Trash or Treasure?

Trying to change your lifestyle to be more green is not easy. Spring is here and now is the perfect time for a yard sale, spring cleanup or search for goodies other people are getting rid of. This is great! Garage Sales are green! Instead of a final resting place in a landfill our old stuff gets a second chance as someone's treasure and you get a little Green in your pocket!
If you are have a Yard Sale of your own remember a few things.
Fridays and Saturdays are the BEST days, Sundays Suck!
Lower Priced items toward the front to get people in higher ticket items in the back
clearly mark EVERY item and price it higher then you think you can get! people love to haggle but be firm on certain items! For example if it is a vase and you think oh $1.00 price it at 2.99 and work from there. every penny counts and you can maximize your take!
Clothing should be hung up and priced
Have a few bins marked with a sign like (all items .99) people love to rummage through boxes for a bargain!
Keep a lock box with plenty of change and wear an apron from Loews that you can keep money in. Plus people will know you are in charge.
Have a bin of penny toys for the kids.
Have fun!
Be sure to donate or recycle the items you do not sell!
If you have anymore tips please post them here!
Cheers
more from ecomama visit my website http:.//www.PlanetHealhtyHouse.com

Clean up this place will ya!

My Mom, she always had such a sweet way about her, lately I have been sounding more and more like her when I go into my boy's room and see the mess. Many times I stifle the impulse to make comments about the "pig sty" ... but if Mother Nature herself was to go rogue and start expressing herself to our evolved human race she may just lose it and and start ranting and raving, the snow white image of Mother Nature engulfed in flowers with birds singing around her head would be replaced by a 20 story, yellow eyed, premenstrual gal, hair all in disarray, screaming "clean this place up will ya?" OK, OK Ma I hear ya! I'm cleaning up already! I am really going to do it too.
Tuesdays in Asheville the organization Greenworks (formerly Quality Forward) hold the lunch time litter clean up and I am so there! This is a great way to meet people in Asheville, make friends and take pride in our city, even if our own houses are down right disgraceful.
It is getting warmer folks and the mosquitoes are on there way. If you cannot make it to a clean-up event be sure to check your own property for standing water. The rains this past week have been intense and those little critters will be blood thirsty in no time! Dump over old planters, tarps, buckets, sandbox toys, tires or anything that can hold even a teaspoon of water! Good Luck! Now when I get back this place better be spotless! Cheers, EcoMama

Spring is here and so are the bugs!! Many clients ask me about natural ways to get rid of these pesky critters without inhaling toxic deadly fumes! Included are some awesome tips with help from the website Loretta's place. I have tried many of them myself and they work even better then the poison! Bye Bye buggies!

Don't forget to check out my website for more awesome products for your home and office http://www.GreenIrene.com/planethealthyasheville

Insects/Rodents:

Fleas and Ticks
Wash pets with castile soap and water, dry thoroughly, apply an herbal rinse made by adding 1/2 cup fresh or dried rosemary to a quart of boiling water (steep for 20 minutes, strain and cool. Spray or sponge onto pets hair, massage into skin. Let air dry, do NOT towel dry as this removes the residue of the rosemary.

Roaches:
1) Mix equal parts boric acid with flour , sprinkle around cracks and crevices or
2) Mix equal parts boric acid with sugar, sprinkle around cracks and crevices or
3) Mix equal parts boric acid with corn meal, sprinkle around cracks and crevices or
4) Diatomaceous earth (pure silica): sprinkle around flours, cracks and crevices or
5) Cucumber peels: set out on counter tops overnight to repel roaches or
6) Mix Borax with a little brown sugar and flour and sprinkle behind appliances, under sink, and in corners. Cockroaches carry the mixture back to their nests or
7) Heloise's Famous Roach Recipe:

1/4 cup shortening
1/8 cup sugar
8 oz. boric acid
1/2 cup flour
Ample water to form a dough

Mix all, form small balls of dough and set out in open plastic sandwich bags (to retain moisture longer, when hardened, replace with new dough)

CAUTION: Boric Acid and borax can be toxic to small children and pets, keep well out of their reach and inform other household members of the whereabouts and purpose of the borax and boric acid dough and/or powders. Always refer to safety precautions on the package.

Lose Weight While Going Green, Yes You Can

I signed up my son for gymnastics about a month ago and was sitting in the parents viewing area each Monday for 2 hours reading magazines. It was cool to have time to myself to catch up on information I need to know like, minimize your pores in 1 minute or less! or Blast Cellulite we show you how! All this is great info except like most articles I read they just make me feel frustrated. I know I won't actually do half the stuff I am supposed too. If I want to look better and feel better I really need to get up and move my butt more! The problem I was having is HOW MUCH more do I need to be moving around? I am pretty active, I workout each day, my job is active, but is that enough? A facebook friend recently mentioned the "body bugg" a little gadget that measures your calorie burn, steps, activity and lets you input calories in order to create a daily caloric deficit and lose weight or get healthier. I researched the pricey little guy and decided I would make the investment. I have been wearing this thing non-stop for about 2 weeks and am realizing that I am not nearly as active as I claim to be! My daily goal is to burn a total of 2770 Calories per day. (including breathing, sleeping etc) in order to lose 2lbs per week... For the first week I did ok because I was camping and hiking for three days out of the seven that I was monitoring. I returned to the real world and it was a different story! By day nine I would look down at the display and see I still had 600 calories to burn! (it was 6pm). Some nights I would be in the kitchen doing leg lifts while doing dishes just to get in an extra 50 calories.. This week I decided that the numbers don't lie.. If I want to reach my goals I have to really change the way I live day to day. So yesterday during the boys gymnastics, instead of catching up on gossip in my magazines I walked around beautiful downtown Asheville (2000steps, 230 calories burned, 22 minutes moderate activity! Score!) Counting the walk plus the activity I had already done I went to bed last night with a grand total of 3000 calories burned!! Woo Hoo bring on the chocolate!! What does this have to do with being green?? Well I'll tell ya, it is better for your health. Walking or Biking instead of driving is good for you and the planet, Cleaning the house (with natural cleaners of course) is good for your indoor air quality and your upper arms, yardwork is good for the soil, worms, bees and neighborhood plus it gives you killer abs! The benefits are endless! Even changing out an incandescent lightbulb for a more eco-friendly CFL is good for your health climbing ladders helps increase your balance and strengthens your core! Maybe instead of being an eco-consultant I will become a yoga instructor! Cheers!

Save Thousands of Dollars While you Save the World!

Ok I will not make a habit out of self-promotion on this blog but once in awhile I'm just gonna have too! I promise it will be a win win situation because for every ruthless plug I will give you double the priceless information you little greenies deserve! Love You!
Living Green, Sustainable, Eco-Friendly, Save the Earth, etc etc etc. These are the tags of my life! I guess if I was asked what my hobby is I would say doing my part to help get out of the dirty whole humankind has dug for itself over the past 100 years or so. Not everyone wants to make a hobby out of living "green" or being eco-friendly. Hell I am actually making a career out of it these days. My own Dad used to warn me... Watch out for those "environmental wackos!" They just cry and moan and try to kill capitalism!! Well folks I got news for ya. Green Collar Job are gonna SAVE capitalism so get with the program! If you want to do your part to save the world the economy and your wallet take a minute to find ways you can live more in harmony with your world. I am gonna give you the top areas of your home to start with. Oh and I am gonna put in a good word for my fellow Green Irene Consultants!
to book your 1 hour green makeover, shop for the latest in Eco-Friendly products or find a Green Irene Eco-Consultant near you.
Or visit my website http://www.GreenIrene.com/planethealthyasheville
It is OUR hobby to save the Environment and save you $2000 or more on utilities bills! Here are the areas where you can start making your home more Green! Cheers!
* Energy conservation improvements
* Energy efficient lighting replacements
* Water conservation and purity tools
* Green energy sources available in your area (i.e. electricity from wind power and other renewable sources rather than coal)
* Improving indoor air quality
* Toxic free living by reducing harmful chemicals in use
* Recycling and waste reduction
* Safety and emergency preparedness
* Tax Credits, rebates and other financial incentives available in your area
* Your carbon footprint and Carbon Offset Programs
* Referrals to members of Green Irene's Sustainable Contractor Network

Everything is going to be alright Mama

I was living in Portland Oregon when I found out I was pregnant! Stop the world! Put down that Merlot!! I am what???? It was unplanned, it was shocking and at the same time it was the greatest moment of my life! I was instantly excited and terrified at the same time! To top it all off my old Italian worry gene kicked into overtime! I read every book the local library had on babies, pregnancy and what could go WRONG during pregnancy! Fear started working its magic on my brain! Then I picked up a book about all the toxins in a home from carpets to paint, even apples are deadly! Oh my gosh I am a bad parent and the fetus is only the size of a rasin! HELP! I was like that nutty lady in the movie Airplane when passengers took turns slapping the poor woman across the face saying "calm down, get ahold of yourself, everything is going to be alright!" The last part of the sentence is what got my attention! Everthing is going to be alright! Information is great but too much can make you crazy! I needed to get a grip and get the right information. I also had to come to terms with the fact that I was not going to be able to rip up the carpet in my rental house or tear off the asbestos siding. I could make a few small changes a little at a time and have faith that the rest would work itself out. At the time I was unaware of all the amazing eco-friendly products on the market for expecting families. I thought the stick turns color and off you go to registar for Winnie the Pooh crib sheets at Babies R' Us! Thankfully that isn't the case and there is so much available! If you are expecting a baby and are concerned about this stuff to watch this cool video take a deep breath and relax! Pick the top 5 areas of your babies world that must be Super Green, Super Natural or Super Organic and start from there, say maybe you want to use natural paint on the walls, a air purifier in the nursery, a water filter or two and try some organic fruits, veggies and meats but go mainstream on condiments and crackers. The 80/20 rule applies quite nicely. Most of all relax, everyday there is more gear and gadgets arriving on the market to frazzle already information overloaded mamas and papas. Remember at the end of the day all that sweet little newbie needs is you! Have fun!

Ecomama

5 Uses for old Green Tea Not just for Breakfast anymore!

Today I drank an entire pot of Green Tea with 3 bags!! I ran out of Coffee. I love Green Tea and can easily drink an entire pot, I just don't often drink the whole pot at once! Many commecials and website devote lots of ad space selling you on the weight loss benefits of Green Tea the stuff is in gum, juice drinks even muffins! Does it work? Maybe, as long as you are not consuming a dozen Green tea and spice muffins a day! Anyway I was about to toss my tea bags into the compost heap outside my kitchen window and I thought "is there anything usefull I can do with green tea bags" I have a Green Cleaning Business so maybe I can pass on some really great ideas to my clients!

I happen to live in Asheville North Carolina a large population of the folks living here are "eco-aware" I consult many of them with tips and ideas on how to make small, tiny, itsy bitsy little changes in their lives in order to have a softer impact on the environment. Oh and tip number jumped out at me right away Yoga Mat Deodorizer! Here in Asheville there is a running joke that if you need job become a yoga instructor or a massage therapist! So here is what I found on Green Tea, DO NOT throw away your used tea bags use them to change the world!

Adapted from The Book of Green Tea, by Diana Rosen (Storey Books, 1998).

1. Yoga Mats. In the hot, humid areas of Thailand, Burma, and other Asian countries, people sleep on straw mats. This straw is cool and comfortable, but people do perspire. It is quite common in these areas for straw mats to be washed in tubs of water to which tea has been added. The tea works as a powerful deodorizer, leaves a fresh scent, and can even infuse the straw with a delicate sage color. You can use green tea to clean other washable surfaces, such as yoga mats and air mattresses.

2. Litter Boxes. Used green tea leaves are wonderful in kitty litter as an extra boost for diffusing odors, and they help deter fleas from both cats and dogs.

3. Pet Beds. Sprinkle dried used green tea leaves on your pet’s favorite pillow or bed. Great in doghouses or anywhere troublesome pet odors occur. If you can afford the extravagance, loose leaf gunpowder tea is great for dogs to roll around in. The crunching of the pellets releases a wonderful aroma, and helps to scratch wherever dogs have an itch. The pellets help give your dog a more pleasant smell.

4. Refrigerators. Place used green tea bags or leaves in a small bowl, uncovered, in your refrigerator to help absorb odors from onions and garlic for about three days. NO need to throw them out even then, just sprinkle the old leaves around your ferns, rosebushes, or other plants.

5. Kitchen Odors. Preparing fish? Cutting up garlic? Rid your hands of the fish or garlic oils by rubbing them with wet green tea leaves, an instant deodorizer. The leaves are also great for deodorizing and cleaning the pan in which you cook fish or garlic.

Plastic? What to do?

I have a secret! Well I have a secret closet! I have plastic in this secret closet! It is time for the plastic to come out of the closet! It won't be hard either, each time I open said closet a tidal wave of tupperware, glad ware, spiderman plates, take out containers and unrecognizable lids attack! I use about a quarter of the items crammed in my secret closet. The others items are being held captive because I couldn't live with myself if I threw them away. I don't really know what to do with them! I stumbled upon the above video, it got me to work finding a way to liberate my collection of bisphenol A! Some of you may be thinking, "come on ecomama, get a grip! I thought that myself, then I decided to air on the side of caution like our mom's did in the 1970's when removing lead based paint was all the rage! The laws were changed and anyone who has ever bought a house knows to test for lead! If we stop buying this stuff the demand will go down and production of safer versions will proliferate!! Moms unite! So here is what you can do with the "bad" plastics with the number 7 or 3 http://www.plasticrecycling.com will actually buy scrap or damaged plastic. If that doesn't suit you I would load up a big box and ship it to the manufacturer with a note that you wish for them to recycle and write you back with an account of what they did with the plastic. If anyone else has some good suggestions please comment here! Cheers! Ecomama!

Top 3 College Student Recipes! Washing Dishes Not Required

I was a young college girl in the mid to late 90's. My three roommates and I shared a one bedroom apartment above a karate studio and next to a McDonald's. In the morning (closer to early afternoon on weekends) my hungover roommates and myself would awake to the sound of "ay.ya!" from karate students below and smell quarter pounders & fries wafting through our rooftop window.. The girls and I had exhausted our tolerance for cheeseburgers in the first month of living together. I was the first and only in the apartment to revoke the idea of four years surviving on top Ramon and cup o' soup, the tradition staples of college life. Our kitchen at the time was exactly 120 sq feet I kid you not.. I could mop the floor with a baby wipe!
In hopes of keeping myself and my roomies alive through 4 years of higher education I ventured into our micro-galley. I perfected a few dishes with trial and error plus some laboratory experimentation. We made it through the good times, the penniless times and the to young to care times.
The beauty of the top three recipes I am going to share with you today is they have evolved right along with me. I am now a wife and mother.. these dishes are a regular part of my rotation, my son will actually sit down without giving me his wide eyed look of fear when he gazes at the meal set before him. Nothing about any of the dishes are gourmet, they aren't complicated or very interesting, I am sure many of you have your own variation of these in your own rotation. Just think about it from a college kids perspective if you will. We could eat a couple of full meals with less then 8 or 9 ingredients 10 when our cupboards were really "full"! So this is for you Kelly, Amanda and for a little bit Jen, my roomies in crime during the hard times, Bon Appetite!

Tasty Turkey Pie
1lb package ground turkey burger
flour
water
butter
salt
pepper
potatoes
1 onion
cheese when we were lucky!
Dice the onion add to a skillet with the turkey and brown add salt and pepper once brown remove from heat next boil about 4 potatoes until al dente (not like you would for mashed potatoes they should still be a teeny bit hard) drain water add butter and cheese, mix the potato mixture with the meat mixture let sit. Add 2 cups flour and 1 stick of butter (soft). Cut the butter using a pastry blender or a couple of knives until crumbly add 2 or 3 pinches of salt. Add water to flour by the tablespoon until a firm ball forms. Roll out your bottom crust put in a pie pan and prick with a fork. bake in oven set at 350 for 10 min. remove crust and fill to the top with the meat pie filing, roll out a top crust and drape. Make it as pretty as you want but we never did. We would just roll the extra crust up and sprinkle with salt and pepper, bake in the oven until top crust is golden. Pass out 4 forks put the pie in the middle with ketchup! Dinner! No plates to wash!

Spaghetti Squash surprise
Cut 2 squash in half cover flat part with aluminum foil and lay flat side down on baking sheet for 25 min. Take out of oven remove foil and pour 2 or 3 TBL maple syrup and salt cover with foil and bake foil side up until tender. You will know it is done when you can easily remove spaghetti strands with a fork. You can do this same recipe with saran wrap and a microwave if you are OK with using saran. The surprise? No one knew I used maple syrup they thought the squash was naturally sweet! Enjoy.

Everything but the kitchen sink chicken ( or as Kelly would call it everything but the chicken kitchen????)
4 chicken breasts
cinnamon
parsley
paprika
basil
salt pepper

We would use just about any spice we had in the kitchen! Today I use just the spices listed but have fun with your favorites! Spray the chicken with Pam or rub olive oil on top and sprinkle with the first 5 spices saute' in a pan until brown on both sides then finish in a 350 oven until cooked through. Pretty good served with the squash! Cut the chicken up stick in the "squash bowl" washing dishes not required! (my son really loves this!) Happy cooking I'll add some other favorites when the roomies remind me of what they were! lol If you try any of these recipes this weekend let me know how they were! I like my turkey pie with a vintage PBR! Cheers!

How To Tidy Up in 3 minutes!!

Fun and informative what more could you want?? Enjoy your video of the day! Don't forget to share it if you like it! Cheers, Ecomama

7 Steps to shine your sink!

So your sink is looking a bit like a scene from a horror movie and you fear a new strain of the flu is replicating in you drain? Never fear you are not alone! Recent studies even show that our kitchen sinks have more bacterium per square inch then our toilets! I know it is scary but you can have your sink shining like new before your friends come over for your one and only dinner party of the year. Before your mother- in-law does that sly room sweep to see how bad your are at basic housekeeping. The bonus is I am gonna tell you how to clean a sink without the use of harsh yucky chemicals! I adapted this from flylady.com and made it more eco-friendly Most of the ingredients you need will already be in your cupboard and if not I will give you permission to improvise! Some of my best techniques began by accident! So before you even get started you are gonna need to EMPTY YOUR SINK! I don't care if you put the dishes in the oven I am not watching go ahead. Now lets get to the sink sparkle!
1. Get a brush or sponge and some soap and wipe all the food and junk out of your sink, rinse
2. Fill your sink all the way to the tip top with hot water and 1 cup of Borax or Oxyclean and 1/2 pure lemon juice (if you don't have lemon juice skip it, it will be ok)
3. Let this mixture sit in your sink for 1 hour or until the water is no longer hot
4. Drain
5. Rinse really well and dry with a towel
6. Take a soft cloth and soak with Grapeseed oil ( or whatever you have I like Grapeseed best)
7. Wipe every corner of your sink with the oil soaked rag making sure it is coated evenly
Ta Da your sink sparkles. You can clean the chrome with the oil too just go easy. Sometimes I break down and use a little rubbing alcohol on the chrome.
If your sink is really stained do step number 8 below before you shine with the oil,
8. If the sink is still really stained and yucky put the plug pack in and add an ice bucket full of ice, more lemon juice and 1 cup of Borax or Oxy clean. Swish around in your sink until your arm falls off. (not really just for 3 min or so)Let sit until the ice melts. Follow step 7 above!

For Coffee Carafes add 2 lemons quartered (squeeze out the juice and add the rind) or 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup salt and about 10 ice cubes swirl the carafes around in a circle for about 25 times. Let carafe sit until ice melts. Rinse well. Your carafe will be clean and your coffee will not be bitter! Enjoy
Next learn all the cool things you can do with Green Tea bags after you drink the tea! Cheers!

Its not easy being green?? REALLY? Its true it isn't. These days Green IS the new black. Here at Planet Healthy House you will be provided with a "guilt free" and easy way to "go green" at your own pace and with the greatest of ease! Its not all about baking soda and vinegar my future super greenines! Just have fun and do what you know. What I know is many companies are making it easier then ever to buy green cleaning products, even Clorox has joined the party. You do not need to spend all your hard earned money. Today I will tell you the number one household item to use for dusting. Grapeseed oil!! That all you need! Go to the store right now and buy the biggest bottle of Grapeseed oil you can find. While your at it get a big box of Kosher salt and if you are feeling really creative get a bottle of essential oil in ANY flavor you like. Any health food store will carry essential oils and there are lots of great websites too. I like Lavender or any citrus scent. But just get the Grapeseed oil for sure. Here is a list of what you can do with Grapeseed oil that will bring you one step closer to livin' Green!

1. Dab oil on a dust cloth and dust your whole house (except electronics or shower floors)

2. Clean the leaves of your houseplants

3. Use it to shine up your sink actually I will go into more detail on this in the next issue

4. Use it all over your body as a luxurious petroleum free body oil reuse an old mustard or ketchup bottle fill with oil and add 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil.

5. Body Scrub- reuse old butter or sour cream tub fill half way with Kosher or Sea Salt (or brown sugar or granulated sugar) cover salt with Grapeseed oil and 4 drops essential oil, mix. Make a body scrub that will give the spa a run for its money! I like to put this mixture into small mason jars and give it as gifts!

Have fun with Grapeseed oil and come back to find out the best way to make your sink sparkle!!

Be sure to visit www.planethealthyhouse.com for more info