Finding Quality Green Products
Someone whispers “organic” or “natural” in mainstream media as the healthy and smart choice and suddenly it is everywhere and the solar power generation is here Organic that, natural this, but is it all just a big scheme to get people to continue to buy their products?
Green Washing. The problem is most products you buy are not all natural or organic and so these companies have a huge problem. Consumer demand started to shift towards healthier “natural and organic” alternatives to the typical non-natural or organic products on the market today. Instead of coming up with a new formula or a new product that actually IS all natural or organic they have simply ADDED a harmless organic ingredient to their products. Why would they do this? That is easy, with this miniscule amount of natural product they can now slap “Made With Organic blah” or “Includes Natural blah” and people will jump all over it, even though nothing has really changed.
So, as a consumer, what can you do to avoid the “fake” go green stuff and get real natural or organic products? It will take a little more than a stop at the super market for starters. Before you go out do some research online and try to find products that actually are all natural and where they are sold so you know where to go. But what if you are at the store already or are not sure what kind of product you want in the first place? Well it gets a little harder but there are some things you can do. Look at the label and see if all the ingredients are organic or natural. If only one is, and it is very small compared to the others on the list then you found a faker, move on.
If it is some kind of skin care product reading the label is the best way to go. The ingredients amount and weight are listed top to bottom. So if an all natural ingredient is the first on you see your probably safe. If it is the last, think again. This does apply to household products that so try to do some research before hand. There are lots of companies now that provide natural alternatives and with a little looking you can probably find some really good deals.
The biggest tattletale is that natural products have nothing to hide. So if it is all natural it will say so on the ingredients and will contain little to nothing of any other ingredient. If you see a huge list of words you can’t pronounce chances are it is not as natural or organic as the huge sticker on the front of it wants you to believe.
Living a Greener Live: What Can You Do?
Go Green Easily: Organic or Not?
Go Green Easily: Organic or Not?
Go green easily with knowing which foods to buy certified organic food and which ones you can pass on. The big push is to eat everything organic in order to save the planet and the human species. That isn’t exactly a clear picture of the situation. Organic foods are certified in different ways to stand for different qualities. Many foods deemed organic are grown in conditions that still harm the land they’re grown on and many are packaged inappropriately. Just because a product flashes the word “Organic” on it doesn’t make it worth automatically buying. Certain plants are naturally bug-proof and get non-toxic treatments that make them invalid for the “organic” label. difficult to go green easily within the big Organic Debate. There are websites, local gardening classes and University extension programs that will answer your questions. How is a product deemed Organic? What do the different types or certifications actually mean? Are there some countries, states or counties whose foods you should avoid or buy with caution? What foods really should be organic and which ones just need a good washing? As to this last question, the rule of thumb is that root and tuber vegetables, thin skinned fruits and leafy vegetables should be bought at the store as organics. Again, a little research from a trusted source will yield a bounty of important information.
Go green easily within the controversy of what should be organic or not by growing some super simple produce of your own. Grow your own spinach, lettuce, carrots or whatever strikes your fancy. Greens and carrots are very easy to grow and care for plus the savings are astounding. A package of “designer” salad greens costs around $2.75, is ready for picking in 25-35 days from sprouting and keeps producing as long as you have seeds. Three 10-inch pots on the patio will provide a constant supply of salad goodies that can be brought in during winter and kept going year-round. You can do the same with herbs and a windowsill.
Go green easily choosing organically grown foods vs traditionally grown by getting more informed, being more aware and even dabbling in small batches of your own creations. When choosing your food think of it this way: If it’s good for the plant it’s probably good for you and the world you inhabit.
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Go Green, Grow Your Own Goodies
Go Green, Grow Your Own Goodies
Go green by growing your own fresh garden goodies, no matter how small or large your garden area. All the ingredients for salsa can be grown in two pots on the balcony. Fresh herbs thrive in tiny pots on the window sill as easily as in a side yard. Amaze your guests by letting them pick their own potatoes for the grill at the same time they gather flowers for the salad, no matter where you live. Even tall plants like corn and sunflowers will do well in patio pots. By catching and storing the cold water that would go down the drain when it’s heating up for a bath or shower you have provided your garden its life source, cut down on your water bill and stretched another resource that much farther.
Go greener planting goodies you watched grow from seedlings. Seed companies are increasing their varieties and stocks of ornamental and edible plants for the small-space and backyard gardeners because the demand is high. People want fresh, ripe, toxin-free food that is affordable and readily available. How can you be any more in control of what you eat than by growing it yourself? Patio gardens are easy to plant, care for and are right at your fingertips. Gardening in your backyard isn’t as complicated or time consuming as you may think, especially if you join forces with a couple of folks who don’t have any more extra time than you. Everybody takes an hour or two, one or two days week to weed or mulch or water and all enjoy the harvest.
Growing fresh flowers, edible or just ornamental, is a very environmentally friendly and neighborly thing to do. There’s no need to buy crop flowers that needed bug-spray or hauling from the fields because those bright beauties are in front of your door. Flower beds or potted plants add sparkle and smiles to your neighborhood, even up on the 12th floor. Everybody likes to see fresh blooms whether they have allergies or not so take pictures of your accomplishments for sneezing friends and share the real deal with everyone else. You can even make potpourri drying your scented bloomers.
Go green and grow your own goodies to eat, admire and share. Considering all the information available on what grows best where and how you live, why not see what color your thumb is? Food costs go down, stress and blood pressures lower while nutrition value goes up. Go green all the way around; plant greens to save greens.
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Go Green Easily: Second-hand Is NOT a Dirty Word
Go Green Easily: Second-hand Is NOT a Dirty Word
Go green easily by using second-hand and consignment stores. The current economic downturns most of us are feeling has taken some of the stigma off buying preowned items. Yard sales are hot shopping spots, on line classified ad sites are cropping up in droves and community swaps are growing in popularity. Second-hand is NOT a dirty word. People of all classes are realizing that there are great finds on the racks and shelves of consignment stores and thrift stores. The old adage of “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” has taken on new meaning and new value.
Utilizing stores that clean, refurbish, rewire or simply sell items as-is eliminates the need to ship merchandise from around the country. There’s no added cost to the price tag for fuel fees, warehouse handling fees, trucking companies fees nor the big charge for buying a name brand article at full price. Donations are tax deductible with receipts from the organization stating the estimated value of the items; you save when you give as well as receive. Many charity organizations use their resale stores for training. The developmentally disabled, recovering addicts, the homeless and others in need of marketable skills learn how to rewire appliances or do reupholstery work or succeed in retail so they can support themselves.
Go green and get greenbacks by putting consignment stores to good use. Last year’s fashion staples, brand new stock from retired businesses or an extra toaster oven from a newlywed’s gift collection are found treasures. As a rule, only clean, like-new products are acceptable for consideration at these stores. Finding original price tags on packaging is very common. Consignment stores will either pay you a flat rate for your items or take a small fee on what they sold for. Many will even give an in-store credit or let you trade some of your things for same-priced merchandise. Building a good relationship with the owner or manager can garner you some nice perks, like getting a first look at new arrivals before they go out onto the sales floor.
Going green and second-hand buying go hand-in-hand so remember, second-hand is NOT a dirty word. These stores serve their communities by employing from within the area, giving new life to gently-used or even never-used things and keeping their corner of the local economy going. Thrift stores are usually a training and financial source for charities while consignment stores put cash in your pocket but both do the same service; keeping usable items out of the dumps.
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The War Between Food and Energy
Today climate change is acknowledged by all except the most doubtful skeptics. Warmer temperatures in areas where its supposed to be cool, scorching summers, and bone chilling winters have become a pattern that we no longer can simply ignore.
What The War About?
The demand for cheap energy is causing people to become desperate and many are turning to bio-fuel like it’s the cure for all energy shortages. So what is bio-fuel? It is any gaseous, solid, or liquid material derived from biological materials. Bio-fuel’s raw materials are usually agricultural crops that undergo fermentation and certain other processes in order to produce bio-fuel. Crops made into bio-fuel can not be eaten, thus begins the conflict.
The Problem
Those countries with the highest number of vehicles running their roads like the United States, England and most of the European nations want more and more fuel. Because bio-fuel is made from corn, sugarcane, palm oil, vegetable oil, etc, most often from crops grown in Third World Countries, competition has grown between food and bio-fuels.
In Mexico, there is now a “tortilla crisis”. Corn, which is the basic ingredient of tortilla, is now being sold at five times the price it once sold for. The reason for the increased prices? The demand of corn for making bio-fuel. Why sell corn for a dollar when you can now get five dollars because the demand is much higher.
Who Suffers?
Highly developed countries will have to import produce from the third world countries to fuel their increasing demand for bio-energy. Third world countries are usually tropical ones located near the equator. Longer growing season produce higher yields of corn and other crops needed to manufacture bio-fuel. However, for these countries corn is also used for food. So is sugar cane. For the first world too produce enough bio-fuel, people in poorer countries must work longer and harder to be able to afford the higher prices or go without the most basic of all necessities: food.
A Compromise
So what should we do? We must solve the problems of the environment and pollution caused by using fossil fuels, but in doing so we are creating another equally important problem. If the farm laborers can’t afford food, who will till the land to supply the crops for bio-fuel?
Sustainable energy is supposed to improve life, not make it harder. The solution may be that develped countries will need to find a way to help underdeveloped counties plant new crops. These crops must not be those intended for use by local consumers. Stringent rules governing pricing and distribution will be necessary to keep those crops used for food sources separate from those planted for energy.
Sustainable power means the world working hand in hand to create a better way of life for all. A successful solution to the competing demands for food and bio-fuel crops will require hard work, dedication and compromise.