8 Ways to Live a Green Lifestyle

We all care about our planet and are willing to make the changes needed to preserve the globe for future generations. But let’s be honest, sometimes it can seem overwhelming and even impossible to make a dent in the problem. The good news is; if we all work together to make a change, it adds up to big benefits for planet Earth. To get you started, here are 8 ways you can begin living a green lifestyle today.

Your Green Lifestyle Starts Here

Flip Those Switches

This one seems basic, but it’s sad how many of us neglect to turn off lights and appliances when we’re not using them. Experts estimate that Americans could slash their energy use by at least 30% by switching off what they don’t need. Additionally, you might want to consider air drying your laundry or investing in solar energy for your home.

Switch to Green Cleaning Products

Although companies like Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and Method make fantastic natural cleaning products, you can easily keep your household clean and fresh using inexpensive items like baking soda and vinegar. Vinegar is extremely versatile throughout the home, cleaning glass and disinfecting toilets for pennies per use. 

Start a Backyard Garden

One way to reduce the global impact of your household is by growing produce in your backyard and preserving it for the colder, winter months. The average grocery item consumed by Americans has travelled more than 1,000 miles to reach their tables. By growing your own food, you can reduce that distance to 0.

Stop Buying Bottled Water

One easy way to live a green lifestyle is to bring your own, reusable bottle of water. Last year Americans used more than 50 billion plastic bottles, many of which wound up in landfills never to decompose. You can help stop both the production and pollution of plastic bottles by always bringing your own, refillable water both with you to work or wherever you may go.

Bring Your Own Bag

Through simply remembering to bring your reusable bags to the grocery story, you could play a part in it reducing massive amounts of plastic waste annually. Need a case in point? When the city of San Jose, California, outlawed plastic bags, the water systems and sewer systems saw an 89% reduction in plastic bag pollution.

Start Composting

Did you know that you can live a green lifestyle and cut the waste in your bin by 30% through composting at home? Not only does composting lessen what you’re sending to the landfills, it gives you rich fertilizer to encourage your garden and landscaping to grow and flourish.

Take A Walk

If you can walk or bike to your destination, do it! Not only will you be doing something good for your planet but your body will thank you for it as well. If you can’t walk, consider carpooling, anything to get less cars on the road emitting fossil fuel pollution.

Use Less Water

If you leave the water running while you brush your teeth or if you take long showers, then you have an easy way to live a greener lifestyle – use less water! By using less water throughout your home and choosing water efficient shower heads and toilets, you can conserve water and do your part to save the planet.

How you do live a green lifestyle? Tell us about it in the comments section below!

###

Photo by Ashes Sitoula on Unsplash

DIY Summer Craft Projects

Summer is a time for lounging by the pool and basking in the sun, but it’s also the season to get busy tackling creative, DIY craft projects. With this in mind, we’ve collected a fabulous list of DIY summer craft projects designed to enhance your summer living and entertaining. Our list includes projects that will inspire and entice both beginning and expert crafters alike! Keep reading for some creative ideas you’ll want to put to use this season.

Try These 5 Summer Craft Projects

Bohemian Inspired Vases

Summer is the season for colorful blossoms and who doesn’t love to place a vase of hand cut flowers in the center of the table? Use this craft project from HGTV.com to add a little style to your plain vases with a few simple geometric shapes and an oil-based paint marker. Simply draw your designs on your vase and jar and allow time for it to fully cure before filling it with water and flowers from your garden and neighborhood.

Tea Towel Table Runners

Even if sewing intimidates you, this craft project from MarthaStewart.com is one that you can pull off and feel great about. Start by purchasing or gathering some of your favorite tea towels in colorful, coordinating prints or solids. Press your towels flat before sewing to ensure your stitches are even and lay flat. Next, line your tea towels up and overlap them by an inch, sewing on the overlaps until you reach the right length. Hint: You can lay them across your table in one long stip lengthwise or multiple smaller runners across the width of your table. 

Wood and Neon Lanyard Jewelry

Add some color and bling to your summer wardrobe by designing your own wood and neon jewelry. All you’ll need for this Martha Stewart-curated project are brightly colored lanyards, unfinished wooden beads, and scissors. Start by selecting a desired length for your necklaces and then thread the beads with an alternating backstitch to secure them. Finish your necklace with a basic double knot and you have a versatile summer accessory you’ll reach for again and again.

Foliage Wall Art

With this HGTV-curated craft project you can preserve summer and hang it on your wall to keep you hopeful when the weather turns nasty. For this project you’ll need three 12x12 frames with mats, three 8x8 canvases, spray paint, a drop cloth, and some leaves and foliage with interesting textures. Place your canvases on a drop cloth and arrange your leaves until you’re happy with the look. Spray paint in layers until your canvases are covered. Once they are fully dried, place them in a frame and hang as desired.

Shadow Box Bird Feeder

Transform a simple shadow box into a rustic bird feeder with this simple summer craft project from CountryLiving.com. For this project, you’ll need a 15” solid wood shadow box, epoxy, 4 inches of ¾ inch diameter dowel rod, a terra cotta planter dish, several feet of twine, and a metal screw hook. Start by screwing your hook into the center, top portion of your box. Next, epoxy your dowel rod to the center, bottom portion of your box so that it sticks up and allow the epoxy to dry for at least 24 hours. Finally, use the same epoxy to center your dish on the top of your dowel, allowing it to dry according to package instructions. Once your new bird feeder is dry, use your twine to hang it and fill the dish with seed for your feathery neighbors. 

What summer craft projects are you working on? Tell us all about it in the comments section below!

###

Photo by Victoria Bilsborough on Unsplash

How to Grow Rehmannia Flowers

The best herbs and supplements are the ones that you can grow in your own backyard. Being able to infuse your diet with homegrown natural goodness is both healthy and fulfilling. One herb that is perfect for backyard gardening is known as rehmannia (also called Rehmannia glutinosa or Chinese foxglove.) Rehmannia is a Chinese herb that has been foundation in natural, Eastern medicine for centuries and can be used to support brain, blood, heart, kidney, digestive, and reproductive system health.

Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of rehmannia and how you can incorporate it’s beautiful, bell-shaped blossoms into your home gardenscape.

Why Grow Rehmannia?

Rehmannia is considered a multi-purpose tonic and health supportive plant with a rich history of use in holistic medicine. Although the pink, bell-shaped flowers are a lovely addition to your garden, the health benefits of rehmannia are found mainly in the root or rhizome of the plant. Studies have shown that rehmannia is a powerful antioxidant and scavenger of free radicals, meaning it can reduce inflammation and support healthy cells across multiple systems in the body.

Rehmannia has also been shown to support a healthy gut by feeding and boosting the good gut bacteria and improving digestion and elimination. Rehmannia has also been studied for its ability to support female reproductive health, particularly in easing the pain and discomfort of cramping during menstrual cycles. Using rehmannia roots may also help detoxify the liver, removing toxins and improving function. Occasionally, the leaves are also used as a compress to promote healthy looking skin and help with redness and rashes.

How to Grow Rehmannia at Home

If you’re convinced of the wide-reaching benefits of this ancient, Eastern herb you should try growing rehmannia for yourself. This plant grows best in Zones 7-10, but if you live in a cooler zone you can grow rehmannia in containers and move it indoors in the winter months. If you have well-drained soil, rehmannia can tolerate full sun, but it does appreciate a bit of afternoon shade as well. You can expect this rhizome-rich plant to produce beautiful pink blossoms up to 2 inches long in the late spring to early summer. When it comes time to harvest the rehmannia root, it’s best to do so in the late fall for cultivated plants, but if you have wild rehmannia, a springtime harvest is recommended. Dry the roots in the sun for several weeks if you intend to prepare them for long-term use.

Using Rehmannia Root

Once you’ve harvested your rehmannia roots, you have two choices; you can either boil the roots and use them fresh or dry and prepare them for later use. Fresh rehmannia can be cooked and eaten and may help reduce fever and clean blood. One of the most common ways to use rehmannia is to prepare it in a mixture of black beans and wine and then extract it into a powdered form which can be easily taken in water, smoothies or teas.

Do you grow rehmannia at home? Tell us about how you tend and use this powerful plant in the comments section below.

###

Photo by Lukas from Pexels