Sustainability: business, life, environment

Summer is here! Spice it up eco style to add the eco sizzle in your summer activities. Individuals aiming to become more sustainable in their personal life have a variety of eco actions at their disposal.  As mentioned in our eco friendly consulting, start with the sustainability concepts are you most familiar.  Areas of energy efficiency, waste management, or local and fair trade are familiar topics.  You may want to apply sustainability concepts more specific to the summer months.  Looking for ideas?  Try these on! 
 
Planning a party? Be an Eco Host!
•    Kick your party off before it even starts with eco awareness in your party planning.   Pingg is an event management site that not only allows you to create customized invitations, but it also offers options to send them via text, face book, email, and more.  Another option is to use Evite.  Both are great ways to integrate the sustainability concept of paperless  into your party planning.
•    Do you need to mow the lawn to make your yard look beautiful? Check out 12 Steps to Eco Friendly lawn care.
•    When entertaining your guests, use glassware. If that's not an option, extend eco awareness into your party by using compostable plates and utensils.
•    Set up convenient recycling bins for glass and paper and serve organic and locally grown food.
•    When it's time to clean up, remember to use biodegradable plastic trash bags and cleaners with eco awareness.
 
Organic garden - Organic gardening leads to better health in three main ways:
•    When you garden organically, you greatly reduce your exposure to pesticides, which have been linked to many severe health problems.
•    Organically-grown food is more nutritious than food grown using conventional methods.
•    Organic gardeners tend to use “muscle-power” rather than “machine-power” for gardening tasks.
 
Green Home Makeover - Transform your home into an eco haven.  Express your unique style and with eco awareness.  Following are resources offered in our eco friendly consulting classes to help you on your way: 
•    Decorate the Eco Friendly Way
•    Eco Friendly Painting: A Breath of Fresh Air
•    Top 10 Plants to Reduce Stress, Cut Toxins, and Live Green
•    Splish Splash: 20 Ways to Green your Bathroom
•    Transform your Home Office to a Green Office
•    Clean Green
 
Go Local and buy food locally. Farmers markets are great places to shop. Websites like Local Harvest can help you find one in your area.
 
Fun Activities for Kids Go Outside: spend more time at nature-friendly destinations, like state parks and beaches.
 •    Do Crafts with Reusable Household Items: sustainability is a kid-friendly concept so teach them about recycling by using disposable materials to create something beautiful and new.
•    Show Them Life in Action: the more kids see, touch, and experience, the more they respect life in all its forms.  Create projects around the house to make nature part of your daily living: bird houses, bird feeders, lady bug houses.
•    Tune Into Green TV: on those rainy days when the kids can’t get outside, tune the TV to “Animal Planet” or "Discovery Planet" and allow your kids to soak up the eco awareness.
•    Celebrate Nature with a Summer Party: incorporate green activities into your summer parties and season ending party by acknowledge all the great activities and things your children have learned.
 
Green Your Cook Out - According to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, over half of all Americans will be on patios enjoying meals from backyard grills this Memorial Day weekend.  While the affect of a small grill may seem small, the cumulative impacts of the millions simultaneous burns around the country can add up.  So why not add a little ‘green’ to your party this year?
•    Cleaner burning propane or electric grills are preferable over charcoal fired grills, which contribute more to poor air quality.
•    For those who do use charcoal, consider lump brands bag.  These are made from real hardwood firewood chunks which have been charred and do not contain chemical binders or igniting agents. 
•     Switch from lighter fluid, which releases smog-forming VOCs, to a chimney starter.
 
Eco friendly car washing - wash your car the eco friendly way
•    Consider switching to a waterless car wash.
•    Wash on gravel, grass, or another permeable surface.
•    Use a water-saving hose nozzle.  Select a nozzle with an automatic shut-off valve so that water is not continuing to flow as you wash.
•    Select the right soap. Choose a biodegradable soap that is chlorine- and phosphate-free. Phosphates encourage algae bloom when they enter water and reduce oxygen levels for other aquatic species.
•    Opt for reusable towels.  Swap paper towels for re-usable microfiber towels.

Green your personal care.  With so many eco friendly personal care products now available, there's also a variance in the degrees of how "clean" they are.   Our eco friendly training directs questions pertaining to safe ingredients in skin care to Skin Deep.  Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group.   For distinctions on natural, organic, and biodynamic, check out the post from EcoSalon: How to Buy Organic and Natural Makeup Before Your Head Explodes.  
 
Happy eco summer to you!