http://planet.earthclinic.com/latest_posts.html http://planet.earthclinic.com/template_img/logo.jpg http://planet.earthclinic.com/latest_posts.html Latest Tips from Planet.EarthClinic.com Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:06:43 EDT en-us http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/Remedies/honey.html&name=RF /Remedies/honey.html1 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:15:49 EDT ECP from writes: "A bit of sugar may help the medicine go down, but it's even better when you combine the two into one. Honey is a well-recognized aid to health, and has been appreciated as such for centuries, even back to Hippocrates himself. And these days, with the increased interest in traditional and non-toxic medicines, honey is having a sort of Renaissance of its own. Chewed honeycomb is said to stop allergies before they start, and liquid honey is used to treat burns, sore throats, fatigue, cuts, anxiety, and pain. You get all of this while supporting the honeybees threatened by Colony Collapse Disorder across the world. Raw honey also gives you the chance to substitute honey for the otherwise over-used medicines that are beginning to pollute our drinking waters nearly as badly as fertilizer does through farm runoff. Raw honey is best for health, but hardest to find. Pasteurization is meant to reduce the risk of passing along infectious agents in commercial honey. It works well, but destroys beneficial agents as well. In its raw state, honey is already anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral. To find this health-preserver, your local farms or farmers markets might be a good source for raw honey and honeycomb. If not there, you can find raw honey available on the internet as well, but be careful. Claims made about "raw" honey are unregulated. Verify that your purchased honey has not been heat treated, processed, or overly filtered. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/veggies.html&name=PEPPERS /garden/veggies.html2 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:46:57 EDT ECP Staff from writes: "Two things: first, sweet bell peppers in green and red are among the most commonly purchased produce items from the grocery store, and second, they are also among the produce items most tainted by chemicals. Why not eliminate the trip to the store, the cost, and the pesticides by growing your own peppers at home? A couple of months before planting, start sprouting your seeds inside, keeping them moist. Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost (harden your seedlings by moving the seedling tray outdoors for a few hours each day leading up to the transplanting). Green, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are all the same crunchy beast, at different levels of maturation. Pick your peppers as you please, but sweet peppers gain in nutritive value later in the pepper's life. Blanch and freeze peppers for winter use, or dry them in a food dehydrator for later rehydration. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/dishwasher.html&name=DETERGENT /house/dishwasher.html3 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:00:37 EDT ECP from writes: "Congratulations on that new dishwasher, but why are you still adding detergent like it was the old clunker you got rid of? New washers use less water and more power, so they don't need nearly as much dish detergent as older models. No need to fill the entire detergent container, as the extra detergent will only leave a film on your dishes and cause increased wear and tear on your dishwasher. And please, don't pre-wash your dishes, you're only wasting water, we promise. You'll save water, and you'll keep additional pollution out of our drinking water supply." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/natural-remedy-garden.html&name=APPLES /garden/natural-remedy-garden.html4 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:34:03 EDT ECP Editor from writes: "Is there any cliche more cliched than the old "An apple a day..." riff? And like all great truths, we're sick of hearing it. So let's stop talking and simply get down to the business of apple eating, apple drinking, and apple planting. Check out the conversation about planting apple trees here (you can even plant an apple tree in a container pot). When it comes to apples as an aid to health, our sister site is primarily concerned with apple cider vinegar, which you could also make at home with the fruit of your own apple trees. However, the virtues of the apple itself are extensive. Apples are full of potassium, Vitamin C, and other vitamins and minerals. They also offer pectin, a somewhat neglected soluble fiber that is fantastic for improving your digestive health, while it also binds with cholesterol, helping to guide the artery-clogger straight out of your body without causing any harm. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/laundry.html&name=DRYERS /house/laundry.html5 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:34:24 EDT Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "Save energy, save money, and perhaps even save your house. While you should be cleaning your dryer filter with each use, you should also make an occasional habit of cleaning the vent screen where the exhaust exits your house and even taking the exhaust tube apart to clean it out. Lint can build up in these spaces through months of use, reducing energy efficiency and creating a fire hazard." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/fruit-trees.html&name=APPLE /garden/fruit-trees.html6 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:28:02 EDT ECP from writes: "Don't have much of a yard but still want to bless your home with the spirit of Johnny Appleseed? It is possible to grow an apple tree in a container and harvest Eve's favorite fruit without the chemicals you'll find on grocery apples (and without climbing ladders to get at the best apples). A container garden apple tree will require less pruning and be less afflicted by pests that create poor and misshapen fruit. Just like the more common lemon trees you find growing in containers, any sort of apple tree can grow happily in a barrel or garden tub that you can purchase from a local nursery. The tree will grow smaller in every way, but your apples will be just as delicious. Furthermore, with their smaller size you can easily set up your own small apple orchard, which will allow you to choose between more apple cultivars (some apple species require a second or third tree for proper pollination). Or you could plant a single dwarf or full-size tree with a couple of container pot apple trees for pollination. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/laundry.html&name=WASHINGMACHINE /house/laundry.html7 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:28:52 EDT ECP Editor from writes: "Ask your appliance repairman. He'll tell you. You're almost certainly using too much soap in your laundry room washing machine. Unless you have very hard water, the manufacturer's minimum suggested amounts of laundry detergent to wash your clothes is still likely 2-8 times more than you really need. Want to check? Throw a few clean towels in the washer, without detergent, and see if you don't find suds and detergent residue in the water. All that extra soap poisons the environment, makes your clothes starchy, irritates your skin, and wastes resources by bringing the end of your clothes and your washer along much too soon." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/fruit-trees.html&name=APPLE /garden/fruit-trees.html8 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:16:53 EDT Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "If you have a bit of extra space in your yard or a neighborhood greenspace, then you should be out shopping for an apple tree, if only for the springtime splendor of apple blossom season. Planting an apple tree is a benefit to the planet and wildlife for sure, but the pleasure as well as health and monetary benefits you will enjoy are far greater. Plant a dwarf apple tree and you'll have 3-5 bushels each year, or up to 10 bushels with a full-sized tree. That's 400-1000 apples each year, all yours for the picking. Guidelines for planting: An apple tree will do best in temperate climates and areas with rich, loose soil, but they have also covered the world, so they're clearly flexible. If you can plant them in the late fall or early spring near a windbreak, you will keep the fruit from falling too soon. Apples are susceptible to a number of pests and diseases. If you're not picky about perfectly round fruit, imperfections can simply be cut out of any apple. However, co-planting methods with certain herbs and flowers can substantially reduce any problems you will have with pests, as will certain essential oils that can be sprayed on your trees. Neem oil is one solution more farmers and gardeners are looking into. Remember that if you're only going to plant one or two trees that you check on their pollination requirements. Some apple trees will not self-pollinate, and if you get two trees you'll want to make sure that they are male and female. On the other hand, bees and other pollinators will cover surprising distances between apple trees (crabapples will do as pollinators as well). A new apple tree will begin to bear more fruit than you can consume around the fourth or fifth year after planting. After that, all you need to worry about is a bit of late-winter pruning and spring suckering, minimal pest control, and harvesting in the fall. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=FILTERS /house/bottled-water.html9 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:19:52 EST ECP from writes: "Maybe you want to escape the bottled water trap and go the tap water route, but the taste or quality of your local tap water source isn't quite as good as you would like. A water filter can easily solve all sorts of water issues in the realms of taste, safety, and cleanliness, but there are so many options out there that it becomes a dizzying mess. Which water filtration system is best for your home or office? The first question you'll need to answer is point-of-entry or point-of-use. That is, do you want to filter all of the water that enters your house, or just the water that you'll be drinking and cooking with? For most households or offices a water pitcher, attached faucet filter, or countertop/under the sink filtration system using an inexpensive activated carbon filter will be more than adequate to remove chlorine, metals, parasites, and organic chemicals. In shopping for an activated carbon filter, as with any filtration system, you need to look for NSF/ANSI standard 53 certification to ensure quality. If activated carbon filtration doesn't meet your needs, more expensive solutions include distillers to remove all heavy metals and larger molecules; cation exchange systems that work as water softeners; UV systems to kill viruses, bacteria, and parasites; and reverse osmosis systems, which are the most thoroughly effective but also the most expensive and wasteful in terms of water wasted and energy used. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=REUSABLE /house/bottled-water.html10 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:52:18 EST ECP Editor from writes: "Sigg's is the best known brand of aluminum water bottles, and an increasingly popular choice. Modern aluminum water bottle designs incorporate an inert chemical liner that will not leach aluminum or chemicals into your water or other drinks. Aluminum is lightweight and easy to recycle. However, the design on some of these water bottles can make them difficult to clean." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/Remedies/hydrogen_peroxide.html&name=PESTICIDE /Remedies/hydrogen_peroxide.html11 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:39:05 EST [YEA] Pr from Houston, Tx writes: "When you can't buy organic fruits and vegetables soak in a half sink of water using 1/2 cup of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide for 20 minutes. This will remove the chemicals used in growing. I get my H202 at Sam's to save money but can use any for this purpose. This soaking will also remove germs from whom ever may have touch our veggies in the process or at the store. Oh don't forget to rinse with clean water. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/mosquitoes.html&name=BB /garden/mosquitoes.html12 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:48:46 EST John from Benmore Sandton, Gauteng South Africa writes: "Mosquito control Whilst I burn incense coils or sticks, a good neighborly trick that SHOULD be practiced internationally is to install Bat Boxes at regular intervals in the area. Bats consume 10,000 to 15000 insects a day (per bat) . Do the community a turn! " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/Remedies/borax.html&name=MU /Remedies/borax.html13 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:47:46 EST [YEA] Arn from Seattle, WA writes: "Please don't go overboard in your reactions to using borax. On one hand, it is not the toxic insecticide some imagine. The mechanism by which it kills bugs is by contact. They get a particle of borax on them, it burns a hole in the wax coating on their shells, they dehydrate. That's not going to happen to humans. On the other hand, it is a micro nutrient, meaning your body doesn't need and can't use much. Big doses over a long period aren't a good idea. In concentration it kills pretty much every bacteria, virus and fungus which is handy for a lot of uses but not for your body. I wonder what it does to the friendly flora in your gut. By the way, try putting a teaspoon each of sugar and borax in your Christmas tree water next year. It will stay green into spring. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=REUSABLE /house/bottled-water.html14 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:35:57 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "While a stainless steel water bottle is obviously going to be the heaviest and most expensive of your water bottle options, it is increasingly popular as the easiest option to clean and the least likely to threaten its users with unexpected side effects from leaching. Like glass water bottles, stainless steel is chemically inert and stable, so it will not leach chemicals or alter the taste of your drinks. A stainless steel water bottle is eminently recyclable, endlessly reusable, and significantly less breakable than glass." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=SAFE /house/bottled-water.html15 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:56:33 EST ECP from writes: "Just how bad is bottled water? Well to start with, five times as much water goes into producing the bottle that bottled water is sold in than goes into the bottle itself -- the stuff we eventually drink. Altogether, bottled water has 100 times as much negative impact on the environment as tap water, including 1.5 million barrels of oil used annually to produce the water bottles consumed in the US alone. Then we pay 1000 times as much for bottled water when forty percent of bottled water is simply tap water, sealed in plastic bottles with or without the addition of certain salts and minerals. We don't want to insult Mother Earth with our drinking habits, but we can't do without safe drinking water. How do we find a balance? Well, first of all we can find out whether our water is already safe as it is. If you live in the US, your local community should be sending out an annual report on your drinking water quality. If not, you can check out this site from the EPA for a list of local water reports. If you determine there are problems with your water, filtration and purchased water are options, but in the long run your best bet is to address the issues at the source, which won't be too far from where you are. What environmental hazards are compromising your surface water and seeping into the water table in your area? If you want healthy water, sometimes you have to get out there and fight for it! " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=DELIVERY /house/bottled-water.html16 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:38:59 EST [YEA] ECP from writes: "If you're not comfortable with tap water, a better alternative to individually packaged bottled water (in terms of minimizing environmental impact) is a bottled water delivery system. Rather than one-use bottles of water, a home or office can invest in multi-gallon, reusable plastic containers of water fitted into a fountain system. They are a mainstay in office water cooler culture, and if paired with reusable cups or containers for your drinks, they can be a more sustainable approach to hydration than individual bottles of water. However, bottled water delivery services are minimally regulated, and the environmental impact from these services is as much as a thousand times greater than tap water, when delivery and refrigeration are taken into consideration. The Lexan bottles (BPA hazard) are not always well cleaned and infrequently recycled once they reach the end of their usefulness. If you find a water delivery service inevitable in your home or office situation, try to find the most energy efficient and least wasteful options available. Among your options are bottle-less water delivery services -- professionally installed high-end water filtration and dispensing systems tapped into the water tap. These systems are also less expensive in the long-run. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=REUSABLE /house/bottled-water.html17 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:48:26 EST EARTH CLINIC PLANET from writes: "Those plastic bottles with the #1 encircled in arrows are made with PET plastics, polyethylene terephthalate. PET is a favored plastic from at least one viewpoint -- it produces fewer GHGs and toxic emissions than the production of other plastics. However, its production still creates 100 times as many toxins as in the production of glass. There is some concern that PET bottles should not be reused, as washing and extended use could promote the leaching of chemicals from the plastic walls. You will not find reusable PET water bottles, but they are ubiquitous as single-use soda and water bottles. Altogether, PET plastics tend to be the flimsiest, least heat resistant, and most likely to harbor contaminations while also being a leaching threat, making PET plastics probably the worst water bottle choice." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/natural-remedy-garden.html&name=MILK /garden/natural-remedy-garden.html18 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:15:52 EST ECP Editor from writes: "If you are interested in the promise of raw milk, you might be set more at ease in knowing that most of the world consumes raw dairy regularly, including in much of rural Europe. Advanced tests can now detect pathogens in any milk product, and clean production methods can make up for the cleansing effects that pasteurization otherwise provides. However, in much of the US and Canada it is illegal to sell or purchase raw dairy products, including cheese. If you find a local source of raw milk and raw dairy products, make certain that the dairy farm is offering milk from pasture-fed/grass-fed cows, which will be healthier and less troubled by disease than cows from the tight confines of industrial farms. Furthermore, most reliable sources recommend that you opt for the full-fat versions of these products, as they are the most balanced. Enzymes present in full-fat raw milk will help break the dairy fats down properly and efficiently, in any case. For more information, check out our sister site for first-hand accounts of the benefits you can get from raw milk. You can also review a thorough scientific study of raw milk benefits here. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/natural-remedy-garden.html&name=MILK /garden/natural-remedy-garden.html19 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:38:11 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "Most likely, you're not going to have a cow in your garden, but the farmer down the road a ways may be able to offer you organic raw milk straight from the farm. While pasteurized milk has held sway for the longest time now, and with good arguments in its favor, raw milk proponents are beginning to argue more vocally. Raw milk fans suggest that while the heating process of pasteurization destroys milk pathogens, there are other milk components lost in the process that can make it a poor trade-off. Raw milk fans claim that heating or irradiating dairy milk destroys certain nutrients as well as beneficial bacteria or probiotics that are killed along with the targeted, dangerous bacteria. Those raw food benefits are said to stimulate immune response and help the body address a number of complaints. Lactose intolerance, for instance, can be reduced by the lactose metabolizing enzymes or intrinsic enzymes still present in raw dairy. On the flip side, raw milk enthusiasts also claim that pasteurized milk can actually contribute to diabetes, obesity, and other health conditions." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=REUSABLE /house/bottled-water.html20 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:35:34 EST ECP from writes: "HDPE (high density polyethylene) and polypropylene (recycling numbers 2 and 5 respectively) are among your worst offenders when it comes to beverage containers in terms of environmental impact, but may be safest in terms of reusability. Water bottled in these cheap, throwaway plastics is frequently full of more toxins and contaminants than tap water, and few of the plastic water bottles are recycled. Rather, they end up in landfills or discarded into fields and streams, eventually reaching our rivers, lakes, and oceans including an unfathomable number circling endlessly around the massive Pacific Gyre. On the other hand, HDPE and polypro are more resistant to high temperatures than PET plastics and consequently are likely to be safer for casual reuse." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=REUSABLE /house/bottled-water.html21 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:41:39 EST ECP Editor from writes: "Lexan is your plastic with the number 7 in the circle of arrows, the material making up the more colorful of the popular Nalgene bottles. It is also the material that has courted so much controversy for its component, Bisphenol-A (BPA), which can mimic estrogen and become an endocrine disruptor when it leaches from the water bottle (and baby bottles) into our drinks. BPA has been linked to hormonal abnormalities, changes in brain functioning, and even diabetes. In all likelihood, the dangers have been overstated, but these are also dangers easily avoided. To be safe, wash your Nalgene bottle and other Lexan water bottles by hand, rather than running them through the high-temperature dishwasher, in order to minimize the BPA hazards. Drinking cold liquids from a Lexan bottle is probably safe, while hot beverages are generally inadvisable, and there is no sense in exposing a baby to this hazard whatsoever. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/philosophy.html&name=HEALTH /house/philosophy.html22 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:29:21 EST ECP from writes: "We love alliteration, don't we? Still, the Hygiene Hypothesis is more than just a pretty turn of phrase. It is enlisted as an argument to explain the swift and consistent rise in asthma cases across the world, a pattern that cannot be explained by atmospheric pollution. Asthma, along with other allergic reaction patterns, has been increasing at an astonishing rate over the past thirty years, and two overall patterns have made the increase all the more puzzling. First, children and adults in wealthy countries are by far the worst hit (and well-to-do families worst of all), with little or no change in the incidence rate for developing countries (there is a 20% asthma incidence rate in the US, as compared to a 2% incidence rate in largely rural China). Second, wealthy countries are seeing equal rates of asthma attacks and conditions whether the air quality in that country is particularly good or particularly poor with respect to the international average. Poor air quality exacerbates breathing conditions like asthma for certain, but it doesn't seem to be the cause of the asthma up-tick. The Hygiene Hypothesis suggests that the cause may be too much of a good thing, that our chemically driven move toward a hygienic world has in fact gone too far, and that increased exposure to minor contaminants in childhood might give the body a better chance to adjust itself properly and recognize when environmental irritants are a real problem and when the body should lay back and be cool about it all. Support for the Hygiene Hypothesis comes from the fact that children in rural and especially farm communities have asthma rates significantly lower than their urban peers from the same countries. It may turn out that dirty kids are healthy kids, to a certain extent." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=REUSABLE /house/bottled-water.html23 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:46:00 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "For health, reusability, and minimal effect on the environment it's hard to beat a glass container for your drinks. Glass requires tremendous heat and therefore energy to produce, but thereafter it is chemically inert and wonderfully recyclable as well as reusable. Of course, glass is breakable, which somewhat limits its usefulness if you're going to be traveling a lot with your glass water bottle or working in an area where it is likely to break. Glass water bottles can also be more expensive, but they can be the most attractive, with hand-wrought and artist-designed water bottles available to awe your office onlookers. Then again, you can simply take the next bottle of convenience store iced tea and reuse it -- a planet-friendly, free water bottle good for years of healthy use." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=REUSABLE /house/bottled-water.html24 Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:59:39 EST ECP Editor from writes: "Each year, 1.5 million barrels of oil go into the production of water bottles that are used once then thrown into a landfill or incinerator (only 14% or water bottles are ever recycled). It's a dreadful mess. We have to drink, for certain. In fact, few of us drink as much water as we should to flush the toxins out of our bodies. If we drank more water, we could probably spend a lot less money on all of those chemical treatments meant to preserve our youth. In that light, a reusable water bottle seems like a clear eco-friendly win, but there are questions about which options are best for the planet and our health. Reusable Nalgene and other bottles use glass and plastics like Lexan, HDPE, and PLA that present their own concerns. How do we choose? Well, first off almost any alternative is better for the environment and our health than cheap disposable plastic bottles, so you could leave it at that and pick up whatever is convenient. If you want to dig deeper, in the coming days we will present a variety of possibilities. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/bottled-water.html&name=RF /house/bottled-water.html25 Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:33:45 EST ECP from writes: "In a busy world, it's hard to argue against the appeal of convenience, and bottled water is the ultimate marriage of need and convenience; we can't live long without water, but few of us find time to drink enough of it. On the other hand, all of those one-use water bottles destined for the roadsides and the landfills (86% of water bottles are trashed) are a clear environmental catastrophe. What's more, the producer-sponsored illusion that bottled water is safer than tap water is falling apart all around us. With reports that bottled water contains more bacteria, carcinogenic chemicals, and general contaminants than tap water it has become clear that the EPA does a much better job of policing tap water than the FDA does for bottled water. It is clearly time to find a balance that is good for our bodies but as little harmful as can be for our planet." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/organic-pesticides.html&name=SPIDERS /garden/organic-pesticides.html26 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:22:35 EST [YEA] Dj from Pdx, Or writes: "(I found these posts on thriftyfun.com) --Mock or Osage Oranges (also called hedge apple), these look like green, bumpy oranges and have a citrus-y smell and work well. Just tuck them into corners and closets or anywhere spiders are seen. Hang them in skylights in the kitchen and bathroom. --Diatomaceous Earth is a natural insect repellent to use around the base of your house, individual room etc. You can also eat it. Be sure that the Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is intended for human consumption. Medical-grade diatomite is sometimes used to de-worm both animals and humans. --Natural Spider Spray Formula for inside the house: Dr Bronners Peppermint or Lavender Soap, or any other natural soap. 1 ounce of Neem oil You can also add 1 to 5 drops of any of these Essential Plant Oils (depending on your preference) to 1 quart of water: Catnip Oil, Citronella Oil, Lavender Oil, Cinnamon Oil, Peppermint Oil, Citrus Oil, Tea Tree Oil, or other essential oils. Add 5 tablespoons of the soap per quart water. Add one ounce of the Neem oil to the water which you have added the soap and label it. Shake well and spray inside house where spiders are seen. Test for strength. May be done as often as needed. This is not a long-term solution but will provide you immediate help. Oils may stain some fabrics or light colored furnishings, test first. --You will need, 1 cup of vegetable oil, 1/4 cup of dawn liquid soap, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix oil soap and extract in a container. Now in a spray bottle put 1 tablespoon of the mixture for every 1-cup of water. Shake and spray your spiders away --Have a problem inside closets and don't really want to spray anything around clothes. Use old panty hose, string or ribbon, cedar shavings, tea tree oil and lavender oil. Cut the panty hose into sachet sizes. Fill with cedar shavings and put in 5 - 10 drops each of the essential oils. Tie off the end(s) of the hose and put in closets, under sinks, etc. Whenever the smell weakens, just drop a few more drops to refresh the sachet. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=DEODORANT /house/personal-care.html27 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:43:14 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "Many of us are concerned about the pollution that accumulates in our own bodies, and rightfully so. One particular growing concern regards the aluminum to be found in our cookware and deodorants/antiperspirants -- aluminum that is increasingly tied to Alzheimer's Disease. Fortunately, many alternatives to commercial deodorants exist. One simple choice is to wash our armpits down with vinegar or a 1:1 vinegar and water solution, which will refresh the acid balance of our skin and kill the bacteria that cause body odor." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/houseplants.html&name=TOXIN /house/houseplants.html28 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:44:12 EST Dj from Pdx, Or writes: "Doug, How is the palm surviving in your office? I want to get plants into my office but there are no windows and even though I have done some cursory searches there are very few that do well under fluorescent lighting." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/cleaning-products.html&name=FRESHENERS /house/cleaning-products.html29 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:17:08 EST [YEA] Dj from Pdx, Or writes: "I Agree with your rant. I have a real hard time visiting people who have 12 of these things plugged in to every open outlet in their house. I recently bought one of those steam mops and it has worked really well at keeping the odor in the carpet and furniture, from my two cats, down to an occasional whiff at the end of the week. Speaking of cats there is a corn based litter that clumps and it works really well on odors too. It is even flushable. I also am taking the hit for a better cat food and that has almost eliminated fecal odors." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/houseplants.html&name=TOXIN /house/houseplants.html30 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:35:55 EST [YEA] Doug from Toronto, Ontario, Canada writes: "We watched this Ted presentation on how to grow fresh air using three common house plants - http://www.ted.com/talks/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_grow_your_own_fresh_air.html Based on NASA research Areca Palm, Mother-In-Law's Tongue, and Money Tree Plants. We added the MILT's first and immediately noticed an amazing change (we woke up more awake, less drowsy). The MILT's convert CO2 to O2 (Carbon Dioxide) to Oxygen at night (ideal in the bedroom). We added the MTP's next and the air smells cleaner because they filter paint, flooring, chemicals that leach from the house and living in the house. Next are the Palms but I started with them in the office. Also for smokers, we have read that English Ivy eats tobacco smoke which was just discovered to create carcinogenic dust around your home. Interested in your experience at DBolger@iLearn2.com in home or office settings. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=SHAVING /house/personal-care.html31 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:53:51 EST [YEA] Doug from Toronto, Ontario, Canada writes: "This works. I travel a lot so stopped buying or carrying shaving cream. Small travel sized conditioner or shampoo work as well, some of them better." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/smart-grid.html&name=V2G /initiatives/smart-grid.html32 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:00:06 EST ECP from writes: "Two of the largest problems in the field of electrical generation and transmission are uneven levels of demand throughout the day and the loss of energy over transmission lines. One radical re-imagining of a centerpiece of the modern world could substantially address both issues. What if your car could become a power plant? Oh, and what if it could make you some money? The Vehicle to Grid or V2G concept envisions transforming the world's cars from belching centers of pollution to decentralized sources of energy creation and storage, significantly reducing pollution, energy lost through transmission, and the complexity of meeting fluctuating consumer demand for electricity. V2G takes the expanding market for hybrid and plug-in vehicles and puts them to their utmost usefulness. An electric or hybrid electric vehicle can be plugged into the grid, its battery and power generation systems used to store excess energy from the grid (for instance, at night) and at other times sell electricity back to the electric companies and the grid when demand is high. Demand for electricity is like a rollercoaster, never as flat and constant as electrical providers would prefer. Predictability increases their profits and reduces wasted production (which for us equals pointless pollution). Vehicle to Grid systems would work to level out those peaks and troughs, particularly in the cases of wind and solar energy cycles. While this remains a concept in development, researchers in Maryland recently introduced a retrofit Toyota Scion to provide the needed battery power and endurance for a V2G vehicle that could be worth as much as $4 thousand a year to a private owner in payments from the electricity industry. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/paper.html&name=REDUCE /house/paper.html33 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:14:12 EST ECP Editor from writes: "One of the best ways to reduce our impact on the planet is to look at the things we do over and over again on a daily basis, then make those activities more planet-friendly, even in the smallest ways. For instance, we all drink a lot of coffee or tea, maybe even both. How much paper could you save by using loose tea and by switching to a French press or espresso machine for coffee? No more tea bags and coffee filters headed to the landfill. Save a tree and all the water used in producing that paper, and you might even get a better tasting beverage in the bargain." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/cleaning-products.html&name=FRESHENERS /house/cleaning-products.html34 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:11:50 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "Forgive us if this turns into a bit of a rant, but air fresheners are a true pet peeve. Whether it's the aerosol spray cans or the plug-in dispensers, those chemical air fresheners smell like nothing other than chemicals. Typically, they are in fact made of little more than manufactured chemicals. From the container to the components, most air fresheners are largely petroleum derivatives, and increasing numbers of studies are finding that these chemicals include benzenes, pthalates, and other volatile organic compounds that cause cancer, respiratory disorders, and other health conditions. Even otherwise harmless ingredients can reaction with ozone to produce formaldehyde. Chemical air fresheners should be immediately abandoned. Replace them with a three-step plan to address odors. Get Rid of Odors by getting rid of the source of the smell, opening windows to let rooms air out, and coming up with long-term solutions to your specific odor problems. Neutralize Odors by using baking soda and vinegar to absorb and wipe away lingering odor causing agents. Only after those two steps can you Create New Scents by steaming natural (even homemade) potpourri, baking something delightful, burning beeswax or soy candles, using an essential oil mister, growing a pot of lavender or rosemary indoors, or using a bamboo reed diffuser in a jar of essential oils. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/philosophy.html&name=PRECAUTIONARY /house/philosophy.html35 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:01:34 EST ECP from writes: "Surprisingly large snow storms, cold snaps in the middle of the summer, glaciers that are growing larger rather than smaller, and years that are cooler than the ones that came just before -- climate change deniers hold up all sorts of weather events as evidence that global warming is a hoax. After we point out that their grasp of science is lousy, we then admit that we do not know what will happen in the future. We do not know for sure what is going to happen to our planet, its weather, and its people. Instead, we fall back solidly on the precautionary principle, which you have probably heard spoken of before. It is an essential concept in the environmental movement, so let's define it simply. The precautionary principle declares that if there is a reasonable chance that something bad is going to happen, it is better to take action to prevent that danger than to sit back and wait for certainty that the danger is imminent. Following the precautionary principle is like taking out an insurance policy. You may not need it, but you really can't do without it because the risks are catastrophic. Quite simply, we're better safe than sorry. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=VEGAN /house/personal-care.html36 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:27:15 EST [YEA] Claudia from Hoor, Sweden writes: "This is the easiest and most soothing eye cream I've ever used. You'll have to tweak the measurements depending on how much you want to make. I prefer to make small batches so I have the freshest possible mixture. Make sure you have a container with a very secure cap. I used a small 30ml jar with a screw cap. You can purchase these in many hardware stores or craft stores. Since it's a cinch to make, I recommend that you make less rather than more. You should store this in a cool, dry place or the fridge. An added benefit is that when it is chilled it has an even greater effect on reducing under eye puffiness! *During warmer weather you should always store in the fridge. Here's what you'll need: Aloe Vera Gel - 100% Pure - no additives Extra Virgin Olive Oil - you may substitute oils here. Hazelnut works nice and is light, also Grapeseed. Essential Oils of Hyssop, Sweet Fennel or Roman Chamomile 2 tbsp aloe vera 1/4 teas EVOO or oil of your choice 2 drops each Hyssop and Sweet Fennel or Roman Chamomile Place all ingredients in your container and really shake it, as vigorously as possible. Open and check the consistency, it should look rather opaque by now as the oil and aloe vera mix. If not, keep shaking and re-check. There you have it! *Please be careful with any thing you use around your eyes. Eye creams are only to be used along the bony area of your eyes; never directly on the lids. Always use your ring finger to exert the least amount of pressure when applying creams to the eye area. Essential Oils of Hyssop, Sweet Fennel and Roman Chamomile are known to have anti-puffing and anti-aging effect on the eyes. Great for under-eye bags. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=INGREDIENTS /house/personal-care.html37 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:26:39 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: ""Fragrance" sounds harmless enough, and it sounds even better as fancy French "parfum", but keep an eye out for these words on any ingredients list. For impenetrable reason, the chemical scents that go into our perfumes, skin care, and other products are largely unregulated. While other ingredients in our personal care products need to be recorded and tested, any number of chemical scent compounds can be listed under the single word 'fragrance' or 'parfum'. This may include chemical phthalates, known bio-disruptors and hormone mimics that can cause a host of biological troubles in our bodies and the environment. Look for fragrance-free items whenever possible." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=SKIN /house/personal-care.html38 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:31:57 EST ECP from writes: "Do you really think that a tube full of chemicals is the best choice to keep your skin young, healthy, and beautiful? No matter which freshly-made up professional stunner tries to sell you the latest miracle skin ointment, in the long run the stuff in your kitchen is going to be better for your skin than anything from a chemist's lab. There are hundreds of recipes for organic face masks, acne treatments, moisturizers, and the like. The most popular incorporate green tea, honey, eggs, yogurt, bananas, salt, and other cheap and easy to find ingredients. Go out and find some natural skin treatments, test them out, and bring them back here to share with your friends! We'll all thank you." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/laundry.html&name=DRYING /house/laundry.html39 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 01:56:59 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "For sure, we can save about one hundred dollars a year by drying our clothes on the line or a drying rack, and that fresh air scent is fantastic, but then there is the stiffness. Stiff clothes, especially stiff towels can be such an irritation that we opt for the easy route and stick the wet clothes in the dryer, against our better judgment. Here are a few ideas to soften those fabrics without the dryer and the chemical dryer sheets. First off, you can almost certainly use less detergent, which is just better all around. A breeze will keep towels and clothing softer and more flexible. You might also try adding a bit of white vinegar to the washing machine along with your detergent (use even less detergent that way, and seriously kill germs to boot). As a last resort, you can always throw some items into the dryer for a few minutes after you've taken them down from the line." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/laundry.html&name=WASHINGMACHINE /house/laundry.html40 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 23:15:43 EST ECP from writes: "It's just a guess, but I'd wager that you could use an extra $100 this year. If you live in a typical household, a c-note is exactly what you would save by making one simple, painless change in your habits. It turns out that 90% of the energy used in laundering our clothes is used up by heating the water for our wash cycles. Switch to cold-water washing and you save 100 dollars a year, with clothes no worse for wear thanks to modern laundry detergents. That's an easy enough change to make, better for the pocket and the planet." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/farm-to-table.html&name=SLOW /innovators/farm-to-table.html41 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:03:34 EST ECP Editor from writes: "One concept closely associated with the Farm to Table values is the Slow Food Movement. The Slow Foods movement, which was established in Turin, Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, believes that the best and healthiest foods come only from the healthiest farms and environments. Consequently, the Slow Foods Movement is not only about well-made meals and beverages, but is also in fundamental support of the eco-conscious farm practices of old and the biodiversity that supports it all. At the heart of each of these ideas is the belief that we have for too long equated more with better, and a further understanding that both human life and the global environment would be better off if we recognized that a few things of better quality would please us more, leave us healthier in the bargain, and would do less harm to the planet. In direct opposition to fast food culture, the idea of slow foods is to remember the pleasure there can be in meals and their social role in our lives. Slow Food is about getting pleasure from food and drink, but enjoying there quality rather than our habit of going for the easy pleasure in quantity. Reducing the quantity of foods we gorge ourselves on reduces the strain we place on the planet's arable land and leaves more space available for wild nature and needed biodiversity. The slow path from farm to table offers a sort of richness that factory farms and fast food joints can never duplicate. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=CLOTHING /house/personal-care.html42 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:55:37 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "You can't beat the classics. Classic cuts, styles, and fabrics in fashion have always impressed the onlookers, and what makes good fashion sense turns out to make good eco-sense as well. Advisors that are both fashion and pocket-conscious have long advised us to buy a few high-quality, classically designed clothing items to mix and match into different outfits from day to day, rather than investing in piles of clothes that will quickly go out of fashion. The little black dress for women, and a man's blue blazer can go a long way. On the other hand, it's a bit of mercy to your friends and coworkers that those 70's polyester duds and 80's baggy pants you wore are now in a landfill, but they're doing the planet no good at all. Buy less clothing of a better quality, and make more out of it for us all." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/farm-to-table.html&name=ARTISANAL /innovators/farm-to-table.html43 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:32:19 EST ECP from writes: "Artisanal foods are a large part of the Farm to Table movement. Farms are part of the general commercial world, and as with any products there are two ways to make more money than you made yesterday. Either you produce more goods for the market, or you add value to the goods you have been producing. Artisanal cheeses, meats, heirloom vegetables, and the like take the latter approach. Artisanal foods have a long and well-regarded history in Europe, but even there the variety and quantity of artisanal foods has been increasing, whereas in the United States and elsewhere in the world artisanal foods have been multiplying vastly. Anything from aged cheeses to micro-brewed beer falls under the artisanal umbrella, and many artisanal food companies are likewise kin to the Farm to Table movement in relying on chemical free and organic production, developing local niche markets, and often collaborating with other local farmers and producers for materials and equipment -- as in Hardwick, VT. Family farms in particular are moving to the artisanal food model, succeeding with value-added foods where they would fail in trying to compete with the environmentally offensive monoculture industrial farms. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/recycling.html&name=YARDSALE /house/recycling.html44 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:26:45 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "An idea catching on increasingly of late is the town-wide yard sale. Many of us have basements, garages, and closets full of stuff we no longer want, but the thought of putting together a private garage sale with all of the signs, the advertisements, and little enough profit dissuades us. Still, we could use the money and the space. Planning a Town Wide Yard Sale solves all of these problems. The first year might take some doing in terms of organization, but the work can be split between dozens of people, with civic groups lending an eager hand, and after that the annual event nearly plans itself while drawing large numbers of people to your garage sale and your town in general. And in terms of the environmental benefit, well resale is the same as reusing and recycling, with an even better rate of return. We all enjoy getting new things to play with and enjoy, but 99 times out of 100 new-to-us is just as good as brand new when it comes to the purchases we make for pleasure or utility. So put some cash back in your pocket, keep trash out of the landfill, and sell your neighbor that ski machine you've been drying your towels on." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/farm-to-table.html&name=RESTAURANTS /innovators/farm-to-table.html45 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:50:27 EST ECP from writes: "Restaurants have been among the most eager participants in the Farm to Table movement. Always looking to find a leg up on the competition, some restaurants have accepted local farms and regional produce as their competitive advantages. The fresh, better tasting, and healthier foods these restaurants can get from foods grown locally and therefore picked recently and at the height of freshness are the raw materials that form the basis for superior meals. These talented chefs turn their restaurants into commercial locavores, and in the process they significantly reduce the energy spent and emissions produced in getting farm produce to diner's tables." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/farm-to-table.html&name=RF /innovators/farm-to-table.html46 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:25:53 EST ECP Editor from writes: "While many have been disappointed by the shortcomings of the Kyoto Summit, one of its enduring benefits was the creation of the Earth Pledge Foundation. Formed at the request of the United Nations to support the Earth Pledge promotion leading up to the Kyoto Summit, the organization eventually took on a life of its own and continues to sponsor and organize practical responses to global climate change and overall global environmental degradation. One particular success, judged as much in the way it has entered the public lexicon as in its practical benefits, is the Earth Pledge Foundation's Farm to Table movement. In 2001, Earth Pledge created FarmtoTable.org in order to counter large scale or monoculture farming trends and restore life to regional farmers and to the concept that local farms would feed their neighbors and area communities. While not disdaining the excitement of a global cornucopia of exotic foods, the Farm to Table concept highlights seasonal eating and local food purchases as the healthiest choice for our bodies and our local ecosystems. Their efforts include research and public efforts to restore traditional farming methods, expand the use of organic farming techniques such as compost tea, and expand simple measures such as expanded farmer's market opportunities. In working with farmers and consumers, as well as agrarian commerce and research groups Earth Pledge has launched the Farm to Table concept into a prominence that enriches everyone and everything that it touches. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/outdoors-life.html&name=HIKING /garden/outdoors-life.html47 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:38:19 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "A little fresh air, a bit of exercise, and time away from the stress of the modern world. Of course a little hike is good for body and soul, but what if it were good for the mind as well? Researchers at the University of Michigan tested the difference between a walk in the woods and a walk along city streets to see whether either had an effect on the walker's mental state. The concept is attention-restoration theory (ART), and it holds that natural settings are significantly more restorative of brain processes than urban environments. It is part of a collection of theories beginning to find that humanity requires exposure to nature in a similar fashion to the way we require sleep. In this study, walkers who covered their 3-mile walk in the woods showed dramatic cognitive improvement over their pre-walk values. The other half of the study participants, who took a comparable walk on busy city streets, showed no cognitive improvements." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/outdoors-life.html&name=HIKING /garden/outdoors-life.html48 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:01:25 EST ECP from writes: "If you've heard the voice of the wild places sweetly whispering in your ear, if you're answering that call to spend a few hours or even days out in nature, Leave No Trace should be your hiking mantra. We go to a park or deep into the woods to escape the crazy pressures and habits of modern life; Leave No Trace principles ensure that while we are out there in the woods and beside the waters that those woods and waters likewise escape the worst of us. Part ethics and part educational program, Leave No Trace was launched in the 80's and 90's by American private and public groups, including the US Forest Service. Leave No Trace ethics are guided by seven principles: 1. Plan Ahead and Prepare 2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces 3. Dispose of Waste Properly 4. Leave What You Find 5. Minimize Campfire Impacts 6. Respect Wildlife 7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors Leave No Trace is conservation in its purest form. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/outdoors-life.html&name=RF /garden/outdoors-life.html49 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:14:42 EST ECP from writes: "If you're going to save the planet, then you need to love and understand it first. The easiest way to bring about an appreciation of nature is to go out into the wilderness, or even the ordered wilderness of a civic park. Spend some time with the earth, out in whatever degree of the wild you are comfortable with, and remember why it is worth more than the toys we can make from it. Mother Nature is generous, like any mother, and always returns more care than we will ever give her. Increasing numbers of studies and clinical therapies are revealing how essential exposure to natural settings can be for the human psyche as well as our physical health. So get out there, explore nature's wonders, and bring someone along with you." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/rain-barrel.html&name=MATERIALS /garden/rain-barrel.html50 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:43:47 EST ECP Staff from writes: "Do you have a pool in your backyard that you are sick of and just want it gone? Instead of going to the expense and hassle of removing the pool, convert it instead into the biggest rain barrel in the neighborhood. RainTech Rainwater Control Systems has the RainSpace system. RainSpace is a flexible product that can be installed anywhere underground and is designed to hold large volumes of water. The storage kit is comprised of an impermeable external liner and an internal core of tubes that are made of recycled, food-grade HDPE. RainSpace designs can convert a high maintenance pool into a useful large water storage area. Eliminate the unwanted pool, save on summer water bills, and get the yard space to plant that garden you always wanted. Now that is going green in a big way." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/rain-barrel.html&name=MATERIALS /garden/rain-barrel.html51 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:33:40 EST ECP Staff from writes: "I don't know about you but I love spring. The ground is just right for planting, flowers are blooming, trees are leafing and the sun is shining. Those warm fuzzy feelings are quickly replaced though when the phrase "gutter cleaning" gets uttered. Yuck! The Rain Tube is here to get your mind, and your hands, out of the gutter and can help you save money on your summer water bill at the same time. Rain Tube is made of 100% recycled material. The porous material fits snugly into the gutter. The snug fit creates a barrier against the debris that often clogs up the system and destroys those warm fuzzy spring feelings. The porosity of the system allows clean rainwater to run down the gutter through the gutter spout and into a rainwater collection barrel. Reuse the rainwater collected to water the garden and other foliage during the hot summer months." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/rain-barrel.html&name=DIY /garden/rain-barrel.html52 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:00:18 EST ECP Staff from writes: "In today's world we are all looking at how to pinch an extra penny. We often forget about our elderly neighbors though and they, more than most right now, can benefit from that extra penny. Ask your elderly neighbor if they would like a rainwater barrel to help save on their water bill. If the answer is a resounding yes, or even a skeptical yes, there are a number of DIY sites out there that can walk you through the process or check with water services to see if they sell water barrel kits or if they are giving them away. Some cities have bureaus of environmental services and offer discounts on sewage bills for unhooking the downspout from the city sewer system or some other type of storm water management that a person might have installed. For supplies check with your local bottling companies. They may sell their 55-gallon barrels. Some will sell their leftover barrels for $10 or less. Your favorite restaurant may sell or give you a 5-gallon bucket. If you do build your neighbor a rain barrel, remember to store it high enough so they can comfortably reach the water faucet. Send us your ideas on what other things a person can do to help the elderly save money in our communities. Sites on DIY rainwater barrels: http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Rainwater-Collection-System http://www.marc.org/Environment/Water/buildrainbarrel.htm http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=182095" http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/biodiversity.html&name=RF /initiatives/biodiversity.html53 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:25:48 EST DPK from Hoosick Falls writes: "It's hard to imagine, let alone argue, for the value of some tiny fish species living nowhere else but in two little streams somewhere in the Andes, and many people will naturally wonder or even complain about all the effort and the barriers erected to preserve that fish. Yet that fish eats up and processes dead plant and animal life that would otherwise fill the bottom of those streams, and this fish is almost the sole source of food for a much larger fish that swims in those streams. The crowned solitary eagle susequently feeds on that larger fish, and it is a glorious bird. However, that fish also spends a portion of its life swimming out in the Atlantic, where it is caught in massive fishing nets to eventually reach our dinner tables, where it goes awfully well with butter and lemon. Unfortunately, we're catching that fish in much smaller numbers these days, because the small, meaningless fish that we're trying to protect in the Andes, the one you've never heard about and don't give a fig for, is nearly extinct. And that generic tale is one small story among the many that we tell to argue for the inherent, practical value of biodiversity." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=VEGAN /house/personal-care.html54 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:11:47 EST ECP from writes: "Seeing as very few of us eat our makeup, you might not have thought there would be such a thing as vegan cosmetics. Of course, the vegan philosophy goes well beyond food, even if that's what we most associate it with. Nonetheless, many people who would not consider themselves vegan or even vegetarian for that matter are beginning to look for and prefer vegan cosmetics as the healthiest and safest cosmetic offerings for themselves, with the added comfort of knowing that no animals were harmed in the testing of these products. Non-animal tested cosmetics have been around for a bit of time now, but vegan cosmetics go a step further in being certain to use all-natural ingredients (from plants, etc. and not from animals), proven through centuries of use to be safe and non-allergenic while still enhancing our appearance. Vegan cosmetics come from a number of brands, and can even be found in common department and grocery stores." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/singapore.html&name=RF /initiatives/singapore.html55 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:24:34 EST ECP Editor from writes: "In the most urban country in the world, two large sectors of the city are set aside as Tree Conservation Areas where it is illegal and punishable by law to cut down trees with a circumference of one meter or more -- so-called heritage trees. Corporate and private offenders have been punished for taking down trees in the area, with much public support for defense of the trees as a public trust." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/cleaning-products.html&name=WHITEVINEGAR /house/cleaning-products.html56 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:20:15 EST [YEA] DPK from Hoosick Falls writes: "Among the kitchen cleaning tasks, properly wiping down the microwave can be one of the least pleasant and most neglected. The confined space and the way foods dry onto microwave surfaces like they were glued there makes the chore particularly unsavory and difficult. On the other hand, chemical cleaners in that confined space are all the less appealing, so try this easy and all-natural solution. Pour a cup of water and a couple of tablespoons of any sort of clear vinegar into an uncovered microwave-safe container, and heat it in the microwave for as long as you would heat up a cold cup of coffee. Then carefully dip a rag or sponge in the hot vinegar water and wipe down the microwave walls. You'll find that the vinegar and the humidity have loosened all the caked on food. The vinegar-soaked rag will easily wipe it all away and disinfect too." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/energy_efficiency.html&name=AUDIT /house/energy_efficiency.html57 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:57:57 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "Okay, there is one more alternative for getting a home energy audit done - get your kids to do it! The website thirteen.org has a well-developed lesson plan to engage students with the concept of energy efficiency and conservation, culminating in a home energy audit. Bring it to the classroom, or make it a family learning, bonding, and saving activity. The only thing stronger than the family that saves money together is the family that saves the planet together. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/energy_efficiency.html&name=AUDIT /house/energy_efficiency.html58 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:11:06 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "If you have a bit more money to invest, you can see tremendous savings in your home energy expenditures within a few years by investing in a professional home energy audit. A licensed home energy audit professional will bring infrared/thermographic inspection and blower doors (a temporary door with a fan in it) to really evaluate every drafty wall and crevice, while bringing in knowledge of the most cost effective energy conservation retrofits for homes and offices in your area. Two agencies, the Residential Energy Services Network and the Building Performance Institute have made a business of training professionals to run an energy audit and do the necessary energy retrofit work in your home. Look for someone licensed by one of these two agencies, and talk to them about rebates from local, state, or federal government agencies to cover the cost of the energy audit. The energy audit inspector will take care of most everything once he arrives. Still, you can help yourself out by preparing a list of questions and concerns about the house beforehand. This may include whether summer or winter is your primary energy concern, if you have trouble with condensation on your windows, and particular rooms that seem the coldest or draftiest. Gathering together utility bills and the dates of installation of your major home appliances will also be useful. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/energy_efficiency.html&name=AUDIT /house/energy_efficiency.html59 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:05:41 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "A do-it-yourself home energy audit ordinarily begins with looking for the air leaks and drafts that run in and out of your home. These leaks, no matter how small, collectively waste a significant amount of the energy you use in heating and cooling. To ferret them out, there are a couple of tricks. Shut off all heaters, fans, and blowers as well as all windows and doors. Then turn on the exhaust fans in your house, or direct a window fan outdoors to suck air in through the cracks in your home. (Or do this on a windy day.) Wet your hand or burn a stick of incense and run one or the other along all the cracks between doors, windows, walls, outlets, ceilings, floors, and appliance outlets to find where the air is moving between your home and the outside world. Once you have found and sealed your drafts, you'll want to see where else in your home you are using more energy than need be. Pull out your utility bills, and analyze which times of year require the most energy expense. This DIY home energy audit will help you compare your annual energy usage and expense with that of your neighbors. Not up to par, or beating the Joneses for that matter? What are you doing during those time periods that require the electricity or fuels? Can you cut back on your light usage in winter - about 10% of your electric bill goes to lighting? Or are you blasting the A/C at night in summer when it would be better all around to open some windows at night or invest in a whole-house fan system? Is your insulation up to local requirements? Appliances, home entertainment systems, outdoor lighting, and every other part of your home should be reviewed. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/energy_efficiency.html&name=AUDIT /house/energy_efficiency.html60 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:38:50 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "President Obama's "Cash for Caulkers" program was inspired by the significant gap between the energy efficiency our homes and offices could easily attain and the relative inefficiency most of them exhibit at present. Energy efficiency simply was not much of a factor in previous eras of construction, when energy for heating and cooling was relatively inexpensive. Consequently, US homes account for 20% of total national energy usage, even when many of us spend very few waking hours inside of them. European and Japanese standards have quickly improved of late, but nowhere in the world is home energy efficiency where it should be. Now, however, when fossil fuels are continuing to grow more scarce and more costly to bring to the consumer, home energy efficiency is a rapidly growing concern and job market. Eliminating your home's major drafts can reduce your annual energy bills by 5-30%, and that's just the start. The best way to know where to begin on increasing your home energy efficiency is through a home energy audit, a step-by-step review of your home's energy usage and where energy is being wasted, at what cost, and what it would take to put a plug in that energy and money drain. You can do a home energy audit on your own, or hire a professional to do a more thorough review. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=SHAVING /house/personal-care.html61 Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:42:12 EST [YEA] Pam from Brooklyn, Ny writes: "Try HAIR CONDITIONER, works well, while leaving you soft and smooth! did it today as a matter of fact.... added baking soda to shampoo and body wash, then conditioned my hair and the parts that need shaving! then i topped it off with V.C.O, again from head to toe... get out shower, dry and keep it moving! My curls are hydrated and shiny, pretty and spiral-ly. My skin feels soft and smells good too!" http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/fungus.html&name=MILK /garden/fungus.html62 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:19:41 EST [YEA] Pam from Brooklyn, Ny writes: "I was getting them little yellow mushroom looking fungus on my house plants, i would pluck them out but they kept coming back, so i wanted to get rid of them naturaly, did a search in the internet and found milk as a natural remedy. i went to the fridge, mixed milk with some water, watered the plant and them mushrooms never came back. You can do this for your lawn and garden too! I read something about the bacteria the milk developes is good for the plant! hope this was helpful!" http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/cleaning-products.html&name=SOAPNUTS /house/cleaning-products.html63 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:19:50 EST [YEA] Karmala from Templeton, Ca writes: "I just started using soap nuts about 3 months ago and now I use it for everything around the house! Laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc. This stuff is amazing and is the only truly all natural "product". The berries fall off the tree, they are allowed to dry... and voila! You have soap. I can't believe that my white socks are actually white (I have 2 black labs and constantly walk around in my socks) For an extra boost for hard cleaning jobs... like cutting oil... I boil up some orange and lemon rinds for a few hours, drain them, and mix it with the soapberries for dish liquid. The citrus oils are great at cutting extra grime/oil. For my whites, I sometimes add borax &/or hydrogen peroxide. I see that maggies brand was mentioned, but I haven't tried that one. If you google soap nuts you will see another brand that offers a 5 lb bag of "pieces" instead of perfectly shaped berries. It is a little pricey on initial investment, but because they are so light there are a LOT of berries in this package. I put 3-5 berries in a little cloth bag that comes with them and this washes 5 loads of laundry. After the 5th or 6th load I boil up the berries in some water and get even more soap out of them. The number of berries you use varies... it really depends on your water (hard or soft), how dirty the clothes are (mine are grungy after working outside all day), whether you use hot or cold water (mine is cold). You can buy small samples to try... I would recommend finding friends to make a co-op purchase and get the big bag. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/swift.html&name=RF /innovators/swift.html64 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:59:26 EST ECP Staff from writes: "You can be part of the SWIFT village too! Help reduce waste in your area by asking your local furniture stores for outdated material samples. Visit the SWIFT website for donation details and drop off points in your area, or inquire at your local fabric shops for any materials they have destined for the local landfill. Fabric stores have a large amount of fabrics that are un-sellable due to flaws or stains, yet large portions of the fabric they are discarding are perfect for quilt squares. Donate those materials to your local QFK chapter or contact Linda Arye, the director of QFK, at www.quiltsforkids.org. What else can you do? Open a collection point in your area. SWIFT is always looking for opportunities to expand their operations and reduce even more waste materials destined for the landfill. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/swift.html&name=RF /innovators/swift.html65 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:00:56 EST EC Staff from writes: "You are a furniture company. You have a million dollars in sales every year and 10 tons of industrial waste. What do you do with the waste material? All those samples of "Polished Green Chenille" or "Butternut Squash Paisley". You call Sue Patrolia and enlist the volunteers of SWIFT (Sample Waste Initiatives for the Furniture and Textile Industries). In 2007, Ms. Patrolia came up with the idea of collecting leftover and outdated fabric samples from national furniture chains and donating those samples to a worthy cause... (cont'd) " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/biodiversity.html&name=INDIGENOUS /initiatives/biodiversity.html66 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:09:05 EST ECP Editor from writes: "One great way to promote biodiversity in your backyard is to select, plant, and promote local flowers and native plants that have adapted throughout millennia to your local region. While commercial nurseries have promoted the introduction of plants from all over the world, and other plants have simply stolen themselves across the world, wildflowers that have grown in your local area for the longest are the plants that best suit the local climate and ecosystem, which in turn depends on that plant life for food. By planting local vegetables, fruits, greenery, and flowers you minimize the amount of work you have to do in the garden. These native plants have already adapted to the local conditions and can survive temporary extremes on their own. Pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and watering will be unnecessary. Only enjoyment is left, augmented in that you also invite the local bees to buzz happily, birds to flutter through, and butterflies to dance throughout a garden they prefer, as you will come to do as well. The easiest way to make your garden a local garden is to talk to your nearby nursery gardener. They will be able to steer you to the right choices and sell you the plants and seeds suited to your environment. At the very least, start with plants that were grown locally in the nursery, rather than on some faraway farm. eNature also has an excellent resource in the US that will list all of the native plants for your state, helping you to make a selection of trees, berries, flowers, grasses, and more. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/xeriscaping.html&name=NATIVE /garden/xeriscaping.html67 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:15:16 EST ECP Editor from writes: "The shortcut to xeriscaping is simply to select and establish your garden or lawn with plants that are localized to the region you are living in. Native flora has spent centuries or more adapting itself to the lack of water and other local environmental conditions. Drought tolerance will be built in to a plant that is self-engineered for an arid climate. Such grasses, flowers, and other plants will not only survive in your arid environment but also require significantly less maintenance in terms of watering, fertilizer, and pesticides." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/windows.html&name=DRAFTS /house/windows.html68 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 21:17:12 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "A common air gap for drafts in old windows is on the ledge between the bottom of the top window and the top of the bottom window. Use a little creativity to fill and cover this gap, and you'll have a more attractive home, and one that is easier to heat and cool. Using cotton batting to build a snow scene in winter is kind of a natural option and a great draft blocker. Or lay any strip of cloth down and a hard surface over top of it to make a small shelf. Any number of solutions could combine a simple air block with decoration." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=RF /house/personal-care.html69 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:41:07 EST ECP from writes: "Advertisements from the cosmetics and personal care industries would like to convince us otherwise. For our part, however, it only make sense that if those chemically laden products are bad for the environment, they must cause harm to your skin and overall health in the long-term. Fortunately, natural alternatives in beauty products and personal care have been formulated in kitchens and bathrooms around the world for thousands of years and been passed between generations. Now they can be passed across the internet even more widely and into your daily care routines for better health and beauty for your personal and the global environment." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/indoor-gardening.html&name=HOOP /garden/indoor-gardening.html70 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:54:08 EST ECP from writes: "In thinking of a greenhouse we typically envision vast, even glorious expanses of glass and steel that are more indulgence than practical approach to gardening. Times have changed, however, and you hardly need to live in the Palace at Versailles to make excellent use of a simple greenhouse setup. Among the simplest concepts is the hoop house, a scalable construction made from high quality plastic liner and semi-circular ribs. The ribs are typically made out of PVC, but your options are endless. A hoop house can be typical greenhouse size, or it can be no larger than a doghouse - just large enough to carry your two or three favorite cold-hearty vegetables through the winter, no matter where you are. Hoop houses do not require a heating source and only a little bit of care, yet they can extend either end of the growing season in any climate for very little cost. Even a large hoop house might cost no more than $100, and commercial systems are available to be set up easily. Plenty of DIY designs are available on the internet, with promises that a large hoop house can be set up in an hour's time. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/red-button-design.html&name=SHORTAGES /innovators/red-button-design.html71 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:37:15 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "Innovations that conserve and treat water, such as the Reverse Osmosis Sanitation System (ROSS), from Red Button Design, are all the more clearly important in light of a recent study from the 2030 Water Resources Group, a joint effort of the World Bank and major international corporations. Their determination was that the available potable water supply would fall 40% short of demand in the year 2030. China, India, and other emerging countries will face the steepest shortages. Global agriculture, which accounts for 70% of current water usage, will likewise be in a squeeze, placing the world between a rock and a hard place of a tremendous order." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=SESAME /house/personal-care.html72 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:59:22 EST [YEA] Dianna from Austin, Tx writes: "hi! i wanted to post something on this site! so i thought i'd post my favorite multi-use item! organic sesame oil! of course i use it for oil pulling, but this oil has MANY uses! since using it for the first time i now use it for everything! i either massage it into my skin before a bath and soak - nice! or i add a few drops to my bath water, or i will rub it into my skin after a bath. it also can be used to cleaning your face! what i do is just dampen a cotton ball and pour a few drops on the damp cotton and wipe my face clean! you would be amazed at the amount of dirt and dead skin cells just doing this simple thing removes!!! after i wipe my face i will put a few drops of water on my hands and massage the oil and water into my skin. that's it!!! if you feel you are starting to get a cold (or even better before) put a few drops of the sesame oil into your nostrils before bed and 'snuff' them up into your sinuses. this has stopped many a cold or sinus problem in it's tracks for me. also putting a few drops into your ears at least once a week makes your ears happy too - and i never get ear-aches any more. it seems like i can actually feel this oil going into my jaw joints and lubricating them too! it helps my TMJ!!! and of course this oil is wonderful to take daily for the good fats and to moisturize from the inside out. try it on salad with ACV! you can use this oil any way you use olive oil - and if you want to fry something at higher heat you can get organic refined sesame oil and it works great and has less sesame flavor. i have tried so many oils in my quest to find an oil that suited my body. olive oil tended to irritate my skin and also made my stomach a little queasy; and it burns and smokes so easily when you cook with it. VCO seemed great for me at first but the longer i used it the more it dried out my skin and my insides as well, evidently, i started getting very constipated the more i used it. however it is still good for summer use - although i much prefer sesame oil. the first time i used sesame oil my skin and body literally went: ahhhhh!!! " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/indoor-gardening.html&name=RF /garden/indoor-gardening.html73 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:59:24 EST ECP Editor from writes: "We all need to eat, no one would begrudge us of that fact. However, the ever-expanding number of bellies we have to fill (not to mention how those bellies themselves are expanding) means that we have likewise expanded the amount of cropland we have opened up across the planet. Most of those food producers run monoculture farms, with one or only a handful of crops, something much less rich and good for biodiversity and life as a whole than the fields and forests those acres of farmland used to be. It's a pattern that can't go on forever, and one alternative is to expand the growing year instead of our growing spaces. Greenhouses and other forms of indoor gardening can keep our bellies full without swallowing up the whole planet in farms." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/biodiversity.html&name=RF /initiatives/biodiversity.html74 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:17:26 EST ECP Editor from writes: "The UN declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, kicking the declaration off with a warning about the loss of global species diversity and number, a renewed pledge to reduce the loss of biodiversity, and events that run from lectures and speeches to a biodiversity conscious fashion show produced by icons of the fashion and cosmetics world. Why so much interest? Natural disasters have created five massive planetary die-offs in this planet's history, extended events in which tremendous numbers of organisms and entire species died and disappeared forever. These natural disasters included ice ages, abrupt sea-level rises and falls, and meteorites. Humanity is the sixth natural disaster, currently placing the world in the midst of Earth's sixth global extinction event in all its 4.5 billion years. Currently, 40% of all species are threatened with extinction, with species becoming extinct 100 to 10,000 times as fast as the natural extinction rate. Beyond the value we place on all life itself, mass extinctions threaten the combined strength and flexibility of Gaia -- that massive corporation in charge of producing and providing for all life on Earth. The complexity of that corporation creates its strength and flexibility, a concept called biodiversity or biological diversity. As the CEO, humanity is least threatened by the permanent "layoffs" that an extinction event creates, but we also derive the most benefit and pleasure from the world and stand to lose the most when the economy of life collapses. For that reason, the UN draws our attention to biodiversity. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/lightbulbs.html&name=TASK /house/lightbulbs.html75 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:39:44 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "The phrase task lighting often refers to office lighting, but in its essence task lighting is as far as possible from the broad, shadow-free, toneless light of the typical office. At its best, task lighting is not only energy efficient but superior in terms of ambience and decorative design as well. Think of an armchair with its elegant floor lamp, snugly together in a living room corner. None too different from mood lighting, except for a bent toward productivity, task lighting is simply providing the right lamp for the purpose, a less energy intensive concept than the typical area lighting, which simply floods all spaces with light, most of which is unneeded. Task lighting would include a desk lamp, track lighting above the kitchen sink, a reading lamp, and more specific lighting tools for work or hobby tasks. In being targeted and well planned, task lighting reduces the electrical load from your home and office lighting while providing ideal levels of light and contrast. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/indoor-gardening.html&name=GREENHOUSES /garden/indoor-gardening.html76 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:59:04 EST ECP Staff from writes: "Dutch designer Daniel Schipper is making gardening accessible for urban dwellers with foldable greenhouses made from recyclable plastics. Mr. Schipper has developed a lightweight, flexible, modular greenhouse especially suitable for small spaces like apartments, balconies or roof top terraces. This folding greenhouse is designed with a frameless, folding construction, which can be folded flat for easy storage. Small, city-friendly greenhouses will make low-carbon, chemical free produce accessible anywhere you find yourself. To see the product and be placed on a mailing list for notification when the greenhouse will be in stores, go to Mr. Schipper's website. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/blue-line.html&name=RF /innovators/blue-line.html77 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:07:34 EST ECP Staff from writes: "Getting bitten by high electric bills? Forgetting to unplug those pesky energy suckers--the so-called electricity vampires that draw a charge whenever they are plugged in? Even if they're not doing anything? Try Blue Line Innovations' PowerCost Monitor. This wireless device attaches to your electric meter outside. The sensor reads the amount of electricity the household is consuming and transmits the information to the Power Monitor inside. You can see for yourself, in real time, how much electricity (and money) you are saving by unplugging the coffee maker when not in use, and you can do the same for the toaster, the computer. All those little energy vampires we don't think about during the daily grind. Those little suckers are robbing you of your hard earned money and adding to your personal carbon footprint." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/personal-care.html&name=SHAVING /house/personal-care.html78 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:20:39 EST [YEA] DPK from Hoosick Falls writes: "Men, you can change your shaving routine to reduce waste and chemical pollution, while upping your fashion quotient at the same time. They've gotten the CFC's out of most gas canisters, but shaving cream in a can is still chemical-heavy, and the can itself is a quickly discarded waste of raw materials not easily recycled. Instead, go back to your grandfather's shave soap. It's an easy, vaguely entertaining, pleasantly elegiac, and privately fashionable alternative. You can find gift packages of badger brushes and shave soap in elegant containers at high-end stores, typically with all natural oils and ingredients. Otherwise, your neighborhood pharmacy will have the same stuff your grandfather used, ready for you to grab an old mug out of the cabinet and have you rededicate it to your morning shave routine. It offers a superior, close shave while letting the world stay a bit unshaven, as it should be." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/laundry.html&name=DRYERS /house/laundry.html79 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:38:36 EST ECP Staff from writes: "Why waste good warm air and humidity when you're shivering in your socks and your lips are chapping even as you sleep? If you have an electric dryer and live in a cold climate, you can purchase or put together a lint kit to reroute your clothes dryer exhaust back into your home. With a short vent tube and a good filter, you can vent your laundry exhaust straight into your home in the winter. The free heat will be more than welcome and better than venting it out into the cold outdoors. Lint kits are available at home improvement stores, or you can fashion one out of a pair of old pantyhose wrapped tightly over the end of the exhaust duct. Be careful here. You're talking about a gallon of moisture per load, so make sure the air in your laundry room circulates throughout the rest of the house." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/trees.html&name=PLANTING /garden/trees.html80 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:20:17 EST ECP Staff from writes: "What's a tree worth to you? Perhaps you've never seen a poem as lovely, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty of personal finances and global climate change, a more practical calculation would be nice. The National Tree Benefit Calculator offers just that. Obviously, it's a rough calculation, but the quick and simple interface gives you a nice way to quantify the value of trees living or to be planted on your curbside space in front of your home or office. How much heating and cooling demand does a particular species reduce? How much money can you save, and how much value does it add to your property? The calculator also looks at the runoff pollution a tree will eliminate and the amount of carbon it will sequester. In part, it's just a fun little way to look at your home anew, but it's also a great tool for planning a new tree planting project. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/organic-pesticides.html&name=NEEMOIL /garden/organic-pesticides.html81 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:13:14 EST [YEA] Merryanne from Orange City, Fl, Usa writes: "I have bought some Neem cake (this is the hulls of the seed after pressing the oil out) I put a hand full on top of a fire ant hill and in 5 days all the ants were gone, I think that is a good natural fix, and the neem cake is a great fertilizer for the garden, and it keeps the bugs away. Merryanne in FL" http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/forest-conservancy.html&name=FUEL /initiatives/forest-conservancy.html82 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:06:31 EST ECP Staff from writes: "Gratifyingly, much more attention is being given to the world's forests as an essential reserve against rising global greenhouse gas levels. The twin threats of lumbering and slash and burn agriculture have already decimated vast forests and continue to do so. Yet much of the world's forests are lost in much smaller parcels, in the slow consumption of trees as fuel for home cooking and heating purposes in much of the world, often with stoves that are inefficient, unventilated, and dangerous. A number of international organizations - such as Trees, Water, People - are tackling the carbon emissions crisis from this very practical angle, developing and dispensing fuel-efficient stoves to families throughout South America, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. A single such stove can reduce carbon emissions by one ton per year and save money and resources for the families who use substantially less wood to fire the stoves. Deforestation is averted, and families benefit in both health and wealth. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/innovators/green-star.html&name=RF /innovators/green-star.html83 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:21:20 EST Earth Clinic Planet Staff from writes: "To keep the town on the map, my dad and other local businessmen and women have been trying to bring in new industry. Green Star Products saw potential in Odessa for bringing a biodiesel plant to town. They saw the benefit of investing in a small farming community where the farmers can grow the canola seed locally to cut the cost of transporting the seed to a distant facility. In cutting down the distance of transporting a crop, the farmers and Green Star are also cutting down on emissions. (CONT'D.) " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/paper.html&name=JUNK /house/paper.html84 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:34:15 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "The first month of the new year is always littered with resolutions to shed a few extra pounds. How often are we successful? Well here's a sure way to eliminate 41 extra pounds in a single stroke. Regrettably, this is 41 pounds of junk mail we refer to here, the average amount of junk mail sent to every adult each year. Still, lightening your carbon footprint can be good for your health as well. The website 41pounds.org will block 80-95% of your unwanted junk mail when you sign up for their service. There is a fee, but a quick click can save you the hassle and save virgin forests and freshwater for us all." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/home_heating.html&name=FIREPLACE /house/home_heating.html85 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:16:26 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "Few household furnishings are as warm and inviting in every sense as a fireplace or wood stove, and since the fuel used is a renewable one, the environmental impact of a wood-fueled hearth is reasonably good as well. However, the efficiency of a fireplace or stove can be greatly improved in most cases. The number one issue is making sure the flow of air is cut off when the fireplace or stove is not in use. Closing the damper completely when not in use is essential. A glass grating over the opening will also reduce heat loss and increase fuel efficiency, and you can even install a rubber plug in your flue to completely seal off air loss when the fireplace is not in use. As for increasing the heat output of your wood-burning system, any sort of tubular grating equipped with a fan will increase your energy efficiency considerably by causing more air to pass around the heated stove and into the room. Best of all is to make sure your wood stove has a newer catalytic converter, which can help burn the gases released from the wood and increase your heat output by 50% while reducing air pollution on the one hand and soot and creosote buildup in your chimney as well. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/trees.html&name=PRUNING /garden/trees.html86 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:46:52 EST ECP Staff from writes: "One uncertainty that arises when pruning our trees is whether or not to cover the exposed part of the tree where a cut was made. Of course, small cuts will heal themselves over just fine, but what about the open wounds we get when cutting off large tree limbs? For a long while, the common belief was that it was best for the tree trimmer to use tar or some other asphalt-based sealant to seal the wound and prevent infection or infestation. However, most arborists now advise us to simply let the tree do the healing work on its own, supported by good watering and mulching habits. If anything, your local nursery will have a non-petroleum derived product that will be better from every perspective." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/trees.html&name=PRUNING /garden/trees.html87 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:16:30 EST ECP Editor from writes: "Pruning your trees can improve both their shape/aesthetics and their health. Any tree's natural response to pruning, as with most any plant, is invigorated growth. The reason is that pruning removes sub-optimal branches and leaves that were supported by the tree's root system, leaving a surplus of resources for the rest of the tree to benefit from. Whether you are pruning branches or limbs for the health of the tree, aesthetic reasons, or for public safety the rule of thumb is close but not too close. You want to cut a large limb back nearly to the trunk, but not so close as to injure the bark of the tree's core. With a branch that you simply want to prune back, do so nearly to the next offshoot or bud on the branch, but not snug up against it. In this way, you give the tree space to callus over (woundwood), and prevent infection, as with any of our own wounds. When you have finished pruning, consider chopping the pruned branches down further and leaving them in place at the base of your tree as an ideal component of the tree's supply of mulch. Just be certain to remove any diseased portions. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/trees.html&name=CARE /garden/trees.html88 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:25:19 EST ECP Staff from writes: "Mulch encircling a tree in your yard or a community park is a great look, but the real benefits accrue to the tree and not its admirers. Three or four inches of mulch ringed around your tree will provide a tree of any age with nutrients while also increasing water availability, inviting helpful insects, and deterring pests. Mulch should be applied as widely as the branches of the tree extend (to the dripline), but you should leave a couple of inches bare near the trunk itself. Wood chips, leaves, and all sorts of tree waste make a good and natural choice for tree mulch, but raw grass and plant material can be problematic, smothering or inviting infectious agents to the area around the tree. You can also shape your circle of mulch into a catch basin, with raised edges on the outside to make a bowl shape toward the center, in order to increase the amount of rainfall brought to the tree's roots." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/reforestation.html&name=RF /initiatives/reforestation.html89 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:18:18 EST ECP Editor from writes: "Have you ever been driving along the highways and byways into a town new to your travels, to be greeted at the city's edge by a sign declaring the locale to be a Tree City? Did you wonder what that meant? Established as a way to promote tree planting and care in cities and towns across the United States, the Tree City USA program is a collaborative effort of the National Arbor Day Foundation, US Forest Service, and National Association of State Foresters. Over 3300 cities, home to over 120 million people, have earned the Tree City moniker to date. While each community gets a public relations boost from the designation, the town is required to meet several standards. An annual urban forestry budget of $2 per community member must be established, to support a Tree Board and their annual forestry work plan to be run by a professional arborist or forester volunteer to oversee city tree programs and community efforts, including an annual Arbor Day celebration. As a result, millions of trees are planted and cared for, benefiting urban air quality and the global carbon balance. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/garden/trees.html&name=REMOVAL /garden/trees.html90 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:41:27 EST ECP Staff from writes: "There is all that preparation, all the fuss and anxiety for weeks leading up to the event and then with all suddenness Christmas is over! With the presents all unwrapped, you've recycled the wrapping paper or set it aside for next year's use. So now what do you do with that Christmas tree? Fortunately, there are increasing numbers of choices for your noble pine's last role in the holiday season, all of which make the choice of a natural tree preferable to artificial Christmas trees. In fact, around 93% of American Christmas trees are recycled each year, and you may have curbside municipal pickup that will take care of it responsibly. Most of it goes to mulch to be used in gardens, children's playgrounds, and on public trails and walkways. However, trees are also recycled and reused as fish habitats, sand fencing to rebuild dunes and prevent beach erosion, wetland erosion barriers, or biofuel electricity generation, and Christmas trees even get a third life as heron nesting sites. Just be certain to clean your tree off entirely, then use Earth911 to find the nearest Christmas tree recycling program of drop-off station. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/comments-and-requests.html&name=RF /house/comments-and-requests.html91 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:23:30 EST Daniel P. Kray from writes: "Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the Earth Clinic Planet Community. May the season and the year ahead be as green and bright as the boughs of the Christmas tree!" http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/copenhagen.html&name=RF /initiatives/copenhagen.html92 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:57:52 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "The Copenhagen municipal fleet is moving in the direction of low-emissions vehicles, with the city already having purchased hydrogen and electric-powered vehicles for its various public health and safety departments. The city's eventual goal is to have 85% of its civic fleet operate on a zero-emissions basis. The combined hydrogen and battery-powered fleet will cut the city's transportation fuel bill in half while substantially reducing emissions and improving urban air quality. Currently, there are only two hydrogen fueling stations in Denmark, however, nine more will be constructed by 2015 to support the municipal vehicles, which are to include a fleet of 100 hydrogen-powered buses. To encourage public participation and purchase of hydrogen cars, tax and parking exemptions will be made available to owners of such cars and trucks. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/copenhagen.html&name=RF /initiatives/copenhagen.html93 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:58:39 EST ECP Editor from writes: "Copenhagen 'recycles' its public waste plan every four years, tossing out what isn't working and recycling the best policies into even better reduce, reuse, and recycle ideas. While concentrating on waste prevention, separation, and treatment the city manages to recycle 90% of building waste. Three-quarters of household waste is used by incinerators that are a part of the district heating system, thereby providing a source of both electricity and public heating. Practical measures make proper waste management both unavoidable and convenient. The city works with waste removal companies to make sure that only separated garbage is hauled away - forcing consumers to follow the trash rules. On the other hand, every effort is made to facilitate the separation of trash. For instance, medical wastes can be dropped off at pharmacies, while leftover cans of paint and stain can be handled by the same stores that sold the home improvement products in the first place. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/copenhagen.html&name=RF /initiatives/copenhagen.html94 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:34:27 EST ECP Staff from writes: "Most of the initiatives we highlight here on Earth Clinic Planet are practical. Copenhagen, however, has one current initiative that's rather more spiritually inclined. The city plans to expand and promote its parks and beaches so that 90% of Copenhageners are within a fifteen-minute walk of one or the other. At present residents spend an hour every other day in a natural green or blue space, and the city's further goal is to have city residents spend an hour of each and every day in a green park space or alongside a blue shoreline. Of course, expanded park space means more carbon capture and air filtration for pollutants, but the real goal of this parks initiative seems to be restoring our connection to nature, rather than to restore nature herself." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/copenhagen.html&name=RF /initiatives/copenhagen.html95 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:27:19 EST Earth Clinic Planet from writes: "To further advance the city of Copenhagen's efforts to cleanse and purify the local water supply, the city is supporting efforts to add a minimum of 65,000 m2 of green roofs to its skyline by 2011. After that, an additional 260,000 m2 is the target for 2015. This expansion will significantly reduce the rate of and total urban rain runoff into the sewer system, reducing the load on wastewater treatment plants during major storms. With that step alone, untreated overflow into natural bodies of water is reduced. Likewise, green roofing will support the district heating system in Copenhagen, by significantly increasing building insulation and reducing heat loss where the green roof is set up, with a predicted reduction in energy usage of 650,000 MWh by the time installation is complete. This improved energy efficiency, together with the natural carbon sink the green roofs will provide, will substantially reduce the city's carbon footprint. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/initiatives/bicycles.html&name=SHARING /initiatives/bicycles.html96 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:16:32 EST [YEA] Dj from Pdx, Or writes: "As cities and countries across the world engage in lowering their greenhouse gases and are looking for ways to reduce congestion on the roads, a new future is emerging; bike sharing. Denmark is considered by many to be the birthplace of the modern day bike sharing programs, which they started back in 1995. For a 20DKK-coin deposit, that is Danish Kroners and equals around $3.85 US, you can ride anywhere within the inner city of Copenhagen. When you are done for the day just drop the bike off at the nearest citybike-rack. Clear Channel Outdoor in Rennes, France is credited with taking the bike sharing concept one step further in 1997 and establishing a self-service public bike rental program. Thus enabling cities to address not only their congestion problems but also gain another small source of income. Washington DC was one of the first American cities to implement a self-service public bike rental program. SmartBike DC rental stations are located in the central business district. All a person has to do is subscribe to the service ($40 annually), go to any bike station, wave their user card in front of the card reader and follow the instructions on the screen to retrieve the assigned bike. When the rider is done with the bike he or she just returns the bike to any available spot at any station. The only con I can find between the Denmark system and the DC system is in DC if the bike is not returned within 24 hours or is lost or stolen you are charged a fee of $550. That is an awful lot of money for most people in today's economy. Perhaps DC will come up with an optional insurance program for their users in the near future. There are over 100 bike-sharing programs worldwide and more are on the way as people opt to - pump - it up, and down, their city streets. http://www.bycyklen.dk/english/thecitybikezone.aspx https://www.smartbikedc.com/program_information.asp " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/windows.html&name=INSULATING /house/windows.html97 Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:37:02 EST Dj from Pdx, Or writes: "Paula, My mom has the same problem. She has tried recaulking, reinsullating, and replacing (with a new window from the manufacturer because they are not suppose to sweat). Nothing has worked. The next thing she is going to try is replacing the windows with a different brand when she can better afford it. I think she should replace one window first and see if it is a good window for her area. Then when she finds one that does not sweat she can invest in replacing all the windows with a proven product. Pella may work fine in Florida and places where it is constantly warm but from experience they fail in climates where cold days and nights are introduced. Please let us know if you find something that works." http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/comments-and-requests.html&name=RF /house/comments-and-requests.html98 Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:33:42 EST Michele from Los Angeles, California writes: "I think there should be a beauty section as there is 'garden' and 'home' sections. The beauty tips are all over on the 2 websites. For example, there is 'hair color' in the regular Earth Clinic website. There are lots of tips like natural deodorant, natural body scrub, natural body lotion etc. To have them all together would be really nice. I love your 2 websites. " http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/windows.html&name=INSULATING /house/windows.html99 Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:02:44 EST Paula from Bucyrus, Mo writes: "We had Pella windows put in throughout the house 2 years ago but have a problem. When weather is cold or we are cooking, condensation forms inside. Never had windows do this wondering if I need to do something to sills or surrounding frames? Any ideas?" http://planet.earthclinic.com/Redirect.php?pageLink=/house/cleaning-products.html&name=ORGANICCLEANERS /house/cleaning-products.html100 Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:02:09 EST Marlene from Surrey, Bc writes: "Katherine you can use the Basic H for windows also, just dilute it more (1-2 drops to 2 cups water)in a spray bottle. And other than shipping cost ordering on line is not all that bad as the store is always open that way."