Environment

Plastic Pollution in America: Alert to Disaster
Plastic Production Plastic is everywhere. In fact, if you look at your surroundings, you will see multiple plastic items—colored pens, mirror frames, a hair brush, toys and balloons, lamps, food bottles, a garden hose, a button, a pail, a drinking straw, a contact lens and more. Basically, plastic is a synthetic material made from oil, a raw material—you could say it is made up of recycled dinosaurs (or fossil fuels). It can be molded into any shape and take on any color.

Natural and Organic: Decoding Labels for Cleaning or Personal Care Products
Every day the message to consumers tells us the marketplace for personal care products and home cleaning products is complicated, and that switching to natural or organic products is the way to go. But where do you go to decipher labels; and if the product is not monitored by the government, how can we believe what is really “natural” or “organic”? Following you will find what some of the labels mean in terms of certification.

Death of the Plastic Straw
Plastic Lifetime National Geographic reports that the first plastics made from fossil fuels are just over a century old. Widespread use took affect post-World War II when shortages of natural materials fostered a search for synthetic alternatives and resulted in an exponential glut in production. It’s been said that if the Pilgrims left a trail of plastic water bottles and plastic-wrapped snacks, their trash would probably still be around, four centuries later.

Ingredients You Don't Want in Your Makeup
If you’ve spent a lot of time trying to create a diet that will benefit you with an overall healthy body, demeanor and lifestyle—why hasn’t that spilled over into your beauty products? And even if you are not a vegetarian, vegan or diet aficionado, if you love animals so much: do you really want to eat them, wear them or smear their products on your body? Yes, life is complicated and the cosmetics industry is one of the more complicated businesses.

Urban Beekeeping for Beginners
You’ve romanticized about having your own honeybee hive apiary; have thought about helping save the bees from disease, nutrition and pesticides; or contemplated how great it would be to have bees populate your garden. It’s doable, but will take some time and effort.

How to Regrow Veggies from Kitchen Scraps
Ever wish you didn’t have to throw out so many vegetables or that you didn’t need to buy them? What if you could fix both problems in one? What if you grew more vegetables from the scraps of your meals? No green thumb? No problem!

Should You Invest in Solar Panels? Find Out if the Price is Right
More and more homeowners are considering solar panels for their home. In some communities they are even a common sight, but in most places it’s still a niche investment. Is it worth it for you? This article will help you find out!

3 Energy-Saving Hacks for Hot Months: Save Energy & Money This Summer
The summer months bring melting popsicles, late sunsets, and utility bills that can leave you and your vacation aspirations covered in sweat.

The Market for Green Chemistry is Growing
As consumers and producers become more aware of the environmental impact of their life choices, green chemistry is growing as a way to more safely produce the products we enjoy every day.

Saving Hedgehogs with Holey Fences and Special Ice Cream Containers
Chipping Norton has finest 18th century houses, a church that was a former wool factory, the Unicorn Hotel, countryside gardens and some amazing farm shops. You wouldn’t think it housed a major highway through beautiful private gardens. A highway for hedgehogs!