Living | Indoor Air Quality Lab

5 Offbeat Ways to Show Off Your Succulents share

Do you tend to kill plants? Try your hand at succulents, and check out some of these interesting ways to show them off.

Succulents are super hip right now, but their trendiness isn't what I love about them. I am sort of a plant-killer, which makes succulents the perfect plants for me.

Most succulents thrive on neglect, and I am a pro at neglecting plants! In fact, one of my girlfriends is an amazing gardener but can't keep her succulents alive. After we talked about it for a bit, we realized it's that she is too nurturing. The techniques that make her backyard garden enviable - especially a frequent watering schedule - spell doom for a succulent.

Meanwhile the one that I forgot about on a windowsill for three weeks is thriving. The point is: if you're bad at gardening you should definitely give succulents a try!

You know that we love succulents around here, and we also love adding a touch of green wherever we can. The list below has some awesome ways to use succulents in surprising ways. Some of these ideas are teeny tiny and others are dramatic. But you won't find pots and planters here. Check out some of these interesting ways to display your succulents!

5 Offbeat Ways to Show Off Your Succulents

1. Terrarium Necklace - Wear clippings from your favorite succulents around your neck with this living terrarium necklace that you can make yourself.

2. Inside a Table - This outdoor dining table has a built in succulent planter.

3. Planted in a Wine Cork - You can turn these micro-planters into jewelry or use them to add little touches of green to your home decor.

4. In a Pallet Planter - Go vertical! Turn an old wood pallet into a leaning planter for your garden

5. In a Tiny Necklace Planter - This is another succulent jewelry idea. Atlanta crafter Made by Colleen creates tiny wearable planters to show off your succulent clippings.

Posted: | Categories: Clothes+Accessories, green in small spaces, Home+Decor, Living, succulent ideas, succulents

May

Invite Pollinators into Your Garden with a Bee Habitat share

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a serious threat to our food future. Bees pollinate around 1/3 of the food that we see on store shelves. If we are going to continue to feed ourselves, we need to protect bees and other pollinators. This bee habitat is a great way for you to help native bees in your area!

There are a lot of factors that contribute to CCD. Habitat loss is one of them. The more land we develop, the fewer places bees have to build their homes. This bee habitat, which I first posted over at Crafting a Green World, is one way that you can make your garden a friendly place for pollinators.

Make Your Garden a Home for Pollinators

You only need a few simple supplies to make your own bee habitat:

scrap wood
a drill
drill bits ranging from 3/32" to 3/8"

That's really it! How you drill your holes depends on the size of your wood. My piece was long and skinny, so I went with a 3/16" bit and tried to space my 3-4" deep holes about 1" apart. Check out this document from the Xerces Society (pdf) for how to decide how deep your holes need to be and how far apart you should space them.

Want more ideas for creating a bee-friendly garden? I've got some tips over at Crafting a Green World!

This is just one way to invite pollinators into your garden, of course! So spill it, gardenistas! How are you making your garden bee-friendly this spring?

Posted: | Categories: bee habitat, Bees, Craft Recycled, DIY, help save bees, Living, native bees, pollinators, Xerces Society, Yard+Garden

May

Spotted: Upcycled Candles from Old Wine Bottles share

You know that I love a good wine-related craft, and these upcycled bottle candles from Rewined are rocking my socks!

The candles are molded inside of reclaimed wine bottles that the Rewined team collects. They clean, cut, and cure the bottles before filling them with scented soy wax candles. Check out this video about their process:

They make each candle by hand, and the artist signs it! I love that they've found a way to scale up without losing the craftsmanship and love that comes with a handmade item.

My only hesitation with these candles is that they use "fragrance" to scent them. Fragrance isn't necessarily bad, but just like in beauty products, it casts a wide net. The fragrance could be a blend of totally safe essential oils or a mix of harmful chemicals. There's just no way to know, and whether you're concerned about fragrance is really a personal call.

You can find Rewined candles on Amazon.

Posted: | Categories: candles, Home+Decor, Living, Rewined, soy candles, wine bottle crafts, wine bottles

Apr

Fed Up! The Truth about Sugar share

Sugar seems pretty innocuous, but more and more research is showing that sugar (in all its forms) is really terrible for our bodies. Some researchers and doctors even say that it's one of the great public health epidemics of our time. Really...? Yes, really.

Finally there is a film that covers our sugar-laden lifestyles. Fed Up, set to release in theaters May 9 2014, is a documentary that focuses on how sugar has become an ingredient of obsession and even addiction. The film, by Laurie David, the producer of Al Gore's famous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, looks at the scientific and medical evidence that shows why and how sugar has become a problem of epidemic proportions.

No doubt this is shocking news to some. As a chef and educator, I find that sugar is one of the foods to hardest to talk about. Most people know it's not good for you to sugar to their coffee or eat too many sweets, but what many people don't realize is that sugar is in EVERYTHING, and we're eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. This over-sweetening of our food system has drastic consequences. Just for starters, excessive sugar consumption is related to:

Elevated blood sugar levels, which can lead to diabetes
Weight gain (hidden calories in non-nutritive foods and drinks)
Metabolic syndrome (linked to the most common lifestyle diseases)
Moods (sugar leaves you high and low all day long)

Here are some ways to avoid excess sugar in your diet:

Learn to like some bitter: learn to take your coffee, tea and other drinks without added sweetener.
Buy everything unsweetened: plant-based milks, sauces, dressings, beverages, yogurt and more.
Skip common breakfast foods like cereals, granola bars, and granola: these are all delicious, but all loaded with sugar, even those found in health food stores. Make your own granola with little sugar and make your own energy bars with healthy fruits, nuts and seeds.
Read the labels on everything: sugar is almost always in bread, crackers, sauces like Veganaise, pasta sauce, dressings and more.
Eat sweet foods in moderation, and when you do choose to enjoy them, make sure you have some fats and protein to help slow the absorption into your blood stream, keeping your insulin levels steady.

Here's the trailer for Fed Up: I hope it inspires you to look at sugar in a new way, and allows you to make some healthy switches in your diet.

Posted: | Categories: Living

Apr

Product Review: Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap share

Dr. Bronner's is one serious hippie product, but that hasn't stopped the company from making a crossover into mainstream stores and to become one of the best loved brands in the country.

Not familiar with Dr. Bronner's pure castile soap? It is a natural oil based soap, made from coconut, hemp, jojoba and other earth-and body-friendly ingredients for scent and cleaning power. The soaps come in bottles with labels of every color of the rainbow and include scents of all-natural origin: peppermint, lavender, almond, rose, citrus and more. There are lots of scents to love (my favorite is rose and almond) and all are delicious. The soap is silky smooth and can be used for body wash, shampoo, laundry and natural cleaning around the house. I buy a gallon every few months and use it for everything: to clean the bathtub, toilet, wash my face, to give my hair a just-surfed look and to keep my cute panties clean. It truly is a magic soap.

But not only are the Dr. Bronner's bottles colorful, they are adorned with the (seemingly chaotic and zealous) writings of the founder, the late Emmanuel Bronner. Though the soap company had humble and difficult beginnings, they have made a name for themselves around the world with their soaps and their ideals. And now business is booming: according to an article in Inc. Magazine, "[Dr. Bronner's is] the top-selling organic liquid and bar soap brand in North America. Dr. Bronner's notched more than $44 million in sales in 2011. It has grown well over 1,000 percent in the past 12 years." Pretty impressive indeed.

But, beyond making sales, Dr.. Bronners is making a difference. Not only are all their products organic and fair-trade, the leaders of the company fight hard for their causes. David Bronner, the son of the founder, works hard to legalize hemp, which is a main ingredient in their soaps. Industrial hemp is not legal in the United States, so all the hemp products (seeds and oil) come from Canada, where hemp growing is legal. Hemp is a super sustainable crop, grown for fiber, fuel and food.

In this post on Triple Pundit, the author says that David Bronner, "truly believes in using the company’s resources to fight for what is right. Frustrated by their difficulty sourcing hemp oil, Dr. Bronner’s litigated against the Drug Enforcement Agency under the George W. Bush administration, which opened the door to industrial hemp making its way into more American products."

This is the type of company I love to support: fighting the good fight, producing quality, organic products and supporting farmers and workers around the world. Magic indeed!

Posted: | Categories: Living

Apr

Keeping Calm: Five Ways to Quickly Relax share

I'd like to think I normally have a handle on my work-life balance, but my new job has been keeping me extra busy with travel, weekend events and daily work. Needless to say, it's been a bit draining. When I was chatting with some friends a few days ago about the the new busy work-life that I have created, my friend shared some of her simple tricks that help her relax and create a few minutes of quiet time in a busy day. I loved all of them, and have begun using them already! Not only do these little tips immediately calm you in stressful situation, they also give you an important brain-break from whatever is consuming your brain cells.

Sniff yourself Calm: Essential oils might just be the way to make it through the day. Smell is a super quick way to rewire yourself into a happy, calm state of mind. Peppermint, lemon and grapefruit are classic pick-me-up oils that will give you a little pep. I keep a little jar of a 'tranquil' blend in my desk, and the mixture of patchouli, lavender, marjoram and other favorite scents is a pleasant way to take a quick break. For calming, lavender or vanilla can be rubbed into the temples or onto the pulse points to penetrate the skin and be absorbed slowly (just be careful not to get into your eyes!). You can also use a natural diffuser to keep the office smelling good and keep your spirits up all day long!
Mini massage: Take ten minutes to give yourself a mini massage, either with a nice organic lotion or without. Stimulating our hands, feet or neck is an easy (and office-appropriate) massage that can make a big difference. Not only does it take you out of your head, it gives you a few minutes to really tune into your body and breath, from which it's easy to become disconnected during a hectic day. Use your favorite lotion or oil and massage until you can feel the tension go away. Or at least most of it!
Yoga: When I am at the office we have four minutes of yoga at 4pm, inspired by the Wanderlust event I attended last month. Usually we just do plank, which is keeping my arms feeling super strong, but ANY yoga will do. Yoga, just like a mini massage, can reconnect body and breath and give us a burst of energy. But it doesn't have to be a whole yoga session: even a few push-ups, hand-stands or forward bends will get your blood flowing and get your mood on the upswing.
Take a real lunch:' Firstly, don't forget to take a lunch. Keeping a regular eating pattern is best for your digestion. It's also a good idea to avoid spending your lunchtime at your computer or at your desk. Not only does staring at our email prevent us from being mindful of our food, it can actually hamper digestion. When we are stressed, our bodies are in 'fight or flight' mode, which is not the time for digestion. Take a break outside, sit at another desk (or ideally, a dining table) or take a mini picnic in the sunshine. If you have extra time, schedule a lunch date outside of work. Meet with a friend, visit your mom or just dine alone and enjoy the quiet. Also, always choose healthy proteins, greens and grains to fuel your day: quinoa pilaf, super salads and healthy soups will keep your brain and body functioning best.
Get outside: After staring at the computer all day, the trees and sky are sure to make you happy. Most of us spend too much time inside, and I know I definitely feel a little nature deficit disorder at the end of a long week. Getting outside to walk, stretch or just breathe deep is a great brain break and gives your body just what it needs: some space!

Image from Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons

Posted: | Categories: healthy living, Living, work-life balance

Apr

5 DIY Moss Decor Ideas share

You know that we love adding a bit of green anywhere we can in our space, and these simple moss decor ideas are a great way to bring a little bit of the outdoors in.

Moss is easy to keep alive and does well in low light, which makes it a perfect plant to bring indoors. Caring for live moss decor is a lot like caring for a terrarium. I was able to keep a terrarium thriving for years while killing countless plants in my garden, so you know this stuff is easy to maintain. Just like with a moss terrarium, you just want to mist your moss decor with water every few weeks to keep it happy.

5 DIY Moss Decor Ideas

1. Centerpieces and Wall Art - Display pretty moss on tabletops and even use it to deck out a mirror frame to give it an earthy look.

2. Typography Art - Typography art is super hip right now, and you can make your typography wall art stand out by covering it in moss instead of paint or decoupage.

3. Bath Mat - Talk about easy to maintain! The water that drips onto this mat will help keep the moss happy.

4. Door Wreath - You can hang this pretty moss wreath on your front door or on the wall inside your home. I think it would look very pretty hung over the mantle of a fireplace!

5. Picture Frame - This is a similar idea to the mirror frames I mentioned above, but on a smaller scale.

Have you created any cool DIY moss decor? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: adding green to small spaces, DIY, DIY moss decor, Home+Decor, Living, moss, moss decor ideas

Mar

Earth Hour is Tomorrow! Are you going to participate? share

Earth Hour takes a lot of flack for not going far enough, but one study actually measured the impact of Earth Hour, and it's pretty interesting!

What would happen if we all, just for one hour, actually shut off our idling gadgets and pulled our unused chargers out of the socket? Answering that question was the motivation for a new study conducted by leading mobile refurbishment website eCycle Best, leading up to Saturday’s worldwide Earth Hour.

The study surveyed 100 consumers in February 2014 and found that 70 percent of respondents owned at least one device in each of the three main categories:

a laptop computer
a tablet
a smartphone.

More than 40 percent of those confessed to ‘often’ leaving their unused chargers plugged in while only 30 percent say they regularly turn their devices off when not in use. Idle laptops, even without a screensaver, use more than 32 kWh a year. This results in a significant power drain known as “vampire energy use.”

Depending on the exact device type and charger technology, an idling gadget or an unused charger can use up to 0.1 to 0.5 watt per hour, resulting in a yearly power drain equivalent to more than $200 per device. David Kruchinin, CEO of eCycle Best said:

This is money directly out the window for American consumers, but also a welcome and easy opportunity to save the climate without a lot of effort. It is really eye-opening when you add up the number of chargers in an average American home.

So just how much are we wasting with idling gadgets and bad charging habits?

In one year, the energy wasted by US households is equivalent to the total output of three coal power plants, 56 wind turbines and a nuclear reactor. Adding a dollar amount is tricky due to varying energy prices, but an average household should be able to save more than $500 yearly just by introducing better charging and device using habits such as:

Turning off unused chargers around the house.
Turning off mobile devices when not in use, especially laptops
Investing in smartphones and other mobile gadgets with newer battery and charger technology.

Earth Hour is a great time to make a commitment to ending vampire energy consumption in your home or office, but that’s only the beginning. eCycle Best hopes that Americans will soon realize the huge financial and environmental impact of these bad habits, and be more mindful of their devices, when they’re in use and when it comes time to dispose of them. As David Kruchinin notes “these changes do not substantially alter our lifestyles, but they have a massive impact on several larger levels."

What do you think? Are you going to cut off your power for Earth Hour tomorrow night?

Posted: | Categories: conservation, earth hour, Living, vampire energy

Mar

Spotted: Moss Typography Art share

We love a good piece of moss decor around here, and this moss typography art is rocking our socks!

Carissa at Creative Green Living made this pretty moss letter for her sons' shared bedrooms. The ampersand is going to hang between woodgrain typography art with her boys' first initials. How cute! Instead of styrofoam, the base of her moss typography art is a wood letter, so even the base is a natural material. So cute!

Typography art is super hip right now, and I love this natural take on this trend. Want to make your own moss typography art? It's easy peasy! You will need:

Wood Monogram (or ampersand)
Hot glue gun and glue
Preserved Sheet Moss
Pencil or chopstick

Got your materials at the ready? Click here for Carissa's tutorial!

Posted: | Categories: DIY, Home+Decor, Living, moss decor, typography art

Mar

5 Green Cleaning Recipes for a Healthy Home share

A few weeks ago I attended the Georgia Organics Conference and did a demonstration on how to make your own green cleaning supplies and DIY beauty recipes. It was an amazing weekend, and I was thrilled to see so many people interested in ditching store-bought chemicals in favor of homemade, natural cleaning recipes.

Making your own green cleaning supplies is cheap and easy, and today I wanted to share a few simple recipes that anyone can make. Whether you're a green cleaning pro or totally new to homemade cleaning supplies, the recipes below are totally doable.

5 Green Cleaning Recipes for a Healthy Home

1. Homemade Wood Polish - This recipe has only two ingredients, and I bet that you have one of them in your kitchen already! Julie gives a couple of wax options, and you can find both beeswax and candelilla wax on Amazon if you can't find it locally.

2. Homemade Soft Scrub - Another two-ingredient recipe, this works great for scrubbing the tub, shower, and tile.

3. All Purpose Cleaner - I shared this recipe at the conference, and it's definitely a staple in our house!

4. Homemade Cleaning Wipes - Skip the bleach-soaked wipes and make your own reusable cloth cleaning wipes at a fraction of the cost.

5. Homemade Laundry Soap - This recipe gets your clothes just as clean as the soap at the store, and it costs only pennies a load.

Do you make your own green cleaning supplies? I'd love to hear your favorite recipes in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: DIY, green cleaning, Living, spring cleaning

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