Natural Remedies for Dry Skin

With winter just around the corner and the air turning dryer by the day it is only natural for your skin to start to feel neglected. Dry, cracking hands and feet are a common problem for many people this time of year. It can be easy to rush to the nearest drugstore and grab some quick fix in a plastic bottle, but when you read the label you may be shocked to find you can’t pronounce half the words on it because it is so full of chemicals. Why not look for something a little less complex and a little more natural? You can find just what you need right in your kitchen:

• Try massaging regular mayonnaise into the dry area. Let it sit for fifteen minutes and then wash it off with warm water.
• Gently rub grape seed oil into the dry areas and let your skin just soak it all in.
• If your face is bothering you try mashing up a banana and applying it like a facial mask. Leave it on for a good five minutes and then rinse off gently with warm water.
• Avocado is a great natural moisturizer. Mash it up and apply to effected area. Let it sit for twenty minutes and then rinse.
• Take some oatmeal and use it as soap. It sounds strange, but just place it in your wash cloth, get it thoroughly wet and proceed to cleanse as normal. (Colloidal oatmeal is best)
• Get an Aloe Vera plant and use the natural gel from that to sooth your dry skin.
• Before taking a bath try rubbing the dry area with honey. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and then rinse off in the tub.

Some of these ideas may sound outrageous to you, but they are definitely worth a try. Happy skin will make for a much more happy you.

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved

               

Eco Friendly Ant Removal

Ants seem to be a pest I cannot get rid of. We have battled with them for years. Really. I kid you not. Since my quest to be greener began, however, I have really struggled with how to rid our home of these pests in a way that is safe for my family and more eco-friendly as well. Below are some steps I have made to help me…and now hopefully you!

Eco-Friendly Ant Removal Tips

Removing Ants the Green Way.

• Be clean. Keep food sealed well and avoid having crumbs on the counters and floors. Sweep often and do not let the kids eat on the couches. Under the cushions and in the crevices of plush chairs are breeding grounds for crumb central which in turn will be an ant heaven.
• Check for leaks. Many times you can have the cleanest home and no food source available. However, if you have standing water or leaks, the ants will come for a more vital resource…water.
• Seal openings. Check windows, doors and any places where crevices exist. Seal them up with a non toxic sealer/caulk. This is a great way to keep many unwanted house guests out!
• Cut off their communication. Ants leave an invisible chemical trail to let their buddies know where to go. You can help stop this in a simple and natural way. Mix liquid soap and water together. Put in spray bottle. Spray areas where you have seen ant trails in your home.
• Green thumb. Trim trees and bushes so that they are not touching your house. Especially near windows. This will prevent easy access to your home.
• Find the nest. You can bait them with honey or sugar water and try to find out where the buggers are coming from. If you are fortunate enough to find the colony try one of these steps. Outdoor nests: pour a LOT of hot boiling water over it several times. Indoor nests: put corn starch into a bag-less or with bag vacuum cleaner. Vacuum them up and immediately remove bag and throw away. Or, if you use a bag-less vacuum, clean it out and make sure the filter is changed.
  
• Use bait. I do not recommend this unless all else fails. And, IF you MUST use a bait, use a closed bait instead of a chemical or toxic spray.

As I have mentioned many times in the past, we can be greener if we take the time to research and be creative. Being green is a lot simpler than many people may think. I hope these ant removal tips have helped you. If you have any of your own, please feel free to share below!

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Stay Green!

               

Organic Farming on the Rise

I have been reading more and more about how organic farming is growing and really needs to be the trend of the future. Organic farming is not only vital for the environment, it provides healthier food sources for consumers.

What is organic farming?

Organic farming is the practice of growing crops without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. It relies mainly on crop rotation, organic fertilizers and plant-based pesticides and herbicides to maintain soil productivity and tilth.

Not only is it better for our health, it is better for the planet.

Our Job.

In my personal life, I have been doing my best to make organic choices and learn all I can about organic products and farming. In my research, I discovered an awesome organization, WWOOF. WWOOF is short for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. They began in the UK in 1971. In short, it is helping the WORLD come together and make a difference to the environment through the implementation of organic farming throughout the entire planet.

Their purpose is to bring together eco minded individuals and groups to volunteer on organic farms with organic farmers who need help. In return for volunteering, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.

If you are interested in organic farming, as I am, WWOOF is a great resource and organization. Advice on obtaining an American Visa so foreigners can be a part of this can be found here.

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!

               

Carbon Footprint?

Ever since entering into this journey of mine to change my lifestyle and become more green there has been one burning question that I’ve wanted answered. Everywhere I turned I would hear a certain term that seemed to mean so much so I finally asked, “What exactly is a carbon footprint?” The answers I received were all so complex. I needed something in layman’s terms. I needed a simple answer to a very complex question – and I found one.

Put simply, a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gasses given off by one person, product, business, or event. In general when speaking of greenhouse gases people are referring to the equivalent of how many tons of carbon dioxide you put out.

So one might ask why this even matters. As individuals, why should we care what our carbon footprint is? Well, you should care because it is a fairly accurate assessment of the impact that our daily life has on the environment. We should want to know what kind of impact we are having so that we can improve upon it – in such a way we help the earth that the Father has provided us.

There are quite a few websites available to help you determine what your carbon footprint is. My personal favorite for it’s ease of use and simple understandability is from Climate Crisis (An Inconvenient Truth). After inputting all of my information I have learned that my personal impact is about average, but even with being average there is always room for improvement and in the world of carbon footprints that improvement is done through something called carbon offsetting – basically a carbon offset is something you can do (usually a financial contribution or lifestyle change) to help balance out carbon emissions. For example, through helping businesses to give back to the earth by planting trees you would be offsetting your carbon footprint. Another example is getting involved in some sort of natural energy project.

If we are going to be good stewards of this earth and really walk the walk we talk about it would be very beneficial to know our carbon footprints and start making changes or contributions to offset them now – Even small changes like keeping the lights off in one unused room can make a huge difference. Start small, work your way up, and in no time your carbon footprint will look great.

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved

               

Green Tip – (10/19/09) – Rodent Elimination

Eliminating rodents can seem like a daunting task for greenies. I mean you want to be humane and green at the same time. I thought of a few ideas that will help remove rodents in an eco friendly way that is fairly humane as well.

Removing Rodents the Green Way

• Get a Cat. LOL. Sounds funny? Well, if you live on a farm or in a rural area, this can be a GREAT tip. Not only are you making the cat or cats happy, you are also going with a natural form of removing unwanted rodents from your land. If you have a large area, get a few cats. However, I DO recommend that you still get them spayed or neutered. You do not want to wind up with an over abundance…then you may need dogs. ROFL!
• Get Rid of the rat friendliness. Remove berry bushes, ivy, fruit and nut trees, wood piles, and holes in concrete that are close to home. Also, make sure your bird feeders are clean. Dirty anything attracts unwanted pests.
• Be Aware of Compost. You do not want a good thing to attract a bad thing! Keep pile in closed container. Plastic is best for compost. Avoid adding cooked food, meat and fish, dairy and bread to compost bin. They all attract rodents. Add water to deter them from nesting in compost.
• Use Traps. Instead of toxic poison that could wind up harming pets, children and WANTED creatures, go for the rat trap option. Place them where the rodents seem most active. Peanut butter, bacon, cheese or any food with strong odor are great lures and always make sure that the triggers to the trap are facing the wall. If you notice no vermin after a week, try a different location for the trap.
• Seal all Openings. Keep in mind that a mouse can fit into a hole the size of a pencil eraser. Go through your house and search for potential entry ways. Seal them up. Repair broken screens and other areas of the home that could become entrances for vermin.

As you can see, harmful toxic poisons are not the only way to eliminate rodents from your surroundings. Do you have any other green tips to remove vermin? Please share below!

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!

               

7 Easy Changes You Can Make to Live a More Eco-Friendly Life

Every day there are simple things we can do to be a little greener. Below is a list of just seven such things.

1. Write your shopping list on the notes feature of your cell phone or PDA rather than using another piece of paper that you will inevitably throw away.
2. Stop using plastic bags. Buy some cloth sacks for carrying everything from groceries to your latest and greatest pair of jeans from the department store. If you must have plastic be sure to return the bags to the store – most retailers offer recycling bins on site.
3. Combine your errands. If you take some time to plan it out you can run to the store, drop off library books or a bill payment, and get gas all in one session – this will save on fuel consumption and exhaust fumes.
4. When getting food to go from your favorite restaurant ditch the Styrofoam. Most restaurants will use a substitute if you ask or will accept your container if you offer it up front.
5. Save on paper, envelopes, and stamps – bank online. These days you can pay pretty much every bill you have online. You can also transfer funds, check balances on accounts, and so much more – talk to your banker about it today!
6. Rather than using disposable wipes start using old towels or t-shirts for cleaning. You can wash them when they get grubby and use them again.
7. Look for labels when shopping that let you know what you are buying is recycled or in a recycled container. If more consumers begin demanding such things (and only buying items with these labels sends a clear signal of demand) more manufacturers will make them available.

Living greener is easier than you think – one small step can make such a great impact. What are you waiting for?

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved

               

Freecycle It!

We can recycle most plastics and papers, glass and cans, but what about those big items you have starting to collect in closets or the garage? How do you get rid of those in a “green” way? One solution is to Freecycle it! Most cities these days have a Yahoo Group set up for Freecycle. You can usually Google search your town’s name and the word Freecycle and find it. Joining the group is free and puts you in contact with many other people in your local community who care about the earth just as much as you do and don’t want to see it getting junked up.

The idea behind Freecycle is that you post your unwanted material and others who want it will be able to come pick it up – freely. It is a way to recycle or repurpose goods that you no longer want.

My family has been using Freecycle for over two years now and we have been able to give away everything from stacks of scrap paper to plastic baby food containers, to a lawn edger – all to people who then took the materials and used them for different purposes (the baby food containers were used for crafting, the paper went to an elementary school teacher for her students to write on, and the edger was fixed up by a guy who desperately needed one for his lawn). Not having to just dump these items in a landfill made us not only feel good inside but it also made us feel better about helping the immediate environment in which we live.

Freecycle is a great resource to use for both giving and receiving – I’m certain you will love it!

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved