Home and Garden | Eco-Mothering

Top 5 Tips for Eco-Friendly Summer Entertaining

Tips for Eco Entertaining | Eco-Mothering.com

Along with summer comes outdoor gatherings and backyard barbecues. While being outside may already seem green, here are five ways to go easy on the earth (and save yourself some bucks) when entertaining. Dine on Bamboo and Sugar Cane Several companies — including BAMBU, EATware and Treecycle — now make biodegradable or compostable plates, bowls and cups made from items like recycled plastic or sugar cane. When our parties aren’t too large, we prefer to skip the disposables altogether and use our regular dishes. If you don’t have enough, comb thrift shops and yard sales to create a funky collection of colorful tableware for entertaining. Dress it up with pretty cloth napkins or items from nature for a tablescape right out of HGTV. Drink with Less Packaging Fill glass pitchers with water, lemonade or iced tea instead of buying individual bottles. (They also look nicer on the table.) Nix the juice … Continue reading →

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

By Donna DeForbes | June 24, 2014 - 5:00 am | Home and Garden

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Even though we’ve had various forms of vegetable gardens in our yard for four years, I consider myself a novice gardener. Which means I still turn to others to answer my questions on issues such as “how can I keep annoying bugs from eating my basil” or “which veggies can I plant that will come back every year?” With this post, I’ve tried to put it all in one place for you from what to plant, where to plant and how to keep everything growing. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s a very good place to start. Getting Started 10 Reasons to Start a Garden from Oh Lardy! Five Questions to Ask Before Starting your First Garden from Live Renewed Five Tips for the Gardening Newbie from Simply Healthy Home Basics of Starting an Urban Garden from Delicious Obsessions Deciding What to Plant from Montana Homesteader … Continue reading →

Wood Recycling: From Wheelchair Ramp to Garden Bed

By Donna DeForbes | June 3, 2014 - 5:00 am | Home and Garden

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It’s not often (maybe never?) that I build something, and this home reuse project seemed the perfect thing to highlight on this blog. We bought our house five years ago, and the previous owner used a wheelchair – hence, the ramp off the back door. I said it would be the first thing to go when we moved in. It wasn’t. The ramp came in useful for large appliance delivery and as a place to lock Mike’s bike. Needless to say, it fell way down on the list of priorities in shaping our new home. Last year when some of the balusters started falling off, the ramp became dangerous for little kids, so we decided to finally take it down. So far, it has been a girls’ project: me and Sofie using mallets, hammers and crowbars to remove each piece of wood and simultaneously release pent-up frustration. It’s stacking up … Continue reading →

Tips and Ideas for Gardening with Kids

By Donna DeForbes | May 27, 2014 - 5:00 am | Home and Garden, Kids Going Green

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Gardens of every kind are a delight to behold. As a sustainable source of healthy food and outdoor exercise, gardening is an ideal activity. But how do you get your children involved and make it fun for them? For inspiration, check out the posts below. Planting and Activities Gardening with Toddlers from Montana Homesteader Egg Carton Gardening with Toddlers from Healthy Roots Happy Soul 4 Simple Tips for Teaching Children to Garden from Eco-Mothering 10 Unique Gardening Activities for Kids from Code Name: Mama 5 Growing-Themed Activities for Children from Diary of a First Child Make Stickers from Flowers from Real Food RN Creating a Children’s Garden from Five Little Homesteaders Kids Craft Window Garden from We Know Stuff How to Plant a “Miss Rumphius” Garden from Red and Honey Critters and Fairies Adventures with Earthworms from Mama Rosemary How to Plant a Bee-Friendly Garden with Kids from Natural Living Mamma Creating … Continue reading →

Top 5 Tricks for Greener Spring Cleaning

By Donna DeForbes | May 9, 2014 - 5:00 am | Home and Garden

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Bye, Bye Allergens Keep spring allergens and dirt out of your home by removing your shoes. According to Thank Your Body, you can eliminate 60% of toxins, such as lead dust, fungal spores, pesticides and dust mites, just by doing this one simple thing. Make it easy by installing a bench or shelf near the most commonly used door. Well-washed Windows Open your home’s windows to let in fresh air. (Discover 10 reasons why that’s a good idea.) Then you’ll want to clean them. Crunchy Betty spent some time testing homemade glass cleaner combinations and found this one to be a hands-down winner over plain vinegar. She calls it the Alvin Corn Glass Cleaner because it’s comprised of alcohol, vinegar, corn starch and water. Spray on windows and wipe clean with newspaper. Wash windows on a sunny day (easier to see streaking) in the morning before it’s hot. Clean blinds with vinegar … Continue reading →

Tips for Conserving Electricity (an Acrostic)

By Donna DeForbes | April 29, 2014 - 5:00 am | Home and Garden, The Eco Lifestyle

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The other week we received a notice from National Grid, our energy company, reporting that we are in the top 20% of energy efficiency among our neighbors. Woohoo! Even though I’m eco-minded, I was surprised by the report. It was quite validating to know that the energy updates we’ve made in our home are actually working! It inspired me to write this post, offering an acrostic of 10 ways to save electricity. Switch all light bulbs to CFLs or LEDs. Always cook using the smallest pot necessary and keep a lid on it. Ventilate sparingly in the bathroom — open a window if possible; otherwise run the fan for no more than 20 minutes after a shower. Energy-Star appliances are the way to go! Embrace natural light by opening shades. Not using it? Turn it off or unplug it. Employ timers and motion detectors for light fixtures. Reduce your … Continue reading →

Soap Nuts for Sustainable Household Cleaning

By Donna DeForbes | April 8, 2014 - 5:00 am | Home and Garden, Product Reviews

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I have been curious about soap nuts for a while, and, since trying them, I have to say they are possibly the most sustainable cleaning choice you can make. Derived from a plant, these organic berries are easy to grow, non-toxic, odorless, compostable and reusable in household cleaning. What Are Soap Nuts? Soap nuts come from the Sapindus genus of trees and bushes, native to temperate and tropical regions around the world. The soap nut, which is actually the shell of a de-seeded berry, contains saponin, a natural cleaner that has been used for centuries. Their primary function is a laundry detergent. Toss 5-6 nuts in a small cloth bag into the washing machine, and you’re all set. NOTE: You will not see suds in your laundry, which is perfectly fine by me since suds are typically the product of compounds like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), a toxin considered the … Continue reading →

Top 5 Eco-Friendly Moving Tips

By Donna DeForbes | March 28, 2014 - 5:00 am | Home and Garden

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After 14 years of moving from apartment to apartment—across four states—my husband and I finally bought our first house five years ago. (Yes, our house came with the black wooden whale on the chimney. It might even have been a selling point for me!) After closing on the house, we spent a month taking down the 1960s paneling, painting the walls in low-VOC paints and having the bathroom renovated. To commemorate our March move-in date, I decided to provide some eco-friendly moving tips. Host a Yard Sale or Swap Getting an early start to the moving process really cuts down on the amount of stuff thrown away last-minute in a case of “I don’t know what to do with this!” Moving will go easier and cost less if you move with less stuff. You can start with those boxes in the basement or attic that have been there since your … Continue reading →