PREFABULOUS – an innovative opportunity for green living

The idea of prefabricated housing evokes visions of chunky, unattractive buildings that detract from the aesthetics of the surrounding neighborhood. In some exclusive areas, prefab homes are banned on the pretext that they’ll bring down property values.

But with new technologies and creative effort, the reality is knocking old perceptions out.

The newly released book PREFABULOUS + ALMOST OFF THE GRID: Your Path to Building an Energy-Independent Home by Sheri Koones, features over 30 prefabricated homes that show how they can blend into a neighborhood or proudly stand out as a wonderful architectural star.

Levi’s new Waste:Less jeans incorporate recycled plastic bottles

Well-known jeans maker Levi Strauss has been living up to its promises about becoming a more sustainable company.

Get educated in October for Non-GMO Month

Some of you may not be familiar with the terms GMO or genetically engineered. Yet we unwittingly consume them on a regular basis. Recent research shows they can have negative consequences on our health.

October has been designated Non-GMO Month by the Non-GMO Project, a non-profit group committed to preserving and building resources for non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices.

French honey contaminated by M&M’s

You’re probably read about it and wondered what it looked like. Bees in France have been returning to their hives with suspicious-looking bits of colored material. The result – colorful but contaminated honey.

Finally there’s a picture so we can see what the fuss is all about!

Understandably, the bee hive owners have had trouble getting rid of the contaminated honey. But it definitely is something for the Guinness Book of Records!

Low cost housing – made of recycled plastic

Low cost housing in Mexico is being created out of collected recycled plastic

In the western Mexican state of Jalisco, an enterprising company called Kuadro Ecological Solutions is building houses made of recycled waste plastic.

National School Lunch Week encourages food for kids

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act requires schools to offer more fresh veggies and better nutrition to our kids

In September, the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” went into effect. It requires schools to serve more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and more sources of protein as part of the school lunch program. It also encourages the creation of school gardens, farm-to-school programs, nutrition education and other food-related educational programs.

National Costume Swap Day – a great way to recycle and save

An exciting fun event is just around the corner. National Costume Swap Day^TM is this Saturday.  It’s a great way to save from buying yet another costume and it’s a fun way to recycle and reuse.

Costume swaps mean fewer resources are used to make new costumes, less transportation and less gas is used and there’s less waste from “old” costumes being tossed in the trash. And organizing a costume swap can be fun too. It can be as simple as getting some neighbors together for a swap or organizing a bigger, community-wide event.

For more information, tips and “how-to’s” on how to make this Halloween a green one, or to locate a Costume Swap in your area , check out GreenHalloween.org.

Synthetic additives could be included in “organic” baby food

It’s time to speak up about organic food labels before the NOSB dilutes them even more

According to an article by the Alliance for Natural Health, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) – the division of the USDA that’s responsible for regulating all organic crops and determining what can be called “Certified Organic” -will meet next week to decide several key issues:

• whether to allow eight synthetic substances in organic baby food, primarily in organic infant formula and
• whether to allow genetically engineered vaccines for organic livestock.

Xtrema ceramics cookware offers a greener and more healthy way to cook

I love to cook, and I’m always on the lookout for things that will help me do a better, healthier job of it. I recently came across Xtrema, a durable, ceramic cookware that makes healthy cooking simple.

Xtrema is a highly versatile, good-looking line of cookware. It can be used on stovetops, in microwaves, barbecue grills, even put in the oven to bake. It can also go in the fridge and freezer, be put directly on the table (on a trivet of course) and is dishwasher safe. It can withstand very high temperatures and, unlike traditional nonstick cookware, you can’t scratch it.

To find out more about this durable and energy efficient cookware that helps create healthier meals, check out http://bit.ly/SGPXi8.

Licenders – a natural treatment that works

Head lice are a parasite that effects 12 million kids each year

The word lice strikes fear in the hearts of even the most fearless parent, conjuring up worries of disease and social stigma.

September was National Head Lice Awareness / Prevention Month. With kids so recently back to school, it’s time to examine the facts and effective treatments for this troubling issue. 

Lice aren’t a disease. They’re a parasite affecting over 12 million children each year, mainly kids ages 3 through 11. Lice don’t fly or jump – they crawl. They most frequently occur during summertime, in warm weather. Because kids play closely together, it’s easy for lice to spread – in playgroups, at schools, summer camps, hair salons, slumber parties, clubs, and at playgrounds.  Lice crawl from head to head, seeking a blood meal. 

And kids bring it with them to school.

If schools don’t have a screening for lice the first day, half the school could have it by October, says Adie Horowitz, President of Licenders, a New York-based company that provides screenings, lice treatment and prevention products throughout the New York tri-state area.