NHB's ECO FRIENDLY News Blogs
Creating An Ecofriendly Work Place
Creating an Ecofriendly Work Place
As an ecofriendly business who takes great initiative in being an active part of the sustainable lifestyle, we think it’s important for not only homes to be ecofriendly, but work places as well. The majority of work places are slowly catching onto to this green wave of sustainability, but the rest of work places, aren’t with the times yet! If you work for a company that doesn’t do their part in being eco-conscious, you can definitely help!
Reducing Paper Waste
Reducing paper waste is one of the easiest places to start! There are documents that will of course, always have to be printed – but we can reduce this printing efforts dramatically if we made a few tweaks. Print on both sides of the document and use a post-consumer waste paper or recycled paper. Spell check and revise your paperwork BEFORE printing, so that only one version needs to be printed. If you have paper documents that don’t need shredding, cut them down and upcycle the paper into small sheets and use these for personal notes or scratch pad paper. If your company doesn’t recycle – urge them to! American use about 85,000,000 tons of paper per year – this equates to 680 pounds per person. Recycling paper products in the past has saved more than 90,000,000 cubic yards of landfill space, so every paper counts! Designate a paper recyclables only bin (or box) to contribute to reducing paper waste.
Travel via Teleconference
Save on travel time & travel expenses by opting in on video conferencing technology. There are dozens of companies that offer video chatting that make collaborating with team members in other states, and countries, more sustainable and economically efficient. This will not only reduce the company’s cost, but will reduce travel emissions due to flying & driving as well.
Reduce Printer Use
This goes hand in hand with reducing paper waste. Don’t print things that are unnecessary, and create online drafts to preview & read before hitting that final print button. Try printing in black & white whenever you can.
Recycle Your Printer Cartridges
Most people don’t realize that you can actually recycle your printer & toner cartridges. The majority of the time, if you purchase thru companies like Office Depot, they offer a recycling program and charge $0 for doing so. Simply save your cartridges and toners and request a box from your office supply store. There are also many locations that will even pay you in exchange for your empty cartridges.
Invite Nature In
Inviting nature into your workplace can have a big impact on how your company and employees view your commitment to being environmentally friendly. Encourage the use of window opening to let fresh air in instead of pumping the air conditioner. Bring in a few low-maintenance plants – these plants help keep the air clean & purified! Take advantage of energy efficient lighting & encourage the use of motion sensor lighting so lights don’t get left on.
Encourage Healthy Air Flow
Use chemical free or non-toxic cleaning products & encourage staff & coworkers to do the same. Reduce paper towel use by using reusable cleaning cloths to help clean work areas and break room areas. Again, open your windows! Let that fresh air flow! Designate a smoking area for employees who do smoke, away from areas where it can get inside the building.
Break Room Supplies
Break rooms items vary from company to company. Plastic utensils & paper plates are almost always a break room staple. Start bringing your own cutlery & reusable items to eat lunch with. If you must buy, choose a compostable brand of items that will compost down in landfill.
Compost
Composting things like food waste & paper towels can help reduce unnecessary landfill waste. Offering a place to compost items like food, paper towels, and coffee grinds can encourage the motivation to keep a green lifestyle outside of the work place as well.
Get rid of the Keurig & Single Brew Coffee Systems
Yes – we know they are quick & easy, but in the big picture, these single serving coffee pods aren’t ecofriendly in any way. With all the packaging from the box it comes in, to the actual pod of coffee, only 1 part of the coffee pod is recyclable, and to do so, you have to pretty much deconstruct the pod and remove the recyclable part and toss the rest in the garbage. They do make reusable coffee pods for these machines – this could be a good present for employees to show them that you are serious on taking your stand on being more environmentally friendly. Best part about the reusable ones is that you can fill it with whatever coffee you like!
Conserve Your Computer’s Energy
A computer is required for many people with a desk job. It’s estimated that people waste over $1 billion in electricity every year just in computer use. To help conserve energy from your work computers, you can invest in an energy saving computer, monitor, or printer. These are usually labeled with an Energy Star label in the USA. You can also adjust your energy saving settings so your monitor & display sleeps & turns off after a certain amount of time of not being in use. Set your computer to sleep mode when you are away from it for short periods of time and turn off your computer when it’s not in use – like leaving work!
Recycle!
There are so many items in your office or work place that you can recycle! If you don’t have one at work – start your own and encourage others to follow. Paper, water bottles, soda cans, etc. Designate a small recycle receptacle by your desk, better yet, talk to upper management about putting one in the break room if your work place doesn't have one yet.
Eating Green
The best time of the day is usually lunch break! By bringing your own lunch to work, you can save a good amount of money by not going out to eat.
- Pack your lunch in a reusable bag or box and if you bring it in a paper or plastic bag – recycle it!
- Use food containers & utensils that can be washed again
- Recycle your water bottles, soda cans, and aluminum foil
- Use a washable & reusable napkin
- Bring your own reusable coffee or water bottle
Travel Green
Traveling green can help reduce carbon dioxide gases that are released into the air that contribute to greenhouse gases. Join a carpool or ride share or take public transit. If you live close enough, get exercise and ride your bike or walk to work. If your work place allows it, see if you can work from home a few days a week – this can reduce your carbon footprint, along with gas cost.
Get Others Involved
Chat it up! Stay involved in your green efforts and encourage others to do so as well. Set up a carpool calendar, contribute your thoughts and actions on getting your workplace to recycle, or recycle better!
Some other articles that might interest you:
Why are you still using plastic in your kitchen?
Why Composting is so important
20 tips to go green in the kitchen
- Gabriella De Luca
Eliminating Food Waste With The Go Green Save Green Program
Eliminating Food Waste
Most people don’t realize how much food they toss out and waste every day. Food waste can be from scraps and leftovers, vegetable peeling (like potato skins or the ends of celery stalks), or spoiled food.
Recent studies has shown that about 95% of the food we toss out ends up in landfills. Let’s do the math. For every million homes, 1.5 billion tons of organic waste gets thrown away and tossed into landfill. This is like having 22,000 Olympic sized swimming pools filled with organic materials. That’s like having a road from San Francisco to New York, 2,960 miles of organic waste! We’ve created a program to aid this growing food waste epidemic that is simple, and hassle free.
Our Go Green save Green program is aimed to reduce food waste, and this starts with you! We are giving away a free stainless steel counter top compost bin with the purchase of 150 compostable compost bags that line the inside of the compost bin for $29.99 per year.
These bags are 100% compostable, and break down within 180 days. When your compost bin and compost bag is full, simply toss it in your green waste organics bin to be collected on garbage pickup day, or toss into your outdoor compost pile. Waste management companies country-wide are joining in on the food waste efforts to help decrease landfill and reduce methane emissions.
Along with your efforts and contribution to our Go Green, Save Green Program, you will get 20% off our entire website throughout the duration of your membership along with monthly member discounts and newsletters. You will also get $5 off for each person you refer!
I want to join the Go Green, Save Green Program!
Some benefits of reducing food waste:
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Reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint
- 7% of all global greenhouse gas emissions/3.3 billion tons of Co2 are due to food waste
- Conserves energy & resources by preventing pollution
Some ways to reduce food waste:
- Start composting at home! Reduce the waste you have control over.
- Plan before you shop – scope out your fridge and pantry so you don’t overbuy/plan meals ahead of time so you can prevent spoiled foods.
- Learn how to properly store produce so they stay fresh longer (Our veggies bags can assist with that!)
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Freeze foods that you know you won’t be able to eat before its expiration
- Meats, breads, fruits
- Cook or eat whatever you have in your pantry or fridge first before you buy, this can save money and prevent food waste!
- Save and actually eat leftovers
- Wait to wash berries until you want to eat them to prevent mold (there’s a lot of little nooks, crannies, and crevices that water likes to hide in!)
- Safe, untouched or unopened food can be donated to food banks to help those who are in need of a meal
Some Other Blogs You Might Be Interested In:
Why Are You Still Using Plastic In Your Kitchen?
Why Is Composting So Important?
Plants That Help Purify & Clean The Air
Shop Ecofriendly With Us Everyday At https://www.naturalhomebrands.com/
- Gabriella De Luca
Pollution From Plastics & How You Can Help
Pollution from Plastics
Let’s get real about plastic – there are millions of tons of debris floating around in our precious ocean waters – the majority of it, is plastic. Plastic does not disintegrate in the ocean, it gets broken up into smaller pieces, even to the point of creating a new type of sediment on our ocean floor, sediments of plastics! Katy Perry was even inspired by some plastic trash; feeling like a “plastic bag drifting through the wind”.
Plastic pollution is a real thing, and is becoming more of an epidemic. Our landfills are becoming more filled with plastic, taking up to 450-1000 years to decompose! Americans toss out about 22 billion plastic bottles each year.
With inactive landfills catching up to the number of active landfills, we need to start being more conscious of how our habits and buying trends are affecting our trash output and environmental factors. Check out this link that will show you how much trash is in your area, and how many landfills have opened and closed throughout the year: Land of waste
According to the EPA:
Recycling and composting prevented 87.2 million tons of material from being disposed in 2013, up from 15 million tons in 1980. Diverting these materials from landfills prevented the release of approximately 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air in 2013 — equivalent to taking over 39 million cars off the road for a year.
These carbon dioxide and methane molecules are also called greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases are detrimental to our environment because they can capture outgoing infrared energy from our earth, and warm our planet, and even cause smog if uncontrolled.
Greenhouse effect example:
Bright sunlight will effectively warm your car on a cold, clear day by the greenhouse effect. The longer infrared wavelengths radiated by sun-warmed objects do not pass readily through the glass. The entrapment of this energy warms the interior of the vehicle. The trapping of the hot air so that it cannot rise and lose the energy by convection also plays a major role.
Some ways of reducing your plastic output:
STOP BUYING PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES! – Every year, around 22 billion plastic bottles are tossed in the trash – not even tossed into the recycling. Save money and the environment by getting yourself a reusable bottle to carry with you. Not a tap water fan? They have water bottles with built in filters, or get a water filtration system at home and fill up before you go.
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Recycle – Seems easy enough, right? Well some people still don’t recycle or don’t know what doesn’t belong in the recycling bin so they just throw everything in there, defeating the purpose of a separate recycling bin. The number at the bottom of recyclables will actually give you a lot of information. Most clear bottles and beverage bottles will be labeled with a #1 PET, containers with a #2 HDPE like milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles, and #5 PP like plastic cutlery, and ketchup bottles are all widely accepted by curb side pickups.
More recycling basics here: Recycling Basics & Recycling Numbers On The Bottom Of Plastics
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Use reusable bags - A number of grocery stores & dog parks offer a place to recycle plastic bags for other customers to use. Grab a reusable bag (or make one out of old t-shirts) and keep it in your car or purse so it's always handy. Use Reusable Veggie Bags to shop for produce or items at the farmers markets.
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Skip the Plastic Wrap - Most plastic wrap can't be recycled because it's contaminated with food - this can cause costly contamination during the recycling process.
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Cook More – No take out containers or to-go bags are needed when you cook!
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Think before you buy – Check out the packaging of all foods before you buy. Individual packages of trail mixes, single serve yogurts, etc. all create a lot of waste. Opt in buying things in bulk and store in glassware or reusable snack bags for packing lunches.
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Start buying sustainable kitchenware – Plastic utensils and melamine dinnerware aren’t the best things to eat or cook with, nor do they decompose at a reasonable rate once disposed of. Switch to bamboo cookware, Molded Bamboo ® , or stainless steel to cook and serve your favorite meals with. Have leftovers? Stock up on glassware food storage containers or save and reuse glass jars for things like homemade salad dressings, pasta leftover, canned items & much more.
Some Other Posts You Will Enjoy:
Eliminating Food Waste With The Million Home Challenge
20 Tips To Go Green In The Kitchen
Six Ways To Reduce Plastic Output
Shop Ecofriendly With Us Everyday At NaturalHomeBrands.com
- Gabriella De Luca
Why Is Composting So Important
The following article is from goop, the lifestyle website and brand created by Gwyneth Paltrow. Goop is a daily resource for recipes, products, and advice, from a range of trusted experts.
Who Knew Composting Is So Important? (Whether You Garden or Not.)
Photo: L.A. Compost
We always thought of composting as the dominion of hard-core gardeners—while we’re big proponents of eating locally-grown, organic produce, we’re more inclined to buy it at the farmer’s market than build the raised beds ourselves. But then we learned that when food scraps and lawn clippings—ideal compost fodder—end up in landfills and decompose without access to oxygen, they release methane gas, which is many times more potent than carbon dioxide, and decided we needed to learn a bit more about how to make composting happen at home. Below, L.A. Compost founder and grassroots activist Michael Martinez expounds on the miracle of closing the food-to-table-to-soil gap and how composting can be quick, easy, and smell-free. Prep the coffee grinds.
A Q&A with Michael Martinez
What is composting?
Composting is the process of giving life back to your soil using organic materials. In a forest, this process happens naturally. Trees drop their leaves, shrubs wither away, seeds break down, and these materials then naturally decompose, becoming part of the soil they came from and delivering nutrients that made up their bodies back to the earth. In an urban setting, it’s possible to recreate that process using food and yard waste (it’s a bit like baking with specific ingredients). With the right ingredients and the right environment, your compost system will create a finished product that is extremely valuable.
Why is it so valuable?
The soil under your feet (what you’d find if you went for a hike near your house) is made from all kinds of minerals and other materials, and depending on your location, it will differ in quality and texture. In Los Angeles, there are loamy soils, and there are heavy clay soils. Not many soils are naturally high in organic matter (which is needed to grow food). Compost is made entirely from organic matter, which means it’s filled with minerals and nutrients that are ideal for growing food. Compost is way more valuable than regular soil in many ways.
Drought
Compost acts as a natural sponge, storing water and holding moisture in the soil for plants to use when needed. When it rains, water that falls on land covered in compost can actually soak into the soil, rather than washing off into the storm drains. That means that plants can draw on water (and thereby, nutrients) even days after a storm, reducing our need to water and use commercial fertilizer.
Climate Change
Healthy soil removes excess carbon from the air and stores it in the ground (that carbon then becomes part of trees and other plants that grow out of that soil). Depleted soil, which has less organic material, doesn’t have the ability to absorb carbon. Our buddies at Kiss the Ground just released a great video explaining how different agricultural methods that rely heavily on compost could make a big difference in the fight to stop global warming.
Landfills
Keeping food and plant waste out of landfills is essential. When food sits in landfills and isn’t exposed to oxygen, or provided with the proper materials for decomposition, it releases methane gas (more potent green house gas than Co2) into the air. Making food waste part of the solution to climate change as opposed to part of the problem is an enormous benefit to composting. We already have a huge problem with waste but when 1/3 of materials being sent to landfills are food products it’s a bit embarrassing. Composting eliminates any need to send organic materials to landfills to rot away, and re-purposes them to sustain life.
Healthy Food
This is the obvious one—you can’t go into the Santa Monica wilderness, clear a plot of land, and grow beautiful vegetables without adding a lot of fertilizer. Compost is a natural and crazy-effective fertilizer that provides your garden with all of the materials it needs to grow beautiful vegetables. We all eat, and we prefer when our food is both healthy and grown without synthetic fertilizers. Healthy soil=healthy food, healthy food=healthy people.
What are the components to make good compost?
Compost has two main ingredients: green material and brown material. You’ll also need oxygen and water to create the perfect environment for breaking those materials down.
“GREEN” MATERIALS
- Grass Clippings
- Green Leaves
- Tea Leaves & Bags
- Coffee Grounds
- Fruit & Vegetable Scraps
- Plant Prunings (Avoid Diseased Plants)
- Crushed Eggshells
- Pulp From Pressed Juice!
“BROWN” MATERIALS
- Dry Leaves
- Dry Grass
- Straw & Hay
- Shredded Paper
- Wood shavings
- Twigs
GREENS: Provide protein and moisture for organisms. To start off your pile it’s safe to add the same amount of brown material as you do green.
BROWNS: Allow airflow throughout the pile and provide energy for organisms.
OXYGEN: Allows organisms to survive while keeping the pile odor-free. This is why you need to turn your pile—if the materials aren’t exposed to the air, they’ll start decomposing anaerobically, which smells terrible and doesn’t make for good compost.
WATER: Moisture allows organisms to move around and digest material. When you have the right amount of water, your pile will be the same consistency as a wrung-out towel or sponge.
What sort of bugs does decaying food attract? And what should be kept out of a bin? Doesn’t it start to smell?
When you compost correctly, it won’t smell. Unwanted odors are typically a sign of a bin that hasn’t been turned or a bin that has way more “greens” than it does browns.
Although meat, bones, dairy, and breads can be composted on a large scale (see below about city composting), it’s best to keep these items out of backyard compost bins. These are the items that typically attract unwanted vermin and odors.
Bugs in a compost pile are completely natural—the bugs (yes, that means worms) and much smaller organisms that you can’t see with your eyes are the ones you can thank for actually doing the work to break down the material. If you have too many fruit flies, it typically means your compost pile is too wet. To solve that problem, you can aerate the pile by mixing the ingredients, and add some more brown material. Another good way to prevent fruit flies is to cover green material with brown material every time you add them to the pile.
Is homegrown compost better than store-bought?
When you make your compost at home, you know exactly what goes into it—which is valuable, particularly if you’re growing organic vegetables. It’s a thing of beauty when you grow your food, eat your food, and compost it all at home.
Compost is alive and teeming with microorganisms that can only be seen under a microscope. The life in the soil allows the plants in your garden to thrive. Store-bought compost is wrapped in plastic, packed in a truck, and delivered from hours away; all of those processes kill microorganisms. Although the store-bought version can still be valuable for some purposes (how do you think you got good enough soil in your backyard for your lawn to grow?), it does not possess the same amount of life as homemade compost, and it lacks the other positive side effects, like keeping food and yard waste out of landfills.
Is vermiculture a good option if you don’t have a lot of access to falling leaves and other “browns”?
Composting with worms, also called vermicomposting, uses a slightly different method than traditional composting, but can be just as effective in the right environment. Because you’re relying on efficient and fast-moving worms more than the other microorganisms in the soil, vermiculture also works much more quickly than traditional compost. If you don’t have much space or access to any “browns,” worms might actually be your best option.
The first thing to remember is that compost worms have no eyes, teeth, or noses, so there’s no need to be frightened. Worms also tend to thrive in dark, moist conditions in temperatures under 80 degrees, which means they aren’t going to escape your compost bin and go wriggling around the garage or back porch. It also means you’ll want to keep a compost bin with worms in a cool, shaded environment and have a top on it at all times.
Unlike traditional bins where you’re placing equal parts of brown and green material in your compost, you only have to place food or vegetable scraps in a worm bin. Worms eat and process close to their body weight in food scraps per day. So, if a family of four produces 2 pounds of food scraps from their daily meals, two pounds of worms would be able to break down the material into beautiful worm castings within a day. When the material enters the body of the worm, it passes through several process that support plant growth. Worm castings, or worm poop, are like a magic potion for your garden. You can either dress your garden directly with worm castings or use them to brew compost tea, which is a natural (and unbelievably effective) fertilizer.
So what’s the deal with compost tea?
Making compost tea is essentially multiplying the biology that is found within your finished compost. In the same way you steep a teabag while brewing a cup of tea, you can place a bag of compost in a bucket of water, then aerate it either with a pump or simply by stirring over a period of time. The finished product is liquid compost that can be sprayed directly on leaves, or at the base of existing plants and acts like a natural fertilizer to support plant growth.
What if you live in an apartment, or don’t really have the space or inclination to compost but still want to help?
Many cities have systems where they offer composting via curbside pickup. Municipal composts are also enormous, which means they can often process dairy, meat, and bones. Use of finished municipal compost varies greatly depending on what city you live in, so accessing the “building healthy soil” part is where things get a little complicated. But it’s generally a great solution, particularly for people who don’t garden.
If your city doesn’t have a municipal system in place, you’re not off the hook. Check to see if you can drop off your food and yard scraps to a local community garden or community compost hub (pro-tip: keep your food scraps in a paper grocery bag in the freezer until you can drop them off to keep them from stinking). Some cities even have pick-up services for this kind of local effort. Community composting is gaining steam all throughout the country, and within a few years I’d imagine every state having multiple composting options.
If you do want to do it at home, what’s the best way to start?
First, determine how much space you have and how much brown and green material you generate. Then, purchase a compost bin (you can purchase some here), or see if your city provides them for free. Establish the right environment and appetite for your system and begin to add your inputs throughout the week. All organic material will eventually break down with or without you, but giving a little attention to your compost system can go a long way to keep things from getting gross and to ensure that you have a product you can use in your (or your neighbor’s, or your community’s) garden at the end.
Here's a great resource for getting started: L.A. Compost Guide
How-To:
LOW SOIL TOLERANCE:
Drop-offs as part of your municipal system or at a community hub might be your best bet. (See above.)
MEDIUM SOIL TOLERANCE:
Backyard compost in a tumbler or other enclosed system.
Composting in your own backyard is a beautiful process. There are so many effective systems available that you can use one, or several depending on your needs—just create the right environment and add the right mix of browns and greens. Systems that allow for easy removal of finished materials are beneficial in the long run. Also keep in mind that even if you’re not a gardener, you might still benefit from composting. It’s a hugely educational process for kids, and good compost you can’t use on your landscaping will be (gratefully) accepted by local community gardens.
HIGH SOIL TOLERANCE:
Vermiculture, i.e., composting with worms, is your best bet. Worm composting is easier than most people imagine (no, the worms, do not escape from their bins). Plus, worms take care of the work for you buy breaking down the materials rather quickly. Instead of turning the entire pile with a pitchfork or shovel, worms move all around the bin to ensure that all food that you placed in the bin has been consumed. Once you establish bedding made of coir, newspaper, or cardboard, the worms will take a few days to establish themselves in their new home. After they’re comfortable in their new environment, you can start (slowly at first) feeding them food scraps. In a few days, you should have some beautiful worm castings (a.k.a. garden gold) ready for harvesting. To harvest the castings without taking all of your worms with you, move all of the castings over to one side of your bin and fill the other side with a fresh batch of moistened, shredded newspaper and cardboard. The worms will naturally migrate over, leaving the fresh compost ready and worm-free for harvesting.
- Accounting Manager
Plants That Help Purify & Clean the Air
Plants that clean the air
Cleaning your home with cleaning solutions, painting your walls, or installing new carpets or building materials can release chemicals that pollute the air. Whether you live in a newer house, or an older house, it’s more than likely that your comfy home is harboring unhealthy toxins that are invisible to the eye. NASA scientists have discovered ways to keep their air clean while in space, and this logic applies to all enclosed indoor living spaces. NASA calls this the “Nature’s Life Support System” – their solution was an easy one that anyone can use, and that’s using indoor plants!
Three major toxins found in households are:
1) Formaldehyde, which are in carpets, upholstery, glues, paints, and more.
2) Benzene – this is found in plastics, synthetic fibers, lubricants, rubber, pesticides, & more.
3)Trichloroethylene is found in paint removers, rug cleaning solutions, adhesives, and more.
Living & working in environments with stagnant air filled with contaminants can cause something called The Sick Building Syndrome, especially when there is lack of ventilation. This syndrome can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, eye, ear & throat irritation, difficulty of concentration, cold – flu like symptoms and dry cough.
We spend about 90% of our times indoors – it’s important to breathe clean, healthy air since we spend so much time in our living spaces. Our furniture, upholstery, cleaning products, and building materials in homes and offices can release toxic compounds like the ones listed above. Indoor air pollution can also be caused by pollens, bacteria, and molds caused by outdoor contaminants. Poorly ventilated spaces make these situations worse.
Household plants have been shown to reduce the amount of pollutants in the air by absorbing some of the particles from the air at the same time they take in carbon dioxide. Microorganisms associated with the plants in potting soils are also responsible for the natural cleaning effect.
Have no fear! Many indoor plants are easy to take care of, regardless of your black thumb. Look below to the list of plants that you can get started on placing inside your home for fresh, (breathe with me-AHHHH) clean air! For the best results, it’s recommended to put at least two plants in every room. Be sure not to over water, as this can lead to mold growth due to too much soil moisture - You want to aid the problem, not contribute!
1. The Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
In the 80’s, NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America discovered that peace lilies absorb all three of the toxins listed above (benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene), plus more. Make sure you keep the foliage dust free to maximize the plant’s air cleaning potential. It also has a lovely perk of blooming fragrant flowers throughout the summer.
How to care: Grows best in shady areas Keep soil slightly moist and feed monthly during spring and summer with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer.
What It Eliminates: formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, ammonia, and more.
2. Dracaena
These come in more than 40 varieties making it ideal to find one that suits your home of office space. They exhibit long, wide leaves that often feature lines of white, red, or cream colors. Keep in mind that these aren’t ideal for pet owners, these are toxic to dogs and cats.
What It Eliminates: Benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene.
3. Ficus/Weeping Fig
This plant can grow up to between two and ten feet tall, make this a perfect corner house plant! What’s awesome about this plant as well, as that it can be transported to the outside in the late spring, and brought back indoors when the temperatures are warm and above freezing.
How To Care: Grow it in bright, indirect light and allow soil to dry out between waterings.
What It Eliminates: Formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene.
4. Boston Fern
Boston Ferns are easy to grow but do need a lot of moisture. They are equipped with many leaves and are perfect for potted or hanging pots that are capable of catching its own water.
How To Care: Keep this plant in an area that is in a cool location with high humidity and indirect light. It needs to stay moist to stay alive.
What It Eliminates: Formaldehyde & xylene
5. Aloe Vera
Aloe is easy to take care of as well as a beneficial health aid. The leaves contain a clear liquid that works great on sunburns or wounds, and are packed full of vitamins and amino acids that aid in anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
How To Care: These need a good drainage system as they do not survive in standing water.
What It Eliminates: formaldehyde
6. Bamboo & Bamboo Palm
These are so easy to grow and are fun to watch grow! Bamboo is one of the fasted growing plants shooting to four to 12 feet high. This is due to how man air can be filtered through.
How To Care: Bamboo needs full sun or bright light to thrive well. Don’t place it in direct sunlight. Keep the soil moist. To deter spider mites, place the plant where air circulates freely.
What It Eliminates: Formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, carbon monoxide, chloroform.
7.Snake Plant
TAKE NOTE BLACK THUMBS! This is one of the hardest house plants to kill.
How To Care: Water occasionally. This plant prefers drier conditions and some sun
What It Eliminates: Formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene
8. Golden Pothos
These are considered one of the most effective indoor air purifiers in the world. These look best in hanging pots or baskets.
How To Care: Avoid direct sunlight and water when the soil becomes dry to the touch. Feed monthly with a liquid plant food if desired. Trim back the leaves and tendrils when the plant becomes too large for your liking.
What It Eliminates: Formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene, carbon monoxide
9. English Ivy
These also look best in hanging pots or baskets and are ideal for low light situations. English Ivy is great for removing allergens such as mold.
How To Care: There are a few varieties of English Ivy, green leaved will grow in bright indirect light and low light areas. Pale varieties need bright, indirect light. Water well and keep soil moist but not over-flooded through the winter months.
What It Eliminates: Formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, carbon monoxide.
10. Areca Palm
This is a beautiful plant with arching leaves. According to NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, this plant is the most sufficient at purifying the air and is an excellent air humidifier.
How To Care: Grow in bright light with shade from the heat. Give lots of water, but reduce the watering in the winter months.
What It Eliminates: benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene
Visit our website for Ecofriendly Tools & Gadgets to help you live a greener and healthier lifestyle
- Gabriella De Luca
10 Questions To Help You Declutter
10 Questions to Help You Declutter & Live Smart
Great for Spring & Winter Cleaning
Feeling blue in your own living space? How about a little overwhelmed or an over active mind. Relax, stop, and look around you. You may be able to fix your fuzzy mind by decluttering your space. Having a decluttered, organized space, can help relieve tension and even declutter your mind.
Ask yourself these questions when trying to declutter. This process works best if you start in one area of your home, or in one bedroom. Sometimes it’s hard to get rid of items – especially if you’ve had them for quite some time, however, asking yourself the below questions can help you realize what items are worth keeping, and items that are worth tossing out or donating.
Donating items that you don’t use anymore helps you, and a fellow person in need. Donate to your local Goodwill center, or Salvation Army.
Ask yourself these questions and see how much you can declutter! You might find yourself feeling a little less decluttered as well – it’s a win – win!
1. How Often Do I Use This Item? - If you answer this question with the response of "hardly never" or "once every few years". Maybe it's time to donate it or see if a friend or family member needs it.
2. Am I Keeping This Item Because I Think I Will Use It One Day? - If the answer is "Yes", really think to yourself, what would you use it for, how often would you use it? Chances are, it's an item that you can most likely donate since you may not have the space, or time to use it.
3. Do I Have A Similar Item That Serves The Same Purpose? - If you have multiple items that serve the same purpose, or do the same thing, choose which is your favorite, or which one works best, and decide from there. A friend or family member would probably be super excited to get a hand me down from you!
4. Is This Something I Thought About Before I Found It? - If you answered "no" - toss or donate it. It was outta site, outta mind anyways. If you answered "yes" - keep it in a place that you can easily see, and ask yourself these questions later down the line to see if you really need the item!
5. If I Were Shopping Right Now, Would I Buy This Item? - If this is an item you would buy again, you should keep it. If it seems like a frivolous extra, you most likely don't need it. Things are nice, but clean space can be better than nice.
6. Am I Keeping This For Sentimental Value? - If you discover you keep most items for sentimental value, possibly stick them in a keepsake box if small enough, or ask yourself if the memory is worth keeping. If it's from an ex, toss it out - clutter from exes can clutter your new relationships.
7. Am I Holding Onto This Damaged Item In Hopes To Fix It One Day? - Be realistic with this one. Do you have the time, the tools, and the skill set to fix this item? If you don't, you should toss it. Broken items take up a lot of space. And having a collection of them can be a downer on oneself because it's a constant reminder that you STILL haven't fixed it yet. It's okay to throw broken items out! If you really want to re-purpose or fix it - consult websites like Pinterest and see what things you can do with the item. Again, if you won't have the time, the tools, or the money to fix it, it's better to toss.
8. Will I Realistically Use This Item? - Are you really going to use this item within the next few days? How about the next month? Next 6 Months? Evaluate the item's realistic ability and go from there. If it's something that has potential, but you never got around to utilizing - go ahead and donate it to make someone else's day.
9. Could I Use The Space For Something Else? - AH, it seems everyone wants more space, don't they? If it's an item that takes up a lot of space, and is hardly ever used, donate it. You can utilize the space for something that's really necessary or just have a clear space for the ultimate decluttered clean area! Less can be more - this is something to remember.
10. Am I Keeping This Because I Feel Like I Would Be Wasting Money If I Threw It Out? - This is the one I tend to ask myself the most. Living on a budget can be hard, and if you look at your items as money, this is difficult. Something to remember, money comes and goes, and money is made to be spent. If you really feel like it's worth a lot, sell it on eBay, or craigslist - people search on those sites all day for items that they need or want. If you find yourself with a lot of items - host a garage sale, or get together with a friend or family member and host a garage sale together.
Donating items can be very rewarding, you are helping someone else out while straightening up your own living space. If you have items you don't want to donate, consult a friend or family member to see if they want a hand-me-down, OR host a garage sale.
It's always a great question to ask "Will this item be better in someone else's hands?" - This selfless question can aid to decluttering as well.
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