My Green Living Site

Green living is no longer a vague term known only by environmentalists. One of the ways we know that an important social trend has hit the big time is when major consumer providers adopt the term. Just about every major influencer in our society from Walmart to national broadcasting networks, are using the term to promote products and attract audiences. Green living is a welcome lifestyle that individuals, families and companies are choosing to ensure that the things they do and the products they use have as little an impact on the environment as possible. One of the best ways that you can build this thinking into your lifestyle is to live in a community that subscribes to green living.
If you are among the population of people who live a green lifestyle as a member of a rural community, you are in a good position. I would suggest, however, that you think about ways you can support a lifestyle movement that seeks to protect rural areas of our country (like your community), by making the more urban areas more livable, sustainable and green. This movement is here and it is strong and it is called new urbanism. New urbanism is a movement affecting areas where most of us live, including those in the suburbs and city centers.

One of the key threats to our beautiful rural areas and farming communities is the spread of urban development. New urbanism seeks to contain that spread by encouraging the development of communities that can accommodate more people. I’m not talking about increased high rises and ugly housing complexes. I’m referring to the development of lovely and affordable urban houses, town homes and condos/apartments that reflect the beautiful architecture and unique detail of those neighborhoods that were created in America before World War II.
New urbanism neighborhoods are found in newly built developments and renovated communities both in the suburbs and older city centers. This new mindset has taken almost 20 years to take root in our national psyche. It is at its essence a straightforward, fundamental focus on changing where we live to improve our quality of life. We are tired of choosing or rating successful neighborhoods based on the largeness of the yard or house. Life is much more than that.
In the new urbanism mind set, quality of life is defined by how our environments affect our emotions and our ability to live a life according to sustainable, healthy values and core life priorities. New urbanists believe that if we can develop more communities that make it is easy to enjoy green living, working and socializing right in our own neighborhood we can make a positive impact on our environments.
Benefits of New urbanism communities:

• New urbanism will contribute to less vehicular pollution by making it easier for people to find employment close to where they live or to establish their own businesses at or close to home. New urbanism communities, because of their location near or close to population centers, have the technological and business resources to support entrepreneurs and a wide range of businesses.
• Communities that subscribe to new urbanism principles attract residents who want to live a green lifestyle so it will make it easier for you or your family to adopt green lifestyle practices.
• The greenbelts surrounding your city or suburban area will be better protected if new urbanism communities in your region thrive since new urbanism encourages home buyers and renters to choose existing urban centers over new developments on large lots in shrinking rural regions.
New urbanism provides the structure needed to influence the largest percentage of our populations in North America and around the world.

About the Author

Sharon McMillan is a writer and advocate for the healthy "new urbanist" lifestyle. She’s a suburban mom of two who has developed a career around marketing and promoting healthy productive communities for families and businesses. If you have comments or questions please visit http://www.newurbanmom.com or contact Sharon directly at sharon@newurbanmom.com .
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Article published on August 19, 2007 at Isnare.com

Apparently, a lot of us have turned towards green living mainly because we may soon find ourselves without a planet if we continue to do our usual stuff. A lot of these practices have been harming the environment and while we may not be aware of it, climate change and global warming are the main reasons why we have to start thinking wise as far as going green is concerned.
While there is a growing consensus that human activity plays a role in global warming, many of the findings are far from certain, there are still a great many variables of which we know little, and we are in the dark as to which factors may be the key ones to address. Perhaps more troubling, we have no clear idea of what the solution(s) might be nor a coherent plan for addressing the problem. Regardless of this, many would have us plunge head-first into a whole series of actions, changes, laws, regulations and restrictions, the effects of which are very far from certain environmentally, and potentially catastrophic economically and socially.
Over the years, the scientific community has amassed an enormous amount of knowledge about heart attacks; what conditions tend to cause them, what environmental and hereditary factors affect them, how to treat them, and perhaps more importantly, they have made a large percentage of our population aware of these factors and conscious of them, causing may to change their lifestyles, eating habits, etc.

While this is indeed a wonderful thing, in the process, this vast amount of knowledge has had unforeseen an unintended consequences which the medical community and society at large have had to live with, perhaps unnecessarily.
As a society, we assumed that the more information we collected and disseminated to our citizens about heart attacks, the better the care we would be able provide. But we did almost exactly the opposite; we made them panic and run to the ER nine times for every one time it was warranted. We overburdened our hospitals and we created a huge and very costly way to save lives that were not in danger. And we then had to correct that mistake after years and perhaps after many lives which could have been saved were lost, had the hospital staff not been so busy treating non-existing heart attacks.

Global warming is like heart attacks. There are thousands of elements which potentially could contribute to global warming, there are thousands of environmental and climactic events which could be affected or worsened by global warming, but we’re not at all sure which ones and what their relative importance is; we’re not even sure we’ve looked at all the potential factors and variables.
The world is being warned of hunger and thirst for millions due to global warming. The continuous emission of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane has become worse, the situation especially in the recent years. Global warming has triggered climate change in all parts of the world, most apparent of which is the warming of the polar zones which has flushed water from the melted ice to the oceans, disrupting the ecology and the affecting the lifestyle of millions of people.

About the Author

Jon Caldwell is an Internet Marketer. Much of his work can be found at http://www.newsgreen.net/newsgreennetcat/newsgreennetlink.php
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Article published on February 26, 2008 at Isnare.com

Planet Earth’s current warming trend is based largely on natural warming and cooling cycles that have been happening for eons; as well as human-caused additions to greenhouse gases, which are boosting the atmosphere’s ability to trap heat in the biosphere. Minor factors like an overall increase in the sun’s solar intensity play a smaller role.
While greenhouse gases are an essential component of a livable planet—they’re what keep Earth from being a lifeless ball of ice—humans are causing greenhouse gas levels to increase so quickly that it’s causing the average global temperature to rise much faster than it would naturally.
It’s worth remembering that global warming is based on an increasing average global temperature. Some parts of the planet (such as the Arctic) are getting warmer much faster than other areas. It’s even possible that some regions could actually experience regional cooling at the same time the planet as a whole is experiencing global warming. Here’s how.
The "thermohaline circulation" in the world’s oceans is part of the planet’s temperature regulation system. It can warm or cool regional climates to make their average temperatures different that they would be normally based on their latitude.

The most notable example of this is how the Gulf Stream brings warm water up from the tropics to make Europe much warmer than it would be naturally. This part of the thermohaline circulation is dependent on regular additions of fresh water from melting Arctic ice (which is replaced every year through additional snowfall). If the flow of fresh Arctic water decreases enough, it could slow or even stop the thermohaline circulation, leading to cooler temperatures in Europe—even at the same time other areas are experiencing severe temperature increases.
There’s more than one offender in the crime of laying waste to the planet’s old growth forests for inappropriate purposes, but one the biggest is Kimberly-Clark, the largest tissue-products company in the world, with sales in 150 countries. Some of the Kimberly-Clark brands of disposable paper products you’re likely to see on supermarket shelves are Kleenex Facial Tissues, Scott Toilet Paper and Paper Towels, Cottonelle Toilet Paper, and Viva Paper Towels. The company also sells toilet paper and tissues to large institutions like universities, high schools, governments, and businesses. In North America, only about 1/5 of the pulp that Kimberly-Clark uses for its disposable tissue products comes from recycled sources, and most of that goes into the products that go to large institutions, not consumers.

In 2004, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council set their sights on Kimberly-Clark’s practice of sacrificing virgin forests at the Altar of Blowing and Wiping, particularly as the practice applies to Canada’s ancient Boreal forests. The goal of their "Kleercut" campaign is to get consumers involved in pressuring Kimberly-Clark to stop this unnecessary, wasteful practice.
Now, just in case your germ-a-phobic subconscious is wondering whether recycled paper is really clean enough to be used in paper products destined for such personal purposes, yes it is. The process that takes recycled-paper pulp and turns it into soft, perfect little pieces of napkin, paper towel, toilet paper, or facial tissue also ensures that the products are sanitary.
So, what brands can you buy with a clear conscience? The table below lists the top "green" brands and provides statistics on their use of recycled paper and what portion of the recycled paper is post-consumer content (PCC)—i.e. what portion of the recycled paper comes from people’s recycle bins. It’s also worth noting that the top four brands we list are all free of chlorine bleach, which is another environmental problem.

About the Author

Jon Caldwell is an environmentalist. Much of his reviews can be found at http://www.green-tips.net/green-tipsnetcat/green-tipsnetlink.php
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Article published on January 28, 2008 at Isnare.com

Making Sustainable Choices
Making sustainable choices are an important component of green living. Making sustainable choices means purchasing products that don’t cause a negative impact on the environment and that will not make it more difficult for future generations to continue to sustain themselves. Making sustainable choices during the design process is referred to as ‘green design’ or ’sustainable design’. Some great sustainable choices to consider when decorating include:

• Natural stone counter tops
• Cabinets and other products made from woods such as bamboo, eucalyptus, or recycled wood
• Carpet made from natural fibers, such as wool and cotton, or made from recycled materials
• Green-friendly paint and home wallpaper, which is being offered by a growing number of manufacturers
• Antiques - after all, they are being recycled!

You don’t have to create a bland and boring home décor in order to enjoy green living. In fact, there are numerous options out there that will allow you to make your home look great while still protecting the planet.
Appliances for Green Living
When it comes to green living, a great place to start is in your kitchen. Remodeling can add a great deal of value to your home, can make it more functional and attractive, and can help you make your home more eco-friendly.
When buying for your kitchen, look for modern appliances to help bring your home up-to-date. By purchasing those appliances with the Energy Star rating, you can potentially cut the amount of energy you use to power those appliances in half. Adding faucet aerators to your kitchen and bathroom faucets will also help reduce the amount of water you use while still providing you with a high pressure stream of water.
Obtaining Green Products
Fortunately, green living is rapidly growing in popularity. In response, many manufacturers are offering lines of eco friendly products that can be used for decorating purposes. In addition, a growing number of online and offline stores that are dedicated solely to green living are becoming a more common occurrence.
One great resource for green living products is www.greenhome.com. This site carries only eco-friendly products, including furniture, bedding, and home furnishings. Another great online resource for green living products is www.livingreen.com. Here, you can find wall coverings, furniture, flooring, and more.
Although it may take a little more time and effort to find and purchase eco products for your home, the effort will be worth it. Not only will you be doing your part to help conserve and protect the environment, green living is better for your health and can save you money in the long run.

Many people feel that a bare floor is much more elegant than a floor with carpeting or floor rugs. Houses decorated with natural fiber rugs have a warm open air attached to them. Natural fibers used in rug making include among others Sisal, Seagrass, Coir, Jute, Hemp, Bamboo, and Conifer.
You can obtain natural fiber floor rugs in almost any size or shape. They also come in variety of edge bindings such as serge, wide canvas, extra wide cotton, and micro fiber. Most of the natural fiber rugs have the same natural shades as the fiber used. However the variety of natural shades is huge. In addition one can obtain them in artificial colors too if one so prefers.
A plant called Agave Sisalana grows in several tropical countries with hot humid climates such as Brazil, Philippines, Kenya and Tanzania, as well as in Central American and Caribbean countries. Fiber obtained from plant’s leaves which grow to about four feet long, is used to make twine and rope in addition to rugs. This plant is sometimes called Sisal Hemp but it is not hemp. Sisal rugs are not suitable for wet areas. They also stain easily. However there are protective coatings that can be applied to prevent stains on these rugs.

Natural fibers used for these kinds of area rugs are extracted from plant reeds that grow in saltwater marshes in Asia and Europe. Seagrass used to make floor rugs is not the same as seaweed which are algae, not plants. Seagrass rugs are water resistant and inexpensive, a useful combination when it comes to floor rugs.
Bark of plants belonging to genus Corchorus which grows in the hot moist river valleys in East India are used to make jute. This fiber is also used to make gunny and burlap sacks, twine, rope, as well as carpet and linoleum backing. It is resistant to molds and water, but tends to fade in direct sunlight.
Hemp fiber is stout and durable. Hemp fiber rugs tend to be tough but they soften with use over time.
Coconut husk are used to make coir fiber. Ropes made of coir are tough and resistant to decay. So are the Coir floor rugs.
A feature common for all natural fiber rugs is that they can be easily cleaned using a vacuum cleaner. Natural Fiber rugs with strong backing will last five to fifteen years if properly taken care of.

About the Author

Lanny Hintz writes about Rugs,Novelty Rugs and Theme Rugs
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Article published on September 15, 2006 at Isnare.com

Natural soluble fiber, composed of indigestible complex carbohydrates,
comes from the thick cell walls of plants.
There are two kinds–water soluble, and water insoluble–of natural fiber: water insoluble fiber protects against heart disease in both men and women, while water soluble fiber is more effective in lowering cholesterol levels.
Positive Effects of Natural Soluble Fibers
Soluble fibers can lower blood sugar levels in diabetics, decreasing their need for insulin. The precise amount of fiber intake needed lower blood sugar levels ahs not been established; and it is not known how insoluble fiber can help diabetics. Insoluble fibers (whole grains) are more associated with preventing adult onset diabetes.
Insoluble fibers relieve constipation by softening so that it moves easily more the through the intestines, and may lessen the risk of colon cancer.
Although fiber fills the stomach and reduces appetite, there is no indication that it speeds weight loss. Some research has indeed said that it has no effect on weight loss, and we personally don’t believe that although it may help if included as part of a balanced diet, fiber alone will make you lose weight.
Flax seed, when used as a fiber source, offers the extra benefit of lignins which may protect against breast cancer.
Where to find sources of Natural Soluble Fiber
Natural soluble fiber is present in whole grains; insoluble fiber is found in beans, oats, whole fruit–not juice–psyllium, and some vegetables.
Deficiencies of natural soluble fiber can occur; those who eat a western diet–meaning anyone who eats a lot of white flour, rice and refined sugars–are most deficient.
Women who eat whole grain fiber live longer than those who eat a lot of refined grains.
Those are allergic to wheat should avoid this nutrient. And beans, while a good source of fiber, contain sugars that are not easily digested and can cause gas. There are, however, widely-available commercial products that can counteract this problem.

The shift in farming practices all over the world has given rise to a popularity of organic food previously unseen. Suddenly, those who were content to just “eat healthy” are now committed to eating “green.” And for those who are enthusiastic and passionate about the benefits of eating organically – its enormous health benefits and environmentally friendly farming practices – there’s no length they won’t go to maintain an organic diet. Unfortunately, going organic isn’t necessarily the easiest of feats. While some of us have access to a bevy of fresh markets and whole food stores rich in organic choices, others are limited in their shopping options. Luckily, the popularity surrounding organic food has spawned an equally attractive counterpart – the organic food home delivery.
Organic food home delivery brings a variety of organic products straight to the consumer’s door. Everything from organic fruits and vegetables to organically raised meat and poultry can now be home delivered. In this way, an organic food devotee who lives in a small town in the Midwest has the same access to organic food as someone who lives in a city. It’s the organic food enthusiasts’ way of leveling the playing field so that these specially grown products can gain a foothold and gradually replace all traditional products. Organic food home delivery allows consumers to conveniently partake in a lifestyle of eating food and using products that are chemical free. The reduction – and possible future elimination – of these chemicals could have an unforeseen impact on our health and on the environment.

Those interested in organic food home delivery can research it in a number of ways. Today, there is a growing population of organic grocers who – in an effort to make their products convenient and accessible and thereby expand their customer base – offer organic food home delivery; all it takes is a phone call or email to the store and your needed items are sent straight to your door. Other organic food home delivery services operate as an online presence, making organic foods and products available to those who may not otherwise have easy access to them.