Swimming pools are major resource sinks.  If you are gifted (or cursed) with a swimming pool or spa, a pool cover is an essential item.  It helps improve the safety of the pool by preventing small kids from falling in and it helps reduce electrical, heating, and chemical costs.

Pool covers are not substitutes for fences.  Every pool should be fenced and locked. Many localities including ours require a perimeter fence around the pool.

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The use of the term “Natural” to describe a household cleaning product or personal care item does not mean much, while the term “Organic” is closely regulated. Whole Foods Nature’s Power Laundry detergent includes the ingredient SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) and has been called an eco friendly household cleaning product. This chemical is used in many cleaning products and can be made from coconut oil, palm oil, or petroleum. How natural is this? A plant based version is more green, but it is still the same chemical compound.

SLS is a major concern because the creation process generates trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen.

There are no guidelines currently for using Natural in a product description, hence it is being overused all over the place as it does help Sell products. Most companies claim a product to be Natural if the ingredient came from nature. Not everything from nature is safe. How many poisons exist in nature? A ton. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Updated: 3/15/2024

Costco’s Kirkland Signature Environmentally Friendly – Eco Friendly cleaner made from environmentally friendly ingredients that are biodegradable and biorenewable. Plant based formula, made from bio-renewable resources.  No Phosphates or dyes, cruelty free, natural fragrance.  Costco Connection has an article on this product in Costco Magazine page 55.

• Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean Premium Liquid Laundry Detergent is good for 146 loads, 194 fl oz and is marked free & clear

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Many of us have read about the mysterious declining population of honey bees due to Colony Collapse Disorder. Since 2006 colonies of commercial bees have been slowly wiped out.

During the winter of 2006-2007, some beekeepers began to report unusually high losses of 30-90 percent of their hives. As many as 50 percent of all affected colonies demonstrated symptoms inconsistent with any known causes of honey bee death:

• Sudden loss of a colony’s worker bee population with very few dead bees found near the colony.
• The queen and brood (young) remained, and the colonies had relatively abundant honey and pollen reserves.

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Did you know that shopping at Costco can cause you to buy a lot more than you initially wanted to? Don’t get my wrong, I love Costco, especially the $1.50 hot dogs! They also will cause you to buy larger quantities of items. You may want to re-evaluate whether you are saving money by shopping there.

How to Stop Impulse Shopping

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Having an Eco Friendly Green Thanksgiving is more and more desirable these days. How can you green your  Thanksgiving?

• Buy your pumpkins, squash, and other vegetables from a local farmers market or from local sources. Some even carry special Heritage turkeys
• Buy organic when possible, except for product on the Clean 15 list
• Buy a locally raised organic turkey with no antibiotics, no hormones, free range, raised on vegetarian feed, and no added flavor enhancers or salt
• Utilize reusable bags to hold groceries
• Don’t over cook or serve too much food
• Rent or buy your decorations from used clothing stores like Goodwill. Reusing items that you already have is even better.
• Donate extra food, money, clothing to those in need
• Compost the leftovers, pumpkin, squash, etc.
• Keep in mind that food expiration dates or “Best by” dates are just guidelines, they really only apply to baby formula
• Give out green oriented treats like organic fruit, repurposed trinkets

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High Fructose Corn Syrup is getting replaced by sugar in many packaged foods and drinks. High Fructose Corn Syrup has recently gotten a bad reputation as an artificial sweetener. It is heavily processed and offers little nutritional value

Problems with Sugars

Changing to sugar is almost a marketing gimmick. Researchers have concluded that sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup have the exact same effect on obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Biochemically they are almost identical. One is not better than the other, but the body  processes them differently. Consumers should seek less sweet alternative products. The American Diabetic Association has stated that studies have found little evidence that high fructose corn syrup differs from sucrose. Some corn syrup comes from Genetically Modified corn, making you part of an experiment to ensure that this does not cause long term problems.

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Termites are a  terrible problem to have. We recently found some dead swarmers near our windows and were reminded of the toxic chemicals used to eradicate termites. Additionally, a house in our neighborhood became tented with a truck labeled with a poison logo – Inhalation hazard # Two.

Figuring out termite control can be equally confusing.  Traditional house tenting and using poisonous chemicals like sulfuryl fluoride – Vikane is now competing with using Orange Oil (XT-2000) which does not require tenting and moving out.  There are tradeoffs with each.

Identifying Type of Termite

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Wi-Fi Wireless Network Health and Safety

When we mention Wi-Fi Safety, we are not talking about getting your credit card or personal information stolen, instead we are concerned about the radiation from Wireless networking and its effects on the human body.

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) is everywhere

• Wi-Fi
• Microwave ovens
• Radios
• Televisions
• Cell Phones, Cell Phone Towers
• Cordless Phones
• Power lines
• X-rays

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Introduction

Coming out over the last couple years, home energy monitoring systems show a computerized display of home electricity consumption. The only way to really know how to save electricity is by understanding how much power products actually use.  Being able to see how much you are spending at any moment is a powerful and motivational tool to save energy!

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