Environment is one of the three pillars of sustainability that encompasses sustainable material choices, recycling, upcycling, and making eco-friendly decisions that affect our surroundings.
Tackling the Electronic Waste Problem Last year, the world produced nearly 54 million tons of electrical and electronic products, but only a fraction of it was reused, refurbished, or recycled. With a relatively short lifecycle, e-waste now litters dumpsites all over the world, exposing humans and the environment to toxic materials. Some eco-conscious offices use […]
A Healthier Way to Take the Structure Out of Play Back in the day, it seemed like the biggest hazard on a playground was a metal slide on a hot summer day. But as it turns out, many conventional playgrounds pose potential health risks to the people who play on them, with consequences much more […]
Down-Sized Living in a Modern Age In the summer of 1999 I suddenly found myself without a job or home. With a partner and newborn—and plenty of crazy ideas common to twenty-somethings—I decided to build a yurt and embark on homesteading in my native New Hampshire. Fifteen years later, I’ve learned most crazy ideas don’t […]
(and How to Do It) Rain, rain, go away? Don’t be so quick to reject the water falling from the sky. Turns out harvesting rainwater is an ancient practice with loads of modern-day benefits. Here’s the lowdown on the practice, and how to put the rain that falls on your home to good use. What […]
How Colony Collapse Disorder affects our food supply Most people know that, in addition to stinging when angry, bees have a role to play in pollinating flowers. But many don’t realize that pollination work bees do affects the food supply, too. And as bees’ numbers continue to decline at an alarming rate, scientists are starting […]
The earth receives more energy from the sun in 1 hour than is used in 1 year. With the rise in popularity of solar energy many homeowners have begun equipping their homes with solar panels. In 2014, it’s projected that new solar electric capacity will generate enough clean energy to power 1.13 million homes. From […]
Eco-Friendly Tips for a Tidy Home Regular dust busting and de-greasing are important to any well-maintained home. But it’s also critical to keep your home as eco-friendly as possible. With hundreds of brands and products in the supermarket and big box stores, it may feel like an impossible task to navigate. Why is having a […]
Raised beds are the perfect way to start your own garden. Fruits, vegetables, flowers and shrubs can all thrive in the raised bed environment. The popularity of raised beds is on the rise because of their many benefits – reduce soil erosion, the ease of access to control weeds and pick vegetables, creation of a warmer soil temperature […]
Though they are only one-eighth to one-third inch long—the length of a grain of rice—mountain pine beetles have made a devastating impact on our nation’s forests. A multiple-year outbreak of the small but mighty insects (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and other bark dwelling beetles has compromised thousands of acres of trees, and there’s no sign of them […]