Here are some useful green tips that you can practice everyday.

1. Salt

Salt can be used for a lot of things in the home, including yourself. You can use it to test an egg’s freshness, extend cheese life and shell nuts easily. You can treat mosquito bites and ease sore throat using salt. You can keep ants away, repair walls and tame barbecue flames. You can clean sink drains, clean greasy pans, refrigerators and glass coffee pots. Feel free to share your other uses for salt at home.

2. Moving Homes

Moving homes can be such a hassle. Trying to figure out which goes and which stays, packing the ones staying in boxes and hauling them from the old to the new house. When you’ve figured out which ones are not coming with you, consider placing an ad on Craigslist, Freecycle or eBay. Or just have a good old-fashioned garage sale. Pack the stuff you’re bringing in reused boxes you can purchase for a small price or for free. Pay it back by offering it up for the other movers. Lastly, use one large moving van and make sure everything is done in one trip.

3.  Baking Soda

Like salt, baking soda can also be used in numerous ways around the house. You can use it to freshen your mouth and use it as a facial scrub and body exfoliant. You can use baking soda to freshen sponges, clean the microwave, oven, floors, furniture and shower curtains. Use it to deodorize your refrigerator, sink drains, trash cans, lunch boxes and dish washers. You can also use baking soda to extinguish fires and scrubs fruits and vegetables.

4. Vegetable Garden

Gardening is hard work and if you don’t pay attention, your plants will die. But there are some vegetables that you can easily grow in your garden that even the laziest or clueless gardener can do. Asparagus needs a full sun and non-soggy, and a little sandy oil. Kale will grow in many climates. And bunching onions will grow even in cold climates.

5. Bathroom

There are a million ways to “prolong the life” of your bathroom products. For shampoo, just use a small amount for your hair. Short lengths only need to use a nickel-sized amount. Longer lengths will need a little more. For toothpaste, only a pea-sized amount is needed, the most important thing is how you brush your teeth anyway.

What other green tips can you recommend to our readers? Share them in the comments below!

Doing your laundry may just seem like a simple chore–okay, well maybe it is not so simple for everyone–but what you may not know is how much is wasted when one runs a load of laundry. All we see is a water going in, the machine churning, and water being spun out. I have not tried to calculate the amount of water that our machine uses, but I have a feeling that it is a lot more than I think it is.

If people changed the way they did their laundry, we could make a big difference in this world. It takes so much energy that is used to heat the wash water and to run the dry cycle and we do not usually think too much about this fact. However, if were all more aware, then we could start to reduce the carbon footprint that’s associated with our clothing.

One of the easiest ways to change your habits is to dry your clothes on a line rather than in the machine and to use the cold water setting rather than the hot water setting when hot water is not needed. The dryer actually comes in as number two on the household energy hog list and by not using it, you can save more than $70 per year in energy bills. So let us take the dryer out of the equation.

The average household does about 400 loads of laundry each year–coming in at about 13,500 gallons of water per year, according to Energy Star.  If you still have one of those older machines (my family had one up until about 2 weeks ago), you should really think about switching to an Energy-Start qualified top-loading machine. Why? Well, you an save as much as 7,000 gallons of water per year. This type of machine can save you $500 in operating costs over its lifetime (about 11 years). In short, you will most likely end up having a machine that pays for itself over the course of its useful life.

Doing your laundry in an efficient manner is a household chore you can afford to spend your money on because in the long run, you will save money and our environment.

It’s easy to live a green life now, with all the green restaurants, furniture, home and personal items. And now, even fashion designers have decided to embrace green life and share it with their clients.

Meet some of the world’s green fashion designers.

Anja Hynynen (Sweden)

Based in Sweden, with regular trips to Scotland, Anja Hynynen, 27, creates clothing from organic materials. As an independent designer, her collection is mainly womenswear, with some for men and children. Her designs include tailored pieces with exquisite detailing in woven fabric, knitted pieces and pieces with application work.

Raquel Allegra (USA)

Born in Berkeley, CA, Raquel Allegra creates unique shirts made from oversized vintage shirts recycled from the Los Angeles County Prison System. Coupled with comfort and a modern romantic design, no wonder her cult following follows her from Los Angeles to Beirut.

Jane Palmer (USA)

Jane Palmer, along with her partner, Marianne Fairbanks, created a powerful bag called Noon Solar. Noon Solar bags come equipped with thin solar panels to help you charge your iPod or cell phone. Jane Palmer is also the founder of the first and only natural-dye production house in the US.

Julie Roebuck (UK)

Julie Roebuck, from London, designs and produces clothes from used or surplus garments. She uses only rejected items, materials that are unwanted and have been discarded to create brilliant chic street wear masterpieces.

Dandi Maestre (Canada)

Born in Colombia, studied in New York, worked in Bogota and now living in Toronta, Canada, Dandi Maestre’s jewelry designs is a mix of naive and urban cultures. She uses shed antlers, bone, driftwood, crocodile skins, skulls and shells to create avant-garde jewelry masterpieces.

An article on Yahoo highlighted a woman’s transformation from a high-consumption life to an eco-friendly one by making a few instrumental changes in her life. Do you want to know how she did it? Here are a few tips she shared in the article.

1. Natural Cleaning Agents

Instead of buying the pre-made cleaning products in the stores (which are filled with all kinds of chemicals and bleach), make your own using items already found in your home. These items include vinegar, baking soda, natural soaps and lemon.

2. NO to Bottled Water

Buy a filter for the faucet or a pitcher with its own filter and start drinking from the tap. When going out, bring your own mug and fill it with tap water. Just this act alone can eliminate usage of at least 300 bottles a day.

3. Reusable Shopping Bags

Make it a habit of bringing your own shopping bags to eliminate the use of plastic or paper bags for your items. The bags only cost between $0.99 to $2 (some cost more but you don’t need to buy those) and use them again and again.

4. Avoid Plastic Wrap

When putting leftovers in the fridge, don’t use plastic wrap to cover your food. Use container covers or brown wax paper.

5. CFLs and Energy-Saving Appliances

Switch to CFL bulbs and energy-saving appliances and notice the big change in your electricity bill.

6. Grow Own Food

If you have the ability and the space to do, grow your own food. Just buy some pots, soil and seeds and plant away. You can plant spinach, mushrooms, tomato, eggplant, any kind of fruits or whatever else will fit in your space. Don’t forget to take care of the plants, though.

7. Don’t Be Afraid To Buy Used

There are some items that you can always buy used, like furniture (including book cases, chairs and tables, etc.), clothes, DVDs, CDs and other items that won’t compromise your health or will be with you for the long haul.

8. Say NO To Paper

Go paperless for all your bills and statements. Cancel all catalogs, print newspapers and other subscriptions and choose to view them online instead.

So are you ready to switch to a green lifestyle? Take the challenge and start now!

For a lot of us, we have dedicated ourselves to living a green life at home. But what about outside the home? What about at work? Is it easy to translate the same dedication to a green life at the office or at work?

Redefine commuting

Let’s face it. Bringing your own car has more cons than pros. You need to worry about traffic, gas, tolls, parking spaces, parking availability and parking fees, among others. Consider carpooling with your friends or officemates. If your city has a great public transportation system, consider taking the bus or train going to work. You could walk or take your bike to work.

Telecommuting

Another option to avoid even being on the road, if you don’t have to, is telecommuting. Work from home instead of the office. Commute to the office only if you have to but limit it to just some days in a week. You can maximize email, instant messaging and video conferencing to communicate with your other co-workers at work without having to leave the house.

Computers and other office equipment

Be sure to activate your computer’s energy-saver settings. When leaving for the day, don’t just press standby and shut down your computer. Make sure to unplug other equipment (including printer, scanner, etc) when not in use, as they contribute to power wastage when plugged but unused.

Green Materials

Use only recycled materials for papers and envelopes. There are also recycled pencils and refillable pens and markers available for use. Better yet, go paperless and keep communication online. Reading memos and reports online, instead of printing, saves paper and space, by eliminating file cabinets.

Break Time

Bring your own lunch to work in reusable containers. It’s cheaper and eliminates or minimizes packaging waste. Bring your own tumbler to work, too, where you can pour in water, your coffee or juice. You don’t have to stay inside with your lunch, though. Go outside and walk to the park or nearby benches and have your lunch there. It’ll be good to breathe in the outside air and will re-energize you through the rest of your workday.

Influence Others

Encourage your co-workers, family and friends to join you in living a green life. It’ll be more fun to share this lifestyle with other people. And it’ll be more fun for the environment.

Let’s start the year the green way. Here are some green tips for different parts of your life.

Spring Cleaning

Remove all the clutter. Go through drawers, cabinets, inside the closets, the garage, attic and everywhere you can think of. Start going through all your things one by one. It will take some time to get through all this, so be sure to set aside time for this activity. Or better yet, get the help of a family member or a friend. Create separate piles for things you’ll never use, things you can reuse and things you can donate or recycle.

Spring Break

Plan the ultimate road trip and avoid flying to your destination. Travel with family or friends to take advantage of the car’s space. Be sure to stay at a green hotel with good ratings. Or stay at a rental house with lots of other friends. You’ll save money and have more fun! Support local establishments. Eat local and buy local. And always remember to dispose trash properly and recycle.

Dating

How to find someone who shares your green ideals? Try online green dating sites like Green Singles or Green Passion. Or volunteer at your local environmental organization to meet other like-minded people. Take them to green restaurants or restaurants that serve locally-sourced food. Or make your own food and plan a picnic. Cook food for your date using locally-sourced food and organic alcohol.

Work From Home

Choose an area in your place that will give you no distractions and allow you to be very productive. Determine what kind of desk you’ll need, if you need lots of drawers or a wide space or a foldable one. Be sure to do your research and invest in desks made of sustainable wood. And make sure your chair is ergonomic and has good lumbar support designed to go easy on your posture and muscles. Before buying office supplies, check your place first for supplies you already may have to avoid overstocking.

Workout

You don’t need to join a gym to work out. You can do it at your own home. Do lunges and squats while watching your favorite shows on TV. Lift weights while watching the news. If you want to go out, go running or biking outside. Encourage other people to join your workouts. And don’t forget to go green with the equipment you use. Buy used bikes and/or weights, eco-friendly yoga mats.

Next time, we’ll discuss how to apply green tips in your life.

The holiday season might have passed, but being green is great all year round. I found these gifts at thegreenguide.com:

• Portable Solar Charger – At prices thar hover around $20, portable solar chargers are affordable, yet highly effective, green gifts. The newest Solar Style SC002 Solar Charger comes in lavender or silver, weighs just 131 grams, and has an output voltage of 3.6 or 5.5 volts. This charger has a built-in battery with enough power to charge most cell phones, MP3 players, and digital cameras, yet it can fit easily in a pocket. It is ideal for emergency kits and extended travel without power supplies.
• Coffee sleeves – In the movie Made of Honor it was said that the character Tom Bailey invented coffee sleeves and was able to make his living off of it. I wish they hadn’t been invented, because they are yet another paper product to add to the list. Know a coffee lover? You can save them from using the coffee sleeves that they trash by purchasing a durable one. To make the gift more personal, you could even make it yourself!
• The Gift of Charity? – At charitygiftcertificates.org, you can purchase “gift cards” to give to friends that allow them to pick a charity to donate whatever amount that you put on the card to a charity of their choice. It’s a new concept, giving money that will strictly be used for charity purpose. You can pre-select a charity, too. Why not pick one that works toward saving our environment?
• Paper Recycling Factory – The paper recycling factory teaches children how to use waste paper to create greetings cards, note pads, and other paper supplies. It’s a fun gift that gets kids excited about taking steps to reduce waste. At about $30, it is one of the more pricey items on the list.

For these gifts, waiting until the next holiday season or until a recipient’s birthday just isn’t logical. If you see a green gift that you or a friend will use, go out and get it, because the environment is always in need of some help.

This holiday, why not challenge yourself to reduce the amount of wrapping supplies you buy? With a bit of creativity, you quickly can find innovative ways to wrap just about any gift. My sister got me thinking about this idea already, as we already have exchanged gifts for Dutch Christmas on December 5th. She surprised me with her idea of gift wrapping (pictured). The trash bin was filled with gifts, and indeed, the trash bin and the scarf around it were gifts as well. (I’ll be going to college next year, so she figured she would give me a head start on my dorm decor.) Here are a few green gift wrapping ideas:

• Make the gift part of the wrapping. A trash can might not be the best way to go unless you have  a college dorm or Oscar the Grouch theme going on. However, there are other gifts that could do the trick: a fleece blanket wrapped around some pajamas or a watering can filled with gardening tools. Top it off with a scarf, and it can become quite the package.
• Buy blooming wrapping paper.  Blooming wrapping paper is a gift in itself. The paper is embedded with wildflower seeds. After its job has been served, this gift wrap can be planted directly into the dirt.
• Add a compact fluorescent bulb instead of a bow. It’s quirky. Yes. But effective? Yes.
• If you can’t think of anything else, newspaper makes excellent green wrapping paper. To avoid making newspaper look like just a cheap wrapping paper alternative, pick sections that the receiver enjoys, comics usually work well, or get creative with some magazine clippings.
• Save all the bags and bows when all is said and done. With a bit of double sided tape, a used bow is as good as new. Even large pieces of gift wrap can be saved for smaller gifts in upcoming years.

Why not make it a challenge among your family members to see who has the greenest and most creative wrapping? See what you can do; you will be proud of the results.

Every year, we worry about what presents to give to our family, friends, and all the people in our lives. And every year, we worry about how we’ll be able to afford it all. This year, why not make it affordable, easier and more personal? How about eco-friendly, DIY Christmas gifts? Here are some ideas:

1. Aprons – great gifts for the people who love to cook. Make it more personal by stitching a name on it or even a title showing off individual specialties.

2. Homemade Pastries - everybody loves food and always will appreciate a gift of homemade cookies or cake or other pastries. I remember every year, I always looked forward to my neighbor’s Christmas gift, which was chocolate chip cookies. Best cookies I’ve ever tasted!

3. Bookmarkers - this gift works especially for all the book lovers out there. They sometimes read several books at a time. And they’re gonna need something to mark the places they left off in all the books they’re reading.

4. Bath Oils – women will especially love this gift. Just combine 1 bottle of organic olive oil with 1 tablespoon of castille soap, and pour in a bottle or jar. Add a fragrant essential oil of your choice one drop at a time. You also can add some dried herbs inside for decoration.

5. Christmas Coupons - this will work especially well for kids giving it to their parents or couples to each other. Include coupons for taking out the trash, cooking, a hug, massage, cleaning the house, walking the dog, a kiss or any other activity you can think of. Be sure to hold your end of the bargain when coupons are redeemed.

There’s still a lot of other ideas you can use for an eco-friendly Christmas gift. The trick really is to be creative and imaginative. Don’t hold back. But always keep the recipient in mind when making gifts because what you like may not be necessarily something they want to get.

Good luck!

Need some boxes for moving, shipping, or storage? What ABC calls, “…a special place that will help you save on boxes and on the environment,” Used Cardboard Boxes takes used cardboard boxes and distributes them to buyers. In addition to being eco-friendly, these boxes are cheaper than traditional packing, and  buyers will never have to spend additional cash on the shipping fees to get the boxes to their homes.

Will they be of lesser quality? No. These boxes are considered “used”, but really they are boxes that are guaranteed to work as well as the “new” ones. The majority of their “used” boxes come from large companies who might have made misprints and overruns; many haven’t seen a day inside a delivery truck! Some of the boxes have been used once but are guaranteed to be of a satisfactory quality. Best of all, they are cheap.

How much cheaper are they? Used Cardboard Boxes never charges for shipping, as long as the purchase is within the continental US. (The boxes will arrive within the standard one to two business days.) They try to bring these boxes to you at low prices that easily beat what other companies charge for their new boxes. Same quality, lower prices, more eco-friendly, the choice is obvious. This company has never cut down a tree, and has estimated that by their work they have saved over 15,000 so far.

If you work for a company that has a sizable supply of “cardboard waste,” consider contacting UsedCardboardBoxes.com; they will offer to buy these boxes for more than a recycling company and make your firm one step closer to being as environmentally friendly as it possibly can. This web site was another finalist for the 2009 Green America’s People’s Choice Award, earning its nomination. They serve their mission well, “rescuing” tons of used boxes so that they can be used for another shipment before landing in a dump. Keeping these boxes in the system, rather than sending them through the recycling process, cuts down on general energy use. UsedCardboardBoxes is simply the optimum source for purchasing cardboard boxes.