RiverWired Blogs

Riverwired.com: How To Choose Earth-Friendly Bedding

jchait — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:13:44 -0400

Choosing earth-friendly bedding can be a pain. Currently, there are many green and natural options available when it comes to bedding - and while choice is good, it can also be confusing.

Here are some tips:

Choose organic: Many products say “Organic” but not all organic labels can be trusted. If you want to be 100% positive that you’re choosing real organic bedding, look for the USDA Organic label. This is not to say that all other organic labels are worthless, it’s just that the USDA label is regulated. If you see sheets in organic, and no USDA label, you can also go online and research the background of the company selling them. Their principles and practices can help you figure out how organic the company is.

Choose natural dyes: Many bedding companies use harsh treatments and colored dyes on their fabrics. You don’t need to sleep with that junk. Look for bedding that’s been dyed with natural means, such as veggie or mineral dyes or go with a plain and sophisticated unbleached colored bedding set. Also note that there are plenty of brightly naturally dyed options available. Natural dyes don’t mean you have to go with bland bedding.

Choose easy: Some natural bedding options are easier to care for than others. Yes you want non-toxic, but you also want long-lasting and easy to wash. Bedding that requires extra special care can waste your time, and it can cost more in the long run. Easy care natural bedding materials include choices like basic organic cotton, bamboo (when in an organic cotton blend), hemp (only special care is air drying), some wool (wool is not vegan and not all can be machine washed, but others can - check the label).

Always research your options before purchasing.

A few places to find natural bedding:

[Bedding image via Loop Bedding collection]

Riverwired.com: Alt Car Expo 2008 — Two Shows, Two Cities

khallgeisler — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:22:08 -0400

The Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo will roll into Santa Monica for the third straight year September 26-27, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. For the first time ever, the show will also set up camp in Texas, at the Austin Energy Alt Car Expo inside the Palmer Events Center October 17-18. Both events are free, free, free.

If you’re new to alternative-energy-powered vehicles, these events would be a good place to start. More than 150 exhibits will detail different fuels, such as hydrogen, hybrids, ethanol, electricity — both AC and DC — and even natural gas and propane. Experts will be on hand to answer any questions you may have, whether you’re an SUV driver thinking about driving greener or an engineer who converted his Porsche 914 to an AC motor.

Perhaps the most useful part of the expo is the Ride and Drive lot, where visitors can experience alternative fuels first-hand and evaluate their pluses and minuses from the driver’s (or passenger’s) seat. Seminars and panel discussions will be held during both weekends, featuring authors who’ve analyzed the future of the auto industry and movers and shakers from within the industry itself.

Riverwired.com: Green Carpet for Your Home

jchait — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:54:53 -0400

Technically green carpet is almost an unfair play on words. Carpet, by nature, is not so green. Having worked with people who install it, tear it out, and live with it, I know that carpet tends to be a pretty icky floor choice. There are things that you drag into your home, things that live in your carpet, that no one and no high powered vacuum can get rid of.

Wooden, earthen, stone, and other harder floor coverings are better green choices when it comes to health and how green you can clean it. Still, some people really want carpet. Carpet is a comfort issue for some people, and others just like how it looks. I figured I’d discuss one better carpet choice; because if you want it, you may as well keep it as green as possible.

Nature’s Carpet takes the hard out of choosing a level of green carpet for your home. Because “Green” is so variable, Nature’s Carpet divides their carpet products into three categories:

Dark Green
Medium Green
Light Green

This allows consumers to easily see what’s offered in the different levels of green carpeting, plus see how prices compare.

There are some beautiful options offered in the Dark Green category (that would be the greenest carpet they offer)…

Elymus - Flint: 100% New Zealand Wool, cut pile, Jute backing, and Natural Rubber

Limestone: 100% Wool, cut & loop, meets cri green label requirements

Urban Ridge: 100% Wool, multi level loop

Visit Nature’s Carpet to see all their green carpet choices.

Riverwired.com: Fix A Slow Drain Naturally

jchait — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:47:07 -0400

Drain cleaner is noted as being one of the most toxic items found in the home. Traditional drain cleaners are full of chemicals that can burn your skin and eyes, not to mention the fumes your lungs are being exposed to.

Try a better solution:

Pour 1/2 cup baking soda into your drain. Pour 1/2 cup white vinegar over the baking soda. Allow it to sit for a half hour. Rinse with a couple of quarts of boiling water.

NOTE: I’ve used this solution, and it seems to work better as a preventative solution, not a fast cure. Once your drain is clogged badly, you may need something stronger, or you might have to pay for a plumber. Also, it helps if you first unscrew the plug, and remove any visible hair. The baking soda and vinegar will bubble up and dislodge some items, but not all. Try using this idea as a weekly cleaning routine for best results.

As with most home care items, prevention is better than fighting a full blown problem, like a completely stopped up drain.

Riverwired.com: Free Stuff: Win a Freebie Eco-Vacation in Mexico or a Hip Recycled North Face Jacket

susan — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:03:01 -0400

By Susan Seliger

Eco-luxury is fun any time anywhere. Especially in Mexico – where Polartec is offering a Grand Prize of a free trip for two to the Hotelito Desconocido eco-luxury resort. The hotel, 60 miles South of Puerto Vallarta, has luxurious vegetation, 150 types of birds, white sandy beaches protected by the Sierra Madre mountains and two 100% organic restaurants.

And if you don’t win that, you get a jacket — which is waaay better than a T-shirt because this jacket is a very hip 2009 North Face Denali jacket made from Polartec® recycled-content fabric. You may not think of Polartec – those hi-tech fabrics for outdoor gear — as being natural and eco-friendly but the company is making a big push into recycling. Don’t be put off by the three-question quiz you have to take to enter – it’s fun and you may even learn something new about carbon emissions in the process. Go to Polartec Eco-Champion contest.

Riverwired.com: 5 Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

susan — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:53:03 -0400

By Susan Seliger

Sure, you know you should drive less and walk more. But when you absolutely have to go by car, why not find the cheapest gas around? Here are some web sites that will help you do just that. Many of them let you plug in your address or zip code – and tell you where to go …in the nicest possible way.

And with all that money you save, you can save up for a new (or pre-owened) bike that will save you even more green.

5 Web Sites that Will Help You Save Money on Gas

1. Mapquest Gas

Plug in your address and Mapquest will find you chreap gas – and tell you how to get there – so you an see if the drive is worth the savings.
http://gasprices.mapquest.com/index.jsp

2. GasBuddy

This network of more than 180 gas price information websites will get you to the best prices. http://www.gasbuddy.com/

3. Internet Auto Guide

Fill in your zip code and find gas stations near you with the lowest prices.
http://www.internetautoguide.com/gas-prices/index.html

4. MSN Autos

See the price of gas at stations in your area, with names and addresses.
http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=Netx

5. Motor Trend Gas Tracker

Put in your state, your county, your neighborhood, and find cheap gas near you.
http://www.motortrend.com/gas_prices/

For more information, check out:

Girl Bikes 1500 Miles for Electric Vehicles

15 Tips For Better Mileage — Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

The Hype About Hypermiling

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

Record Month For Selling Gas — Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG

Photo credit: http://media.myfoxcleveland.com/winterweather/cheap%20gas.jpg

Riverwired.com: Quick & Natural Household Cleaning Tips

jchait — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:34:02 -0400

Instead of toxic, chemical heavy home cleaning supplies, try these ideas…

Sparkling windows: Lightly spray windows (both interior and exterior) with a solution of 1/2 gallon cold water, and 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar. Wipe windows with recycled newspaper. If you hate the smell of vinegar (I HATE the smell), burn a candle or some essential oil in a diffuser nearby. You shouldn’t add essential oils to the solution to cut the vinegar scent (I tried once), because it’ll streak.

A whiter toilet: Spray the inside of your toilet bowl with warm water - lightly, not dripping wet. Sprinkle with plain old baking soda. Let this sit for ten minutes, and then scrub with a toilet brush.

Mold-free home: Once mold arrives, it’s almost too late. The best plan of attack is to prevent, not cure mold. Spray areas where mold might develop (window sills, door frames, floor bases, etc.) with a solution of 1 cup water, 1 drop lavender essential oil, and two drops tea tree essential oil.

Tip: When looking for essential oils for home cleaning, go organic if you can, and make sure you’re buying pure essential oils which actually have cleansing and disinfectant properties. Plain old perfume scents are not the same as pure essential oils.

Riverwired.com: Earthworms for Your Home Organic Garden

jchait — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:35:59 -0400

If you’d like to have an organic garden at your house, the first thing you need to do is get your soil in tip-top organic shape.

Earthworms are key - there are other organic soil issues of course, but earthworms cost little and it takes almost no time to implement a good earthworm plan into your garden. Earthworms scurry about (ok crawl) and loosen up plus condition soil. They also leave earthworm droppings all over the place (yuck), but the droppings have some characteristics of fertilizer, so it’s a good thing.

If you already have earthworms in your soil (look around after a rain), then you’re in good shape. The presence of earthworms means one, you don’t have to purchase any, and two that your soil is likely in good shape. If you have no worms you can pick some up at a garden center. Add them to your soil and keep watch. Earthworms that don’t survive means your soil is probably lacking a vital component (i.e. organic soil amendments).

Stay tuned for more organic home gardening tips.

Riverwired.com: Good House News: Home Sales Down BUT Green Home Repairs Are Way Up

susan — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:37:59 -0400

By Susan Seliger

The headlines are filled with the bad news — the housing market is in the biggest slump in decades. But there is a silver lining you may not have read so much about: Homeowners are doing more green home improvements than ever. They may not be updating the whole kitchen, but they are doing the small jobs that count for saving energy and money, such as weather-stripping, caulking those breezy windows, buying CFL bulbs and insulating their bathrooms and water heaters.

Execs at Home Depot, the gigantic retailer for all things DIY around the home, reports in a New York Times article, that, in addition to green repairs, people are also stocking up on pellet fuel before winter hits.

“This is a trend we expect to continue into the third quarter,” one of those execs is quoted as saying, in the Times article: Home Repairs Become Focus as Consumers Feel Pinched. .

Third quarter? How forward-looking!

Try “the next decade” sir.

And as usual, consumers lead the way — and retailers try to keep up.

So what should you do for your home if you can only do one thing to improve energy-efficiency — and save some money?

Big step: Replace old leaky windows.

Medium step: Put up storm windows to keep the heat in.

Small step: Caulk, caulk, caulk. And if storms are too costly, make your own heavy curtains — leave them open during the say to let the sun (passive solar heat) in, and close them up at night to keep the heat high and your heating bills low. And start socking away some cash to tackle that first Big Step one day soon.

And for more on passive solar design in homes, check out this article on the subject by Ellen Honigstock, RiverWired’s Leading LEED green architect.

And check out a great blog on greening your home by Jennifer Chait: Best Green Home Tips.

Photo credit: http://www.housecareservice.com/images/house_wvz9.jpg

Riverwired.com: Beyond Climate Change 101

ProgressiveKid — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:00:05 -0400

Discovering a Life of Purpose Along the Way

by Julie Hall at ProgressiveKid

As with all meaningful change, there is no simple fix for our climate change crisis. There is no pill, band aid, 12-step formula, or “expert’s” advice to heal Earth or its life forms. There is no “clean” nuclear power that will preserve our current luxuries without risking even more environmental disaster, no green product that will redeem generations of overconsumption, no fluorescent light bulb that will reverse the excess of our industrialized systems, no recycling process that can restore forests, no zoo or seed bank that can preserve our world’s biodiversity, no replacement planet we can relocate to. For worse and for better we are stuck here with our mess and our weakness, our solutions and our strength.

Not that you shouldn’t install those fluorescents if you haven’t already. Yes of course cut out the plastic, switch to reusable bottles and bags, recycle and reuse, buy less, eat less meat, trade your grass for trees and plants, conserve water, ride your bike, buy locally and organically. Each step toward sustainability counts. But these are merely first steps, and we can’t stop here. As we take the next steps to restructure our local communities toward more sustainable self-sufficiency (as they once were), commute less, conserve more, transition to renewable energy sources, and regreen our environment, there are deeper changes we face.

Our climate problem isn’t merely an overdose of CO2. Global warming is fundamentally connected to overpopulation, pollution, industrial manufacturing, industrial farming, capitalist media manipulation, exploitation of natural resources, poverty, corporate abuse, and governmental abuse. We’ve had evidence for a long time now that these are unsustainable situations around the globe. Climate change is merely one more, albeit the most radical, reality check in a long series of warnings that have gone largely unheeded.

So as the weather around us turns strange, as drought, fire, floods, and storms reach unprecedented proportions, let’s hope we ask ourselves the right questions: What matters? How should I live? What should I teach my kids? What do I actually need? How can I take less and give more? What can I contribute to heal the damage around me? How can I help other living species?

There are more specific questions that may follow. How does the food I eat make me feel? How does television affect my thoughts and emotions? How do my specific choices and actions affect the world around me? How am I using my time? Am I connected with my family and friends? Are my kids receiving positive messages about themselves and their world? Are my kids confident, humble, connected, empathetic, resilient, capable of joy, and awake to the world around them? Am I?

These are not easy questions to ask or answer, which is why they must be addressed. As Rilke reminds us, “Most people have (with the help of conventions) turned their solutions toward what is easy and toward the easiest side of the easy; but it is clear that we must trust in what is difficult; everything alive trusts in it. . . . That something is difficult must be one more reason for us to do it.” The power of difficult challenges in our lives is why millions of us around the world are watching the Olympics right now. We admire the athletes for achieving something profoundly difficult. Although the media would have us ignore the athletes who do not win medals, we are impressed nonetheless with their accomplishment of making it there and trying. And this is why we are disappointed when athletes take the easy route with drugs.

Most of us know intuitively that when it comes to taking care of our extraordinary home planet there is much more we need to do. We know that there is no easy fix to solve climate change and no easy fix to solve the related environmental problems we have wrought. Although we may have lost sight of it, we know in our wisest hearts that life is to be honored, not exploited, squandered, or taken for granted; that one by one we must each take responsibility and not look to others for answers; and that in the process of saving ourselves we might just recover our own dignity and sense of purpose along the way.

Julie Hall is the author of A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids: Understanding Climate Change and What You Can Do About It, a poet, and cofounder of the green online store ProgressiveKid.

Image by David Goehring, 2006, Creative Commons license.