| DECOR / ECOSALON HOME Dec 2, 2008 at 5:00 am by Luanne Bradley Green Home Detective: Identifying 10 Reusable Household Items I remember my mother telling me that when my older siblings were little ones, she'd gift them their own toys or clothes for Christmas. "I'd just wrap them up as presents and they didn't even know the difference," she recalled. "They were delighted to open something new." It may be challening to get away with that sort of deceptive frugality these days: kids are sharper. But we can still find a treasure chest of reusable everyday objects in our cabinets and drawers. If the goal is to recondition society's throw-away behavior, then it's a sin to toss in the bin what can be born again. Here are a few common items with a longer shelf life: Glass Mason Jars   After you enjoy the pasta sauce, clean the jar and lid and use to store food, such as berries, or corn for popping. Vanessa tipped us off to how to keep strawberries fresh longer by storing unwashed ones in the very jars your grandma used for pickles and preserves. The old Ball glass is also handy for shaking your homemade balsamic vinegrette salad dressing. Make your own scented candles housed in the jars as gifts. Use for sipping ice tea (or moonshine) in the summer. Shoe Boxes ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |
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| DECOR / ECOSALON HOME Oct 13, 2008 at 5:00 am by Luanne Bradley Green Home Moving Sensation Wins California's Highest Environmental Honor Who would have thought house moving can be as stressful on trees and landfills as it is on the old marriage? Massive cardboard boxes piled high in a moving truck. Think about it. We assemble them, fill them with our precious books, clothes and snow globe collections, only to toss them once we are unpacked and busy feathering our new ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |
| DECOR / ECOSALON HOME Sep 30, 2008 at 12:00 pm by Mike Sowden With the Days Growing Shorter, Light the Night "Write about night lights", a reader requested - and instantly I remembered being transfixed by the circling goo in lava-lamps. Nowadays my preferences are less gooey and more eco-friendly (that goo? Globules of mineral oil and, um, paraffin). A successful night light is all about subtlety and artful unobtrusiveness. ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |
| WELLNESS / ECOSALON HOME Nov 26, 2008 at 6:50 am by Luanne Bradley Weighing in on the Problems with Stuffing Temptation is a trough of stuffing and a boat of thick gravy. At least, it is during this time of year. According to Web MD, not all of us pack on an extra five to six pounds during the merry season, but those who do, struggle to shed that weight the ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |
| LIFESTYLE / ECOSALON HOME Nov 5, 2008 at 5:00 am by Mike Sowden What Can the World Expect from President Obama? Today is the first day of the next era in America. The U.S. has chosen as its President-Elect Barack Obama, after the most exciting and galvanizing U.S. ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |
| LIFESTYLE / ECOSALON HOME Oct 8, 2008 at 6:00 am by Mike Sowden Starbucks: How Its Eco Credibility Is Draining Away Starbucks has just landed itself in hot water - over a cold-running tap. The world-leading coffeehouse chain has always been keen to wave its green credentials at the media. At the turn of this century it made a big show of embracing ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |
| LIFESTYLE / ECOSALON HOME Sep 8, 2008 at 5:00 am by Kim Derby A Green Mower for Any-Colored Thumb Certain songs, smells, foods, city streets - they tend to conjure up memories from years past, and usually without permission or even a warning. The smell of freshly cut grass reminds me of my backyard, and my dad. He spent hours every weekend working, sweating and usually drinking a Budweiser, out of the can. His thumb was ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |
| LIFESTYLE / ECOSALON HOME Aug 26, 2008 at 5:00 am by Mike Sowden 10 Eco Links to Green Your Week Here are our favorites for starting your week in a green way: .jpg){kind=small} Impulse buying, one of the great eco-curses of our age, just got hi-tech. As ABC ...Read MoreRelated Posts ↓ |
| LIFESTYLE / ECOSALON HOME Aug 19, 2008 at 5:00 am by Mike Sowden Sticking It to the Planet Sealing And Healing: Non-Toxic Glue and Self-Repairing Rubber Glue, our marvelous chemical invention so useful it's become a verb, is terribly unfriendly stuff. Stick with me: glue is important to "green" just like any other household product. Fortunately, there are some eco alternatives...and the first hint ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |
| ARTISAN / ECOSALON HOME Sep 17, 2008 at 5:00 am by Mike Sowden An Idol Threat: India's Eco-Artisans Struggle to Clean Its Rivers We hear of products being made eco-friendly because of what happens when they eventually return to the environment. Now spare a thought for the eco-artisans of Gulbai Tekra - their work goes back in immediately. The annual, day-long Ganesha Festival celebrates the ...Read More Related Posts ↓ |