Who says the pantry has to be a catch-all black hole for prolonging that shelf life? That’s what high school lockers are for!

It’s time to take stock in our most commonly used household storage nook, and make it as inviting as a vintage general store (with a modern green twist, of course).

Open pantries offer easy access for the organic gardener and cook, but also should look tidy since they are exposed to your visitors. Mine is en route to the powder room. Yep, that’s country life.

I find it’s easy to arrange …

Tags: apartments , baskets , bins , boxes , bulk food , decor , eco , food , green , home , homes , jars , pantry , preservation , small living spaces , space planning , storage , sustainability , tea

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The flu is already spreading like a Malibu wildfire in my Bay Area community with dozens of kids out the first few weeks of school and contaminated parents unable to play nurse.

It’s going to happen, no way of avoiding it all together, but there are some simple steps to build immunity and combat the spreading of germs at home.

Some people opt for the influenza vaccine, which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says protects against the three main flu strains causing the most illness during the season. …

Tags: aches , cdc , cellulose fiber , chemical-free , colds , coughing , dehydration , EPA , flu , garlic , germs , handwashing , health , home remedies , natural , organic , prevention , recovery , recycle , sickness , sleep , stress , tea , thyme , Triclosan , vaccine , Vitamin C

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Pour on your thanks this Mother’s Day with a pretty tea cozy that lasts so much longer than flowers and soothes the soul. Save the iced tea for summer lunches on the veranda but get her a cozy to keep the breakfast tea nice and warm for that afternoon cookie break.

My own mother gave up coffee years ago – she much prefers to sip herbal tea, and I found some coverage she would most likely appreciate. Hey, it isn’t a David Yurman bracelet, but it does come from the heart.

Naturally, the best …

Tags: eco friendly , eco tea cozies , handmade crats , Mother's Day gifts , tea

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When Guayaki stepped up and claimed that they are now offering the world’s first Fair Trade Certified yerba mate’, I thought “Really? Are they really the first?” With so many mate’ brands out there, I thought surely there must be others. But after Googling around a bit, it seems that yes, indeed, Guayaki is it.

Your first question perhaps: What is yerba mate? It’s Argentina’s national tea and comes from a shrub, actually a relative of holly, that grows in subtropical South America. …

Tags: conscious consumerism , fair trade , fairtrade , health , tea

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Celestial Seasonings has been blending healthy teas with environmental consciousness since 1969. Now, they are expanding their environmental consciousness to the planting of trees in developing countries.

They’ve teamed up with Trees for the Future (a non-profit organization that has planted more 70 million trees in Central America, Africa, and Asia in the past 20 years) and aim to sponsor the planting of one million trees. They’re nearly there, but how about a little love from EcoSalon readers?

…

Tags: activism , Celestial Seasonings , non profit , plant a tree , tea , Trees for the Future

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Can sharing a pot of tea bring you closer to your friends? Perhaps, if you order Friendship Organic Tea from the UK. It’s not so strange to import tea from the people who do it best.

A blend of marigold flowers and hawthorn berries, the tea is 100% organically grown and packed. Here is the friendship connection: for each pack of tea sold, 5 pence is given to the Friends Fund – an organization that donates to kind individuals or groups recognized for helping others and offering new friendship.

The first recipient was Contact the …

Tags: friendship , organic , seniors , tea

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