I Dream of Greenie BLOG Update

OK so after 1 1/2 years of regular blog posts on IDOG, I got a little sidetracked. I mean, this blogging stuff takes a lot of your time, and with a thriving business and busy family schedule, something's gotta give. So I've been on a little hiatus and now I'm making a come back. With a face lift.

Yes I know, the whole world and my cult-like following is breathing a great sigh of relief on this news. And no, I personally did not get a face lift although it did cross my mind.

Here's the kicker: I Dream of Greenie blog is officially changing names to Green Kristine's Fab Green Homes and Interiors. After all, I am Green Kristine and that is my business. So after 1 1/2 years of preaching of every way possible of going green, I have fine tuned my calling and it all boils down to green spaces.

I know this might seems a little bananas considering my full blown green lifestyle and my cult following and all...but truthfully, how the hell did I managed all these topics? Now that's bananas.

As a home schooled interior designer and kick ass real estate guru (that's called confidence not arrogance, check it out!) for the past 10 years, I have learned by trial and error in both clients homes and my own, which areas to focus on in order to minimize energy usage and maximize human health benefits. Or gerbil, dogs, reptiles, whatever. All while making it fabu!

Now these tips can be yours on this blog and of course Twitter - like duh - everyone's on Twitter, even Alex Trebek... BTW I've gotten more crass in the past 6 months so get over it.
TTYL
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WARNING: Your Cell Phone Emits Radiation

The cellular telephone has to be one of the best inventions in history. Not only can we place wireless calls, but we can take photos, listen to music, connect to the internet, get directions via GPS, email and text our friends, to name just a few of the functions. It is a vital part of the lives of most Americans and its use doesn't seem to be waning in popularity.

The questions is, does all this convenience have a cost?

After a day of heavy cell phone use, do you ever wonder about how it might affect your health? Do you find yourself switching ears often hoping you don't develop a tumor on one side??

Of course it is possible that there are serious dangers. Although there isn't enough data at this point to make any solid medical conclusions, we DO know that the cell phone, like the television and the computer, emits certain levels of radiation. Some cell phones emit a low amount and some emit a much higher amount. To date, electronics manufacturers have to comply with basic health and safety requirements by law but the FCC and FDA have not enacted a uniform radiation emission standard for all manufacturers.

In other words, we are on our own when it comes to cell phone radiation emissions.

Here is a link to that enables you to look up your cell phone to see its emission rate, compliments of the Environmental Working Group. You will also find cell phone research, information about how to protect yourself, and how to take action against the regulators who are way too relaxed in their review of cell phone safety.
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Green Deal Du Jour

20% off New Arrivals on
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WWW.KAIAHOUSE.COM Read more!

Green Deal of the Day from flip & tumble

See sidebar for details. Read more!

Mother's Day Gift Idea

Don't know what to get your Mom for Mother's Day? Purple Prairie Botanicals creates a wonderful line of naturally derived, organic skin care that she will absolutely love! Check out their gift bags by clicking here. And while you are there, stock up on their all natural sunscreen and DEET free bug spray for the summer. I highly recommend the Gardener's Carrot Salve that protects, heals and moisterizes even the most dry cracked hands in the universe!

Free Shipping until 4/26/09 on orders of $25 or more so stock up now!

This gift is simple and sweet, works for any budget, and is a nice indulgence for Mom as well! Read more!

The History of Earth Day

How the First Earth Day Came About
By Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day

What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked.

Actually, the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political "limelight" once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963. For many reasons the tour did not succeed in putting the issue onto the national political agenda. However, it was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.

I continued to speak on environmental issues to a variety of audiences in some twenty-five states. All across the country, evidence of environmental degradation was appearing everywhere, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The environmental issue simply was not to be found on the nation's political agenda. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not.

After President Kennedy's tour, I still hoped for some idea that would thrust the environment into the political mainstream. Six years would pass before the idea that became Earth Day occurred to me while on a conservation speaking tour out West in the summer of 1969. At the time, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, called "teach-ins," had spread to college campuses all across the nation. Suddenly, the idea occurred to me - why not organize a huge grassroots protest over what was happening to our environment?

I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda. It was a big gamble, but worth a try.

At a conference in Seattle in September 1969, I announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and invited everyone to participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric. It took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had a forum to express its concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes, and air - and they did so with spectacular exuberance. For the next four months, two members of my Senate staff, Linda Billings and John Heritage, managed Earth Day affairs out of my Senate office.

Five months before Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the astonishing proliferation of environmental events:

"Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems...is being planned for next spring...when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...."

It was obvious that we were headed for a spectacular success on Earth Day. It was also obvious that grassroots activities had ballooned beyond the capacity of my U.S. Senate office staff to keep up with the telephone calls, paper work, inquiries, etc. In mid-January, three months before Earth Day, John Gardner, Founder of Common Cause, provided temporary space for a Washington, D.C. headquarters. I staffed the office with college students and selected Denis Hayes as coordinator of activities.

Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.

This article was provided by the Wilderness Society.
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The Green Deal of the Day

Beginning this week, in celebration of Earth Day and in lieu of this lovely economy, IDOG will start to offer it's readers the opportunity to save a little green by highlighting some special sales and promotions on eco-friendly products. The column is called the Green Deal of the Day and it will feature a new product daily and also post previous deals until they have expired. Check out our sidebar daily to get the inside track!
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Organic Garden Pest Control

Spring has finally sprung here in the Northeast and it's time to start planting your cold weather veggies in the garden. I like to plant lots of lettuce which can withstand the cold nights of early spring and yields farm fresh salad every day for months!

If garden pests start to become a nuisance, try this home made remedy: combine a teaspoon of veggie oil, a teaspoon of dish soap and a gallon of water, and fill up a spray bottle. Spray directly on plants and watch the bugs run!

Another natural remedy is to purchase lady bugs and spread them all over the plants in your garden. Lady bugs eat the bad bugs that destroy all your crops. You can buy 1500 of these little beauties online at www.gardeningzone.com for only $6.50.

See how easy it is to go green? Read more!

Stop the Garbage Madness!

Ok so we Americans are almost disgusting in the way that we overconsume absolutely everything. Pretty soon our towns and cities are going to look like something out of Slumdog Millionaire if we don't act. Ok so that's a little much but it truly is a serious problem. Something that we can all do to end the cycle of madness is to reduce how much waste we throw away and put on the curb come garbage night.

I have already determined that most food containers can be recycled. All glass, plastic, tin. The food itself, for the most part, gets composted or goes down the disposal. The paper and plastic packaging all gets recycled in their respective areas. Boxes. I am a master bundler btw. But believe it or not, even with all this effort, there still is a decent amount of garbage.

Although our town has a mandatory recycling program that fines non-compliant residents but guess what? Some people still do 0% recycling and are never caught and the rest do the minimum, aka tin cans and soda bottles. The answer?

My idea is a bit radical but it solves the problem. Ok there are some logistics to work out but I plan on proposing this to my local government.

Require all residents to pay for their garbage OR cap the allowable amount of garbage that can be collected per week. Right now, garbage is collected several times per week and is paid through our property taxes. If residents will have to pay additional dumping fees, per person, on a monthly basis, you bet your eco friendly dryer balls that they will fall in line. Drastic?? Revolutionary? A little, but I think necessary to enforce municipal recycling programs. Money talks and people will make adjustments if it affects their wallets to their detriment.

I would love to hear about an area in our country that imposes this type of program. Anyone? Bueller? Read more!

Recycling Plastic Bags

Facts about Plastic Bags:

Using paper bags vs. plastic uses twice the CO2.

Plastic bag production uses only 4% of the water needed to produce paper bags.

Using paper bags creates almost 5 times more solid waste than plastic bags.

The dominant end use of plastic/film recycling is composite decking.*

There has been some confusion about how and where to recycle plastic bags. Some municipalities tell you that they only recycle refuse which is the case where I live. Several of my neighbors attempt to "recycle" their plastic bags, dry cleaning bags and newspaper bags, and meanwhile, they are being thrown right in the garbage.

In an effort to clarify the situation, I have come across a fantastic website called PlasticBagRecycling.org. They post very useful information about which plastic bags are acceptable to recycle and where you can drop them off. In addition to major recycling centers, many retail stores such as Walmart, CVS and Stop & Shop Supermarkets will take your plastic bags.

To learn what plastic bags, if any, are allowable for curbside pickup with your regular recycling, please contact your local municipality.

* Source: PlasticBagRecycling.org Read more!