Category Archives: The Eco Lifestyle

4 Easy Ways to Live More Sustainably

  By Donna DeForbes | August 15, 2013 - 5:30 am |
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Thrift Store Shopping for Sustainable Living | Eco-Mothering.com

Welcome to the August 2013 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Living Sustainably. This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. This month, our members are talking about steps their families have taken, or hope to take, to live more sustainably. We hope you’ll find inspiration for your family’s journey towards sustainable living, and share your tips with us as well! -> Sure, living sustainably is a goal of mine. I know a smaller carbon footprint is better for the planet. But is it easy? Not always. Sometimes our family’s wants and dreams get in the way of being sustainable (like moving from an apartment to a single-family home or owning two cars). For us, the key has been to strike a balance between living abundantly and living with a lighter footprint. The ways … Continue reading →

7 Green Boating Tips for the Whole Family

  By Donna DeForbes | July 30, 2013 - 5:30 am |
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Eco-Friendly Tips for Boaters | Eco-Mothering.com

This is a guest post from Jeremy Simmons. Boating places you in the natural environment and often feels serene, so it’s hard to reconcile the fact that recreational boating can be harmful to the environment. The whole family can pitch in by learning more about safe boating and ways that default practices may add contaminants to local waterways. Take these steps to minimize your ecological footprint and help protect the waters you enjoy while boating. Each effort you take will help protect the environment. Recycle You may already be recycling the food and beverage containers you consume onboard, but chances are, you can recycle a lot more of what you use on the boat. Batteries, cabin light bulbs and cleaning product containers can all be recycled through municipal programs or take-back programs at retailers. Hazardous waste such as paint containers and oil can be disposed of through municipal hazardous waste … Continue reading →

How to Safely Dispose of an Old Car Seat

  By Donna DeForbes | July 23, 2013 - 5:30 am | ,
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Proper Car Seat Disposal | Eco-Mothering.com

We’ve held on to Sofie’s convertible car seat just in case we had a second child. That doesn’t appear to be happening, and now I’m ready to clear out much of the baby stuff that’s hogging precious storage space in our basement. Which brought up the question: What can I do with her old car seat? Can I Donate It? A car seat can only be passed on to someone else if it has never been in an accident and has not gone past the manufacturer’s expiration date. Even though Sofie’s 2006 car seat is accident-free and still in good condition, it is too old to safely donate. Most manufacturers list an expiration date on the seat, and if you can’t find one, six years is often considered the limit. Why? The materials degrade over time, especially from the intense ultraviolet light coming through car windows. This compromises their safety … Continue reading →

Top 5 Benefits of Yard Sales

  By Donna DeForbes | June 14, 2013 - 5:30 am |
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Benefits of Yard Sales | Eco-Mothering.com

As a kid, I always liked yard sales from the community sale in our church parking lot to the humungous annual event in Maple Shade, New Jersey. Of course, the prices are good, but more than that, there’s something about the friendly vendors, the assortment of items, the potential of what you might find. While I am nowhere near the level of being a “yard sale junkie,” they have become a mainstay in my life. Here’s why. Finding Unique Treasures Like this Indian tapestry, which had I seen it in a store or magazine, I may have admired but never would have bought it. We got it for $25 at a yard sale. An Indian friend saw it hanging in our living room and said it would likely sell for $200 new. It gets tons of compliments and I never tire of looking at its kaleidoscope of colors and texture. … Continue reading →

My Blog is Carbon Neutral!

  By Donna DeForbes | April 25, 2013 - 5:00 am |
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I love this idea that I stumbled upon from Green Momma. An initiative started in Germany several years ago, Mach’s Grün (Make It Green) has a goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. How? By planting a tree for every blog. With upwards of 181 million blogs globally, that’s a lot of trees! Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross, Harvard physicist and environmental activist, deduced that an average blog of 15,000 monthly page views emits 3.6 kg of carbon annually (based upon the energy consumption of computers). A single tree is estimated to absorb anywhere from 10-30 kg of carbon per year. Who knew there were even people researching this kind of thing? Mach’s Grün partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to reforest 65,000 acres of California’s Plumas National Forest, which was decimated by fire. Their latest project is restoring the Shasta-Trinity National Forest with 640,000 new trees. Kind of cool to know that a … Continue reading →

Top 5 Recycling Bins from Around the World

  By Donna DeForbes | April 12, 2013 - 6:00 am |
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Recycle Bins Around the World | Eco-Mothering.com

With Earth Day approaching (April 22), I was doing some research on recycling and stumbled upon these visuals of recycle bins in other countries. So varied and unique! It’s nice to see that recycling can be stylish too. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates These sleek, stainless-steel bins debuted in 2010 with solar-powered advertising space on the receptacles. Excellent dual eco purpose. Italy These stylish bins come from Italian architect and designer Gianluca Soldi. Soldi, who specializes in bio-architecture, first presented the Ovetto (Italian for “egg”) Recycling Bin at the 2008 London Design Festival. The containers are made of recycled polypropylene and come with brightly colored applique stickers to identify the separate compartments. Switzerland In the typical style of Swiss clean design, even their trash bins looks sleek and pretty. These particular bins were photographed in downtown Lausanne. Egypt These are cute little shapes, with the emphasis on “little.” Apparently, the … Continue reading →

Top 5 Simple Green Ways to Stay Warm in Winter

  By Donna DeForbes | January 25, 2013 - 7:00 am | ,
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Get the chores done. Moving around increases heart rate and body temperature—the most natural way to stay warm. I work from home, and when I start to feel chilly, it’s usually a sign that I’ve been sitting at the computer too long. That’s when I get up and run a load of laundry, change the sheets or prepare something for dinner. The activity alone warms me up without having to turn up the thermostat. As a bonus, chores are done. Imbibe in a warm beverage. From a hot chocolate to a hot toddy, a toasty drink goes a long way in warming your hands and your insides. Choose tea and reap cancer-reducing, heart-healthy side benefits. I start my day with a mug of green tea and often have an herbal cup in the evenings. Choose your materials wisely. Cover bare floors with area rugs. Use flannel sheets on the beds. Switch to … Continue reading →

Top 5 Places to Recycle Your Electronics

  By Donna DeForbes | January 18, 2013 - 7:00 am | ,
3 Comments

I’ve been in a de-cluttering process since the fall. Often my cleaning up efforts involve moving piles from one area to another; very little stuff seems to leave the house. This time, I’m actually going through every box of junk in the basement to determine what things we can let go of. I’m ready to face the fact that we’ve been lugging around containers of cassette tapes, VHS movies and old computer disks for years. Why? I can more easily watch That Thing You Do via streaming Netflix than fire up the old VCR, and those mix tapes from early in our relationship, while touching, can only be heard if we’re riding in my husband’s old Honda. Which we almost never are. Yet I didn’t want to toss all that material into the trash. It begs the question: how can I safely dispose of old electronics? GreenDisk This one-stop service not … Continue reading →