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Green Property in London

If you are looking to build an eco-friendly home, there are several useful guidelines that you may want to keep in mind. First of all, know the costs of green building. Generally, constructing a green house costs about 20% more than constructing an average house. This is because the eco-friendly features that you need to install will tend to be quite expensive. However, the upside is that you will get to save on utility costs in the long run. So the extra bucks just might be worth it.

Building an eco-friendly home also requires plenty of planning. This will ensure that you don’t buy more materials than you really need. When you do buy building materials, be sure to buy those that are locally produced, natural and non-toxic. Conserving water is also an important aspect of constructing an environmentally friendly house. Invest in a rain water tank so you can reuse this water to do your laundry, water the plants or flush the toilet.

You can also improve the air quality inside your house by choosing paint and wood material that allow your house to “breathe”.

Follow these tips and you will surely have a more enjoyable vacation by living in a greener and more natural home.

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Tips for Building an Eco-Friendly Vacation Home

Give them flowers. Not the kind you get from a flower shop, but the kind you plant! Go to the garden center or your local nursery and see if they have wildflower seeds. Giving each of your friends a packet of the seeds would enable them to enjoy the day with you. Many places give away small sapling trees on Earth Day. Get one for you and few for your neighbors and enjoy a community celebration of the day. Do a bit of volunteer recycling. Offer to help your neighbors, especially senior citizens and other shut-ins, by taking their old newspapers or aluminum cans to the recycling center. Whether you take home saplings to plant baby trees or help clean up your neighbor’s trash, you will be giving something of yourself to make the planet a healthier place for all of us to live. Celebrating Earth Day, after all, is all about making sure the Earth gets and stays healthy for generations yet to come.

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Celebrate The Planet on Earth Day 2010

Ever heard of a garden co-op? If you plan to pool resources with your neighbors to procure flowers and seeds at high-discount rates, then a co-op garden is just the right thing for you. Organizing a co-op garden involves collecting money from the participating members, placing the order, and managing the delivery of orders. A co-op garden allows you to purchase fresh plants at cheap prices, thus saving you a lot of money.

How to build a co-op garden? First, you need to figure out what kind of garden do you really want to build. You can opt for flowers, or produce (vegetable seeds). Next, you should start your search for choosing the right source for procuring flowers and seeds. Availability and price are two factors that you should look for while selecting a source. The third step in setting up a co-op garden is to inform your co-op of the source of garden items, price, payment methods, and delivery options. A little marketing will certainly help. Ensure that you attach a deadline for payments and orders. Proper storage is crucial to succeeding in this business. Last but not least, timely delivery and customer experience should be high on your priority list.

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How a Co-op Garden Can Help You Save Money and Stay Healthy

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The Healthy Workplace

And the wonderful feelings that flowers evoke doesn’t stop there.  Flowers not only make people happy, but they’re wonderful for the environment.  It’s very easy to grow flowers.  All that’s required are some packets of flower seeds, potting soil and fertilizer.  Flowers can be grown in something as large as a garden or as small as a tin can.  But in addition to being economical, growing flowers from flower seeds is also practical.  Like all living things, flowers breathe – however because they’re a plant, they breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, thereby helping to make our planet survive.  Flowers can also be “recycled”.  The flower seeds that a plant drops can be used to grow more flowers, and the dead plants can be mulched to use as a nutritious additive to the soil.

Another advantage of flowers is that they can be changed often.  Whereas many outdoor decorations, such as a large statue, are permanent, flowers can be started from flower seeds then transplanted in displays.  They can be changed out throughout the year, creating living, breathing “art” that’s not only beautiful but is healthy for the environment.

It’s so simple to add flowers to your environment, whether you choose an outside flower garden or plant some flower seeds in a pot inside your house, you will not only beautify your surroundings, but also help the planet.  So spend a little time looking at inexpensive packets of flower seeds, and think about improving your surroundings with the beauty of flowers.  Bloom some hope in your life.

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Why Flowers are Good for the Environment

Cloth Diapers

Since caring for a baby can be so time consuming, it is easy to see why parents choose the perceived convenience of disposable diapers. They just toss them in the garbage bin and forget them right? Well, green parents cannot forget that diapers account for an enormous amount of landfill waste that does not biodegrade. Luckily cloth diapers have become just as easy and convenient as disposable diapers. Forget the flat diapers you need to fold and pin together (although those are still around if you are so inclined). Cloth diapers today are fitted with elastic, they close with pins or Velcro, and are easy to clean. For those that do not have the time or the desire to do diaper laundry, there are diaper services widely available. Cloth diapers can last for years and be used by more than one child. Also flushable diapers, such as gDiapers, are another green diapering option.

Feeding Your Baby

Not only is breastfeeding usually the perfect food for baby it is also the most planet friendly way to feed your baby. By simply breastfeeding your baby you eliminate the need for formula cans and baby bottles. Breastfeeding is waste free! If however you need to pump milk and bottle feed there are green options there too. Glass baby bottles are reusable and able to be recycled or donated unlike their plastic counterparts which are prone to breakage and do not biodegrade. Helpful products for mom such as wool or cloth breast pads and organic creams are also available.

When your baby is old enough to eat solids you can continue to feed “green” by making your own baby food from organic fruits and vegetable that you are already eating. There is no need to buy boxes of baby cereal or tiny jars of baby food when you can mash or puree family foods and feed them those. They can be frozen inside ice cube trays for later use and convenience.

Clothing Your Baby

Farming with chemicals is hazardous for our planet and very unsustainable so when you buy clothing for your baby try to buy clothing made with sustainable fibers. Organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and wool in natural colors or dyed with low impact dyes are all good choices. The absence of chemicals is also better for your baby’s tender skin.

Consider buying used clothes instead of new. Buying second hand clothing that someone has recycled is much more sustainable an option than buying brand new. Look for used clothing at thrift stores, on local lists such as Craiglist, or through family and friends. This option is also much easier on the pocketbook.

When we bring a baby into the world we want that world to be as friendly and hospitable as possible. These are just a few of things we can do to raise green babies and ensure that that world remains friendly and hospitable for generations to come.

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Green Babies

Remember that in many cases, you can prevent a moth infestation simply by putting some thought into how you store your clothing.  Remember that any woolen items that you are storing for an extended period should be washed and thoroughly dried.  You can do this yourself simply by swirling the wool in water and a shampoo with an acidic pH and then rinsing thoroughly.  To increase the acid level of a detergent that you are worried is too basic, add a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice.  To dry, do not twist it or wring it out; instead press it.  Remember to shape wool before you let it dry all the way, and let it air in the sun for a few hours before you pack it.

You’ll also find that there are several substances that will repel moths as well as mothballs do.  One great option that will leave your clothes smelling great is to use cedar chips.  All you need to do is to get some chips of this fragrant wood and throw them into the bottom of the clothes bag.  You can find cedar chips at any pet store or gardening outlet.   Cedar chests are a traditional option and you can find ones that are quite lovely.  Many places will sell cedar hangers specifically for this purpose, so take a look around.

Another terrific way to make sure that your clothing is moth free is to make your sachets.  All you need is some dried lavender and some cedar chips that have had some lavender essential oil and cedar essential oil added to them.  Put these things in a cloth drawstring bag.  You can throw these bags into sealed containers.  This is just the basic recipe; you’ll find that you can also add rosemary and dried cloves; not only do these substances have increased moth repellent qualities, you will also find that they are quite aromatic as well.

Just because you should no longer use mothballs doesn’t mean you have to suffer from moth-eaten clothes, so take the time to try out some other great solutions!

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Green Mothballs

For instance, one source for grants of this nature include the Community Conservation Enterprises, which has given more than 130 grants for between 500 and 2000 dollars.  These grants are specifically given to businesses that make the promotion of sustainable communities and the protection of natural resources a priority.  Although currently these grants are only available for projects going up in Mexico and Central America, it is worth noting that there is hope for expansion in the future.

On a grander scale, the U. S. Department of Agriculture has allocated an impressive 11.4 million dollars in grants that will be available for investments going into agricultural and small businesses that are willing to put a vested interest in renewable energy and energy-efficient improvements in terms of their practices and products.  An addition to this, loan guarantees are also available, which can take a lot of the stress out of starting an eco-friendly business.

For many people, the idea of staring an eco-friendly business was only a day dream, but as you can see, with these grants and many others on the table, it can very easily become a reality.  If you have a strong view towards turning businesses more eco-friendly, you’ll find that now is the time to start.  Take some time to start thinking about your area.  What do you think the local economy will support?  You’ll find that some businesses can operate just as well or even better on renewable energy resources, and you may surprise yourself when you think about what you might find out there.

If you are in a situation where you want to move forward not just with your household but also with your community, looking into eco-friendly and green grants might be the direction that you want to go in.  Take the time to look around and make sure that your community is one that can support another business, but keep in mind that there is a bigger niche out there than you might think!

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Green Business Grants

One thing that you can do to reduce the effect of your dry cleaning is to make some requests at your dry cleaner.  You can simply ask to make sure that more than one garment is put into a bag, and ask to see if there is a good recycling program that will take on the bags specifically.  Similarly, make sure that you recycle the steel of your coathangers, or better yet, ask if your dry cleaner wants them back for reuse.  You’ll find that just by doing this can do a little bit to help improve the environmental impact of your laundry!

Also make sure that the dry cleaner that you use doesn’t use perc, which is a nervous system toxin.  It has been linked to headaches, nausea and even problems regarding reproduction, so make sure that your dry cleaner doesn’t use it on your pants!  Remember that hydrocarbon and silicone are two other options that can work when you are trying to ensure that your dry cleaning is a little bit more eco-friendly.There are lots of eco friendly dry cleaners popping up. Be sure to check your yellow pages or online to see if there are any “green cleaners” in your area.

Remember that for the most part, many different pieces of clothing that are marked for dry clean only can easily be washed at home.  While some fabrics might suffer, the vast majority of clothes that are listed as dry clean only are only listed as such because they can’t take the violent agitation in most home machines.  Take the time to wash your clothes in cold water on a very gentle setting or even by hand.  While you should remember that things that need to be reblocked by professionals or a very heavily embroidered or tailored outfit might need more care, most clothing will be fine if treated in this fashion.

Take the time to think about what you can do to make sure that your dry cleaning is as healthy for the environment as it can be; you might be surprised at the options that are open to you.

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Green Dry Cleaning