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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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

               

Green Tip – (08/31/09) – Try Cork Flooring

When choosing the right floor for your home there are many considerations.  You want it to be durable, attractive, green friendly and affordable!  Cork flooring has the ability to be customized to fit every lifestyle and décor choice.  It can be stained, and be installed as tiles or planks, which creates a variety of pattern options.  It’s durable, mold and mildew resistant, renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly product.

Cork flooring is a renewable resource.  Instead of having to cut down a tree, cork is harvested from a tree without causing it any harm.  The harvesting process is actually pretty interesting; cork, made from the bark of oak trees, is only harvested from a tree once every ten years.  And it’s biodegradable, which means you don’t have to feel guilty when your flooring has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced.

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Green Tip – (08/06/09) – Green Kid’s Lunch

If you read our last feature, Send Your Kids Back to School Green, then you already know that a green lunch is just another way to be a better steward of God’s planet. So, I thought I would share some vegan recipes and ideas to get you started!

Banana Cake:

5 very ripe bananas, mashed
½ cup 100% natural sugar
½ cup vegan margarine, melted
2 cups unbleached flour
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Mix the margarine, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and mashed banana in a large bowl. Then sift in the flour. Mix thoroughly and pour batter into a non-stick, lightly oiled 13×9 inch cake tin. Bake at 350F for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until the cake is golden and baked through.

Peanut Butter Drops:

2 tablespoons 100% natural brown sugar
½ cup granola
¼ cup shredded coconut
¾ cup peanut butter

Combine sugar, granola and coconut in a large bowl. Mix well. Heat the peanut butter over low heat in a non-stick pan for about a minute. Add the warm peanut butter to the other ingredients and mix together well. Once slightly cool roll into balls and place on a non stick baking tray. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (or longer – they will keep well in the fridge) and enjoy.

Cinnamon and Sugar Fruit:

Use a variety of fruits such as bananas, mangos, pears,  and apples and cut them into bite size pieces. Place cut fruit on a serving platter and serve with a small bowl of 2 parts 100% natural sugar and 1 part cinnamon. Then let the kids dip their fruit pieces into the mixture!

Carob Nut Clusters:

2 cups carob chips
½ cup natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup pecans
½ cup walnuts
½ cup almonds
½ cup sunflower seeds

In a non-stick pan melt the peanut butter and carob chips gently – stirring the whole time. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, nuts and seeds. Mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a non-stick baking tray or waxed paper and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until firm (you can also store these in the fridge).

Bon Appétit

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Green Tip – (07/15/09) – Go Fluorescent

Compact Fluorescent. Compact fluorescent bulbs use significantly less energy, about 75% less.  The added bonus is that while these bulbs cost a bit more at the store, they last for years.  The average light bulb used in a high traffic area lasts 4-6 months.  A compact fluorescent bulb lasts up to 10 times longer.  This is just one simple way to help save energy in our homes. A few simple steps can save you hundreds of dollars a year and conserves energy.

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Green Tip – (07/01/09) – Borrow

A great way to reduce is to borrow! Instead of buying new books, movies and CD’s, visit your local library and check them out. You can also borrow or swap with a friend. More options would be to download music from places like iTunes and renting movies from places like Netflix. Buying items like these from yard sales is also a great idea to reduce. Make the most of what you and others have. You can have monthly swaps of entertainment for the environment!

Reuse. Recycle. Reduce.

One green choice at a time makes all the difference for God’s planet!

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Green Tip – (06/25/09) – Green Bedding

We spend about 1/4 of our lives in bed. It would be a good thing to make sure we are greening up the bedroom!

Believe it or not, most mattresses and linens are still made with synthetics and chemicals that are bad for the environment. For most people, buying an organic mattress and bedding may be out of reach financially. Do not let that get you down! There are other ways we can at least make a greener choice in the bedroom!

Greener Bedding Choices

Buy cotton or wool linens. Avoid permanent press and triclosan.

Buy organic fabrics when possible.

Go for low impact dyes or none at all.

Save your money and invest in an organic mattress. Or at least one that is made to last a lifetime!

We can make a difference for God’s planet…ONE green choice at a time!

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Green Tip – (05/27/09) – Organic Gardening

A great way to give back to the planet, save money, and be certain you are getting fruits and veggies that are safe for your family is to create an organic garden. Organic Gardening means that you will only use natural methods to grow your garden. No synthetic or nasty pesticides allowed.

3 Important Tips for Organic Gardening

Organic additions to soil. You can add decayed plants and other organic material.

Earthworms. They will help your roots grow well and water to pass better. Worms equal healthy plants.

Tilling. Be sure and till your soil regularly.

I hope these simple tips help get you started on a great organic garden. I will be sharing some more tips from time to time that will help you with your environmentally friendly gardening.

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Green Tip – (05/15/09) – Garage Sale Season

It’s that time of year. Garage Sale season. What better way to recycle? Plus, you can make some extra cash to spend on your family this summer. Your trash really can be someone else’s treasure.

Garage Sales are a green idea that has been around longer than the green movement! Lol!

The best part is the cleaning you will have to do in order to find all the goodies you need to “recycle.” Get the kids involved by telling them they can keep the money they make from selling their no longer used items.

You can turn it around too…meaning if you need some stuff, try going on a garage sale trip one Saturday afternoon to see if you can find what you need used. You will save money. Make it a family walk through the neighborhood and you will be even greener! Lol!!!!!

Let me know how it goes…

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Green Tip – (05/11/09) – Chinese Takeout

I love Chinese Takeout. It is a staple in our house. We eat it on a regular basis. We love it. Unfortunately, Chinese takeout, in our area at least has not gone green. Since I do not have any desire to give u p Chinese food, I needed to come up with a way to make Chinese Takeout green in our home!

Tips to make Chinese Takeout Green

Fabulous Containers. Who needs Tupperware when you have those nifty resealable Chinese takeout plastic containers?? Reuse them over and over again for leftovers, crafts or anything else  you need a plastic container for.

Paper Bag. The paper bag that the food comes in can be used to clean up the mess if it’s already been stained. If the bag can be salvaged, you can make puppets with your kids!

Plastic Bag. The paper bag is usually in a plastic bag. You can reuse that in many ways. See here for great ideas for reusing plastic bags.

The sky’s the limit! You can be green and eat Chinese Take out! Do not get o caught up in being green that you never enjoy life. If companies or other people do not want to be green, you can be green for them!

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