I do not like bugs but bugs love me. They like to enter my home, make me scream and take big bites of my tasty skin. EW!
I squirm and squeal when I'm caught off guard by a big bug. They are gross, but I can't find it in my heart to squish them to death. I've always been sensitive about animals, so after all these years and all the bugs I've seen, if they enter my living quarters, I usually capture them and free them outside.
Yes, I free the bug that caused me so much turmoil and anguish. I do admit to summoning a big strong guy, or whoever is around, to squish the big 'uns. I also admit to committing murder myself, although I try to catch and release but sometimes you have to teach spiders a lesson. GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!
Along with my hatred of bugs, I hate itching. I LOATH bug bites and I have a sincere FEAR of getting West Nile Virus. Mosquito's LOVE my blood. So I think I have good reason to be a bit apprehensive. I seem to get bug bites everywhere from my face to my toes, so you can imagine bug repellent is my friend, I often douse myself in the delightful scent of bug bite freedom.
In my recent efforts to be green, I realized my good friend, OFF, is a chemical queen all wrapped up in a earth-killin' aerosol can. Yikes.
I've searched far and wide (on the internet) for all natural bug repellents. That way you can enjoy mother nature with out getting eaten by her ugly little creatures.
Below are some concoctions and websites where you can go to learn more. Enjoy beating those bugs.
1. Garlic is a good way to scare off vampires, and maybe even a cute date, but it also "bugs" misquotes!
Try mixing one part garlic juice with 5 parts water in a small spray bottle. Shake it up before using then spray lightly on exposed body parts. This will help repel bugs up to 5 - 6 hours. You can also soak strips of cotton cloth in the mix and hang it in places you don't want buggies.
2. The Neem tree from India produces seeds and seed oil that contains sallanin which repels mosquito. Neem oil is natural and is safe to use. You can find Neem oil based products.
3. When you're cooking out and don't want any uninvited buzzing guests, toss some sage or rosemary on the coals. That will help repel mosquitoes.
4. Planting marigolds helps deter pests. Bugs don't like their smell.
5. Rubbing Lavender oil on pulse points can keep the bugs away without keeping friends away too.
6. Plain ol' rubbing alcohol can keep the bigs from biting too. I saw this online from someone who is allergic to mosquito bites. They said once its on, it smells nice (believe it or not) and keeps the bugs away.
7. Want to make your own mix? I found this recipe online.
1/2 ounce citronella oil
1/4 ounce lavender oil
1/8 ounce pennyroyal oil
1/8 ounce tea tree oil
1/8 ounce jojoba oil
**Do not use this blend undiluted on your skin. Follow these instructions for diluting:
To make an insect repellent oil that can be used on your body, add 16 ounces of jojoba or almond oil to the base oil mixture and blend thoroughly. For an insect repellent spray, add 16 ounces of vodka to the base oil mixture, pour into a spray bottle, and shake before using.
A good idea to protect your pretty locks, add base oil to shampoos and liquid soaps.
Two more recipes with essential oils:
Essential Oils: Lemon grass, eucalyptus, castor oil, peppermint, tea tree oil, lavender, cedar, Clove oil and citronella (rose geranium)
SPRAY: Rubbing alcohol (or witch hazel, vodka, or olive oil) mixed with an essential oil with a 10-to-1, alcohol-to-oil ratio. Shake it up before using.
LOTION: 2 ounces distilled water, 2 ounces olive oil, and about 120 drops essential oil. Mix water with a wire whip while drizzling olive oil in. Mix in essential oil.
Here is a website that has lots and lots of great GREEN info:
http://eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm
.
Don't let the bugs BUG you!
MollyO
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Plastic is sooo last season
Plastic is sooooo out this season! EW... who uses plastic bags anyway?? That was sooo last year and every year before that. Reusable bags are in! Anything goes in the grocery store! Beach bags, back packs, aundry bags, old shopping bags, HECK! I even used a pillow case the other day!
I have been so pleasantly surprised at the GROWING number of shoppers I have seen packing up their REUSABLE bags! GREAT JOB FOLKS! Keep up the good work! As I walk out of the store, I notice more and more people having these reusuable bags. Its fantastic. If you haven't caught onto the trend, COME ON! Not only will you look environmentally AWARE, you will save money! Many stores offer a discount if you bring your own shopping bag in. Some stores even offer a per-bag discount. With gas and food prices obnoxiously high, every penny counts right? If saving money doesn't appeal to you, how about PAYING money to use paper or plastic? In recent weeks Seattle passed a 20-cent tax green fee which will be implemented starting next year on each plastic or paper grocery bag used.
Lets do the math.... If you take home 3-5 bags of groceries(or just grocery bags) per week... that is 12-20 per month. 12-20 X $0.20 = $2.40- $4.00 extra per month. $2.40- $4.00 X 12 months = $28.80- $48.00 PER YEAR just on the actual stinking bags alone!
When Ireland put on a tax in, they saw a 95% decrease in their use. That's big.
Don't get caught up in the frustration of taxes, think of it as a fun way to save money, or create bags with your family and friends. Any ol' bag will do, you can make them on your own or buy them at stores. Several grocery stores sell their own bags now for a low fee, even Target is getting into the swing of things by selling bags made out of recycled Target bags. (fused together) And if you have a trillion plastic bags under your sink, you can make your own bag too!
Check out:
http://etsylabs.blogspot.com/2007/05/long-overdue-fusing-plastic-bag.html
http:www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-plastic-tote-bag-from-recycled-plast/
Also try this fun and Chic eco website: http://www.idealbite.com/
Another Helpful website is:
http://www.reusablebags.com/
Green it up!
Molly O
I have been so pleasantly surprised at the GROWING number of shoppers I have seen packing up their REUSABLE bags! GREAT JOB FOLKS! Keep up the good work! As I walk out of the store, I notice more and more people having these reusuable bags. Its fantastic. If you haven't caught onto the trend, COME ON! Not only will you look environmentally AWARE, you will save money! Many stores offer a discount if you bring your own shopping bag in. Some stores even offer a per-bag discount. With gas and food prices obnoxiously high, every penny counts right? If saving money doesn't appeal to you, how about PAYING money to use paper or plastic? In recent weeks Seattle passed a 20-cent tax green fee which will be implemented starting next year on each plastic or paper grocery bag used.
Lets do the math.... If you take home 3-5 bags of groceries(or just grocery bags) per week... that is 12-20 per month. 12-20 X $0.20 = $2.40- $4.00 extra per month. $2.40- $4.00 X 12 months = $28.80- $48.00 PER YEAR just on the actual stinking bags alone!
When Ireland put on a tax in, they saw a 95% decrease in their use. That's big.
Don't get caught up in the frustration of taxes, think of it as a fun way to save money, or create bags with your family and friends. Any ol' bag will do, you can make them on your own or buy them at stores. Several grocery stores sell their own bags now for a low fee, even Target is getting into the swing of things by selling bags made out of recycled Target bags. (fused together) And if you have a trillion plastic bags under your sink, you can make your own bag too!
Check out:
http://etsylabs.blogspot.com/2007/05/long-overdue-fusing-plastic-bag.html
http:www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-plastic-tote-bag-from-recycled-plast/
Also try this fun and Chic eco website: http://www.idealbite.com/
Another Helpful website is:
http://www.reusablebags.com/
Green it up!
Molly O
Get a green thumb, and body, and mouth
You can look at Going Green in many ways. While it just may not be feasible to have the GREEN take over your life, some small changes are possible. To those who say, "I'm just one person, my stuff doesn't matter" you are wrong. Every bit counts. So QUIT USING THAT AS AN EXCUSE!!!
Lets start with something easy you can do to help good ol Mama Earth. No matter who you are, man, woman or child, everyone needs to think about PERSONAL HYGIENE. We use all kinds of toxic chemicals and plastic items on our most prized possession, our bodies! Do you really want to drown your skin in products whose ingredients will NEVER decompose?? That just doesn't sound right to me. I mean we are talking about everyday items like shower gel, hand soap and toothpaste!
I've recently seen multiple "green" products appear and even at a lower cost than in earlier years. There are LOTS AND LOTS of brands/products/items I could talk about here, so lets keep a focus and I will talk about one brand for now that ROCKS in every category.
I need to declare my love for Tom, Tom's of Maine that is. Check out www.tomsofmaine.com Tom's is pretty much a Green Stud. The whole company does everything it can to not only make and create natural care products, but they do it in an energy efficient building, and put it in recyclable packaging. You can be sure that ZERO animal ingredients were used, and NO animal testing was performed if you buy a Tom's of Maine product. When you are all done with the product, you can recycle the container! If your neighborhood doesn't do a certain type of recycling, send the packaging back to Tom's and they will be happy to do it for you.
To prove how amazing this company is here is a direct quote taken from their website
"We do this by creating safe, effective natural products free of artificial dyes, sweeteners, and preservatives; by harvesting, processing, and packaging with respect for our natural resources; by not testing on animals or using animal ingredients; and by donating 10% of our profits and 5% of our employees' paid time to charitable organizations."
WOW.
Some more details on that...
They use wind energy. They use all energy-saving lighting. They recycle aluminum tubes, cardboard, folding cartons, mixed paper, and even challenging items such as shrink wrap.
They also:
* Use vegetable-based inks on all packaging
* Wrap their bar soaps in biodegradable cellulose made from wood fibers
* Created a deodorant stick made of just a single plastic (#5 polypropylene) so that it can be recycled- according to their website, this is "the first of its kind in the industry and a container that is even stronger and more reliable than the old nonrecyclable version!"
Its amazing to find a company that strives to be environmentally friendly and aware in just about every aspect of their business.
One product I enjoy is the toothpaste. You may think it tastes a bit off, but in reality it is just clean and natural! According to their website, sweeteners used in other toothpastes (saccharin) are about 400 times as sweet as sugar. WOAH! Tom's doesn't use But we use artificial preservatives so their toothpaste doesn't taste as sweet. After using it for a few days you don't really notice the difference until you maybe pick up an old tube and start brushing. The difference kicks in then! You can almost feel the sugar scratching on your teeth after brushing with artificially sweetened stuff. BLEAH!
Tom's started small (still family owned) and has grow over the years but still keeps core values. They have multiple products so I encourage you to find them in the drug store visit their website at www.tomsofmaine.com .
Enjoy a greener, healthier lifestyle!
Molly O
Lets start with something easy you can do to help good ol Mama Earth. No matter who you are, man, woman or child, everyone needs to think about PERSONAL HYGIENE. We use all kinds of toxic chemicals and plastic items on our most prized possession, our bodies! Do you really want to drown your skin in products whose ingredients will NEVER decompose?? That just doesn't sound right to me. I mean we are talking about everyday items like shower gel, hand soap and toothpaste!
I've recently seen multiple "green" products appear and even at a lower cost than in earlier years. There are LOTS AND LOTS of brands/products/items I could talk about here, so lets keep a focus and I will talk about one brand for now that ROCKS in every category.
I need to declare my love for Tom, Tom's of Maine that is. Check out www.tomsofmaine.com Tom's is pretty much a Green Stud. The whole company does everything it can to not only make and create natural care products, but they do it in an energy efficient building, and put it in recyclable packaging. You can be sure that ZERO animal ingredients were used, and NO animal testing was performed if you buy a Tom's of Maine product. When you are all done with the product, you can recycle the container! If your neighborhood doesn't do a certain type of recycling, send the packaging back to Tom's and they will be happy to do it for you.
To prove how amazing this company is here is a direct quote taken from their website
"We do this by creating safe, effective natural products free of artificial dyes, sweeteners, and preservatives; by harvesting, processing, and packaging with respect for our natural resources; by not testing on animals or using animal ingredients; and by donating 10% of our profits and 5% of our employees' paid time to charitable organizations."
WOW.
Some more details on that...
They use wind energy. They use all energy-saving lighting. They recycle aluminum tubes, cardboard, folding cartons, mixed paper, and even challenging items such as shrink wrap.
They also:
* Use vegetable-based inks on all packaging
* Wrap their bar soaps in biodegradable cellulose made from wood fibers
* Created a deodorant stick made of just a single plastic (#5 polypropylene) so that it can be recycled- according to their website, this is "the first of its kind in the industry and a container that is even stronger and more reliable than the old nonrecyclable version!"
Its amazing to find a company that strives to be environmentally friendly and aware in just about every aspect of their business.
One product I enjoy is the toothpaste. You may think it tastes a bit off, but in reality it is just clean and natural! According to their website, sweeteners used in other toothpastes (saccharin) are about 400 times as sweet as sugar. WOAH! Tom's doesn't use But we use artificial preservatives so their toothpaste doesn't taste as sweet. After using it for a few days you don't really notice the difference until you maybe pick up an old tube and start brushing. The difference kicks in then! You can almost feel the sugar scratching on your teeth after brushing with artificially sweetened stuff. BLEAH!
Tom's started small (still family owned) and has grow over the years but still keeps core values. They have multiple products so I encourage you to find them in the drug store visit their website at www.tomsofmaine.com .
Enjoy a greener, healthier lifestyle!
Molly O
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