sustainability Archives - Page 4 of 6

How to Buy Eco-Friendly Laminate Flooring

You may be asking: "Is laminate flooring eco-friendly?" If you know what to look for, then the answer is - yes!

How did someone who once declared they would NEVER install laminate flooring find themselves in a flooring store, barefoot and walking on half a dozen laminate samples? Because laminate flooring has evolved a lot in the last few years. And truthfully, so have I.

I’ll admit, my initial change of heart had to do with the cost factor. Of course I’d love to buy a sustainably sourced hardwood for Our House in Trees. But, simply put, we can’t afford it. So I began to research green laminate flooring, myself wondering: “Is laminate flooring eco-friendly?” The answer? It can be!

3 Easy Steps to a Clean and Healthy Home

Whether you want to protect your family from chemicals or to do your part greening our planet - these are both great reasons to create a healthy home!

If you’re like me, your home is your sanctuary. And depending on what mood I’m in or the amount of chaos going on in my life, I can be a bit of a hermit. Which is why having a clean and healthy home is one of my top priorities in life. (It has nothing to do with my control freak tendencies. Nope. Not at all.)

Whether you want your home to be a happy haven from the outside world, you want to protect your family from harmful chemicals and materials, or you want to do your part greening our planet – these are all great reasons to follow the below three healthy home tips!

Can You Afford an Eco-Friendly Home? Yes!

Now more than ever – it’s easy to be green. Companies are putting out more eco-friendly products. Businesses are turning to eco-friendly practices. Governments are bringing about change through incentive programs and new laws. However, for an individual or a family it can still feel pretty overwhelming. This becomes even more true when coupled with an already overwhelming situation like building a new home. So it’s understandable the first question someone asks when considering a green build is – can I afford it?

The answer is – yes!

How to Stage Your Home for Sale the Eco-Friendly Way

Tips for staging your home for sale - with an eco-friendly slant. Readying your home for sale can be stressful. This handy list will simplify the process!

With the build of Our House in the Trees just around the corner (yikes!), we’ve begun readying our current home for sale (yikes again!). Getting your home ready to sell can feel very overwhelming, but there’s one thing I find that always helps in a situation like this – and that thing is a list.

So I’ve put together some tips on how to stage your home for sale. Even if you feel you have a pretty neat and tidy home (like I used to… before I had kids) there are still a few things you can do to make it more enticing to buyers.

And, since a post on this blog wouldn’t be complete without an eco-friendly slant, each of these tips for staging your home is accompanied with a Green Tip.

Hope these home staging tips and tricks help you out!

5 Simple and Unusual Uses for Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil essential oil has long been used to treat acne, cure infections and soothe bug bites. But did you know it can also be used to clean glasses?

If you aren’t already into essential oils, then I highly recommend giving them a try. Essential oils are all natural and thus so much more earth (and health!) friendly than other scented products. They can replace air deodorizers, cleaning supplies, medicinal supplies and more.

I think everyone who uses essential oils has a favourite – and mine is tea tree oil (melaleuca alternifolia). Tea tree oil essential oil has such a clean, fresh smell reminiscent of tree bark and dirt and rain. Maybe others would describe it differently, but it smells like nature to me. And when I wash my face with my tea tree oil soap and breathe in the scent of the earthy suds… oh man. Heaven. In my nostrils.

There are a ton of online resources listing things you can do with tea tree oil. Make cleaning supplies, treat acne, cure infections, soothe bug bites… But instead of reiterating those, I wanted to share a few more unusual tea tree essential oil uses. Most of these uses I just stumbled upon and did no research before trying. But they worked wonders for me! Maybe they will for you too?

Eco-Friendly Craft Supplies for Kids

Craft supplies for kids are usually non-toxic, but that doesn't mean they're earth-friendly. Here are few non-toxic AND eco-friendly craft supplies.

Ever since my eldest daughter could hold a crayon (without eating it), she’s been a crafter. Colouring, stickering, cutting, glueing – she does it all and loves it all. So, of course I’m always on the hunt for the most eco-friendly craft supplies I can find. You’d think it would be easy – after all, most kid’s craft supplies are non-toxic. But just because something is non-toxic to humans doesn’t mean it’s environmentally friendly. I’ve rounded up a few of the greenest craft supplies I could find. All of these products are made from natural materials or recycled content or both!

Let the crafting begin!

5 Harmful Products to Stop Buying Right Now

These five unsustainable products are harmful to both humans and the environment and aren't even necessary when there are so many awesome alternatives.

We can all do with a little less stuff, am I right? So, this year, one of my resolutions is to stop buying unsustainable products. These five common items are harmful to both humans and the environment and aren’t even necessary when awesome alternatives are readily available. These days, there are so many environmentally sustainable products and methods out there, ranging from those used by our grandparents (cleaning with vinegar!) to those we can thank new advancements in technology for (period panties… for real!).

Here are five harmful, unsustainable products I’m not going to buy this year. Join me in the boycott!

5 Ways to Green the Holidays Without Being a Grinch

Make this year a green Christmas by reusing, recycling and, most importantly, reducing. Here are five ways to do just that!

I hate throwing things away. Many times I’ve caught myself hovering an item over the trash. An item most wouldn’t hesitate to call “garbage,” but that I can’t seem to let go. “Can it be reused? Recycled? Made into a hat?” (I’m convinced that all garbage can somehow be made into a hat.) I’ve been known to rant for tens of minutes about what is and isn’t allowed in our blue bag. “What do you mean you can’t recycle pickle jars? What – I’m just supposed to throw them out?”

For me, no time of the year is this more painful than at Christmas. The wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, the live Christmas trees, the tinsel, the plastic and cardboard packaging on gifts, the leftovers we meant to eat, but then we just couldn’t stomach mashed potatoes for another day. (Okay, maybe I’m reaching here because, really, who throws out mashed potatoes?) Of course, these things come from a well-meaning place – and only grinches bemoan presents, decorations and feasts, right?

Amazon Whole Foods Market + 9 of the Most Sustainable Foods

Amazon and Whole Foods recently announced a partnership that includes the increased availability of products - including some of the most sustainable foods.

Amazon and health food supermarket Whole Foods recently announced a partnership that includes the lowering of prices in-store and increased availability of products through Amazon itself. Since there are no Whole Foods Market stores in the province where I live – I don’t have any personal experience with the grocery chain, but I do have experience with Amazon as far as ordering items such as books, movies and so on.

Of course, being someone who is into sustainable eating – meaning buying foods produced in environmentally conscious and ethical ways, including shopping locally – my initial reaction to purchasing food items from Amazon is mixed. On one hand, taking your business to the online giant means taking it away from those who live in your community and adding to carbon emissions because of the extra transportation. On the other hand, healthier foods made available at the touch of a button – and at a reduced price to boot – makes sustainable eating more accessible.