Top 12 Foods to Buy Organic

One part of going green is buying organic foods. Buying organic can get really expensive so I found this great article on the top 12 foods to eat organic if you can't afford to go all organic.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods

Just in case you don't have time to read the article...
1. Meat
2. Milk
3. Coffee
4. Peaches
5. Apples
6. Sweet Bell Peppers
7. Celery
8. Strawberries
9. Leafy Greens
10. Grapes
11. Potatoes
12. Tomatoes

This is also an awesome article on the fruits and vegetables that you shouldn't worry about buying organic.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Save-on-Sustainable-Gallery-44032808

Basically, if a fruit or veggie has a thick skin, it is protected from pesticides which means it is o.k. to eat the non-organic version.

By the way, the links above are to one of my favorite websites. It has a lot of good and simple going green information. I recommend spending some time browsing it!

Calendar Art Idea

Every year I buy a new calendar to hang over my desk. Of course, it has to be nice to look at because I spend a lot of time at my desk (starring at it instead of doing my homework). It is such a waste to throw these little pieces of art away every December 31st so I suggest using them to decorate!

Just cut out your desired pictures from the calendar and decide how you would like to use them in your home. Don't forget to recycle the leftovers from the calendar. I was in need of some framed art on my walls so I purchased a matte-less picture frame from Target and placed my calendar picture inside. (My art is pictured above!)

Always think about how you could reuse things before tossing them! You never know what you will come up with!

Water and Coffee To Go

Using a reusable water bottle and thermos is a green tip that I have been practicing for a few months now. At first it was little difficult to make the switch from my Ozarka water bottles and to-go coffee cups, but now I wouldn't have it any other way.

I use two different water bottles to switch off every couple days (so I can wash them in between uses). My favorite water bottle is a Sigg which I purchased at Dick's Sporting Goods. You can also order them online. It's a great bottle because it's not made of plastic. They are aluminum!
Check them out at this sight...http://mysigg.com/
They are a little pricey, but their benefits outweigh the cost!

I know that many people already use a coffee thermos if you make your coffee at home. But, Starbucks is doing something pretty cool for their addicts. They have a coffee tumbler that is made with about 30% post consumer recycled content. When you purchase the tumbler, you get a free cup of coffee (in your tumbler). Plus, if you bring your tumbler in for coffee instead of using their to-go cups, you get 10 cents off your coffee. I know that 10 cents doesn't sound like much, but if you frequently purchase Starbucks coffee, it can add up! Plus, you are using a reusable thermos instead of the Starbucks cups.
Check it out at your local Starbucks!

Eco-Friendly Way to Get Rid of Smokey Clothes

Something I found that every college student could use after a night at the bar...now only if this would work on my hair....

Luckily for all of us, there are ways to remove cigarette odor that don't require heavy laundering or expensive product-buying.

1. Fill your bath with hot water. Just an inch of water or so should do the trick.


2. Add four cups of vinegar to the bath.


3. Hang your smoky clothing above the bath.


4. Shut the door to the bathroom. This will allow for steam to develop and linger.


5. Let the steam do its work! Steam from vinegar water has long been shown to remove odors, like smoke, from clothing.

Does cold water clean?

I had some friends over for dinner last night. Amazing dinner I might add (thanks katie). And we got on the topic of laundry. So, Katie, this is for you. Washing your clothes in cold water is perfectly clean AND using hot and warm water only wastes energy. Here is the full article if you wish to read it, but I'll highlight the main points.

-Eighty to ninety percent of the energy used to wash clothes heats the water, a practice that is increasingly unnecessary as advances in clothes washers and laundry detergents have made it possible to get white and colored clothes perfectly clean in cold water. Except when washing out particularly tough stains, such as oil, every load of laundry done in hot water wastes energy.

-Set your water temperature to "cold" on your clothes washer. Unless your clothes have oil or grease stains, cold water is usually adequate to clean white and colored clothes. In fact, washing clothes in cold water allows fabrics to retain their color and strength longer.


http://charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/laundry-machine-reviews.htm

1st Blog Post...Ever

I'm feeling just a little insecure writing my thoughts and daily actions onto the world wide web, but I think I'll get over it. I mean, everyone is doing it. Right?


About me. I don't really have an extremely exciting life. I'm a college student, I work, I have a cat, I have a boyfriend, he has a dog. I like to be outside, travel, and read. I have recently become interested in the green movement. Unless you live under a rock, you see it or hear about it everyday. On top of all the marketing and all the media around it, I have academic classes that are all about this current problem...earth problem!


So, as a late New Years Resolution, I want to dedicate myself to getting educated on this movement and also start making a change in the way I live. To some people, living green may be easily implemented into life, but for me, there are obstacles. I'm a college student...which also means I don't make money. And going green costs money! I don't own a home....so may landlord wouldn't be too happy if I installed solar panels across the roof. Don't get me wrong. I'm not making excuses for lacking on the green scale. I'm just thinking that I might have to do my green thing a little differently.


So, what does this have to do with my blog? Well, I'm going to document my adventures while going green. Things I buy (i'm good at shopping), things I make (i'm pretty crafty), and things I cook (i'm good at eating), and things I discover (hopefully).