Recycle

We’ve heard the term bandied about in ecological circles—but what are microplastics and how can we avoid polluting our planet with them?

With the Internet flooded with images of seahorses hanging on to pieces of straw, and penguins living on floating plastic islands, and whole swathes of plastic mini-seas floating in the high seas, it’s high time we educated ourselves about microplastics. What harm can they do—to our seas and ultimately our blue planet?

The reduce-reuse-recycle philosophy of my youth evoked images of bottles, cans, and paper. My friends and I lamented the poor animals with necks caught in plastic rings from six-packs of cans. To this day, I diligently seek out recycling bins everywhere I go, from restaurants to house parties.

But what to do with my old clothes?

Celebrating Earth Day shouldn't just be about mouthing platitudes—how about we get up and make a concentrated effort to de-stress our planet by reducing our carbon footprint and being eco-friendly?

Your garden doesn’t have to be perfectly manicured to look nice—the one thing that makes a garden really stand out is using little quirks of your own to give it personality. Likewise, your garden should not look like your neighbor's garden—so it needs to carry forward your personality and its own quirk within the green.

In this season of celebrating the blessings of life and love, it can be easy to get caught up in the rush of indulgence and consumerism. Perhaps you feel the pressure of offering something both thoughtful and useful to those you hold dear?

You just bought a new lipstick and you're so excited to use it. It's part of a huge, mainstream beauty company you totally trust, too. After weeks of using the lipstick down to the very last bit, there's nothing left. What do you do with the lipstick container? Dump it in the trash of course. 

Composting is a technique which involves decomposing plant matter into rich, productive soil. It is an essential method for anyone who chooses to practice organic gardening. Successful composting requires more than just placing organic matter into large piles. To get the most out of your compost, check out these 9 useful tips!

The kitchen has become more than just a space in which to prepare the next meal. Today (unlike in the past, when the kitchen was more functional than for entertaining), the kitchen is central to the home; a gathering place. And likewise, the kitchen is an expression of one’s style and values. Some folks love a sleek design, others a more country kitchen style.

Plastic and plastic byproducts can take hundreds of years to decompose...IF they ever decompose at all. Toothbrushes, toilet bowl scrubbers, and towel racks are just a few items that are generally made from plastic or a plastic byproduct. I bet there are tons of pounds of those items alone all over the planet. There are always other options!

Looking for more natural ways to wash those dirty clothes? Try organic soap nuts! Soap nuts, otherwise known as “soap berries," come from the Chinese Soapberry tree (Sapindus mukorossi). Although they look like nuts, they are actually dried fruit that is similar to lychee. Soap nuts are usually harvested after they drop from trees grown in the jungles of Indonesia or India. Soap nuts have various uses, and they can be used for cleaning more than just your laundry.