Eco friendly Method All Purpose cleaner is one I have been using for a couple of years now. I first tried it as a kind of experiment. I had been using Fantastic cleaner but wanted to try something that was better for the environment, so I gave method a shot.

Well, to say I was surprised at how well it worked is an understatement. It is by far the best cleanser I have ever had and the fact that it’s an eco friendly cleaning option just makes it all the better.

The all purpose Method Cleaner comes in several different scents, there is the fragrance free variety, as well as cucumber, lavender, cucumber and my personal favorite pink grapefruit.

You can literally use it on any surface, when Method cleaners day all purpose they mean it. I’ve used it on glass, counter tops, sinks, the floor, the walls and everything in between, I live by it.

But what’s even more important than the fact this cleaner works so well is how eco friendly it is. There are no phosphates in it and every single one of their ingredients are non corrosive, non toxic as well as biodegradable. So when the cleaner does do down the drain it is not going to hurt the environment at all.

One last thing about Method All Purpose Cleaner and I promise I’ll shut up. Since they aren’t toxic or anything like that, you never have to worry about rinsing your counters or anything else off after you use it. This cuts your work in half just like that. See why I’m such a fan?

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We can all make a difference when it comes to helping save the environment. Global warming and all the other environmental issues we are facing took some time to build up and to get our of these messes it is going take a lot of work, but this doesn’t mean we should get discouraged because it’s more than the big things that are going to make the difference, it’s the little things that make the biggest impact.

Here are some simple changes you can make in your everyday life to help the planet recover from the wounds we have inflicted upon it:

1: Walk sometimes. You don’t need to take your car everywhere you go. If your job is in walking distance, or you’re able to ride a bike to get there, then do it. Not only are you helping to save the planet, you’re exercising and helping yourself stay fit. Most big cities that have the worst traffic jams also have bike paths and walking trails for pedestrians. You’d be surprised how much more convenient they were for you.

2: Pick it up! People litter, that’s just the way it is. You’ll see plastic bottles, cigarette packs, etc, all lying on the ground. It wouldn’t hurt or inconvenience you at all to pick them up as you walk by. If you see a plastic bag blowing by you, grab it and put it in the nearest trashcan. Most places have Recycling bins set up all over. Sure, it’s not your fault that some people just don’t care. But you do! Show you care by being good to your mother.

3: Use less energy in your home. Whether you work from home or just like to lounge around and watch TV, there are all sorts of ways you can conserve energy in your home and do your part to help the world. If you’re on the computer, you don’t need any lights on. The monitor provides enough light. And if not, open the shades to let the sun in.

4: Use energy efficient items. Hybrid cars, washers/dryers, water heaters, etc. A one-time purchase can have you helping every other day of your life.

5: The tree huggers (I happen to be one) will love you for this. Plant a tree! Why shouldn’t you? Think of it this way: for every piece of paper you use during the day, a tree was cut down for that. Giving back one would help a great deal. Check out Treegivers.com to learn about a cool tree planting program.

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inhabitliving.com – On SALE

Contrary to popular belief, us consumers have a lot to say in terms of what companies manufacture and don’t manufacture. If we all stopped buying the poisonous cleaners that are churned out year after year, and start buying more earth friendly cleaners and products, those guys in their fancy chairs and lofty offices are going to have no choice but to get with the program.

Obviously there are some things we need that are not the most eco-friendly, but more and more green options are available and it’s our job to snap them up to send a message to the money grubbers that we care about the world and we want it to live and continue to support life a little longer.

But how can we tell which “green” products aren’t toxic to the planet?

If you live in Canada I wrote a similar piece about their Environmental Choice Eco-Logo and how that makes healthy household cleaners, detergents and the like. The list below takes things one step further.

It’s going to help you make the purchases that are better for the environment. Any product that has 2 or less checks on the list are a good choice, those that have more checks, not so much:

ONE- Is the item made using recycled materials?

TWO- Does it have recyclable packaging or is it made from it?

THREE- Is it made within 150 kilometres of where you live?

FOUR- On the packaging or bottle do you see a logo from a major environmental program, such as the Environmental Choice or Energy Star logo, or that of the Forest Stewardship Council or the Marine Stewardship Council?

FIVE- Is the product durable and able to be reused?

SIX- If there is anything left after use is it compostable or recyclable?

SEVEN- Does it do the work of several products? (eg. all purpose cleaners cuts the need to have so many bottles of cleaners around the house. Less use less waste)

EIGHT- Are replacement parts available so you can maintain the product without having to buy a new one?

NINE- Was the product manufactured using a renewable energy source? (eg. solar, wind or sustainable hydro)

TEN- Are the materials those that can be sustainably grown and harvested? (eg. bamboo is better than wood)

ELEVEN- Is the product free of toxic and/or harmful materials? (eg. volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, heavy metals, antibacterial chemicals or phosphates –lots of soap has phosphates)

Print out this handy check list and keep it in your purse or wallet and use it the next time you go shopping. It’s a fast and easy way for you to determine with household (and beyond) products are eco-friendly and actually not harmful to the planet.

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Healthy Household Gift Set

Cleaning, cleaning used to mean soaking things in ammonia and bleach but believe it or not before those “miracle cleaning agents” came along women used to use things they found around the house and guess what? They worked!

Those harsh cleansers are bad for your floors and furniture and they can prove very toxic for your body, even if you wear gloves. The fumes of ammonia and chlorine are powerful and they can do serious damage to your lungs.

Healthy cleaning is all about choosing the cleansing products with no chemicals, the ones that are the least harmful to you, your family, your pets and the planet itself. Everything we use gets washed down the drain in one way or the other and we should never forget that even though it’s easy to.

If you live in Canada you can look at the cleaning products and if they have the Environmental Choice Eco-Logo, you know it’s one worth buying. These have certain standards they have to meet to get approved. For example they need to improve energy efficiency, reduce hazardous by-products, or use recycled materials.

The logo consists of three intertwined doves that resembles a green maple leaf. As of now Environmental Choice has approved a whopping 1,400 products that you can use to do your healthy cleaning with no chemicals to poison the earth.

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If you want to make a difference in the world and do your part to keep your carbon footprint as small as possible these 5 eco tips are going to help you do just that. Now, you may not be able to do them all but don’t worry, every little bit helps. If you can do even one of these things you will be helping the planet and yourself.

Here are some ideas you can use to live a greener lifestyle:

1) Consider alternative transportation
Bike or use public transit whenever you get the chance. Carpooling is another great idea that many businesses are doing these days. It cuts down the amount of pollution dramatically, you would be shocked.

2) Take care of your car and cut down on emissions
If you are going to drive, keep your tires inflated well and don’t speed. If you do these two simple things you will save not just the environment due to less emissions but you will save money too. You will use less fuel and goodness knows we could all do to save on gas. The prices are too high for me.

3) The 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
When you can reuse old packaging instead of buying new things. This actually saves more energy than recycling. The amount of packaging that comes with products these days is crazy so if you can reuse definitely do it. Think of the space the landfill would have if all that packaging didn’t make it that far. Get paper bags when you can but if you have to use plastic be sure to reuse them.

4) Compost kitchen scraps etc.
Approximately 30% of the trash that is thrown away is compostable. If you compost the leaves, grass, vegetable scraps and other miscellaneous food stuffs, you are saving energy and landfill space. You can use a regular old bin for composting or you can purchase special composters, they are pretty cool.

5) Conserve water
Don’t let faucets run. Never water your lawn at midday. Place a brick in old toilets. Take low flow short showers. Run the dishwasher only when it is full. Let grass grow longer. Plant native or drought-tolerant garden plants.

These 5 simple tips can make a big difference to the world, I know you’re skeptical, but it’s true. Share these earth friendly tips with your friends and get the whole gang going. By just doing one of these things you can set an example for others.

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Save 10% off $75, 15% off $100 and 20% off $125 on any of Gaiam’s Eco Friendly, Sustainable Living products

I literally stumbled onto a couple of amazing finds online–the Exclusively Green Market and Gaiam– some time ago and since I’m going to be featuring so many of their products over the coming months I figured I might as well as introduce you to these environmentally conscious sites to you now.

What I love about the Gaiam is that all of their offerings are helpful and practical while remaining safe for the environment. They make you feel good while inspiring a piece of nature in your everyday life. And the designs are all so original and fabulous you’re going to be like me and want to own them all. They’ve even managed to bring items like exercise machines to you without damaging the earth. Pretty great right?

Get your Earth Friendly Clothes and Accessories at www.ExclusivelyGeenMarket.com

The Exclusively Green Market sells it all too, minus the jewelry you can get at Gaiam. You have eco friendly gifts environmentally conscious apparel as well as eye opening books and DVDs. But I have to say that some of my all time favorite pieces are their distinctive fair trade home decor items and their all natural personal care products.

To put it simply both of these earth friendly sites are all about making you feel good on both the spiritual and and physical levels. You can literally bring nature right into your home when you shop for eco concious products at this fabulously decadent store.

I invite you to take a good look at the lovely nature inspired and environmentally friendly products on these websites, Gaiam especially is a gorgeous shop that you are going to want to spend hours online in their shop, that I can guarantee.

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Is Your Home or Office Making You Sick? Click Here to see products and information to help you create a HEALTHY HOME TODAY!!

You probably spend a lot of money each year on cleaning supplies. There is something different for every chore it seems. You have toilets to clean, tubs, sinks, dishes, laundry, walls, windows, carpets, wood floors, I could go on and on all day. But the question is, do we really need them? Is there an option that gets everything clean and that isn’t poison to the planet?

Lemon juice cleaning has been around since…well, since lemons I guess. Obviously lemons are all natural (you can even get organic ones) and when you combine it with a little baking soda and/or vinegar you have a powerful cleaner that you can use all over the house. Everything will sparkle in no time and when it gets washed down the drain it doesn’t do any damage to the earth whatsoever.

Who doesn’t love the smell of lemons. Regular store bought cleaners often have a citrus scent. So many of us associate the scent with clean and the thing is those big conglomerates got the idea from thefact that citrus fruits really do clean things well. Lemon juice will cut through grease and grime like nothing else can.

The acidity of lemons doesn’t just work to get rid of grease, it also goes straight to work on the stains on any hard surface.

Going for the fresh lemon clean is especially good for those with sensitive skin. Those who suffer from rashes, itchiness or dryness after using the regular supermarket cleansers  will be happy to know that with lemon juice cleaning that will be a thing of the past.

To get your house clean you can use the all purpose cleaner recipe below, it’s cheap and it works wonders on everything dirty:

• one teaspoon of baking soda

• one teaspoon of soap

• a squeeze of lemon

• 1/4 litre of water

Your house will be lemon clean and fresh in no time and you will manage to do it without hurting the environment at all.

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Get up to 40% off Method home products at drugstore.com
Offer ends 06.19.2009

I love the slogan of Method home cleaners: People Against Dirty. How cute is that?

They really are fantastic cleaning products though and they are natural and non toxic unlike so many of the supermarket brands that are filled with chlorine and formaldehyde. They also have cleaners for everything from wood floors, to bathrooms, windows and everything in between. If it’s in your house there is something natural from Method to take care of it.

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Most consumers do not realize that in their every day lives they actually create or contribute to the creation of a lot of green house gases, specifically carbon dioxide, so understanding your carbon footprint is an excellent way to begin making more environmentally sound decisions that in the long run when combined with other peoples efforts will make real change.

Understanding your carbon footprint is a pretty complex issue, one best left to the academics. However thanks to the wonders of the Internet we can use various websites and on line tools to get a pretty good approximation of our carbon footprint, both on the individual and household levels. The best place to start research on your carbon footprint is a good Google search when you have a little extra time on your hands.

Depending on the website or tool that you use for determining your carbon foot print you will need to input information like what make and model of car do you drive, how far do you drive, do you own or rent your home, what are your recreational activities like, and sometimes websites can get as detailed as evaluating your eating choices. After all eating locally grown food contributes a lot less towards your carbon footprint then eating food shipped cross country in refrigerator trucks.

Evaluating your carbon footprint will not only make you more eco friendly, but it will also make you a much more informed consumer. A person capable of thinking about their purchasing power on a whole new level.

Technorati Tags: green house gases, carbon footprint, locally grown food, eco friendly

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Shop Green at Gardener’s!

I love spring and summer, I adore planting things and watching them grow. The thing is that having a pretty yard can mean using an awful lot of water. It’s a good thing there are a bunch of tip that you can use to save water in the backyard–and the front yard too for that matter.

Here are some excellent tips you can use to cut down on the amount of water you use in your yard:

TIP ONE:
I was surprised to learn that lawn clippings are over 50 percent water. If you were to leave them on the lawn instead of raking them up you would be able to use less water and fertilizer. You’ll have less runoff too. That is a huge way to save water on your lawn.

TIP TWO:
Never water the lawn in the middle of the day. If it’s bright and sunny and hot and you water your lawn two things are going to happpen. First of all much of the water is going to evaporate and second it could actually burn the lawn. The water droplets can act like a magnifying glass leaving your grass looking brown and gross. So water your lawn in the evening.

TIP THREE:
If you are lucky enough to have a swimming pool you should have a cover on it. This cuts back on the evaporation which in turn means less water used to refill it. And just like all the plumbing in the house you should check the pipes for leaks on a regular basis.

TIP FOUR:
Your plant beds need moisture to keep the flower perky. To keep the soil nice and moist use compost, grass and mulch to keep evaporation at bay. Just lay it over the top of the soil and it will really keep in the moisture.

Saving water in the backyard is easy and if you make use of these water conservation tips you will save a ton of water this summer.

Technorati Tags: save water, Saving water in the backyard

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