaning tool is a steam cleaner. It uses “dry steam” to clean almost every type of surface, from showers to ovens, floors and even upholstery. It’s great since you’re not using chemicals but rather just water (boiling to at least 245 degrees fahrenheit) and sterilizes surfaces killing germs and dust mites (great for those with allergies and toddlers). Although they’re a bit pricy (average between $400 to $2600), they’re a powerful ‘green’ tool.

QUICK: 2. Are there different things you should keep in mind if you have allergies?

KAREN:*CHEMICALS CHEMICALS CHEMICALS! The real clean does not mean “chemical coctail” clean, but rather “fresh air” clean. Our skin is the body’s largest organ, absorbing pretty much everything we touch. If we are cleaning with chemicals (toxics) at some point we’ll have a “chemical reaction” or allergic reaction to those toxics.

*Also, most of our customers that have experienced allergies have pets, reason for which we use in our vacuums HEPA filters. These filters prevent particles and dust to recirculate in the air after being vacuumed. Even better when cleaning up pet hair.

QUICK: 3. What are you favorite cleaning products or homemade cleaning
products everyone should have around their home and for what purposes?

KAREN *Vinegar: mixed with water and scents, for windows and great to remove greasy marks.

*Borax & Baking Soda: For scrubbing toilets, tubs, and sinks (especially on porous surfaces).

*switched!: This is our exclusive wood and stainless steel polish that at BioClean Maid was created to meet the demands of a non toxic and non-streaky polish. It evolved from old organic recipes.

QUICK: 4. What is a good store bought or homemade cleaner for tub caulking?

KAREN: *You can also scrub with borax, or soak in vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. But when there’s mold underneath the caulking the best solution is to re-caulk the tub. Then you can keep up the shower or tub by using a squeegee or towel to ‘wipe’ down the walls and prevent moisture from harvesting the mold. Another simple method is to mix water and some vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the shower daily (being careful with tile or marble since vinegar can ‘eat’ up the stone if it’s not well coated and sealed-it’s better to try on a small spot first).

QUICK: 5. What are the best ways to get rid of mold spots? Spots on clothes?

KAREN: *See suggestions above and a Steam Cleaner.

*For spots on clothes…I’d try a decorative accent sown onto the cloth! Other than that a paste of water and baking soda or borax left overnight on the spot should loosen up the stain (a kind of prewash).

QUICK: 6. Anything else you recommend? Tricks most wouldn’t think of?

KAREN: *Cleaning a Microwave in 1 minute: Using the Vinegar and Water Mixture (50/50) in a spray bottle, spray generously inside the microwave surfaces, and heat up on high for 30 secs. It loosens up food residue making it easier and faster to clean.

Quick Actions to make a difference:

1. Get rid of household toxic products, visit health stores and get the 3 basic products (you do not need 30 different ones!) window cleaner vinegar based, Bon-Ami (scrubbing powder), Liquid Castile soap, Borax and switched! our exclusive wood and stainless steel polish . That’s all!

2. Add HEPA filter to your vacuum and/or tell your maid to put one in their vacuum.

By Karen La Spina: joinECO’s blog