What is the key to happiness? Does happiness correlate with wealth, demographics, reputation, attitude, etc.? One quote, attributed to the Buddha, regarding how to improve one’s own happiness says that “Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.” Based on this idea, that when our words and deeds are aligned with good and helpful intentions we feel happier, it makes sense that people who volunteer report feeling greater trust and connectedness to their communities.
So, just how can you lend a hand and go green at the same time? When it comes to pitching in and volunteering on behalf of the environment, opportunities are abundant.
Continue Reading »
While those of us living a green lifestyle are committed to practicing the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle), every now and again even the greeniest of us may need to discard of items that our community trash collection does not accept at the curb (or is inappropriate for reuse and donation). What to do? Here are a few suggestions for safe and environmentally friendly disposal of a few tricky items from around the house:
In the medicine cabinet
To safely get rid of old and unused prescription medications, the Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends the following:
1. Remove medication from its container and place pills in the trash.
Continue Reading »
These days, I see a lot of “R”s added to what was originally the sacred trinity of green living: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. My personal favorite is “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot,” used to encourage folks to compost their food scraps and yard waste instead of consigning it to the burn pile or the landfill.
Many of us will get our first frost of the season within the next month (I know, where did August go?), which means that yard clean-up is right around the corner. In fact, I’ve already been trimming a lot of spent blossoms and pulling out the end of the spring radishes and lettuce (to replant, of course, with fall veggies!).
Continue Reading »
Our babies are born with a chemical body burden.
The Environmental Working Group (“EWG”) found that umbilical cord blood from ten randomly selected babies contained 287 chemicals of the 413 for which tests were performed. Of those 287 chemicals, 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 218 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests.
This potential chemical body burden in a newborn baby is scary for new parents. It was scary for me. You welcome your child to the world, and already you feel as if you have failed.
Continue Reading »
