Savvy parents know you can turn just about anything into a craft project. With a little paint, paper towel tubes can become swords or caterpillars. Shoeboxes can become dollhouses or a little red fire engine. Why not use everyday trash and turn rainy day afternoons into crafty afternoons?

Here are five eco-crafts made from trash:

1. Jazzed up origami

   Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, teaches children to follow directions and they can make some pretty amazing projects. A collection of old magazines can become a star mobile or a lantern they can hang in their bedroom.

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We’re all looking for ways to save money and consume fewer resources for a greener planet. Some of the ways to save energy, like turning the thermostat up or down, seem fairly obvious and don’t feel as if we’re doing enough. One great way to amplify your efforts is to look room by room at how you can save energy. This article tackles perhaps the most energy-hungry room in your home – the kitchen.

Here are five cooking tips to save energy in the kitchen: Read the rest of this entry

We all know that children nowadays spent too much time indoors in front of the computer or TV. Yet there is so much to learn from exploring nature. Kids love to climb trees and generally roam.

The book Nature’s Playground is a book full of activities and ideas to get the children away from modern trappings and out into the exciting world. It offers lots of fantastic and adventurous activities, games and crafts that provide hours of fun during the different seasons. From building a den with branches, how to be a nature detective, treasure hunts, sail wooden boats across a pond, bows and arrows, stargazing, mud activities, making bug boxes, collecting and discovering insects as well as safe activity ideas after dark – all of this and more is contained within this book.

Give your kids the greatest gift of their childhood, let them play in the earth’s biggest playground – Nature. The benefits of discovering nature are multifold. It strengthens their development and growth, but it also makes them aware of nature and how to treat it. Get those muddy boots on and enjoy the great outdoors!

You can buy the book on Amazon.com.

Are you a compost novice? Have you tried composting but haven’t been successful? The book The Complete Compost Gardening Guide might be just the book you were looking for.

The book offers in-depth information and practical ideas on composting. Part 1 “Getting Started with Composting” talks about composting in garbage, which includes topics like why compost, can you have too much, how much is too much, composting fast composting slow, explains which tools are needed to compost, the materials needed to start a composter’s garden, i.e. composting grass clippings, kitchen waste, what not to use and lots more.

Part 2 explains in great detail the various composting techniques from making compost in heaps, piles, fast and slow banner patches, underground composting, vermicompost and other related topics. Part 3 is entitled “Plants for the Composter’s Garden” and talks about compost fodder crops, how and which plants interact with compost and more.

This compost guide book contains all the information needed to enjoy composting success and how to create a healthy and vegetable and plant rich garden.

Migraines are the worst. If you suffer from them then you know they can absolutely stop you in your tracks and ruin your day. And if you suffer from them then you’re not alone. More than 29.5 million Americans have migraines.

Migraine symptoms include but are not limited to:

• Severe pain on one or both sides of your head
• Pulsating or throbbing pain
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Sensitivity to light and/or sound
• Extreme fatigue
• Headache pain lasting from several hours to several days

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E-vites and E-cards are electronic cards which have been available for a few years. However, they are only recently starting to really catch on. As people are becoming more environmentally conscious and cutting back on their expenses, electronic invitations and cards are growing in popularity.

Here are a few benefits to e-vites and e-cards:

1. Less paper

   It is estimated that if we sent electronic cards and invitations instead of paper cards and invitations we’d save more than 200,000 trees each year.

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According to the American Cancer Society, cancer kills 292,540 men and 269,800 women each year. It’s the second leading cause of death. That being said, as more people are being affected by cancer they’re turning to “alternative” therapies and treatments. They’re not taking it anymore and are looking for answers, better answers. Some of those answers rest in cancer-fighting herbs.

Here are five herbs commonly used to fight cancer: Read the rest of this entry

Organic food markets represent one of the main locations where you can buy chemical-free food items. They are an alternative to hypermarket stands although the merchandise is virtually the same. Moreover, the use of the local organic food markets encourages regional economy consisting of small businesses that depend on the customers from a certain area.

The number of organic food markets is usually larger in urban areas than in the countryside . Although it is the countryside that supplies most of the food, the products reach the urban stores through a network of intermediaries and retailers. The interest in organic food is not equally spread worldwide.

There are the western organic food markets where the trend to consume natural unpolluted food is growing. The number of stores and hypermarkets that sell non-organic food is also considerably larger in the very industrialized and urbanized areas of the globe. Thus, from country to country, the success of organic food markets is variable.

In certain parts of the globe where agriculture still preserves much of its tradition, the non-organic modifications brought to foods by pesticides and insecticides are very low. For such regions, where products are rather clean, the existence of organic food markets is not that justified.

Ideological currents tend to power organic food markets, because the popularity of organic food results from the increased awareness of what the consume society has come to be. Statistics in fact indicate that those people who are more concerned with the environment, are also the most likely to consume natural products from organic crops. The return to the natural, the preference for natural commodities, this is the message sent by the chemical-free food buyer. In accordance with such personal conviction, one will will rather visit organic food markets than the hypermarket.

Some organic food markets are supported by exports, because certain products are available only in specific geographic areas, and nothing can be done about it Fruits from the warm countries such as oranges, bananas, lemons, pineapples and the like, will not get into the organic food markets from temperate climates unless they are imported. The higher the organic food production, the stronger the position of organic food markets in industry. Hopefully, the average consumer will come to make the difference between organic and non-organic and buy the former in most food choices.

Citrus fruits, like oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit, offer a number of benefits. The alpha hydroxyl acids naturally exfoliate our skin and citrus has astringent, antiseptic and detoxifying effects on the skin. Additionally citrus scents can be relaxing and refreshing, leaving you feeling quite pampered. Here are four homemade spa treatments with citrus fruit that you can do at home:

Relaxing Citrus Spa Bath

Grab two oranges and two lemons, dim the lights and if you choose, light a few beeswax or soy candles – it’s time to pamper yourself. Slice the oranges and lemons into 1/4 inch or smaller thick slices. Run a warm bath and drop the slices into it just before you settle in for a refreshing and cleansing soak. Read the rest of this entry

The industrialization of food has meant the addition of preservatives and pesticides, both of which can be harmful to our health and to the environment. Additionally, it means that there are generally only a handful of large farms growing the majority of any particular crop throughout the country. That means distribution is costly both in terms of money and resources. However, not all food is created equal. Some foods are better than others.

Here’s how to know where your food comes from and to make an educated buying decision: Read the rest of this entry