Dr Bronner

It seems that Dr Bronner was a pioneer in the manufacture of eco friendly cleaning as he first caught the eye of the public in the 60s and 70s.

All Dr Bronner products are made using old family recipes and they make much use of organic and fair trade olive oil – now that’s the kind of approach of which I really approve!

Best plants for bees

What are the Best Plants for Bees? What plants do bees love and why should we care? I tell all in my article 10 Best Plants for Bees, where you will find some pictures of the bees and plants in my garden.

Worldwide honeybee stocks have been reducing since 2004 because of a mystifying illness scientists call Colony Collapse Disorder. This causes adult bees to inexplicably abandon their hives and their broods. However, bees also appear to be suffering from other ailments.

We can help all bees by adding the plants that they love to our gardens. Find out more at the 10 Best Plants for Bees.

In fact Correen believes so much in these green cleaning products that she wrote a Squidoo lens about them, which recently she has given to me to add to my Going Green Ideas niche.

What I also like about Mrs Meyers products is that not only are they eco-friendly green cleaning but they are not tested on animals either.

Mrs Meyers products come so highly recommended that I am wishing we could get them here in the UK!!

Find out more about Mrs Meyers cleaning products.

Do you write Green articles on Hubpages, Associated Content, Qondio….anywhere? Do you have a Green blog? Green lenses on Squidoo?

I am looking for some writers who share a genuine interest for Going Green and Natural, either to submit occasional Guest posts or if you want to contribute on a regular basis, I can set you up as a Blog Author. Links to your content definitely allowed

Just leave a note in the Guestbook, together with some links to your writing and I will be in touch.

The laundry room at my apartment building holds more than washing machines. One table — and the area around it — is devoted to give away items, ranging from half empty bottles of shampoo to wood dinette sets. In fact, the first thing the maintenance person did when I moved in was show me where I could get some ’starter items’ of furniture; he had whisked some away into the work room adjacent to the laundry for just such a purpose.

The reason those items were there? People in the University District of Seattle, like in many other communities, lead transient lives. They can’t afford to take their housewares and their furniture with them.

I think there is more reuse in my building than there is many communities in my country. It can be harder for people who live spread out, who don’t have 100 people stacked above and below them, to give away items that they don’t need when they move, or to find them when they set up housekeeping again. Many of us wonder, though, how long we as a world community can afford to keep buying so much that’s new or discarding so much that’s still serviceable. Our wallets shrink, even as our landfills grow.

Thankfully there’s the internet, and a variety of creative platforms from eBay to Craiglist to the lesser known BookMooch book trading site. Squidoo lensmaster Tipi has an idea which she describes on Bartering Goods and Local Services. She has links to a number of bartering sites on the lens, as well some thought provoking questions: What about featuring items for barter on Squidoo lenses? What about starting a bartering group? Many of us have large networks. How about using our internet connections to trade objects and services, too?

Karentbten has published a page about reused and recycled Easter Baskets

Correen says:

Mrs Meyers Products are green friendly cleaning and aromatherapy all wrapped up in one! It’s wonderful to have a clean, sweet smelling home without loading our environment with toxins to achieve it.

In those days, I was very ignorant about the nasty toxic chemicals, including organo-phosphates, that were used to zap the little blighters and I shudder to think how many times my son and eldest daughter were exposed to them. I never thought to look for a natural head lice remedy.

The last time I was confronted with head lice was about a year ago, when I found that Lizzie’s beautiful long hair was the home to some unwanted visitors. Fortunately, our local pharmacy had some chemical free natural head lice treatment, which, when combined with a couple of hours of intense combing through (while we watched a video) did the trick.

However, thanks to a comment left on a previous post, I have now discovered a website that supplies an array of natural remedies, including Heal Head Lice, a , natural treatment for head lice. Heal Head Lice is 100% natural and organic, which is guaranteed free from pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers.

Given it is generally young children who are more vulnerable to head lice, it is useful to know that it can be used on children aged 4 and upwards.

The suppliers, Amo Oils, give a guarantee that their natural formulas always work when the instructions are followed. If you are unhappy for any reason, you can simply return the bottle within 60 days of purchase for a full product refund.

I came across some great bamboo kitchen tools as well as some very colorful recycled plastic mixing bowls, and in the process I learned that:

• Over 100 million tonnes of plastic is discarded each year
• Bamboo is one of the most sustainable crops, that not only regenerates itself quickly when harvested, but it also benefits the environment, absorbing more CO2 than an equivalent stand of trees

For more information about green and natural products, visit my collection of  Going Green Ideas pages.

Green Cupcakes

Yes, some of it is green in colour but all the equipment featured on the lens is eco friendly baking equipment and made from recycled materials or sustainable resources.

Why use eco friendly catering equipment?

One very good reason to use recyled materials for eco friendly baking is that over 100 millions tonnes of plastic is discarded each year. Much of this ends up in landfill, in the countryside and in the sea, making plastic one of the most environmentally damaging materials on the planet.

Image credit: Green Tea (Matcha) Cupcakes by bossacafez on Flickr under Creative Commons 2.0

I am also upset about the “politicizing” of this huge environmental disaster, where the facts have become muddied, in order that various politicians can make themselves appear in a better light at the expense of those they oppose and other innocent parties. Which is why I was so pleased to see a Squidoo lens, published by Daybreak that sticks to the facts and steers clear of politics.

BP Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Oil Spill , outlines what happened on 20 April 2010, when the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig 130 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana blew up, with the loss of 20 lives and goes on to outline how those in need of help can get it.

While not belittling the impact of the disaster, Daybreak sets out to give links to help and further information in a factual and dispassionate way. There’s also links for people looking to volunteer to help.