http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green Eco-Friendly Choices for Life, Home and Work Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:37:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Eczema is terrible.  I know—my baby boy had severe eczema all over his body. Thankfully, their is a natural cure for eczema-- but first, let me share my story. It actually started out as red, flaky scales on his backside.  He wouldn’t sit still from the itchiness and cried all day.  I ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/suffering-with-eczema-a-natural-cure-for-the-itchy-blues/ Have you heard? In the future you may be able to launder with a virtually waterless washing machine. For quite some time we’ve been buying Energy Star Appliances for laundering. We’ve also been reducing the temperatures we use and tailoring our water usage to the number of ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/cleaning-dirty-laundry-who-needs-water/ What was the defining moment for you when you decided to become more conservation-minded? Maybe you were raised that way. Maybe it was gradual and just happened over time. Perhaps you moved to a state where green was “in”, or you had children and worried about ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/is-garbage-your-green-inspiration/ On a recent car commute, I heard a radio discussion on the topic of “light” pollution. At first I thought they were talking about people who monitored their pollution, but of course they meant the illumination type of light. It turns out there are many people concerned ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/light-pollution/ Ok, this is not an attractive topic but it is definitely an interesting one! I've been on the hunt for a "green" deodorant that truly keeps the beautiful scent of sweat at bay. I've tried all of the brands that Trader Joe's offers like the Tom's of Maine ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/smell-ya-later-adding-a-touch-of-green-to-your-bo/ Last week I was having dinner with some friends when the conversation turned “green”. One of my friends mentioned that Disney uses potato cutlery. That struck me as very odd and stayed with me. I decided to look into it because during the barbequing blog, I remember ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/potatoes-even-low-carb-fanatics-can-appreciate-%e2%80%93-spudware/ Recently I volunteered at the national showplace from Cooking Light called the Fit House. This house celebrates sustainable and healthful living. What a great concept! Every year Cooking Light Magazine picks a different location across the US to showcase a house of this type, and this year the ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/how-fit-is-your-house-happy-4th/ Backyard BBQs bring up happy, summery childhood memories for me. When my little toddler thinks back to her childhood, I am hoping she remembers “greener” or at least “light green” BBQs. If we’re doing our share, being “green” should come more naturally to her. Just think of ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/making-memories-by-grilling-green/ So, I was reading our local paper, The Oregonian and took great interest in an article titled "Biodegradable Hype is Misleading Rubbish" written by reporter Shelby Wood . Ok, so the title was in itself provocative enough to catch my eye as my family and I strive to become ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/hype-or-not-what-does-biodegradable-really-mean/ If you are like me when the high temperatures hit, yard watering tends to run up your water bill. Here are some tips for cutting down on water usage (and $$) in that area. You can get a little carried away with it or keep it simple. ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/conserving-water-in-the-garden/ The warmer weather has everyone enjoying the outdoors. Like it or not, the warmer weather also brings some amount of yard work. Regardless of whether you have a green thumb, there are things that you can do to help save the planet while saving money in the garden. Eliminate ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/getting-greener-in-the-garden/ I decided to write a fun blog entry today on one of my favorite desserts ice cream! So, with all the talk about organic you're probably seeing more food labels tauting the "O" word. Well, ice cream isn't the healthiest thing you can eat but at least you ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/ice-cream-you-scream-loving-the-cold-green-creamy-stuff/ Did you know research shows that carpet can be linked to poor air quality and health issues? Due to the adhesive and backing materials used to make your carpet studies have shown health issues can arise. Recently, low VOC carpet has become more popular as the industry ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/carpet-be-gone-wool-cork-bamboohmmm/ On a recent visit to Seattle with my good friend Jil, we found ourselves surrounded by coffee shops (not a surprise since Starbuck's headquarters is here). This inspired me to ponder the green aspects of enjoying coffee, and I found there are several things you can do to add more ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/add-a-little-of-the-%e2%80%9cgreen-stuff%e2%80%9d-to-your-coffee/ I found a great article on Lifehacker for reusing commonly disposed or recycled products. I doubt you will find all of these useful but I'm sure that you'll find one or two tips that you could use and make a difference. Remember every little baby step you make ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/be-creative-and-re-use-your-throw-away-items/ Punch in the key words "green office tips" and you'll find 933,000 resources available on the internet. In this post I'll share some popular and unique tips to help you eco-fy your office. Popular Green Office Tips: Turn off your monitor when it is not in use Shut off your computer if ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/unique-tips-to-an-eco-friendly-office/ In the past four years I have accumulated two cell phones that take up space in my dresser drawer. I've been thinking about how I should dispose of them. They are still totally operational. So, I decided to do some research on the affects of old cell phones thrown ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/old-cell-phones-collecting-dust-in-my-dresser-drawer/ I found this cool company called Baby's Away when I read an article in AAA. It's a company focused on helping make your travel a ton easier and lighter because you can rent baby's crib, stroller, high chair, beach umbrella and a bucket of clean, gently used toys. ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/make-traveling-with-baby-lighter-greener/ If you've been following the news on BPA you're probably sick of reading about it but I wanted to give you the latest news and also provide some helpful tips on things to avoid when making your purchases. The great news is that large corporations are beginning to ban ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/whats-all-of-this-bisphenol-a-buzz-about-anyway/ Since I'm a new blogger to Sparkplugging I thought I would share a little bit more about me and what I love to do on Saturday mornings with my family which is going to our local farmer's market (held in downtown Portland, OR). Normally, I would be with my family ... http://www.sparkplugging.com/simply-green/going-green-cheap-saving-pennies-saving-the-planet/