22-07-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
My dutch friend Jeroen Koeman from Ecotulips is doing an amazing job! What is that job? He is trying to change the flower industry by making it organic! You would think that all flowers that you buy in markets are organic, but fact is that most flowers and plants are grown with a lot of chemicals and pesticides. This is bad for the bees and for other animals, and of course the ground they grow in. Ecotulips is offering beautiful, organic flowers. I will profile this company a bit more in the future.
For now I received an email that you can get a discount until August 1st!:
"Hello eco-friendly friends!
This message is for every eco-friendly farmer/gardener in your network.
eco-friendly organizations and farmers this year a chance to purchase organic bulbs for a low price, to support organic gardening.
Our pre-season bulk sale gives up to 80% discount to all:
Order deadline August 1st.
Help me reach my goal to increase the market share of organic flower bulbs from 0.1% to 1% in 3 years!
Visit http://www.ecotulips.com/categories/Pre-season-bulk-sale and click on the “like” button, thanks!
Together we can make it a better world, send this message to your eco-friendly friends!
All the best,
The Tulip Man"
will you order organic tulips for your community?
Picture: "The Tulip Man" Jeroen Koeman and his tulips
20-06-2010 | Posted by: Eyal Amir
Eco Kingdom. Making our homes friendlier to the environment shouldn't take more then a few simple steps. My responsibility as a real-estate broker, who happens to love this planet, is to give you some tips to help you upgrade your apartment/home into an eco-friendly kingdom. Step One: ENERGY - we should all support renewable energy, like wind power, green power or even solar power. These days, big companies like Con Edison give us easy and affordable solutions to make this change. Go to: http://www.conedsolutions.com/residential_green_power.html to get more information. Of course, there are many different companies who offer different programs to fit our needs. Please research the web to find the program that best fits you! Step Two: RECYCLE - As citizens born into a consuming society, it is impossible for us not to create trash on a daily basis. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t do anything about it. Actually the solution is pretty simple. Get 3 trash bins and make one for paper, one for plastic and metal and one for biodegradable/compostable trash. Make sure to divide your trash into these 3 groups and always place it in the right bin. There are companies like Tiffany Carting Corps who take your trash and make sure to keep it divided until it gets to the right recycling plant. Go to http://tiffanycarting.com/index.html to get more information about it. Step Three: WATER – We must use our water resources wisely, as it is one of the most important pillars of our planet! Don’t waste water! Use it wisely and with extra care. Personally I recommend installing water filtration systems to the general pipelines of your apartment and, if it turns out to be too expensive, you should start at least with your kitchen pipeline. Go to http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com to compare and contrast various water filtration systems. Step Four: ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS – we all use many different products to ensure proper housekeeping. From cleaning products to personal hygiene products and also products to improve the lives of our favorite pets. Almost every product that we purchase can be greener and better for the environment. These days it is very common to find green solutions in almost every drugstore. You can also shop online in stores like http://www.greenhome.com. Step Five: GREEN DESIGN – Personally, whenever I see a piece of furniture that I like laying on the side walk, I take it, clean and sanitize it, and use it for my personal use. If you don’t like used or second-hand furniture pieces you can shop for eco-friendly furniture. There are many stores to choose from, http://www.eco-furniture.com is a website where you can find some great options. We can find endless ways to make our homes greener and with time I will give you more tips that I have found to be useful. As of now, you can start by applying the simple tips mentioned above. Please do, and make a difference! Eyal.
20-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelNothing feels as good as a nice warm shower! Feeling the water on your skin, relaxing after a busy day, or waking up after a good night sleep. I love taking a shower!
I don't really shower long. It is not good for your skin ( skin loses elasticity and moisture) but mostly because it is not good for the environment, or your pocket! (Wasting Water= Wasting Money). But taking a shower (shorter than 10 minutes) is better than taking a bath. A bath is about 110 liters of water, 5 minutes of showering is about 55 liters of water.
You do have to keep the shower clean to avoid nasty build up (and bacteria). I have a few tips how to make your shower look the best!
TIP1: Buy a shower squeegee to wipe off your the walls of your shower, or your shower cabin, after each shower session, to avoid build up. If you have a shower curtain, use your towel after drying off, to clean the curtain. This all will save a lot of work because if the build up dried up, it is very hard to scrub it off later.
Ecover has a great window cleaning spray that cleans glass surfaces without stripes. You can buy it at Wholefoods among other places, and is ecofriendly.
TIP2: Clean your shower and bathroom with (white distilled) vinegar! Just wipe away the dirt and stains with a damp cloth with a b it of vinegar. Et Voila! Everything is shiny clean. Environmentally friendly and cheap!
TIP3: Buy a little stool that can't slip, for in the shower. You can use it to sit if you cannot stand for long periods of time, for when you need to shave your legs you can use this to lean on, or you just put your showergel and shampoo ( preferably organic or ecofriendly ones!) It is safe!
What else do you need for a nice showering session?: bodyscrub(gloves), a file for your calluses, bodywash, shampoo, conditioner, clean razor . Make sure you have this ready before you take a shower, as it saves showertime.
Do you want to be even better for the environment? You can install a water saving shower head. Some of them can also filter the water, and prevent harsh metals and other stuff to get into your hair (which can make your hair color dull)
And to top your sustainable conscience, you pee in the shower.
Yes that's right! A brazilian campaign shows people that it is saves water! And on top of that, peeing over your feet keeps your feet healthy. (for real!)
Enough reason to take a nice, but short, shower I think!
