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!

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Green Review: Green Bags (greenbag.info)

If you are a regular reader, then you know that I am a regular Christian wife and mommy who always trying to think green. I am by no means an expert. However, I am doing my best to make positive changes that will help me to be a better steward of God’s planet.

One thing that I just changed is buying a reusable grocery bag. I could only get one to start. I estimate I will need at least 5 bags to do a full grocery run. The good news is that they are super cheap! Yeah!

I love this bag. It is green. It says the name of my favorite grocery store on it and the material is great. It is easy to clean too. Just wipe. It comes with a plastic type material square piece for the bottom of bag to remain stable when groceries are in it.

I had the bagger put my groceries in it and I tossed it on my shoulder like any other hand bag. It was totally awesome people! ROFL! I am very happy that this change is occurring. I will finally be free of the bags and dilemma of how to reuse them!

When I got home with my groceries, I was looking over the bag, I saw a website; GreenBag.info

Me being me decided to check them out…

I read about my nifty new bag and found out how wonderful this reusable grocery bag is!

Features of my Green Bag Include…

• water repellent
• carries what takes 3-4 plastic bags
• the more people who use them the more trees we save
• 100% recyclable
• Easy to pack
• Easy to use
• Strong
• Can be used for more than just groceries
• The most affordable bag I have ever bought
• A one year guarantee…and I only paid a buck!
• It’s the color greeeeeen! Lol!

They do not offer an Online shop from what I could tell. However, they do have a query section and a section for retailers. I am considering having some make with Green Christian Network on them for my readers! What do you think??

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Green Tip of the Day (3/04/09) – Natural Light

Open the blinds more. If we would all limit the amount of electricity we use to keep our homes lit, we would make a huge impact on energy resources. Avoid using your lamps and lights as much as possible during the day. Instead, open blinds and doors and let the light shine in.

In the evenings, opt for a more romantic feel and use candles. Sure, you do need to turn on the lights. However, try being creative and limiting the amount of electricity you consume just to have light. Candles are a great option. Especially the ones that smell good and are natural based.

Another positive with going green in the light department is the money you will save consuming less energy!

Make a simple change…go natural light!

Any other ideas to cut the lights? Post them below!

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Green Tip of the Day (2/25/09) – Nix the Car

Sure your car will get you where you want or need to go, however, why not make a difference for the planet that God made of stewards of and save some money as well? Hey, some of the ideas listed below can help yo shed unwanted pounds as well!

Ideas to Keep the Car Parked More Often:

• walk.
• ride a bike.
• jog/run.

How to help the environment when you MUST drive:

• shop at at a warehouse like Sams Club. Less driving when you shop all in one.
• buy an electric or other eco friendly car.
• car pool.
• keep windows open on highway.
• use the air and radio less.
• take routes that help you avoid stopping excessively.
• accelerate slower.
• make sure your tires have the right amount of air.

Any other tips to avoid driving or at least eco friendlier driving? Post them below!

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So, What exactly are green bags anyway?

Have you ever put fruits or vegetables into your refrigerator only to come back the next day to get them and they have already turned a yucky color or have soft spots in them where there should not be soft spots? There are many refrigerators that have special compartments in them that are supposed to be for the preservation of these types of foods, but they still never seem to keep the freshness of the foods the way that they should. Now there are green bags that you can purchase in order to allow your fruits and vegetables to last longer when you put them into the fridge.

These green bags are a revolutionary bag that was invented by a lady named Debbie Meyer and they are revolutionary due to the fact that they make your fruits and vegetable last days and even sometimes weeks after other fruits and vegetables that were not put into the bags last. Green bags come in medium and large sizes in order to hold your food so that there is no more waste of your food. With the cost of food nowadays, it really pays to find a product that could make your fruits and vegetables last a lot longer.

Green bags help to control the humidity that would make your fruits and vegetables go bad along with keeping away any mold, bacteria, fungus, and decay that may occur. Green bags will save you money in the long run due to the fact that they make your fruits and vegetables last so much longer and you can reuse them up to a total of ten times which also saves you money. Many people can’t even stock up on fruits for their kids because they go bad so fast but not with these bags.

You can go to the store and buy apples, oranges, melons, carrots, peaches, and many other types of fruits and vegetables and store them in green bags so that whenever you or anyone in your family wants to have a fresh bite, they know that what they choose will not be rotten or bad. Green bags work really great when you have a green vegetable garden growing because usually you grow more than what you can eat in a week.

Green bags are a way to make sure that none of your hard work with your garden goes to waste.

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Natural Uses for Baking Soda

Baking soda is GREEN! Well, actually it is white. However, it is Eco-friendly!  Baking Soda has more uses than just cooking. It is also an awesome NATURAL product that has many versatile uses!

Below are several natural ways that you can use baking soda in your home:

• Fresh Smelling Carpet. Say goodbye to carpet odors the green way. Sprinkle baking soda liberally on your carpet or rugs. Let stand for 30 minutes. Vacuum.

• Dishwasher. Add some baking soda to your dishwasher cleaner. The baking soda will give your cleaner an extra boost to help get your dishes super clean and green.

• Counters and Floors – Green Stain Remover. Mix equal parts baking soda and salt.  Use the same way you would any other scouring powder. Another option is a baking soda and water paste.  Use it to remove stains from laminate counter tops.  Apply paste. Allow to dry, then rub off and rinse.

• Bites and Sting Relief. Mix 2 parts baking soda to 1 part water. The goal is a paste. Slather on bug bite or sting and immediate natural relief ensues.

• Chicken Pox Soother. Add two Tablespoons of baking soda to lukewarm bath. This is a great way to sooth skin from the irritations and pain of chicken pox.

• Put out the Fire. Most of us know that when the stove catches on fire to throw some salt on the fire. However, baking soda is just as good!

• Pet Odors Be Gone. Sprinkle baking soda in your cat’s clean the litter box. Sprinkle it on pet beds and in crates as well. Anywhere your pet spends a lot of time. It is a natural deodorizer that is safe for your pets.

• Frugal Laundry Soap. Add an equal mixture amount of baking soda to your laundry soap. So that you have 50% baking soda and 50% laundry soap.  This will stretch your detergent AND make your clothes smell fresh and fab!

• Fridge Odors. If you are one of those people like me, who often has items growing green fuzz in your refrigerator, you may want an Eco-friendly deodorizer to place in your fridge. Just open the box top and put the baking soda in the back of your fridge and smell the odors disappear! Make sure you change box once a month or so to KEEP the odors at bay!

• Say Goodbye to Toxic Draino! Baking soda is an Eco-friendly product you can use to  unclog your drain.

Here’s what you do: Pour one cup of regular table salt, one cup of baking soda, and half a cup of plain white vinegar down the drain. Let it do it’s green thing for about 15-20 minutes. Then, pour one gallon of boiling water into the rain. Finally, allow your hot tap water to run unto the drain for a few minutes.

Baking soda is a multi-use green and clean item that is sure to become a must have in your home! This is just the tip of the iceberg to the Eco friendly uses of baking soda! Please take a moment to leave baking soda tips!

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