It’s actually pretty simple to live more simply.  Help yourself and the planet at the same time with a few easy changes to your daily life.  Here’s my list of top 5 things anyone can do to lead a greener lifestyle all year long:

1. TAKE A WALK, RIDE A BIKE OR TAKE MASS TRANSIT instead of driving to work, shops, school or play.
2. GET RID OF JUNK MAIL!  Save paper and your time!  There are a number of websites dedicated to this cause.  A good place to start is the Direct Marketing Association’s site:  DMAchoice.org.
3. USE THE STAIRS instead of the elevator to save power and stay fit.
4. EAT BETTER…choose organic and/or local foods.  They typically taste better and are MUCH kinder to the earth.
5. TURN OFF LIGHTS when you leave a room.  You’ll reduce your electric bills, as well as pollution associated with generating power.  Here in the U.S., about half of our power is produced by burning dirty coal.

SHARE WITH US THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU ARE KIND TO THE EARTH

photo courtesy of 123rf.com

When you’re looking to give something more meaningful than a sweatshirt with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer plastered on it, why not bypass the commercialized Christmas and help protect the environment at the same time?  You’ll reduce demand for manufactured goods while doing good!

I’ve compiled a list of earth-friendly gifts that won’t end up in the trash, the donation box, or worse yet — re-gifted! 

1. Sponsor a wild place through the Sierra Club to fund their endless conservation efforts of natural resources and wildlife habitats.  ($25 and up)
2. An annual pass to see “America the Beautiful” through the US Geological Survey (USGS).  It allows access to 2,000 recreation areas managed by five Federal agencies, with up to 100% of the proceeds being used to improve and enhance visitor recreation services.  ($80)
3. Zipcar gift membership. Zipcar, an innovative car sharing service aims to reduce the amount of cars and congestion on our roadways which results in less pollution.  Available in many cities and university towns across the USA, Canada and the UK.  ($60 annual fee + additional rates based on city and type of car).
4. A subscription to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  Each week during the harvesting season, your lucky recipient will receive fresh, local food directly from a farmer. ($20 and up per delivery)
5. Gift membership to a non-profit organization that helps care for those in need (people and/or animals) or that funds the arts and/or education, especially those focused on sustainability.  Many organizations offer a matching donation program to stretch your dollars.  Usually, a generous donor is willing to match, dollar for dollar, any donations an organization receives during specified dates.  It’s a good idea to check out the charity you have in mind before donating.  Check out  CharityNavigator.org, CharityWatch.org or The Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance.

photo of Rocky Mountain National Park courtesy of Bing.com

Knowing which bugs are beneficial, and which ones are pests, goes hand-in-hand with natural, non-toxic gardening.  Whether you have a fruit and vegetable garden or a flower garden, a little knowledge about the creepy crawlies and flying insects that kill pests will keep your garden blooming without the use of harsh chemicals.

Synthetic yard and garden chemicals can’t tell the difference between pests and beneficial insects, and therefore kill both.  Plus, pesticides are dangerous for you, your kids and pets, other animals and the environment.  Read on to learn more about organic gardening and the natural enemies of pests.

Beneficial insects that control pests can be classified into the following groups:

1. Parasitoids attach themselves to a pest and ultimately kill it.  Some “female parasitoids may also kill many pests by direct feeding on the pest eggs and immatures”.  Many are wasps or flies.
2. Pathogens carry diseases that kill pests and are labeled in spray form as microbial insecticides, biorational or bio-insecticides.  Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), is a common pathogen.  Pathogens typically target specific pests.
3. Predators include lady beetles, true bugs, lacewings, flies, midges, spiders, wasps, and predatory mites which kill pests.
4. Weed Feeders consume exotic and invasive weeds that choke out native plant species.

Simply planting specific types of flowers in your garden will attract beneficial insects, such as lady bugs, lacewings, minute pirate bugs, stink bugs (some species, such as the Spined Soldier Bug and the Two-spotted Stink Bug), assassin bugs, hover flies, paper wasps and many kinds of parasitic wasps.  Flowers to include are: coriader (cilantro), dill (especially ‘Bouquet’ variety), fennel, caraway, alyssum, flowering buckwheat, black-eyed susans, dwarf sunflowers and yarrow.

To learn more about individual beneficial insects, including photos, click here.  For more information about pests, including pictures, visit the National Gardening Association website.

Sources:  University of Rhode Island and Cornell University

photo by Jon Brierley of a Praying Mantis consuming a pest

The following is a guest post from Jakob Barry:

Let’s face it, mothballs are pretty old school, but upon discovering half-eaten clothing in your closet, many people still consider them an option.

The main problem, however, is the little white spheres are dangerous to all living things including people, pets and beneficial insects.

For starters, it’s important to note that moth larvae are the main problem; not the moths themselves. In other words, killing moths isn’t as important as keeping them away, but mothballs will usually do both.

Made from naphthalene, an odorous and flammable white chemical that studies have shown is carcinogenic, mothball fumes can cause terrible sickness when inhaled, or even death if mothballs are digested. A separate ingredient, 1,4 Dichlorobenzene, is also used in some versions and produces similar effects.

That’s why if you’re worried about clothing being damaged by moths but don’t want to take risks with these noxious substances exterminators may spray in your living space, there are plenty of recommended green alternatives:

• HERBS:  Like many insects, moths don’t like the smell of most fresh herbs, especially lavender, mint, rosemary, thyme, cloves and cinnamon. While branches of herbs can simply be cut and placed wherever clothing is stored, it may be more practical to fill little packets or sachets with the leaves. That way the herbs won’t dirty your outfits.  Tea bags are a great reusable item for making the sachets, but any old fabric will do. Just make sure it’s made of a breathable material allowing scents to exit from all directions.  Also, remember that fresh leaves will have better potency against moths so be sure to change the contents every few months.
• CEDAR WOOD:  Another natural odor moths have a great disdain for comes from cedar wood. In fact, people used to have closets made from cedar for just this reason –it protected cloths from moths.  However, an entire closet isn’t necessary as cedar wood chips, cedar moth balls, or essential oil from cedar wood poured on cotton balls are also good options.  As with the herbs, eventually cedar will also lose its potency, but the odor can be reignited by rubbing or scrapping the wood, and reapplying essential oil.
• BETTER STORAGE:  If using herbs or cedar isn’t your preference, there’s always proper storage of your clothing.  Just remember that if moths laid eggs in sweaters or jackets prior to putting them away, the larvae will still have a chance to eat three meals a day.  A good tip before storing is to wash clothing at high temperatures or dry clean (at an organic, perc-free cleaner), which will kill larvae that may be waiting to hatch and feast on the wardrobe.

Jakob Barry writes for Hometalk.com, a growing community of homeowners and contractors getting the most from their resources by sharing and monitoring projects together. He covers various eco-friendly home improvement topics including green living.

photo courtesy of calfinder.com

If you’ve built or remodeled a home, or business, that features energy-efficient and eco-friendly elements, why not let others see what you’ve done?!  The American Solar Energy Society’s 16th annual tour takes place this October 1st in most areas of the country, and you can add your place to the tour list!

Or, if you’re interested in learning more about solar energy, green technologies and earth-friendly design, join the other 165,000 people who will tour homes and businesses in neighborhoods across the U.S.!  You’ll see first-hand innovative technologies and materials that allow home and business owners to save money on utility bills, help protect the earth and create inspiring environments.  You’ll learn what costs are involved, as well as any applicable tax incentives available to help you go green and save some green!

pictured above is a solar-powered workshop in Maine

The following is a guest post by Alexis Bonari

Take a look at those old, heavy textbooks on your shelves.  How many trees had to be cut down to produce them? Make sure those resources didn’t go to waste by leaving the books to collect dust on your shelves.

Keeping a library of books can contribute to a significant impact on the environment:  Think of all that paper being created and printed to publish the millions of books that are released each year.  There are a number of things you can do to help lessen your impact:

Donate Your Books

Are you really going to re-read Shakespeare’s Complete Works? Or are you really going to ever get around to reading War and Peace? Take a look at your bookshelf: There are probably dozens of books that you will never read or will never read again. There are several organizations to which you can donate these books:

• Your local library
• A local school or college
• A prison
• Goodwill
• The Salvation Army
• A pet rescue (for re-sale)

Consider the theme and content of the books you are donating before you choose your recipient. After all, you don’t want to send a bunch of Stephen King novels to the local elementary school!

Hold Swaps

Your friends and family members likely have just as many books on their shelves that they could part with if they were being honest. Hosting a book swap is a great way for you to get rid of some of your old books and to pick up some new ones. You and your friends and family members can “recycle” your old books and can get some new reads without having to buy new books.

Re-Sell Your Books

If you don’t want to donate them, try re-selling them to a local college bookstore. It’s best to do this right after your classes end since textbook publishers are quick to come out with new editions, but often, the old editions still contain the same material on slightly different page numbers and can still be useful.

Don’t Buy New

When you are shopping for new books, you can also help reduce your environmental impact by buying books used. You can often find books in “like new” condition, and buying used lessens the demand for the production of new books. If you don’t like to go to used bookstores hoping for the best when you’re looking for something specific, try online vendors like Amazon or eBay, which also sell used books. Of course, the library is a great source of “used” books that you don’t ever have to buy!

Get an e-Reader

Finally, one of the best ways to ensure that you don’t contribute to the creation of new books is to abandon print completely. There are many e-readers available now, and thousands of books are being made available in electronic version. If you can give up the feel of turning pages in your hands, e-readers offer you all of your same favorite books without the burden of using natural resources or taking up extensive space on your shelves.

Bio: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and researcher for College Scholarships, where recently she’s been researching finance scholarship programs as well as English studies scholarship programs. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

photo by The Creative Penn

You may be thinking that there’s nothing wrong with rain, unless of course we’re getting too much, but that’s not what I’m talking about here….  Yes, it is a life-giving precious resource, but it is also a conduit for pollutants that make their way from our lawns, streets and parking lots into our fresh watersheds.

Pollutants such as pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals, trash, motor oil, brake dust, chemicals and even heat from paved surfaces can wreak havoc on our water supply.  Rainwater travels downhill directly into waterways, or it is captured by storm drains where, most of the time, it goes straight into our rivers and lakes.

So, what can we do to help the situation?

• Create a rain garden to capture & filter rain water and break down pollutants found in harmful runoff.  Not only do the native plants in the rain garden slow down and reduce the amount of polluted water flowing into our streams, but they look beautiful and provide habitat for birds and butterflies.
• Garden naturally without the use of herbicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.  Natural and organic alternatives can be used instead.  If you use a lawn-care service, choose one that uses natural methods to produce a lush lawn.
• Pick up litter (plastic bottle caps especially) and dispose of it properly.  These objects end up in our waterways and not only pollute it by leaching chemicals, but are eaten by birds and aquatic animals causing harm and death.
• Think twice before adding impervious surfaces to your property.  Impervious surfaces, such as conventional asphalt & wet laid concrete driveways, walkways and patios, turn rain water into runoff.  Keep these surfaces to a minimum and opt for greener alternatives, such as pervious concrete/asphalt, permeable pavers, salvaged clay bricks/stone/gravel, wood chips, nutshells and recycled tumbled glass.  Dry laid patios and walkways allow water to be absorbed into the ground and they don’t crack from freeze/thaw conditions like wet laid surfaces.  More on these sustainable options in a later post.
• When house hunting, realize that new suburban construction creates a ton of impervious surfaces, from new roads, drives and sidewalks to such compacted soil around the developed areas that they absorb little water and further contribute to runoff.
• Reduce your lawn by adding large beds of native plants and trees to aid in rain water infiltration.
• Add a rainbarrel under your downspouts to capture and store those precious raindrops which can then be used to water your lawn and garden.
• Consider a green roof for your city flat.  A green roof helps provide stormwater management, along with many other benefits.  Plus it looks great!

photo by Greg Hayter

My top 5 St. Patrick’s Day tips to bring out your green side are:

1. Enjoy nature by taking a walk in the park.  Maybe you’ll even come across a lucky four-leaf clover!
2. Make some homemade Irish soda bread with all natural and organic ingredients.
3. Walk, or take mass transportation, to your favorite Irish pub to celebrate the holiday.
4. Try some beer made by eco-friendly brewing companies, like Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (California), Great Lakes Brewing Co. (Ohio), New Belgium Brewing (Colorado), Kona Brewing Co.(Hawaii),  Full Sail Brewing Co. (Oregon), and the Alaskan Brewing Company.  Please drink responsibly and don’t forget to recycle those bottles and cans!
5. Save energy and turn off the lights before you pass out tonight!

photo by MsBarrows

Looking for a chic way to help save the earth?   How about attending the second annual gala event, the Green Ball, in St. Louis on April 2, 2011.  Proceeds will benefit the Missouri Botanical Garden’s EarthWays Center,  whose mission it is to spread the word about conservation of natural resources and sustainability of the built environment.

The boutique hotel, Moonrise Hotel, will be hosting the affair and featuring live music, local cuisine, and even an eco-friendly fashion contest.  Guests will celebrate the earth under the moon, as the signature revolving rooftop moon will be lit green in honor of the event.

Register by March 28 and receive a discount.  Learn more about the EarthWays Center and the event here.

CARBON NATION, an optimistic and solutions-based film, tackles the issue of climate change.

The documentary is directed and produced by Peter Byrck and narrated by Bill Kurtis.  It includes interviews and commentary with some of today’s top innovators including: Richard Branson (CEO, Virgin Group), Thomas L. Friedman (The New York Times), Former CIA Director James Woolsey, Van Jones (Founder, Green For All), Col. Dan Nolan, U.S. Army (Ret), Bernie Karl (Geothermal pioneer from Alaska), Denis Hayes (Founder of Earth Day), and Cliff Etheredge (West Texas wind pioneer).

Find it playing at a theater near you.