Lawn Care Providers Pay Attention to Health and Environment

As discussed in Organic Lawn Care: Safer, Cheaper, Easier, we have many good health and environmental reasons to pay attention to how we care for our lawns. The good news is that larger lawn care companies now offer better visibility into their products and practices, and are aware of the benefits to sustainable property care.

Corporate websites for lawn care offer greater information on the environmental benefits to choosing their services, and provide information to their customers about the safety of the products being used.

For example, TruGreen Lawn Care mentions some valid environmental benefits of maintaining a healthy landscape. Healthy trees, plants and shrubs can prevent erosion and build fertile topsoil (via decay of lawn clippings, roots, and shoots). They also help to reduce water runoff, which in effect recharges the water table with more purified water. Proper positioning of trees creates better home shading in warm weather, lowering energy costs in the process.

On the health side, keeping a groomed landscape can moderate temperatures and noise, reduce glare, and control some allergens. And carefully selecting only FDA and doctor-approved products will keep our children and pets healthier.

We should all ask that our local lawn care providers to consider these elements when providing their services. The impact of even a fraction of the households taking action would be great, and another step toward better sustainability

Home Staging: It Gets Results and It’s Green

Despite the down economy, home stagers are busier than ever, as today’s realtors insist that staging is the most cost effective way to maximize home sale profits. It also happens to be one of the most sustainable ways to attract buyers.

Home staging is not tasteful decorating. In fact, when potential buyers walk into un-staged but tastefully decorated homes, the personal style of the existing homeowner distracts them from envisioning the space as a home of their own.

Home stagers, like retail display designers, aim to enhance a product’s appeal. Although the scale is different, the principles are the same: maximize the space, eliminate distractions and increase the traffic flow.

Sustainable Ways to Successfully Stage Your Home

Approach the big purge with mindfulness and commitment.
De-cluttering is an essential step that cannot be missed. Homeowners usually find this phase of the process tiresome, tedious and frustrating but it is a critical one, nonetheless. Trimming ship is the first step towards punching up profits. I advise my clients to reduce everything on display by half and then to recycle unwanted items by selling them or donating them. Three worthy, tax-deductible recipients are Goodwill, local homeless shelters and the public library. Also keep in mind that animal shelters and vets love used linens!
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What Deformed Frogs Say About Our Drinking Water

On Sunday, April 5th of this year, Thirteen/WNET’s Nature Series premiered Frogs: The Thin Green Line. Emmy award winning filmmaker, Allison Argo, blended poetic cinematography with masterful soundscapes in a disarmingly straightforward masterpiece delineating the relationship between sewage water and the growing number of frogs being born with defects.

“It’s uncomfortable to realize that we are part of the problem,” Argo explained to me in a phone interview on the topic, but “It’s also exciting and stimulating to realize that we are part of the solution.” Argo’s ability to maintain an optimistic perspective on this bleak situation is grounded, in part, by the day-to-day lifestyle adjustments she makes. She switched to public transportation for her travels between her Cape Cod studio and Boston, she has been swapping old light bulbs for more energy efficient ones, and she is building a frog pond in her yard this summer.

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Are Fireworks Environmentally Friendly?

The Fourth of July is a holiday of mixed feelings and varying acts of celebration. Some people hide in the bathroom with their pained, frightened dogs while sounds of war surround their city, while others spend hundreds of dollars on fireworks and relish the opportunity to make things go BOOM. The one thing about the Fourth that’s agreed upon is the wonderful day off from work that accompanies this holiday. But what about the fireworks? All the smoke and chemicals can’t be good for the environment, right?

Right.

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Why See a Nutritionist?

Have you ever thought about seeing a nutritionist?  Most people think of nutritionists as professionals that you see when you want to lose weight.  While it is advisable for someone who is trying to lose weight to visit a professional, it’s useful for people of a healthy weight to see a nutritionist as well.  Even if your diet is balanced, a nutritionist can still reveal holes and patterns in your diet and help you feel your best.  There are other valuable reasons to visit a nutritionist besides shining a light on your diet.

Disease and prevention. If you have a preexisting condition, changes in your eating habits may help your body fight it and manage symptoms.  Thyroid disorders are very common and there are key foods to avoid, like soy, that a nutritionist can show you alternatives for.  If you don’t have any illnesses, take a look at your genetics.  What are you predisposed to?  Is breast cancer common in your family?  Then your nutritionist will recommend foods and supplements that may help you prevent your genetics from fulfilling themselves.

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Green Cleaning this Spring: Healthier and Still Cost-Effective

Still have some spring cleaning to do? Maybe you’re just obsessive compulsive and follow guests, pests and everything else around your home with a Swiffer and bleach to keep things squeaky clean. Whatever your weapon of choice may be — bleach, Windex, knee pads and a toothbrush — the point here is that standard cleaning products can be harmful to both you and the environment. What to do? Well, let’s have a look at how you can clean green without spending too much green…

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How Green is our “Stuff” Culture?

Have you ever wondered if our culture of “buying stuff” is truly sustainable?  And how did we become a consume-and-dispose society?  I encourage everyone to watch the video at the top of this article, a simple education tool for our youth, yet still eye-opening presentation called “The Story of Stuff”.  Annie Leonard, an expert in international sustainability and environmental health issues, narrates this 20-minute, quick-hitting look our consumption-first economy. She highlights important social, political, and environmental considerations, and asks thought-provoking questions along the way.

On the consumer front, hopefully more people will start asking deeper questions of themselves and corporations when considering purchases:

• Do I absolutely need this product?
• Where did the raw materials come from, and are they potentially toxic?
• Who assembled the product, and were they paid a fair wage to work in a healthy environment?
• Is this product built to last?
• How and when will I dispose of the product?

For more specific information on products, check out GoodGuide (which is also available as a free iPhone app) and SkinDeep.