One stop source for living green in a these economic times. Daily top five tips you can try today. Best way to clean your house green! Easy no stress ways to live with a smaller impact on your community with a humorous no fault outlook!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
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!
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.
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!
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
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!
