We Are Living Green

Monday, July 6, 2009

Upcycling Clothing

This is one way that I have been living "green" this summer. I have made my whole summer wardrobe and recycled sheets into fabric and upcycled older clothing into something new. It has been so much fun and it has been a great learning experience for me and my family. I have made cloth diapers out of unused t-shirts and they are so cute.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Raw Food Diet

This is the healthiest way to go when you are considering a healthy way to lose weight. BELOW ARE A COUPLE OF RAW FOOD ARTICLES.
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Gaining Better Health Through A Raw Food Diet

Chances are that you've probably heard people talk about a raw food diet and how healthy it is for you, but did you ever wonder exactly what it is they're talking about? Perhaps you envisioned raw oysters and beef on your dinner table. That doesn't sound too appealing doesn't?

In fact, a raw food diet is simply eating food in its natural unprocessed state. You probably already are on part of a raw food diet. If you snack on fruits and vegetables without cooking them, then you've eaten raw food.

Raw food, or unprocessed food is much better for you because the act of processing the food strips it of a lot of its vital nutrients. You've probably heard that cooking vegetables can leach out a lot of the vitamins and it can also destroy the important food enzymes as well. Packaged foods, that you find in the grocery store like potato flakes to make mashed potatoes and other foods that have been processed in some way to make an easy package meal not only have little nutritional value, but your body simply isn't made to process these foods.

If you think about raw foods as being the natural foods the way that they come from the earth, then it makes sense that these are easier for our bodies to process as these of the foods are great ancestors ate and there really hasn't been that many generations since grocery stores, and therefore prepackaged foods, were invented.

Raw foods are packed full of vitamins, minerals and food enzymes. These food enzymes are important, although you don't hear a lot about them. One of the things they do is help you digest your food and getting enough enzymes can help your body with the digestion process which takes a lot of energy, and if your body is spending less energy on digestion it will have more energy for you to do the things you like. Did you ever wonder why you feel so tired after you eat a big meal of cooked foods? One of the reasons is because food enzymes are destroyed by cooking, so there are no enzymes to help your body digests that big meal you just ate.

People in a raw food diet eat about 75% of their food as raw and whole foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, sprouts, raw nuts, seaweed and other foods in their natural form.

Raw foods can be prepared in a couple of ways. One of the most popular is juicing. Many people go on a juice fast where all they do is drink the juice of raw organic fruits and vegetables. Even just drinking fresh juice in the morning can give your health a boost.

Another way that people eat raw foods is to use a food dehydrator. This takes all the moisture out of the fruits and vegetables so they can be easily stored for long periods of time without going bad. A food dehydrator uses hot air to dehydrate the food but it keeps the temperature under 116°F so that the vital food enzymes are not destroyed.

Of course, you can simply eat your fruits and vegetables the way nature intended picked straight from the tree. Nuts can be a great raw food that you eat for snacks as well, but be careful because most of the nuts you find in the grocery store are cooked. You need to make sure you get raw nuts which you probably will have to buy either online or from a health food store.

You don't have to all of a sudden start eating 75% of your foods as raw foods in order to enjoy the health benefits of the raw food diet. You can gradually increase the amount of raw foods you eat as time goes on and you will notice how much more energy you have and how healthy you feel. Remember, you are what you eat!

Lee Dobbins writes for Natural Health Buzz where you can learn more about your natural health and find out more about the raw food diet.

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BENEFITS TO THE RAW FOOD DIET

The raw food diet is gaining much attention and press lately. After all, it has strong supporters from high profile celebrities such as actor Woody Harrelson, model Carol Alt, designer Donna Karan, and Chicago-based celebrity chef Charlie Trotter. The raw food diet sure sounds like a healthy diet. But is it only a fad? What are the benefits to the raw food diet?

The raw food diet is one that is about the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed and largely organic foods. This means that foods are not allowed to heated above a certain temperature. What this temperature is depends on the type of raw food diet you are on. Yes, there is more than one to choose from. But typically, maximum temperatures range from 92 degrees farenheit to 118 degrees farenheit.

If you equate raw food to only vegetarian food, then this is not entirely true. For some raw food diets, only vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts are allowed. In others, it can also include fish, meat and unpasteurized dairy products such as raw milk, cheese or yoghurt. This will help ensure that you get much needed protein from other food sources as well.

There are many benefits to the raw food diet. One of the main reasons why people go on a raw food diet is because they believe that raw food can heal or treat several diseases. Raw foods contain live enzymes, thus aiding in digestion. It frees the enzymes of your own body to work on its various metabolic processes. Unfortunately, most enzymes in foods are destroyed through heating when we cook and through processing for preserving them for sale.

Another benefit to the raw food diet can be on your weight. This is simply because raw food usually has fewer calories than other types of food. A raw food diet can help you achieve weight loss as you will have to cut out all junk or processed foods.

Raw foods also contain bacteria and other micro-organisms that are said to be helpful for the balance of your intestinal flora. They can help stimulate your immune system and improve on the digestive process.

Another benefit to the raw food diet is that you can find yourself having loads of energy. This happens because your body can more easily digest and use the fuel from raw foods rather than meats and refined foods. Also, raw foods have higher nutrients than foods that are cooked, since they are not all destroyed via cooking.

However, to be on a raw food diet means that you should refrain from eating even the smallest amount of cooked food. Your body will find it more difficult to process the raw foods, because the acid levels in your stomach will be increased.

You also need to ensure that you take supplements especially if you are on a vegetarian-only raw food diet. Vitamin B12 is one supplement that many vegetarians are deficient in, because it is found in meats and other animal products. It is difficult to get this in raw vegetables and fruits. Some other supplements that are normally needed are zinc and copper, because they are primarily found in meats. Eating seeds and nuts may help you to get some of the vitamins, because they are a very good protein source that can help you to rebuild your tissues and create new ones. Calcium and protein deficiency must also be looked into, with a raw food diet.

You may find that your appetite increases with a raw food diet. You can eat a lot of food and still be hungry and will be tempted to eat more. Although raw foods contain less calories, you may find that you undergo more severe detoxification side effects such as headaches and mild nausea, if your stomach cannot take too much raw foods suddenly and all at one go.

The raw food diet is also not suitable for those who are pregnant, young children, anemic people or those at risk with osteoporosis. Those who go on a raw food diet tend to have lower bone mass.

Also, implementing a raw food diet takes up considerable time, effort and commitment. You need to make many of your foods from scratch. Not all food ingredients are as readily available as the ones catering to a normal diet.

Despite the various criticisms, the raw food diet movement is gaining popularity. The many benefits to the raw food diet is tempting: balanced body weight, clear skin, more energy and less sickness. It is also much easier to find restaurants offering raw food meals in large cities now across the world. A raw food diet is not boring either. There are several cookbooks published with appetizing recipes that you can easily follow if you want to go on this diet.

Sandra Kim Leong is the author for the book Detox Diet Secrets. She also writes about diet fads and food cures for all kinds of diseases. Gain access to her free tips and research here at http://www.food-diet-remedy.com.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Generate Backlinks

I found this great idea to generate back links to your site at the blog of Courtney Tuttle. It is very much like the ViraLink from Andy Coates, except you are able to add anchor text into your link. Jimmy Huen from FoundersCafe came up with this idea.

If you join today you will likely get a nice payoff. I’m betting that this ‘tag matrix’ will fill all the way up.

==========Copy and Paste below this line==========

Instructions:

1.) Copy and paste the matrix of “ViralTags” below courtesy of Founders Cafe.

2.) Substitute the Host Tag and one of the “Viral Tags” in the matrix with your anchor text of choice with your blog’s URL. Please keep anchor text to a max of 3 words to keep the matrix size manageable.

3.) When you get a ping back from someone that has your link in one of their “Viral Tags”, practice good karma by copying his/her Host Tag’s anchor text (automatically the associated link will also be copied) and paste it over one of your “Viral Tags” below.

4.) Encourage and invite your readers to do the same and soon this can grow virally.

Host Tag: We Are Living Green

Important: Once I get a ping back from you, I will add your anchor text and the associated link you designate as “Host Tag” here, replacing one of the “ViralTags” from the matrix above. As more and more bloggers copy and paste this matrix, the more backlinks you will have with your anchor text. If everybody who copy and paste from your blog does the same, pretty soon this will spread and go viral. So, the sooner you participate, the more links with anchor text you will receive.

==========Copy and Paste from Above this line==========

If you copy the Viral Matrix from here, leave a message so I can add you to the train!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Going Green In Your Office The Easy Way

Author: Brandi Cummings

Many of us want to be responsible citizens of the Earth. We think about the effects our lifestyles have on the environment. We are concerned about global warming. We want to ensure our children's future on this planet is one that still has clean air to breathe, an abundance of trees and wildlife, and clean water to drink. However, many of us also think that the sacrifices might be too great to "go green" in our own office. Good news. It's not as difficult as you think.

There are 3 areas where you can make a significant impact without significant expense or inconvenience: paper, lights, and electronics.

The average American office worker throws out about 150 pounds of paper per year. Paper manufacturing contributes to the deforestation of the planet and in America is responsible for 35 million tons of CO2 a year. So what can you do? Buy recycled paper. Make full use of that paper by printing on both sides and/or using paper that is only printed on one side for scratch paper. Do your proofreading and edits on your computer before printing to reduce the number of prints you make. Re-use file folders by placing new labels over the old ones. All of these changes are easy to make but have a big impact. Pretty painless, right?

Another way you can go green in your office is as easy as changing a light bulb. In fact, it is changing a light bulb. Incandescent bulbs use 4 times more energy than is necessary to produce light. Halogen lights can get as hot as 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot enough to cook an egg! Alternately, Energy Star certified compact fluorescent lights (CFL's) use 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light, last 10 times longer and produce less heat. If you feel like you need even more reason to switch to CFL's, consider that you will also save money over the lifetime of the bulb. Once you have made the switch to energy efficient bulbs, make sure lights are turned off when they are not needed. A great way to ensure that this happens is with motion sensors that will turn the lights off when everyone has left the room.

38% of all of the carbon dioxide emissions come from the electricity we generate. That electricity is used to power all sorts of things. A major drain on our electricity is all of our office equipment such as computers, copiers, printers, and fax machines. When going green with your electronics, you need to look at 3 factors. You need to consider the waste that is created in the manufacturing of the products, the effects on the environment when you use the products, and the waste that is created when you are done with the products. That may seem like a lot to think about but if you follow these simple guidelines, you will be able to minimize the negative impact your office equipment has on the environment.

The manufacturing of electronics uses a lot of resources including electricity, raw materials, and water. Electronics also account for billions of pounds of municipal waste each year. Just a few of the contaminants that electronics create are toxic heavy metals, lead, PCB's, mercury, and various acids. To lessen your office's affect on the number of new pieces of equipment that are manufactured, as well as end up in land fills, buy all-in-one machines that combine multiple functions into one. Whenever possible, get rid of machines completely by using services such as Internet fax. With an Internet fax service you get rid of the fax machine completely, as well as reduce the amount of paper and ink that gets consumed. Another way to decrease waste is to recycle machines that are no longer working and donate those that do to charities where they will stay in use.

25% of the total electricity used by all commercial buildings in the US is consumed by office buildings. When buying any new office equipment, look for Energy Star certified machines. This will make a huge difference in the amount of electricity that is used to run your office. For example, an Energy Star certified computer is going to be 52% more efficient than a standard one. Laptops also use a lot less energy than desktops, so consider whether this is a viable option for your office. Energy efficient machines are also going to have stand by options that will power down or go into sleep mode to conserve energy when not in use. Once the office is closing for the day, make sure that all equipment is powered off.

Taking these steps will get you on your way to going green in your office. And as I promised, they will help you make a significant impact without significant cost or inconvenience to you and your employees. And you thought going green was going to be hard.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/going-green-in-your-office-the-easy-way-197420.html

About the Author:

Brandi Cummings is an expert author on various topics relating to small and home based businesses. Take the first step to going green in your office and visit www.Fax800.com for Internet fax solutions.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Work at home and save gas!

Working at Home Mom has tons of ways to make money at home.

Friday, August 17, 2007

A Simple Way To Offset the Environmental Effects of Driving Your Car

by Debra Lynn Dadd

We all love our cars. They give us the freedom to come and go as we please, to get to work, to visit family and friends, to go shopping...on our own schedule. But automobiles also effect the environment by polluting the air we breathe and, in the larger scope of life, by creating unusual and unnatural climate changes.

But there is a simple thing you can do to offset the negative environmental effects of driving your car, and It costs less than $100 per year.

How Driving Your Car Affects the Environment
If you drive a standard American automobile, your car emits about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. That's three times the weight of the car! If you drive an SUV, your car emits around 20,000 pounds of CO2 each year.

CO2 is a major "greenhouse gas." Back around 1800, before there were cars and industry, the CO2-concentration in the air was about 280 ppm (1 ppm CO2= one molecule of CO2 per one million molecules of air). Today, as the result of human activities, the CO2-concentration in the air is about 370 ppm, and increasing by 1.7 ppm every year. And we're adding CO2 faster than it decomposes. Every molecule of CO2 we add to the atmosphere stays there for about 100 years.

Many scientists are warning that this increase in CO2 is raising the average temperature of the planet, known as the "greenhouse effect." The widely respected WorldWatch Institute has warned that severe climate change could include major shifts in weather patterns and agricultural zones, resulting in droughts and floods. A wide range of human and natural systems could be disrupted, displacing long-standing economic and social systems as well as established ecosystems. In fact, it has already contributed to thinning Arctic ice levels, threatening the habitats of polar bears and other local animals.

Twenty percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere every year comes from driving cars. That is a significant percentage. This won't be changed by international protocols or government regulations. But each one of us can make a difference by reducing our own CO2 emissions.

What You Can Do to Reduce CO2 Emissions Produced by Driving Your Car
CO2 emissions come primarily from the burning of fossil fuels for energy. When you drive your car, use public transportation, use electricity in your home or at work, or fly on an airplane, you are contributing CO2 emissions into the air. Most consumer products you buy are made with energy from burning fossil fuels that produce CO2.

But there are also other ways to make energy. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass are called "clean" energy sources because they don't produce CO2.

Today, various products are available that allow you to offset the CO2 you produce by purchasing an equivalent amount of energy from renewable sources that do not produce CO2. This CO2-free energy flows into a local or national grid, eliminating the need to burn fossil fuels that would create the same amount of CO2. So while your car is still adding CO2 to the atmosphere, your purchase of renewable energy is subtracting the same amount of CO2 that would have gone into the atmosphere someplace else.

TerraPass is one organization that provides a program to purchase renewable energy to offset the CO2 produced by your car. You simply choose the TerraPass that corresponds to the type of car and number of miles you drive. Terra Pass guarantees the money from your membership will result in a reduction of carbon dioxide that counterbalances the pollution from your car through the purchase of renewable energy certificates. You get a TerraPass decal for your car and the good feeling that you are doing something to keep our climate as nature intended.

My husband and I each purchased a TerraPass for our cars. A TerraPass for my husband's efficient Geo Metro was only $39.95/year and my TerraPass for my Honda Del Sol was $49.95/year. A small price to pay to do something real and practical to protect our beautiful planet.

For more information on TerraPass and other programs that allow you to offset your energy use with renewable power, visit http://www.debraslist.com/energy/greenenergycert.html#terrapass

Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website to learn more about her new book Home Safe Home, to sign up for her free email newsletters, and to browse 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products. http://www.dld123.com

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

A Guide to Global Warming

Temperature change is a normal occurrence that is happening in the planet that we live in, but the varying temperature patterns seen lately has been linked to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, more simply known as Global Warming. Even though there were changes in the temperatures in the early ages of our planet, it was considered to be normal. But, the evolution of industries and factories in the early 1900’s has brought a wide change in the temperature patterns that are causing a lot of concern to the researches and scientists. The main factor attributing to global warming is the emission of polluting gases like carbon dioxide, methane etc into the atmosphere. By definition, Global warming is the increase in the average temperature that gradually warms the Earth’s atmosphere.

Global warming is a phenomenon that has been on the rise all these years. But, in the last century, the rise in the temperature levels has been alarming. The studies that have been conducted to find out the increase in the atmospheric temperature have been attributed to the greenhouse gas concentrations, volcanoes and solar variations. The increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere will cause severe climatic changes and weather condition changes. The main cause of global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is well known that every tree takes in carbon dioxide from the air during its growing process and it gives out carbon dioxide when it dies or the wood decays. In the last decade, many trees have been felled and woods burnt and these acts have further added to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The effects of global warming are even more alarming. If no action is taken to prevent or subsidies the effect of global warming, it will prove to be catastrophic. Already a few facts have come out regarding the ill effects of global warming on this planet. The Kilimanjaro glaciers have been melting so rapidly that the mountain lost a quarter of its ice from 2000 to 2006. There have been reports that the glaciers in the Andes Mountains are also melting rapidly. The massive melting of these glaciers is evidence that the world is getting too warm too fast.

The following are the facts about the effects of global warming on this planet - average surface temperature has increased by about 0.6 C over the past 100 years; sea level has risen by 10 to 20 cm over the past 100 years; increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide of about 75% annually due to the burning of fossils, while 25% is attributed to changes in the land use like deforestation, overgrazing and over cultivation; precipitation has increased in some land areas and deceased in other areas; increase in the droughts in areas like Asia and Africa; major flooding in different areas and more recently Tsunami that caused havoc to life and property in many parts of the world.

The major cause for this global warming to occur on this Earth is considered to be man made and its effects can only be drastically reduced or erased from this planet, if each and every one of us drives ourselves to this common cause. Global warming in this planet can be significantly reduced if we reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and other polluting gases into the atmosphere, stopping deforestation and starting re-forestation, minimal use of non renewable energy and using renewable energy sources in your homes and offices.

Global Warming is very real, and its here. Many of us still are ignorant of the crashing effects of climate change and global warming, visit the Global Warming Pages for more info at http://globalwarmingpages.com

We Are Living Green

Monday, July 6, 2009

Upcycling Clothing

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Raw Food Diet

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Generate Backlinks

Monday, August 27, 2007

Going Green In Your Office The Easy Way

Going Green In Your Office The Easy Way

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Work at home and save gas!

Friday, August 17, 2007

A Simple Way To Offset the Environmental Effects of Driving Your Car

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

A Guide to Global Warming

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