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A Year Ago at Green Your ApartmentA Year Ago at Green Your Apartment 2008 Fourth "Tips for Green Living" Carnival The fourth Tips for Green Living blog carnival.

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15th Carnival for Green Living15th Carnival for Green Living Welcome to the fifteenth edition of Tips for Green Living! We have so many good submissions, so let’s get started!. dining & entertaining Sam over at Best Cheap Weddings shares some...

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A Year Ago at Green Your ApartmentA Year Ago at Green Your Apartment 2008 Back to Basics: Recycle The final post in a series of three on the basic principles of green living.

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A Year Ago at Green Your ApartmentA Year Ago at Green Your Apartment 2008 Call to Action Will you help save the earth with only one hour of your time? www.EarthHour.org Back to Basics: Reduce The first in a series of three posts on the basic principles of green living. Back...

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What are Parabens, Exactly?What are Parabens, Exactly? Labeled as one of the new culprit for many a-modern defect is a group of preservatives called parabens. You may have seen the Breast Cancer Fund site's rundown of them or just saw a lotion bottle on the...

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15th Carnival for Green Living

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 08-03-2010

Category : Dining & Entertaining, Featured, For the Greenhorns, Health & Beauty, In the News, Living Spaces, Patio & Garden

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Welcome to the fifteenth edition of Tips for Green Living! We have so many good submissions, so let’s get started!.

dining & entertaining

Sam over at Best Cheap Weddings shares some ways to save cash and the planet with the post Best Cheap Green Weddings. Romance and Memories on a Green Budget. I am all for the “recycled” estate diamond ring! (Remember that, Mr. Green Your Apartment!)

MyMaria makes the case that “consistent menu planning means my family wastes less food, eats at home much more often and saves both money and gas in the process.” Sold! Check out the post weekly menu planning over at Menu Planning.

for the greenhorns

Some of us are on the computer so much that we forget how much energy it can consume. So Richard Adams reminds us, giving us 9 Ways To Make Your Computer Use More Eco Friendly posted at Eco Living Advice. Loved this so much, you’ve just been added to my RSS reader.

health & beauty

How I adore my certified tree-huggers, the do-it-yourselfers. Eugene Smith represents well with the How To Make Your Own Laundry Soap At Home posted at How to Make You Own Soap.

Girls, you know how much we love the jewelry. Well Heather Levin points us in the right direction by explaining What to Look For When Buying Fair Trade Jewelry posted at Earthdivas’s Blog.

New to our little carnival is paystolivegreen who gives us some eco-beauty Toothbrush Tips posted at Pays to Live Green. (I use Preserve, myself!)

June Tree is back with a Guide To Commuter Bikes: Bicycle Commuting Saves Money and The Environment over at (be still my heart!) The Digerati Life.

in the news

Oh Mrs. Obama, never has a garden been s controversial. Rich Maltzman, PMP asks Will ‘Bloom Boxes’ Bloom next to Michelle Obama’s Organic Garden? posted at Earth PM.

TSW talks eco-luxury with Tesla Electric Car For Fuel Efficiency: Would You Buy It? at The Smarter Wallet. To answer your question: out of my price range, hun! Still pretty though.

MrsMoney presents Is Climate Change a Hoax? posted at The Ultimate Money Blog. While this is a great post, I absolutely adore the comic that opens it. I’m laughing my butt off!

living spaces

Sandra Lopez has spoken to my soul – my bibliophiliac soul. Her post, 80 Awesome Ideas for All Your Old or Unwanted Books posted at Online Colleges.net, has inspired me to *gulp* minimize my library. I have a copy of The Film Encyclopedia that is just begging to be used as a block in my new AM yoga routine! But I could never imagine using a book as cat litter. :-(

Case Ernsting discusses eco-friendly wood options in Go Green, Keep the Wood over at Home and Decor.

Julia Ritzenthaler presents Eco Friendly Furniture posted at Bathroom Vanity, Decorative Mirrors & Light Fixtures.

patio & garden

Renee Benzaim presents Guide to Compost Making – Compost Bins, Compost Tumblers, and Compost Crocks posted at Compost Tumblers & Compost Making. She comments, “Compost tumblers, compost bins, compost crocks, and open piles are all methods of compost making. Which is the best for you? If you are limited on space, a compact ‘backporch’ compost tumbler is your best bet.” Is it a good choice for your apartment?

Jamie McIntosh discusses how to Control Pests on Houseplants posted at Jamie’s Organic Garden Blog. It has been a hard winter, hasn’t it? But spring is almost here!

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Well, my dear Internet, that concludes this edition of Tips for Green Living. Thank you all for your excellent submissions and I hope you found some useful info in this carnival. You can find a new edition posted every second and fourth Monday here at Green Your Apartment. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Tips for Green Living using our carnival submission form.

Go green and live well!

________________

Tips for Green Living logo image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What are Parabens, Exactly?

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 02-03-2010

Category : Featured, Health & Beauty

Tags: , , ,

Labeled as one of the new culprit for many a-modern defect is a group of preservatives called parabens. You may have seen the Breast Cancer Fund site’s rundown of them or just saw a lotion bottle on the shelf at the store proudly and boldly proclaiming the product “Paraben-free”.

So what the heck are parabens, exactly?

Parabens are antibacterial and antifungal agents used as preservatives in foods and pharmaceuticals (thank you Merriam-Webster.com). They are pretty ubiquitous in modern life, found in everything from tanning lotions to toothpaste and are even used as food additives.

What’s the problem?

Good question. Parabens have similar chemical structures to some of our own hormones, mostly estrogen. While some naturally occur in various plants like blueberries, it is their “esters” or alcohol-derived forms that are more potent “pseudo-estrogen”. A certain amount of estrogen is the body is clearly a good thing though healthy levels are dependent upon sex, age, and individual. However, constantly slathering oneself with lotions containing 0.01-0.3% with up to or consuming a “pseudo-estrogen” in their food can raise those levels and cause problems. Breast cancer, for example, is encouraged by high levels of estrogen. In fact, they have found parabens in breast cancer cells which led to the early 2000s email declaring everyone should swear off antiperspirants.

But does this mean parabens cause breast cancer?

Not quite, which is why the jury is still out. The FDA’s website says:

A study published in 2004 (Darbre, in the Journal of Applied Toxicology) detected parabens in breast tumors. The study also discussed this information in the context of the weak estrogen-like properties of parabens and the influence of estrogen on breast cancer. However, the study left several questions unanswered. For example, the study did not show that parabens cause cancer, or that they are harmful in any way, and the study did not look at possible paraben levels in normal tissue.

So this is a cause versus correlation issue. Do the parabens cause cancer? Or are parabens and cancer co-related through some other factor?

The answer: We don’t know.

Should I avoid parabens?

The FDA’s verdict: No.

The EPA’s verdict: Maybe.

Green Your Apartment’s verdict: Would you eat it?

Up to 70% of what you put on your skin can be absorbed into your dermis and blood stream. That ratio is more efficient than even consumption – that’s why we have a birth control patch and a nicotine patch.

So I ask again, would you eat your face cream? Your shampoo? Aside from the fact it may not taste so good, would you be more worried about poisoning or allergic reactions?

I believe you have your answer.

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Image courtesy of djcodrin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fourteenth Carnival for Green Living

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 15-02-2010

Category : Dining & Entertaining, Featured, For the Greenhorns, Health & Beauty, In the News, Living Spaces, Patio & Garden

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Welcome to the fourteenth edition of Tips for Green Living! We have so many good submissions, so let’s get started!

dining & entertaining

Surbhi Bhatia talks about how to Dispose Mind Waste, Not Food posted at The Viewspaper.

for the greenhorns

You more East Coasters – winter has been pretty harsh for you this year. So Guffly shares How to Stay Warm This Winter the Eco-Friendly Way posted at Guffly.

Gracyqueen presents 50 Big Ways that Schools Are Going Green posted at Associate Degree – Facts and Information.

Luke Spencer wants to demystify your electric bill and the Kilowatt hour in Kilowatt Hours and Your Electric Bill over at That old house.

Suzane Smith presents 56 Healthy & Natural hacks you should be using in the Kitchen at MRI Technician Schools.

health & beauty

savvybrown wants you to Clean your dishes with Kool-Aid. Yeah, Kool-Aid. It’s actually a green option over at savvy brown.

Suzane Smith presents 100 Healthy Remedies That Are Right In Your Home posted at Pharmacy Technician Certification.

Eugene Smith writes about gentle alternatives to commercial soaps with the post How To Make Natural Homemade Soap, at (surprise, surprise) How to Make You Own Soap.

in the news

Thinking about getting into that new and growing green job sector? You better study up on what the tech actually is. GreenJobsGuru explains the Solar Energy Facts at Green Jobs Ready.

Did you miss “Word Wetlands Day” on February 2nd? Yeah, me too. But Morgan Schwartz brings us up to date with Nebraska’s Wetlands posted at Nature Boy on Omaha.

Who hasn’t been thinking about Haiti? Well, Katy Unitek returns to tell us about Sol: A light in the darkness of Haiti posted at Boots On The Roof. Thanks Katy for yet another interesting post!

marjorie talks about food and the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign in the post Let’s Get a Move! at Green Thinking Blog. Um, I thought this was a green blog carnival? Ah, but it is… what is more green than fresh fruits and veggies and prepared foods with less preservatives? Now you get the picture!

living spaces

Now here’s a post that took me by surprise. Vera Lang tells us about Back to School: Make a Dorm Bean Bag – Free Video Tutorials at Fine Craft Guild .com. In her own words: “Bean bags are ‘always in’, and according to the free tutorial with videos here, can be made with 100% recyclables. The sky is the limit, but in a bean bag you get to lay low and … relax. Pick a neutral cover and it’ll be a welcome addition to any room.” Who knew?!

savvybrown gives us another post, this time proclaiming I ♥ Dryer Balls over at savvy brown. Apparently these little guys eliminate the need for dryer sheets and fabric softener, which are both not eco-friendly. I’ll have to try these!

Beverly Saltonstall tells us about Six Home Air Misconceptions posted at A Green Lady Blog. I love this topic as it is not discussed as much as it needs to be. In fact, I wrote about in the post Breathe Deeply with the Indoor Air Pollution. Thank you Beverly!

Angela Martin presents Teaching Green: 100 Tips, Toools & Resources for Every Kind of Classroom posted at Online Degree Programs.org: Top Online Degrees. Mr. Green Apartment is working on becoming a high school teacher, so this will definitely be passed along!

For you dorm-dwellers, Angela Martin also offers up 101 Ways to Go Green In Your Dorm Room posted at Online Degree Programs.org: Top Online Degrees.

patio & garden

Renee Benzaim gives us some Tools & Tips for Compost Making at Compost Tumblers & Compost Making. If you have enough room in your small yard, garden, or patio, then you better pay attention to this!

Have some room? NHE presents How To Grow Blueberries In Your Home Garden posted at Natural Health Ezine. Now who wouldn’t love some fresh blueberries for a smoothie or in your morning oatmeal? Yum! But I wonder how they fare in container gardening…

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Well, my dear Internet, that concludes this edition of Tips for Green Living. Thank you all for your excellent submissions and I hope you found some useful info in this carnival. You can find a new edition posted every second and fourth Monday here at Green Your Apartment. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Tips for Green Living using our carnival submission form.

Go green and live well!

________________

Tips for Green Living logo image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

January’s Green Experiment: Line drying, Part 3

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 28-01-2010

Category : Headline, Health & Beauty, Living Spaces

Tags: , ,

So did the benefits add up? Was all the effort of line drying worth it?

Meh.

First of all, after being ill last week and laundry piling up despite my new laundry schedule, I cheated.

Yes, O Internet, I cheated. I so cheated! I used the dryer not for one load but for six loads of laundry. I just couldn’t handle a day or two of line drying the clothes taking over my living space, especially since I had six loads of laundry to dry. I just couldn’t do it again! And while those set-ups to line dry clothing are nice, I’m currently in getting-out-0f-debt mode, which means every spare dollar is headed toward that.

Is it possible?

Yes. Easily done for an apartment-dweller? Well, not so much. Like I said before, it must be a planned effort to not interfere with living spaces and the rest of your routine.

Is it worth it?

If you can manage, then definitely – the sure positives of this experiment where the laundromat savings and the energy savings.

The bottom line

Only do this if you have the time and can coordinate line drying your clothes to not interfere with your life. Otherwise, only wash what is truly dirty and use the dryer only when necessary.

Image courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn.

Thirteenth Carnival for Green Living

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 28-01-2010

Category : Dining & Entertaining, Featured, For the Greenhorns, Health & Beauty, Living Spaces, Patio & Garden

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Late? Yes. Unfortunately, allergies have been running amok with all this rain at the Green Apartment so last week was awful and this week was catch-up. Oh the joy!

But, I do have a fabulous carnival for you!

dining & entertaining

Mrs. Green presents Price vs principles – 6 tips for eating organic on a budget posted at Little Green Blog. It’s funny, I already implement a lot of these tips but I just can’t find a co-op we’d really benefit from yet. Ideas?

Mrs. Green also gives us another post, 11 reuse ideas for coffee grounds posted at MY ZERO WASTE. Make my hair smell like coffee? You may be my green soul mate, Mrs. Green!

Pumpkin lasagna? Yeah, she said it! Kathy Hester, a.k.a. GeekyPoet, gives us the recipe for a Slow Cooker Protein Packed Pumpkin Lasagna posted at Healthy Slow Cooking. Wow!

for the greenhorns

Need some educating? Sandra Lopez can help! Her 100 Amazing Lectures to Follow the Future of Energy is posted at Online Degree Programs.org. My bookmarks just got so much bigger!

Now who doesn’t want to save money on gasoline? Yeah, I thought so and so does The Smarter Wallet. The post Save Money On Gas With These 10 Tips posted at The Smarter Wallet tells you how! Makes me think I really should clear out the trunk of my car.

Here at Green Your Apartment, we like a bit of shock and awe every now and then. This time, Emily Moser over at Online Nurse Practitioner Schools tells us about 20 Weird Allergies That Actually Exist just after allergies attacked our apartment all last week. But allergic to water? Oh yes, people, it can be that crazy. Green? Not so much but fascinating nonetheless.

Looks like Katy Unitek is back with her inspirational post The Dream of a Child Changes a Community posted at Boots On The Roof. Amazing what some tenacity can do!

Stuff With A Purpose, a newbie to our carnival, introduces us to the Reu$e And Save Series: Plastic Bags posted at Stuff With A Purpose. This is the very reason you need to become a bag-person!

health & beauty

Ambitious much? Emily Moser is! She discusses the Top 25 Soap Making Resources Online posted at Becoming A Radiologist.

living spaces

Ah, to cook and clean. paystolivegreen talks about Being Green in the Kitchen over at Pays to Live Green. All great stuff, especially about reducing waste.

I’m going to be honest – it is a rare instance for me to find a green tip or reuse suggestion that I haven’t thought of or read about before. But Annette Berlin shows me up in this terribly clever post, 12 Crafty Ways To Reuse Phone Books posted at Craft Stew. Amusing and helpful!

To me, clutter is the antithesis of a green life. June Tree agrees in her post Cash In On Clutter over at The Digerati Life. Fabulous! (By the way, I <3 your blog!)

patio & garden

Have a pet and feel guilty about their droppings? Have no fear, Renee Benzaim is here! She explains What is a Worm Compost? posted at Compost Tumblers & Compost Making noting that “worm composting … is good for small spaces and also works for animal feces.” So looking into that…

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That concludes this edition of Tips for Green Living. Thank you all for your excellent submissions and I hope you found some useful info in this carnival. You can find a new edition posted every second and fourth Monday here at Green Your Apartment. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Tips for Green Living using our carnival submission form.

Go green and live well!

________________

Tips for Green Living logo image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Year Ago at Green Your Apartment

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 25-01-2010

Category : Health & Beauty, In the News, Living Spaces

Tags: , ,

2008

A Tribute to My Pile of Laundry
How to go green with your laundry.

First “Tips for Green Living” Carnival
The very first round-up of green tips from across the web.

January’s Green Experiment: Line drying, Part 2

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 12-01-2010

Category : Headline, Health & Beauty, Living Spaces

Tags: , , ,

As I’m sitting to write this post, I am surrounded by drying clothing hanging from dining room chairs, my desk, and flung on the back of couch. There are even some hanging from hangers in the closet and the bathroom. From THREE DAYS AGO.

The weekends are usually the craziest days at the GYA household, so instead of being put away when the usual, sane manner, they hung around the house as we rushed in and out of the apartment. However, once I’m finished with this post, it’s off to folding and putting away the end of last week’s laundry.

Let’s hope this week I fare better!

So, our situation thus far:

Pros

  • I saved $6.60 on laundry last week from not using the dryers in our apartment’s on-site laundromat. In a year, that’s a $343.20 savings!
  • Our clothes still seemed soft (I use a biodegradable, plant-derived fabric softener) and the darks dried darker-looking than usual.

Cons

  • Air drying the clothes is taking over my living and dining rooms as well as the closet. Not cool!
  • It does take awhile: the jeans took 12 hours to dry indoors while most of the t-shirts and miscellaneous items took 6.

Solution I’ll Try

  • I’ve been toying with the idea of purchasing this. It boasts “60 feet of drying space in a small space”. I’m thinking this is perfect for me. If I were to get this, I could hide it in this awkward nook in the vanity area of our bathroom which is out of sight enough I wouldn’t be embarrassed when the neighbor drops by but easy enough to use and fold up.

We’ll see how this week goes as I have yet to line dry our sheets and blankets. That ought to be interesting. In the meanwhile, let me know what you think of this set up and any tips you might have in the comments. Thanks!

Headline photo courtesy of Suat Eman.

A Year Ago at Green Your Apartment

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 11-01-2010

Category : For the Greenhorns, Health & Beauty, In the News, Living Spaces

Tags: , , ,

2008

Know What’s in Your Shampoo
Do you know what chemicals you are exposed to through your beauty products?

Bag the Plastic AND the Paper – Go Reusable!
Why “Paper or plastic?” shouldn’t even be a question while in line at the store.

Twelfth Tips for Green Living Carnival

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 11-01-2010

Category : Dining & Entertaining, Featured, Health & Beauty, In the News, Living Spaces

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Welcome to the New Year, oh Internet! We are back and have some great stuff for you to browse.

dining & entertaining

Returning blogger TaraG convinces us with 5 Reasons To Buy Organic Foods over at Go Green Street. Great stuff, TaraG!

Jourdan Henderson gives us ways to Green your morning coffee! posted at Green Justice. I heart coffee and I totally agree with Jourdan’s recommendations.

health & beauty

Jourdan Henderson comes with a second submission, asking us Do you have a fruit tree? posted at Green Justice. Really great idea on putting your excess produce to good use! Thanks Jourdan!

living spaces

Apparently, TaraG was feeling the makeover itch and shows us a Bathroom Make-Over with Recycled Glass Tiles posted at Go Green Street. Despite my aversion to the color, I am seriously impressed with the results. Very cool!

Rebecca Noori presents a great quick run down of Being Green in London featured at Moving to London. Good to know those on the other side of the pond are doing the same things!

Looks like it’s invasion of the Brits here at Green Your Apartment! Mrs. Green tells us how to Dispose of your WEEE responsibly this Christmas posted at MY ZERO WASTE. (WEEE, if you are concerned, stands for unwanted Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment. Hehe.)

In the News

Mrs. Green is on a roll and also offers us The Age Of Stupid review posted at Little Green Blog. I’m so Netflixing that movie! Thanks for the review.

One of my favorite blogs has joined us! Wise Bread discusses What Can Retailers Do With Their Unwanted Merchandise? over at Wisebread. While I adamantly do not agree with the “free rack” idea, donations to charitable institutions or discounted racks (clearance racks anyone?!) would be greatly advisable and beneficial to all involved. If you work in retail, have connections with management, or are just a concerned citizen, take action and let your favorite retailer know what options are available to them!

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That concludes this edition of Tips for Green Living. Thank you all for your excellent submissions and I hope you found some useful info in this carnival. You can find a new edition posted every second and fourth Monday here at Green Your Apartment. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Tips for Green Living using our carnival submission form.

Go green and live well!

________________

Tips for Green Living logo image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sustainable Product of the Week: G-Diapers

Posted by Marie Holzer | Posted on 07-01-2010

Category : Featured, For the Greenhorns, Health & Beauty

Tags: , , , , ,

When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter two years ago, I made my green stance clear that I wanted to do cloth diapering. Little did I know the commotion this would cause. My mother, normally a calm and composed woman, looked at me with panic in her eyes.

“You want to WHAT?”

Immediately she set to discouraging me. “The endless laundry!” she exclaimed. I shrugged it off and said I’d be home with the baby anyway. “But the cost!” I explained I had calculated it out and figured it was actually cheaper, even including the laundry room quarters. Seeing that she was not going to talk her stubborn daughter out of this debacle, she emailed me a link to a website with the simple remark: “Use these instead.”

The link was to gDiapers. We used them religiously up until my husband lost his job and we were living on the kindness and charity of family members.

I love these things! To quote from their site:

For the last 40 years there have been but two choices in diapers. Cloth or disposable. That’s it. Now gDiapers offers a third option. 100% biodegradable*, flushable diapers. gDiapers puts waste where it belongs, in the toilet. Not the landfill.

gDiapers have no elemental chlorine, no perfumes, no smell, no garbage and no guilt. In fact, our gRefills are so gentle on the Earth you can even garden compost the wet ones in one compost cycle, approximately 50 – 150 days. Just think of the standing ovation you’ll get from the planet.

You wash the soft, adorable covers and compost, flush, or toss the soiled inserts. It’s that easy! My daughter loved them and couldn’t pull them off (those brilliant people put the Velcro in the back!) despite all her trying.

I can tell you right now that for the next kid in our household, gDiapers will the only way to go. Convenient and earth-friendly – that’s what I like to hear. Thank you Kimberley and Jason for this great product!

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