Happy Earth Day!

Are you celebrating Earth Day today? It's actually the 40th Anniversary, and while some say that our planet is in greater peril today, I strongly believe that we can begin to turn this ship around. If we all do our part, we can create a brighter future, a greener earth and a better place to live.

Last year I picked up and planted 3 baby trees from a local neighborhood earth festival in Winter Park, they were giving away trees to anyone willing to plant them. I picked up two maple trees and an oak. I thought the maple trees would help remind me of my home Country and they would be great at providing shade, cleaning the air and also providing a little more privacy from the neighbors. I love oak trees and we have a beautiful 50-yr old oak tree on our front property.

I regularly take part in neighborhood and local lake and river clean ups, where we remove trash and undesireable items from waterways so that unsuspecting wildlife don't become entangled in them. It really is such a great feeling to give back knowing that collectively our overall effort makes such a huge difference.

This year however, I have been so busy that I haven't researched what I wanted to do. It will be a litte more low key for me. We started a compost pile a couple years ago and I'm going to work on making it more efficient so the plant matter breaks down quicker. Exciting stuff, I know. LOL. I'm going to be incorporating some shredded newspaper as I realized this was a missing component, and I am going to start writing down the days when I need to turn everything in my calendar, which is once per week. :)

If you haven't thought too much about Earth Day, here are some events you can take part in within your own home town. Just type your zip code in to get the details. Also, you might be thinking about making a greater commitment going forward. Here are some great ideas, many that you can also involve your children in so that they may learn to make the best choices for their generation.

12 Steps to Becoming Greener

1. Use Less Packaging- Buy products with no or very little packaging and those make from recycled materials.

2. Recycle- Be sure to recycle all newspaper, cardboard and paper (includes paper towel and toilet paper rolls, envelopes, cereal boxes), glass, appropriate numbered plastics (without the lids/tops), metal cans and  foil.

3. Commit to creating a Compost pile- Start a compost bin to break down all of your fruit and veggie scraps.

4. Receive Automated bills online- Unsubscribe from all of your current service providers' paper invoices.

5. Bike or Walk vs. Drive-Now that spring is here, vow to walk or bike for small errands vs. drive. It'll keep toxic chemicals out of the air and will require less oil resources so it you money and may even help you stay in shape.

6. Get on the Reusable Bag Bandwagon- Not only are they far more durable, they keep millions of plastic bags out of our landfills, waterways, trees and help keep our planet beautiful and green. Many stores now offer 5-10 cent bag credits per bag each time you shop, like Whole Foods and Target.

7. Banish Chemicals! Start using eco-friendly cleaners that are safe for your skin, your home, the air you breathe as well as our precious fish. Try Method, Seventh Generation, Ecover, Mrs. Meyer's clean day, etc. Here are some of my natural ingredients and tips so you can spring clean the natural way. BTW, did you know that vinegar has over 1001 uses? Check it out HERE.

8. Say No to Receipts when offered-this will not only save paper but it will eliminate the amount of BPA you come in contact with. Receipts are loaded with them!

9. Don't Toss, Post on Craigslist-if you have unwanted, unused items you can keep them out of our landfills by posting them for sale or free on craigslist. Let someone else enjoy them. You can also donate to goodwill and salvation arymy.

10. Keep Electronics out of the Trash-Target as well as several other retailers have recycle bins suitable for not only their plastic bags but also for mercury- filled electronics such as cell phones, PDA's and MP3 players. Mercury is a growing problem, help stop this cycle today.

11. Skip Bottled Water- Eliminate your intake of BPA and your carbon footprint by avoiding bottled water. Instead buy a stainless steel (not Aluminum) bottle and continue to fill it up with filtered water. We use a Brita filter and it is so much cheaper than buying bottled. Brita offers a lot of $5 coupons online too.

12. Save Energy-If you leave a room, flip off the switch or turn off the fan and don't let water run. It's easy to get distracted and leave a room to realize the light has been on for hours. If YOU are not using it, turn it off. It will save you money and the constant drain on our power grid.

One final tip would be to incorporate more natural, organic design into your home too such as organic hemp or cotton fabrics that contain vegetable or soy-based dyes. Don't forget to use low-VOC paint, there are so many brands to choose from. One of the best things you can do is reuse something you already own in another way or find some great pre-owned treasures from a thrift store.

For those of you that live in the Orlando area, there will be a Central Florida Earth Day festival this coming Saturday from 10-6pm at Lake Eola. I will be attending again this year, so maybe I'll even see you there!

With so many great ways to contribute, what will you be doing to celebrate our earth today?

1001 Uses for White Vinegar

Did you know that there are literally 1001 uses for the plain old white distilled vinegar that you have in your pantry? From cooking and cleaning to caring for your pet, there are so many reasons to use eco-friendly and inexpensive vinegar.


I'm always looking for new ways to use something I already have. I love it even more when it allows me to replace toxic everyday products with something that is better for my family and our planet.


Here are some great tips and some additional links for the many vinegar uses.


12 USES FOR WHITE VINEGAR


1. Make nail polish last longer. Wipe fingernails with cotton balls dipped in white distilled vinegar before putting on nail polish.


2. Keep a cat out of a garden area- Place a paper, a cloth, or sponge there that has been soaked in white distilled vinegar.


3. Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew. * This is my favorite use and a great way to avoid toxic fabric softeners (unless they are pure, natural and eco-friendly brands, they are toxic to lungs and skin. I promise your laundry won't smell like pickles!


4. Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal- Make vinegar ice cubes them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.


5. Get decals off walls or doors-Let undiluted white distilled vinegar soak into them for several minutes before trying to peel them off. Repeat if necessary.


6. To clean and disinfect baby toys- Add a good-sized splash of white distilled vinegar to soapy water. You can also clean vinyl baby books or board books by wiping with white distilled vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp sponge or cloth.


7. Loosen chewing gum stuck to carpeting or upholstery- Do this by soaking it in white distilled vinegar.

8. Make onion odors disappear from your hands- Rub them with white distilled vinegar.

9.  If you’ve added too much salt to a recipe- add a spoonful of white distilled vinegar and sugar to try correcting the taste.

10. To Keep Boiled Eggs from Cracking while Cooking- Add a tablespoon or two of white distilled vinegar to water.

11. Remove Baked-on food from your Microwave- Place a mug with 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup water in the microwave for 90 seconds. Once done leave it in the microwave as the acid and vapors will help remove the baked-on food. Now you can clean it with ease.

12.  Use Vinegar as a Dishwasher rinse aid- Instead of high priced rinse aid, you can fill up your rinse aid container with vinegar. It does an amazing job of making dishes sparkle. You can also pour a little inside the dishwasher before it begin to help create vapor to remove stubborn baked-on food. It can also be used between loads to keep the dishwasher smelling fresh.

I go through quite a lot of white vinegar in our home for cleaning vs. cooking. I like to spray it in the shower area and on the shower curtain liner to keep mildew and hard water stains away. I love it for the dishwasher, especially at the beginning of a load along with my eco-friendly Method dishwasher tabs and I never experience baked-on food. Nothing rinses floors better than white vinegar and water, it leaves them clean and shiny.

My favorite usage as listed above is in the clothes washer. It really does keep soaps from dulling dark clothing, it helps lighten whites and makes all my clothing and towels fluffier without the need for harsh chemicals. My clothing, towels and sheets NEVER smell like vinegar afterwards. I've also used it many times to make perfect boiled eggs.

By the way, I prefer not to cook with white vinegar (or buy products with that as an ingredient) as it makes your body more acidic when consumed, which isn't good from a health perspective. However, apple cider vinegar (Bragg brand is my favorite) helps restore the pH in your body and provides many wonderful health benefits like eliminating arthritis, curing skin conditions like acne, aiding in weight loss, strengthening the immune system, preventing urinary infections and the list goes on. HERE is a whole site dedicated to just that!

For many more vinegar tips for health, pets, cooking, cleaning, laundry and gardening, click HERE. It's my favorite site for vinegar tips and tricks! Here is another website for your reference also.

Check out our spring cleaning post on natural cleaning ingredients that make everything sparkle without polluting your home!

What is YOUR favorite use for white vinegar? How did you discover it?