This GREEN Life

I just got back from tropical Costa Rica. It was an amazing trip and we saw lots of wildlife, including a sloth, various types of monkeys, colorful fish and tropical birds. You name it, we did it, canyoning, zip lines, hiking, swimming in a waterfall and of course enjoying some tasty, fruity adult beverages, although my husband was partial to the local Costa Rican beer, Imperial.

While there I was shocked to see the number of dogs roaming the streets or tagging along beside the school children. It definitely made me miss my own pup, who was staying with the in-laws. I’m happy to report that he came home with no new bad habits and he seemed to have a great time with the other dogs.

Seeing all the free roaming dogs on our trip did remind me of how important it is to spay and neuter your pets. I did some research and found that there are currently about 350,000 “street dogs” in Costa Rica, according to the Nacional Protectora de Animales (ANPA) - animal protection group and the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal (Senasa).  The street dogs, especially in many areas of downtown San Jose, cannot be missed. Some so skinny their ribs protrude the skin, sick and hurt is all in a dogs life in the areas of La Uruca, Pavas and “la Coca-Cola”. The downtown parks and markets are full of street dogs or “zaguates” as they are called in Costa Rica, looking for a scrap of food and some kindness.

According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) there are an estimated 1 million dogs in the country and 35% are left to wander the streets.

I found an amazing woman online, Dawn Scott, Founder of Costa Rica Pet Care. They provide a local clinic that provides basic veterinarian care and spay/neutering services. You can make a donation and directly be contribute to the mission of Dawn’s clinic in helping provide total animal care for pets across Costa Rica.  Read more about the organization and view photos of the pets they have helped on their website, www.cosraricapetcare.com.

Whether you’ve rescued a dog or cat, or found your pet through some other means, the best way to be a “green” and responsible pet owner is to get your pet fixed. Doing so, means you are taking an active role in helping to control the pet population.

We recently got a new puppy, and that means puppy training and dog treats. I refuse to spend money on high-quality dog food and then feed my little pup processed fo-bacon.

I found a great alternative to packaged treats, I cut up what was left of a rotisserie chicken,  froze the majority and now I take it out and put it into the refrigerator as needed. This weekend I also picked up some organic, homemade dog treats from a small vendor at the Earth Day expo. They contain whole wheat flour and natural peanut butter.

Or you can make your own fancy dog treats, it’s fast, easy, cheap and cuts down on packaging. Here is a great dog treat recipe from housepetmagazine.com:

 Vegetable bones
An easy and healthy recipe for tasty dog treats is the vegetable bones recipe. Unlike cats, dogs love vegetables.

Get some parsley, chopped carrots, cheese and olive oil, mix them with flour and baking powder and add some water. Roll the dough and cut shapes than bake for half and hour. This will give you hard biscuits that your dog will love. The recipe is very useful if you have a growing puppy as he can use the biscuits to massage his aching growing teethes.

And another from dailydrool.com:

Daily Drool Peanut Butter Basset Biscuits
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 to 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 1/2 cups hot water
Mix all ingredients, adding more hot water if dough is too sticky. Knead well. Roll out to 1/4″ and cut into shapes with cookie cutter. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool in oven overnight.

Online you can purchase natural dog treats through  The Leash We Can Do! My dog has tried their freeze dried chicken and loved it, great for when your away from home.

This past weekend my town, Rochester Hills, Michigan, had an Earth Day Expo/Fair and it was awesome. I took the new puppy along and we had a great time - awesome opportunity for puppy socializing. We even purchased some homemade organic puppy treats, made out of whole wheat flour and fresh ground peanut butter. The verdict is still out on whether or not the puppy is actually into them.

The Earth Day Expo had  150+ green and wellness exhibits, presentations, farmers’ market, films, alternative vehicle & energy displays, and more. Vendors addressed housing, children, transportation, wellness, food and energy. Open roundtables were held for networking and community building. Tours were given of sustainability project sites and local green attractions. The “food court” offered hungry attendees organic and locally produced meals, snacks and drinks. Entertainment featured a diverse mix of ethnic and popular musical drum and dance acts. There was even local farm animals in attendance, giving children up close interaction with cows, ponies, chickens and goats.  Arts & crafts and interactive presentations also kept kids busy.

Here’s a list of the expo’s offerings:
* 150+ covered exhibits of earth-friendly, healthy products & services
* keynote and classroom presentations by leading educators and policymakers
* alternative fuel & vehicles, mass transit, and other transportation displays
* organic food, restaurant and farmer’s market
* film festival including award-winning films and videos
* free handouts, door prizes, samples, massage and wellness activities
* unique services and products for sale
* solar & wind power, solar heating,  geothermal and other RE displays
* kid’s corner with natural arts & crafts, and other fun hands-on activities
* green music & entertainment at multiple stages
* and, a unique community-building Connections Cafe’

Best of all - the whole the was FREE! What a great way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon.

You can learn more about the event at http://www.earthdayexpo.org.

Looking to get involved in your community this Earth Month, or want to teach your children/family members about environmental conservation? Hop on over to EPA.gov, where you will find a list of Earth Day events and volunteer opportunities in your area.

EarthDay.net also has a great list of events searchable by location.  You can also register your earth day events here.

Other ways to find Green volunteer opportunities:
1. Check your local newspaper or community website to learn about local volunteer organizations.
2. Get your family involved and take your kids, nieces or nephews to clean up the local park or neighborhood green space.
3. Ask around — you might just find that your friends and neighbors are already involved in organizations.
4. Visit your local park and recreation for ideas.
5. Get your pet in on the action - take your dog for a long walk while you search for trash around your neighborhood, on trails, or in your park.
6. Volunteer at your local humane society - walk the dogs, play with the kittens and help spread the word about the importance of spay and neutering.

Looking for a Job? Try Green Job Boards:
1. Planet Green’s sister site, Treehugger has its own job board. There are open positions for graphic designers, bloggers, marketers, scientists and more.
2. The EPA is currently hiring for a few positions.
3. Environmental Careers.com
4. Green Collar Blog - This blog has a comprehensive list of green collar jobs.

Read the whole article from Planet Green here. 

In honor of Earth Month, Whole Foods has created trivia quizzes to that help you determine how eco-savvy you really are.

Click here to test your green knowledge and learn some new tips for improving your own conservation habits.

A great way to reduce your environmental impact is to cut back on consumption. It is good to buy eco-friendly products, but it is really best to first reuse old products you have lying around the home. In honor of Earth Month here’s a tip:

Save plastic leftover restaurant containers and use them to organize your nails, screws, and leftover paints in the garage. The see-through containers stack neatly and display contents clearly.

Did you know?
It’s green to use the dishwasher. Doing a full load in your machine is far more efficient than washing the same number of dishes by hand. This is especially true if you have an Energy Star dishwasher, which requires an average of 4 gallons of water per load, compared with the 24 gallons it takes to do them in the sink. Using one will save you 5,000 gallons of water, $40 in utility costs, and 230 hours of your time each year.

Feel free to share your green tips.

For generations it was believed that living with dogs and cats put children and babies at a higher risk of suffering from pet allergies later in life. But recently many studies have emerged that contradict this long held belief. A recent study at the University of Virginia found that the earlier and the longer children are exposed to pets when they are young, the lower their frequency of having pet allergies when they grow older. The study states that ideally it is best to expose children to pets in the first two years of their life.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that showed that children raised in a house with two or more dogs or cats during the first year of life may be less likely to develop allergic diseases as compared with children raised without pets.

Some believe these studies point to the fact that our society may be too sterile, this may be one reason for so many children are being diagnosed with asthma and allergies. When children play with dogs and cats, the animals lick them and transfer bacteria, strengthening their immune system and maybe changing the way they respond to pet allergens.

Read more about this topic in this CBS news article.

Congratulations to Michelle for winning the Leash We Can Do gift set giveaway. Readers were asked to submit their best tips on reusing old household materials to make something entirely new and useful.

Michele’s tip: “I also save my used dryer sheets and put them in my indoor wastebaskets under the bag liner. Not only do they still have some scent they also help absorb any bag leaks and make clean-up easier.”

Michelle will be receiving a gift set valued at $30, including a gift certificate, two kinds of all natural treats, one toy and a reusable tote. The toy and treats will be tailored to the size and breed of the winner’s cat/dog.

Instructables has some great ideas for reusing old household items. Here is a list of some of my favorites:

1. Go Green Upside Down Hanging Planters, made out of old Two Liter Bottles
2. Fruit basket, made out of old Newspaper
3. Greener Easter Grass, made out of old Newspaper
4. Giftwrapping with a Brown Paper Grocery Bag (Great for Kids)
5.Urban jungle (sort of): Recycle an old piece of furniture into a lush mini-garden
6. Convert old CD packaging into a flower pot
7. Recycled Takeout Container Planter
8. Handy Go Green Scoops (Fantastic for dog food!)
9. Light Bulb Lamp, made out of an old light bulb
10. Plastic bag dispenser, made out of an empty plastic three liter

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! Submit your own tips below.

Essential oils are a great way to get the sweet smelling scents you want without all the chemicals. Essential oils have been around forever and many green-minded people are now using them in everything from home cleaning and air freshening products to pet and personal grooming products. Not only do essential oils smell great, they can help you feel great too.

What is an essential oil?
An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. An oil is “essential” in the sense that it carries a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant.*

What are some of the benefits of the most well-known essential oils?
Lavender: antiseptic, cleanses, balances, soothes, heals and helps you fall asleep
Lemon: refreshing, anti-bacterial, clarifies and cleanses
Arnica: for sore muscles and achy joints
Bergamot: to uplift the mood and help fight the effects of stress
Lemongrass: the mental blend, good for mental fatigue or when you really need to focus on a project
Eucalyptus: great for cold and flu season and for sinus congestion associated with seasonal allergies
Tea Tree: great for bug season and itchy skin, also amazing in shampoo
Rose Geranium: PMS, menopause, or whenever you’re feeling emotionally imbalanced
Citrus: the energy blend
Jasmine: provides soothing and moisturizing properties
Sunflower: contains large amounts of vitamin E, softens and protects
Peppermint: refreshes, clarifies and cleanses

Dancing Dingo has some great creams and lotions containing essential oils, such as the Shea Butter Rich Hand & Body Cream. Try a soy rosemary candle for your home or a refreshing temple blend when your on the go. Go natural with your scents whether your looking to wind down or get energized.

* Information from Wikipedia

If your like me one of the many reasons you own a dog is for a great workout partner. Dogs never make excuses, they always show up on time and are up for a run at pretty much anytime of the day, even those early 6 a.m. runs.

I recently learned about Eco-Runner.  Eco-Running combines physical fitness and environmental sustainability. Simply put, Eco-running is the variation of recreational running in which the participant collects the litter that is found along the path traveled. That…and so much more. Explore their site and see for yourself.

Today their blog gave a list of the most common reasons people litter. And I have to say that I completely agree with this list:
1. People are too lazy to dispose of trash properly
2. People are more likely to throw litter on top of litter than drop litter in neat surroundings
3. People don’t care
4. People think/know others will pick it up
5. People are just not aware they are littering (WHAT!?!?!?!?!)

During the long Michigan winters I do have to admit that I hit the treadmill pretty hard - I know not the greenest choice. However, now the weather is starting to let up, and I can’t wait to lace up my running shoes, grab my pooch and hit the trails behind my house. I think I’ll take advice from the cool eco-runner’s and start picking up litter along the way.

Not a runner? “Try eco-walking.” Burning calories and greening the earth at the same time, it’s a good thing.

Thoughts?

My fiancé and I just bought our very first home and we can’t wait to have a garden of our very own this summer, and when I say “we” I really mean “I“. In an effort to one, reduce the amount of garbage we put at the end of the driveway every Friday, and two, create some great fertilizer for my garden, I plan on starting a compost bin next week. And as always, I’m looking to do it cheaply.

Here are some great options I found searching the web:

1. Goodrum Family Compost Tumbler
Build this tumbler for about $10! The first thing this thrifty dad did was go to his local carwash place and asked them if he could have two of their 55 gallon plastic barrels. Recycling old barrels into a brand new composter, it’s a good thing..
I love how this GREEN dad gets his children involved.

2. Build Your Own Out of a Pallet
As listed on instructables.com
You need pallets, wire (to bind them together), some simple tools, and any extra hardware you would like to add for ease of use. Visit instructables for easy step by step instructions. They even included images to make it even easier.

3. WikiHow has great instructions on how to build a compost tumbler
“One of the keys to composting is aeration. The bacteria need oxygen to carry out the aerobic respiration that creates rich compost. One way to aerate your compost is with a pitchfork or a compost turning tool. If you keep your compost in a tumbler, however, all you have to do is turn the container. Since most compost barrels can be expensive, you may be interested in building your own for much less money and an hour of your time.”
All you need to find/buy is a plastic drum, between 20 and 55 gallons (75-200 liters), and a 48 inch (1.25 meter) length of 2 inch (5 cm) schedule 80 PVC pipe, or a length of 1 1/2 to 2 inch (3.8-5 cm) galvanized steel pipe.

4. Build the Urban All Wood Bin
StopWaste.org has plans for a sturdy all-wood bin
This bin has 2 front doors for easy harvesting and turning, a top that doubles as a sifter, and a full wire mesh lining. It produces small to large amounts of compost. Carpentry skills are needed for construction. Materials will run you $100 - $120.

5. Smith & Hawken Biostack Bin
Buy this bin for only: $44 + Sales tax $3.85 + Shipping $15.00 = $62.85.  The Biostack is suitable for yard clippings like leaves and grass, and fruit and vegetable trimmings from the kitchen. The unique stacking design allows you easy access for turning and harvesting your compost. Capacity: 12 cubic feet. Dimensions: 28” x 28” x 34” high.

6. Drum Garbage Can Composter
Another great idea from instructables.
“I wanted to try making one of the many DIY drum composters posted on the site but was having a hard time finding a food-grade 55 gallon industrial barrel here in Brooklyn, so I substituted a relatively cheap garbage can.”
You’re going to need a couple of 2×4’s, lots of wood screws, two hinges, a padlock assembly, a 3-4 foot piece of rebar or PVC tubing, and lots of very small nuts and bolts. Oh - and a garbage can.

7. Wire Mesh Composter
All you need is Things you’ll need is 2 x 4’s, wire mesh fencing, hinges, hammer and nails and staples or u shaped nails.

Anyone out there make or have a composter in their backyard? I will let you know how our construction goes.