Composting

Everyone should have a compost pile. Everyone creates food & yard waste, so everyone should compost. It's simple and easy so why not? If you can bag it and drag it to the curb then why can't you walk out in your yard and throw it in your compost pile. It sounds easy enough to me.

There so many great benefits to composting, it keeps organic waste out of landfills, provides nutrients to the soil, increases beneficial soil organisms (worms & centipedes), suppresses certain plant diseases, reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides, protects soil from erosion, and assists pollution remediation. These are just a few of the benefits that composting has for us and our environment.

Gardner's have composted for years to use the rich soil for their plants but you don't have to have a green thumb to compost, you can compost just to reduce the amount of waste you produce. In some communities you have to pay a fee for your garbage pick-up according to how much it weigh's, this could be a way for you to cut costs.

Now some of you are thinking, I live in an apartment and don't have a yard I can't compost, WRONG! There is an indoor method of composting called vermicomposting or "worm composting". Essentially it's composting using worms. You keep the worms in a bin, called a "worm bin" and you add your scraps about twice a week and the worms eat the food and break it down into compost. Red wigglers work best because they have a high metabolism and can break down the food fast. There is no odor at all, just great compost.You can build your own bin or buy a commercial bin. I recommend buying the worm factory 360 and reading "worms eat my garbage" before vermicomposting.

I leave you hopefully with more knowledge of the importance of composting for the future of our earth and everyday benefits to us in hopes that you will either keep up your compost pile or start one in the near future.

Reduce,Reuse,Recycle...

There's more to recycling than setting out your recyclables at the curb. In order to make recycling economically feasible, we must buy recycled products and packaging. When we buy recycled products, we create an economic incentive for recyclable materials to be collected, manufactured and marketed as new products. Buying recycled has both economic and environmental benefits. Purchasing products made from or packaged in recycled materials saves resources for future generations.

The more we buy recycled materials the higher demand for recycled products. When the demand goes up there is an effort to supply that demand. Everything comes down to supply & demand. The more people want recycled products, the more recycled products will be supplied and the less it will cost. We have to make a change so that the manufacturers will change their ways of producing our products and make them better for us and our planet.

What Is "Green Living"?

What exactly does it mean to "Live Green", ever wonder? Some people think of "Treehugger" or that it's complicated or weird. It's not, trust me there are many ways to implement the "Green Lifestyle" in anyone's life. Everyone can "Be Green", you can make a few small changes or a few drastic changes either way your still being green.

To live a green lifestyle you have to first know what it means. Green Living is basically living sustainably. Now for those who don't know, sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resource and his/her own resources. (reference.com)

This means don't be wasteful, try and reuse, and if you can't reuse then recycle, don't let things end up in landfills if it's not necessary. The three R's are a big part of living green. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Reduce, try reducing what you buy, pay attention to the packaging and buy products with less packaging.

Reuse, If you get something new then sell or let someone else use your old tv, computer, mp3 player, ect. Try and repurpose things around your home and get more use out of them.

Recycle, If something is broken or can't be used again then make sure you recycle it so it doesn't end up in a landfill.

A big part of living green is making smart healthy choices. Be aware of the products you use and read the labels. If you can't pronounce it, it's probably not good. Try using organic personal care products. Leapingbunny.org is a good source to find cruelty free organic products that are healthy for you. It's also a good idea to find healthier cleaning products, they are becoming easier to find Clorox now has a plant-based selection.

Green Living looks at your whole lifestyle. It's about changing everything and making smart healthy choices. Find out where the products you buy come from and what they contain in them. Ask yourself what is this doing to me and my environment?

It's not just about the environment, it's about making your life healthier and by making your life healthier your also making the planet healthier at the same time. It's a no brainer start making greener choices in your life and live healthier and help out the planet at the same time!

Support National Parks

Today's Environmental tip is to support our National Parks. It's important to protect all parks, they offer people a place to relax and forget about everyday life and just enjoy nature. Our National Parks also hold a great deal of history and landmarks, their is so much knowledge one can learn about the land and animals. My favorite place to go is the Adirondack Mountains. Everyone is so laid back, they have no worries. You can just relax and enjoy your surroundings with people you enjoy spending time with.

The Appalachian forests has a spectacular view from three states Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, miles of hiking trails, towering limestone rocks, a 75' high sandstone overhang, and a journey back into our nation's history. You'll find what you're looking for at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

It's extremely important to save places like these, no theme park can give you the enjoyment of experiencing our nation's National Parks.