Green Christian Network » Eco Tips

Eco Friendly Ant Removal

Lara Velez — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:39:45 +0000

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!

Stay Green!

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

Lara Velez — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:53:28 +0000

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!

Stay Green!

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

Becki — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:43:04 +0000

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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?

Paint Disposal the GREEN Way

Lara Velez — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:05:00 +0000

So before you throw out that old paint stashed away in your garage here are some easy tips for green disposal:

Use it. Try to use up any old paint you may have where possible. If you’re redecorating you may not like the old paint colors you have but you may still be able to use the light ones as a base coat. Look around the house and see if you can put those old cans of paint to good use.

Donate it. As long as the paint is in good condition you may find someone who could really use it. Paint isn’t cheap and giving it away to someone who could put it to good use is a win/win situation for all involved. Ask friends if they would like it or know anyone that would. You can also check with charities who may need the paint to redecorate shelters or economy housing projects.

Check with the Dump. Some dumps will take and dispose of old paints properly. They don’t all do it so it’s worth checking before you go. They may also be able to direct you towards someone that can help if they can’t help you directly.

Dry it out. You should ONLY do this with latex paint as it is non-hazardous. For oil or other based paints dispose of them at your local waste center. For latex paints, pour out the leftover paint onto several sheets of newspaper and let it dry completely. Once the paint is dry you can wrap it up and throw it away. You may also be able to clean out and recycle the can.

Mix it up. This is similar to point #1. Perhaps you don’t like the paint colors you have but they may work well mixed with other colors. Think outside the box and you may be able to come up with a completely original shade you’ll love – and avoid having to dispose of the paint.

Stay Green!

Green Water Heater

Lara Velez — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:02:08 +0000

Making our home green one step at a time will help our environment for years to come. Let’s take today to look at a very important home appliance, the water heater.

Tips for a Green Water Heater

Check the Temperature. You do not want your water heater to over do it’s job. Make sure you keep it at an average setting of 120 degrees. This will save a ton of energy and it will save you money as well. IMPORTANT: Never set it below 115 degrees though. You will be dealing with some nasty mold growth if you do.

Use Insulating Foam. Wrap the first six feet of pipe with insulating foam.

Wrap the water heater in a foil blanket. Be careful when doing this. You do not want to block important vents or controls. You will want to follow the instructions very carefully. Your water heater may not allow for this idea.

Invest in a Tankless system. These water heaters are designed to be “on demand.” They will save a lot of water and energy.

Keep up with it. Check it regularly. Make sure that it is working properly and repair it when needed.

Go Solar. Another option is to buy a solar water heater. This will save you money on your electric bill, save energy and be a better choice for the environment.

Implementing these tips will help you contribute to the environment in a positive way. It only takes one good choice at a time to begin the trek of becoming a better steward of God’s planet.

Stay Green!

Is it Expensive to be Green?

Lara Velez — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:11:53 +0000

This is a question many people have asked me and unfortunately the answer is not that easy. While, yes, to buy organic and items that are green can be quite costly, there are also many ways to be green that are very affordable. You do not need to spend a lot of money to be green. It simple requires a willingness to be a better steward of God’s planet and some creativity.

When I first decided that I wanted to be green, I was not swimming in the green…if ya know what I mean. LOL! However, I had a desire to be a better steward of the planet and I started to brainstorm. Out of that brainstorming came Green Christian Network. It helps me be more creative and I am forced to come up with cheap and free ways to be an environmentally minded person.

Yep, that’s all it takes, people. Willingness and effort.

Eco Tips to Get Your Started on the Greener…Cheaper Path

recycle. most states have recycling programs and they provide the bins and pick up service for minimal cost. It is actually a part of your garbage bill…at least it is in my town. this ONE act can do a world of good for the environment!
reuse. start thinking about ways that you can reuse the items you use every day.
limit paper use. stop overusing paper towels and paper products like they are going out of style. make the most of everything and use it more then once. we have many paper tips here.
stop wasting. waste is something anyone and everyone can stop doing. it is free and simply requires willingness.

These are just a few simple changes to get you started. If you implement even one of them, you are already making a difference!

We would love to hear some of your ideas. Post them below or send them in!

Stay Green!

Paper Matters

Becki — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:19:32 +0000

It didn’t take me long into my recycling journey to master the art of putting my plastics in their proper bins. The same holds true for glass. Recycling was quickly becoming second nature to me, but the one area that I completely lacked in was recycling paper. When I would finish with a magazine or catalog I would just toss it in the trash. The same goes for all the sheets of paper that my kids would scribble on. I didn’t even think twice about it, I would just throw it in the regular kitchen trash. Then one day my Husband said, “You know, all of that is recyclable too.” I just stared blankly at him. You would think this bit of information would have already crossed my mind, but it never did. It was like this fog suddenly lifted and my mind said, “Oh yeah…Duh!” And thus began my recycling of paper.

Before jumping into the paper recycling world I got on my trusty computer and checked into the information available on recycling paper. What I found is just incredible!

The first thing you notice when researching the subject of paper is just how wasteful we are as a society. It really isn’t something you think a lot about unless you start looking it up. For instance, did you know that around 40% of the garbage in our landfills is from paper? It just sits there, rotting. Also, the average American uses somewhere around 680-700 pounds of paper a year! Wow! What do we do with it all? I mean seriously, look around you and see just where all the paper products are and just what you use them for. As I do this I am amazed at how many things I could stop doing – like I could stop buying more and more notebooks and just use the back sides of the scribbled on paper from my kids for jotting down notes and shopping lists. This would cut down not only paper waste but monetary expense as well.

As I kept researching I came upon some other interesting fact such as, if every American recycled every phone book every year we could save 650,000 TONS of paper! (Paper Facts) Additionally, just by recycling one ton of paper (that is 2000 pounds) we could save about 17 trees! (Recycling Facts)

When you look at those numbers you can’t help but want to get in on recycling paper too. It matters – all of it matters. So thus began my desire to make paper recycling just as second nature as plastics and glass.

So, you may be wondering just what types of paper you can recycle.

There are so many:

cardboard
newspapers
magazines
catalogs
construction paper
computer paper
the paper you put in the office copy machine
and even the junk mail you get (like those pesky grocery fliers).

This really is just the tip of the iceberg and yet so many of us throw these items in the garbage every day without giving it any additional thought. Well, not me – not any more. I am now committed and when I get done with any form of paper I have trained myself to march it out to the garage and stick it in the recycle bin. It really is just that easy.

Green Tip of the Day (3/03/09) – Air Dry

Lara Velez — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:23:59 +0000

Let’s face it, we all have this not so fun task, we can use it as an opportunity to go green. It can be another way for us to add a little more green into our lives.

One simple way to help laundry time become a more eco-friendly experience is to stop using the dryer to dry clothes. Or, a the very least, limit it. Instead, try air drying them. Hang them out to dry and let the cool (soon to be warm) breeze of God’s planet dry them for you. They will smell and feel better, and even better, you will save energy and money. Plus, you will be a better steward for God’s planet.

Go Green…air dry!

Any other ideas for going green with laundry? Post them below!

Stay Green!

Green Tip of the Day (3/02/09) – Start Small

Lara Velez — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:42:12 +0000

I wanted to make this a general encouragement tip. Not all of us were born with a green spoon in our mouths! Maybe this whole eco-friendly, go green stuff is new to you. That’s OK! Research for yourself. Read the Scriptures. Pray. God will reveal Truth to you!

Then, if you decide to go green, do not try to overload yourself. Make little changes, one at a time. Every little step really does matter. Make one change a day, week or month. Make it a goal to at least take baby steps!

The best place for a newbie to start would be recycling. Your state will provide the bins. You could return plastic and paper bags to your local grocery store’s recycling bins. Recycling is the easiest place for someone new to the eco-friendly world to start. Plus, it’s F-R-E-E!

Any other ideas for where a go green newbie can start? Post them below!

Stay Green!

Green Tip of the Day (3/01/09) – Moms…use clothe diapers.

Lara Velez — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:00:02 +0000

Sure, this is a little messier than the easier, disposable version. However, do you even realize the amount of disposable diapers that are filling landfills?? Cloth diapers are a choice that every mother should seriously consider. Let’s look at some facts that are quite alarming…

Disposable Diapers Sobering Facts:

from birth to about 2-1/2 the average child will go through about 7,300 diapers
the cost for that is about $2600
18 billion diapers enter landfills each year
disposable diapers make up about 3.4 million tons of trash
health risks such as fertility issues in males, eyes, nose and throat issues and even asthma-like symptoms have been connected to disposable diapers!
long term negative affects on animal and water life.
the chemicals that make disposable diapers white increase the risk of cancer
affect development
they use more water. yep. you may need to wash cloth diapers, however, way more water is used making disposable diapers!
a study, conducted by Anderson Laboratories in 1999 and published in the Archives of Environmental Health, found that disposable diapers release chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and dipentene. They have been shown to have toxic health effects, such as cancer and brain damage, when used over time or high exposure.
they use 1.3 million tons of wood pulp. that’s about 1/4 million trees every year.
they take up to 500 years to break down.
more viruses than you want to know about…including polio, survive for two weeks or more after disposed of.

There are many many many more reasons to avoid disposable diapers. However, I think our readers are intelligent and the above information is enough to get you thinking! Research for yourself. You will be shocked!

Go for organic natural reusable cloth diapers. You will not only be helping the environment and saving money, you will also protect your sweet precious love bugs from harm!

Any other comments or ideas on the cloth v/s disposable diapers debate? Post them below!

Stay Green!