Even though the end of July is near that doesn’t mean it is too late to do some spring cleaning! You can clean out much more than your closets to feel completely renewed and refreshed. Even though you have gotten rid of last years flip flops and some frayed towels try cleaning out your mental closet to get ready for a new greener healthier life.
Here are some quick tips to make your summer and self have greener:

1. The Summer is the perfect time to eat lighter and healthier! It’s too hot to cook heavy meals in the kitchen. You want to cook outside and keep yourself cool. Try sticking to local & organic fruits and vegetables if you can. When or if cooking meats find lean, organic meats for summer grilling. Try new things with your healthy diet to keep you interested and learning how to stay healthy. You can carry your summer healthy habits over into fall and winter with the more you know. Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce: A Guide to Easy-to-Make Dishes with Fresh Organic Fruits and Vegetables

2. Be Inspired! The warmer months inspire everyone to want to get into better shape. Take advantage of the warm weather by eating outside, going on walks, riding bikes, or going to the beach.   Enlist a friend for support. It is sometimes easier to stay motivated when you have some one to share your “thin-spirations” with. Start a routine by yourself and with a partner use the DVDs  and equipment that sit back of the closet collecting dust. The days are longer and the nights are perfect for evening swims or after dinner walks. Try 10 FREE at-home, online yoga classes. Yoga expert Rodney Yee guides your one-on-one practice through videos and podcasts!

3. Get involved! Again with this wonderful weather you are afforded the advantage of outside events. Children are off from school have a yard sale or bake sale. Get the block involved and have a summer block party for everyone to enjoy. Talk to local charities about helping with fundraising or volunteering. Talk neighbors and families about going on group day trips together. How about home wind turbines?

4. Clean out the crap! Go through your kitchen cabinets, pantry, refrigerator , freezer and donate or throw away anything that will not help keep you on your summer healthy track. Change curtains, wash rugs, open windows or grow some in door plants. Than clean your house from top to bottom. While doing this get rid of/donate anything you don’t need or haven’t used in the past 8 months or so.  If you cannot find a way to reuse any of these items there is no reason to hold on to them. Go to your locak Goodwill or drop box and donate!

5. Help your environment! Get your family to grow an organic garden to help you save money and eat healthier. Talk to your family about composting and collecting rain water. Learn about your environment by hiking, visiting parks, beaches or go camping. Use the time to observe your local environment, this way you can understand what it takes to keep your environment greener. Take the time to visit local farms, you can get excellent tips and ideas for your garden at home. Try to maximize your effort by keeping track of your carbon footprint.

6. Stay positive! Making any changes in life can sometimes be difficult. But holding on to what isn’t working for us won’t help either. Set goals for yourself in short and long time-frames, you don’t have change everything all at once but you want to stay motivated in the right direction. Make your own goal related affirmations to remind you of what you have done, where you are and want to be. Keep a journal of the entire process. Being negative doesn’t help you feel better ever, don’t waste your time with it. 160-Page Recycled Paper and Sugarcane Journal

The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth

Yesterday I was given a suggestion to read this book The Weather Makers by Tin Flannery yesterday on The Green Beagles Facebook page. I decided that it was a good idea to find the book and post it for everyone to read.

PRODUCT REVIEW:

An international best seller embraced and endorsed by policy makers, scientists, writers and energy industry executives from around the world, Tim Flannery’s The Weather Makers contributed in bringing the topic of global warming to national prominence. For the first time, a scientist provided an accessible and comprehensive account of the history, current status, and future impact of climate change, writing what has been acclaimed by reviewers everywhere as the definitive book on global warming.
With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Originally somewhat of a global warming skeptic, Tim Flannery spent several years researching the topic and offers a connect-the-dots approach for a reading public who has received patchy or misleading information on the subject. Pulling on his expertise as a scientist to discuss climate change from a historical perspective, Flannery also explains how climate change is interconnected across the planet.
This edition includes an new afterword by the author.

The 4th is almost here! I know this is a time everyone gets ready for big parties and lots of fireworks but as much as I like to party I really am interested in finding new greener ways to celebrate. So I searched the web and brought it to my twitterer’s and fellow FB greenies. Here are some ideas I found:

Bring or Biu Biodegradable or Reusable Cutlery

Use recycled or biodegradable plates, cups & bowls

Purchase locally grown organic fruits and veggies

Buy food with as little packaging as possible. Try making as much as you can yourself at home.

Use your regular dishes, bowls and plates for food storage. You can bring them home and wash them instead of throwing out containers.

Carpool, walk, bikeor skate to your destination if possible.

Make your own decorations. That can be part of the planning fun. Holiday Magic : The Art of Making Decorations for Eventful Days Thoughout the Year

Use organic charcoal for your grill or even this lump charcoal 20LB Lump Charcoal

Terra Chips Stripes & Blues Sea Salt, 6.5-Ounce (Pack of 12)I saw this suggestion on BlissTree.com just for funzies. 

Use solar lights if your party goes into the night. Wild Grass Solar Garden Lights. 3 LED Lights, 2V/80mAh solar panel. 1.2 V/500 AAA Ni-MH Rechargeable Battery. There are many different fun kinds of lights that are sold everywhere.

Make your own ice. Prepare ahead of time. These trays are recyclable and made out of rubber.  Lekue Silicone Ice Cube Tray, Star.  You can make them red and blue colored if you want. 

As for the fireworks and sparklers that’s a big ol’ no for at home but if there is a big community event then participate in that. In this case less is definitely more.

After the party be smart about what is left over. Use the food for compost if it can’t be eaten. Recycle anything that you aren’t planning on reusing.  Be careful with your homemade decorations. Save them for next year. Who knows what other events they may be good for.

What else can you think of to help make our 4th of July greener this year?

School may just have ended for you or your children. Usually at the end of the year you want to give your teacher/teachers a gift for the good job they do all year long. Ecoisthas done it again! This M&M’s candy dish is a perfect gift for anyone! Your teacher can leave this on their desk to remind them of the importance of reducing, recycling & reusing! Your teacher will see they did a good job! Not to mention what kind of promotion for the 3R’s! Other students and teachers will see this candy dish, ask about it and learn who really cool the 3R’s can actually be.

 
The 4th of July is almost here! Celebrate it with some homemade noise makers! You can make your own 4th of July Maraca’s from thing that are around your house!

MATERIALS:

• at least 2 plastic bottles (water, juice, yogurt etc.)

• Gorilla Glue

• Kids Classic Recycled Scissors

• rubber bands

• Biodegradable Water Balloons

• rice uncooked or dried beans or even dry lentils

• something to use as a handle (straw, popsicle stick, old pen or pencil)

•decorative elements such as beads, stickers, markers, buttons, glitter, paint or anything lying around the house like broken jewelry or hair accessories.

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

• Make a hole at the bottom of the bottle, using the scissors or a knife (this is a job for the adults).

• Pour glue on the hole.

• Put the handle in the hole. Give it a moment to make sure the handle stays put.

• Fill up the bottles half way with the rice, beans or lentils.

• Cover the top of the container with the balloon.

• Use the rubber bands to to tie the bottom of the balloon to the handle of the maraca.

• Get to decorating! Make them as fun as you want! Use anything you find from around the house. You can even use things you find outside like leaves, sticks, acorn shells!

• Let them dry so none of the decorations fall off or get smudged.

• After they have dried, PLAY WITH THEM!

Come join them for a Poker and BlackJack Tournament

Together we can save the lives of innocent foreclosure victims and give them a new chance at life!

Enjoy playing poker or know someone who does? Looking for something fun to do this Sunday (June 27) evening? Then check out Poker for Paws Tournament in Tempe, across from The Improv, from 5-9pm. The evening will be sponsored by ABC Bartending & Casino School and all monies received will benefit Lost Our Home Pet Foundation.

It’s free to walk in the door and be a spectator, but those interested in playing poker or blackjack with Lady Luck need to register and pay a $40 admission fee to secure their seat at the table.
http://www.lostourhome.org/poker-for-paws-tournament-2010/poker-for-paws-registration/

Prizes will be given to the top 3 winners and on-line registration makes registration a breeze. Whether you play or not, be sure to bring plenty of cash, as refreshments and food will be sold and raffle prizes will be drawn throughout the night; and we all know with raffles, the more you buy, the better your chance of winning!

Special Raffle Prize of an Autographed Baseball by Don Newcomb of the LA Dodgers and Football Suveneir autographed by Tod Heq – former ASU football player along with many other great prizes.

725 South Rural Road, Suite #210,Tempe, AZ 85251 (Across from The Improv)

Contact Stacy Katz for questions – 602-524-8169

Organic gourmet dog treats

Shop Oompa’s Eco Friendly Section!

Maybe it’s just me, but the idea of a loom at home is really fun. You can design your own patterns. You can learn a craft that can really be soo much fun and maybe even make you money. You can teach yourself and/or  your children a time honored craft that could even be an excellent history lesson. I am a huge fan of do it yourself projects which this could totally be. I like the idea of creative learning. I see this loom as a  way to have fun and learn an extremely practical craft that many take for advantage these days.

Product Description:
This beginner’s weaving loom is perfect for the young and the young-at-heart. An excellent loom for the beginning weaver, it also performs well as a portable loom for more experienced weavers. This loom features Beka rigid heddles which provide the weaver with an easy and reliable method of weaving. Both simple and complex techniques may be done with this loom. Made of hard maple from the USA, our beginner’s weaving loom comes fully assembled with a pre-warped heddle. A basic project is started on the loom, ready for weaving. Oompa’s instructions move through the rest of the project, then go step-by-step through planning and starting another project. Enough yarn is included so the weaver can get started as soon as the loom is out of its box. Weave projects up to 10″ wide X 3 yards long. The assembled loom comes with one shuttle. The started project uses a 4″ wide heddle for a narrow band of fabric. A 10″ wide heddle is included. Weight 4 lbs. Adult Assembly Required. Made from regionally grown hard maple and baltic birch in St Paul, Minnesota.

With the oil spill, BP’s, and Obama’s reluctance to actually get things done I was reminded of a great documentary I saw a long time ago. I thought that this was very appropriate now that this spill has happened. Who Killed the Electric Car? is a great example of how our government and large corporations decided what was in their best interests above what was in the environments best interests. If you haven’t seen this yet you should. It is very important to be aware of how our government continually keeps their pockets lined while keeping our earth and its citizens in a constant state of duress.

Product Description:
In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline. Ten years later, these futuristic cars were almost entirely gone. What happened? Why should we be haunted by the ghost of the electric car?

How to Make Your Own Organic Cosmetics: Face Masks, Hair Rinses & Body Lotions: Recipes for Natural Beauty

I have been dabbling into home remedies and baths due to some books I have been reading and since those have been going so well I have finally decided to take a shot at making my own cosmetics. It is a great way to save money. I can create cosmetics to suit me personally and have them do the things I need specific to my body. I am elated at my new adventure. I know a little about what different herbs, fruits and veggies do but clearly I need some assistance so I don’t make a science experiment out of my skin and hair. After very little research I found this book that looked like it was on my level.

Book Description:
Natural and organic is the buzz in cosmetics. Even for over-the-counter products, everyone from is going organic when it comes to beauty. This beautiful book shows you how to make your own handcrafted, organic makeup using essential oils and other natural ingredients. With this book you can personalize your beauty regimen without standing in line. The Organic Face Book feature a range of recipes for quick and easy daily products: face cleansers, eye cleansers, toners, moisturizing creams and gels, cold cream cleanser, hand cream, body lotion, lip balm, face masks, rejuvenating treatments, liquid shampoos, hair bars, conditioners, rinses, hair nourishing treatments, deodorants, mouthwashes, aftershaves, and eye baths.

Summer is here and the sun is shining bright. We all love to enjoy great weather with trips to the beach or back yard BBQ’s but we have to protect ourselves in this hot weather. Sunscreen is extremely important in the summer. As you may or may not know the month of May is melanoma month. A melanoma is tumor of melanocytes which are found predominantly in skin but also in the bowel and the eye. It is one of the less common types of skin cancer but causes the majority (75%) of skin cancer related deaths. You have always been told to wear sunscreen and to protect your skin. What you might not know is in recent medical research scientists have identified serious problems with the use of chemical UV-absorbers & titanium dioxide which are used in traditional sunscreens. Additional research has started to show that chemicals found in modern chemically sourced skin care products awaken dormant viruses in zooxanthellae.

Soléo Organics All Natural Sunscreen is an all-natural, organically produced skin care solution that is safe for humans and the environment. Designed as a consumer friendly and safe alternative to common synthetic based sunscreens,Soléo has been innovatively formulated according to Naturopathic principles without the use of any chemical UV-absorbers, titanium dioxide, or synthetic preservatives. Created in Australia, Soléo is a major advancement in sun care technology for its water resistant, neutrally scented, has a low skin irritation factor, and contains natural organic ingredients.

Product Benefits:

* Healthy alternative to common synthetic sunscreens.
* Developed for sensitive skin. Low irritation formula for allergies.
* Won’t sting the eyes.
* Ideal for the whole family.
* Suitable for young children & adults, including pregnant women.
* Fortified with Botanical Extracts and Vitamin E to promote skin care.
* Water resistant up to 3 hours.
* Ocean and fresh water-friendly.
* No chemical UV-absorbers, titanium dioxide, synthetic preservatives, paraben, PABA, petrochemicals, benzoates, SLS, artificial colors or fragrances.
* Protects from UV-B rays, the leading cause of sunburn.
* Protects from UV-A rays, the leading cause of premature aging of skin.