What Happens To Your Trash?

After watching the Earth Day specials I started looking around to find a lot more about landfills and things. I found this and I thought I would pass it along. I know we have to have trash, but wow we really need to think about what goes in to our landfills.
Check this our The Low Down On Landfills

Eco-Friendly Weed Killers

It is important to remember when you are working in your yard the chemicals are inhaled and also are washed away by rain and run into our drinking water in some places. We hear a lot about pest asides and there are some great alternatives out there for them but one we don't think about a lot are weed killers. Here is a great alternative for the over the counter weed killers that is non toxic. I haven't tried it myself but will be ordering it now for the spring time yard work.

It's called Deadeye click here vinegar-based spray formula ($8/32 ounces)

For those who want their own do it yourself method you can actually take boiling water and throw it on those weeds. Be careful though, to me that seems a little scary. I am bound to trip on something along my way:) You can also take newspapers or old fabric and cover any area that you want to permanently get rid of areas that can create problems for you, but remember it will kill the grass too.

I hope that helps you in your spring yard work!

Top Myths Of About Going Green

Since it's April fools I thought it would be a great idea to go over some of the myths of going green. There are a lot of places out there that will try to tell you things that sometimes just simply aren't true and some that are open for debate. I thought it would something good for you to take and think about. So happy April!

1) You should recycle all paper

That is not always true. Though of course you want to recycle not everything you think can be recycled can be. There is a myth that you can use a paper plate, napkin, or even pizza box and throw in the recycle bin...and guess making you feel better that you are using paper vs regular plates and paper napkins vs cloth. If there is something on the paper such as oil it can actually cause more harm than good. In the paper recycling process it's different than plastic or glass, paper is broken down using water and as I am sure you have heard before oil and water don't mix. It can cause as much as 700 million dollars in contamination each year. Paper is put in huge vats and recycling plants can only catch so much. If paper is put in there it can contaminate huge batch.

Truth: Many papers can be recycled just be sure you know what you are throwing in there and check your local recycling rules.

2) Throw It Away It's Biodegradable

You have heard many companies switching to biodegradable packaging and that is great! You want to encourage that as much as possible but just because it's biodegradable doesn't make it disappear. That package still sits in a landfill while is breaking down. Also many people think food is the most bio gradable thing out there and that is not true either. In a study done by the University of Arizona found some very interesting things in landfills. They found hundreds of hot dogs, corn start and lettuce dating back to the 1960s. How did they know it was from the 1960s? Because it was mixed with newspapers that were still readable that were dated.

Truth: Recycle if it is possible, use that trash can as little as possible. Those bottles I was talking about most of those are recycle able. Compost if it is possible for you. It's a commitment but it's something that is becoming much more commercial and easier to do. Many places offer compost bins for a decent price and you can use what you compost to fertilize your garden next year.

3) The label says it's Eco friendly

When something becomes popular companies jump on the bandwagon to try to profit from it. While you can't blame them you also don't want to be suckered by them. A lot of people don't know their seals well enough to know if a company is telling you the truth or not. And even then you need to put some thought in to it. Here are some seals to watch for on products to know if it's really Eco friendly. There are pictures

Green Seal


With the Green Seal certification not only is the product safe and eco friendly the company that produces the product is too.


Energy Star

With the Energy Star seal of approval means that the product has been tested and is energy efficient compared to its counterparts.

Also coming soon:

We all remember the other Good Housekeeping seal, well now later this year there will be a green Good Housekeeping seal coming our way.

Truth: Think twice before you guy that cleaner that says Eco friendly or uses the work Green in the name. There could be a good chance there is nothing green about it.

4) Adjusting Your Thermostat Wastes Energy
Many people believe that if they power down your thermostat that it spends more energy to power it back up.

Truth: Actually according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy that is not true. It uses less energy to set your thermostat at a lower temperature than it does to have it set on one temperature. So if you are out of the house adjust the thermostat. If you can you can get a programable thermostat in your house also very reasonable now days.

5) Going Green Costs A Lot Of Money
While some products that are "green" do seem to be more expensive right now it's because the competition is low. As the consumer demand goes up the prices will drop. Companies charge what they can get away with. Think about how much the price of a hybrid used to cost. I'm not saying we can all go out and buy one tomorrow, but the cost has dropped a considerable amount than it was just a couple of years ago.
Truth: The truth is most green alternatives can be the same price or comparable and some even less...which is what my blog is about:). There are many ways you can go green and save money. Many experts have said some things you need to buy in bulk to save money..the green truth is some items you can buy in bulk and save the amount of packaging you use and the gas you would save! Anymore with the price of gas saving gas is just about going green, it's saving money too!

So I hope that gave you a fun turn on your April Fools day and some things to think about too. Don't be fooled by going green. There are many people and companies that have the best intentions, but others...not so much. Read between the lines and make sure you are getting the truth. You always have to wait for the federal regulations to catch up to the trends. Sometimes that can take a long time.