GREEN TIPS – Ways To Go Green
Photo: Courtesy of Porcher
Be Water Wise
When you turn on the shower, place a container under the showerhead. In the few moments it takes for water to heat up, you can gather enough for the dog’s bowl and the houseplants. We’re on water rationing in California so don’t waste a drop!
A leak is not just annoying, it’s losing water and energy bills with wasted gallons until a plumber comes to fix it. While you’re waiting to get it fixed on ASAP, use this old trick: Tie a string on the faucet allowing the drops to flow silently down into a cup or small bowl. Use this collected H2O to water your houseplants or outdoor garden.
A simple hardware store filter called an aerator added onto your kitchen (or bath) faucet cuts down on water consumption. Without sacrificing water pressure (or very little), and less than $15, you can install one yourself, and save up to 500 gallons per year. That’s a huge savings.
Growing Kitchen Greens
recycle cans into herb growing kits
Try your gardening hand at going green by growing herbs & salad greens in the kitchen. There are ready made kits you can find at your local nursery or online. Bringing in a natural element adds coziness to your home’s busiest room while naturally cleaning the air you breathe. Nothing beats adding your own fresh basil to pasta or mint to tea, and you get the kudos too.
Many Chefs we place raise organic herbs at our clients homes to season and garnish their nourishing and delectable meals. This saves on energy, makes food deliciously more meaningful, and provides added control for what you actually put on your dining table. It also allows kids in the household to participate as a means to teach them how to be more conscientious, enjoy their food, and an easy lesson on how sustainable living environments can be brought home.
available through Brooklyn Botanic Garden
A great children’s book on gardening published by the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens has over 40 hands-on activities and ideas (for all regions in the country), to share with kids you may work with for childcare, family members, or your kids to grow. Giving kids value and relationship to nature at an early age lasts a lifetime– forging a relationship early on to green. Explore the Table of Contents here.
raised bed green gardening
Missing these days for younger gens is the cultural knowledge of how to grow, to make our own food with your own bare hands. We’re not talking about fancy gardening here. Back 2-3 generations everyone knew a little about it, if you needed advice, you could ask your neighbor. Better yet, you could ask the farmer himself, because he was local. Now we’re deprived of food that tastes like real food (before GMO took over US produce and related legislation). We all lament why European produce is so much more delicious when traveling abroad. Having life skills that preserve knowledge of growing your own food is imperative, along with being able to refine taste buds to learn when food has lost its nutrients, esthetic, and social bonding value.
HANDMADE SEED STARTER KITS are a great gift for almost anyone. You can customize a planter by covering or painting an aluminum can, a yogurt cup, or any other container with a bottom that can be punctured for drainage. There are great tips for types of soil and seeds to use for a starter kit online at organically grown food websites. To make it even more special, you may want to add a few plant markers to the kit. Design your own or use a template inserting the words sustainable design, green design, green eco gifts, or edible gifts. Enjoy our GREEN TIPS at home and gift them to others, Tell A Friend
Serving Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air, Benedict Canyon, Torrance, Hancock Park, Laurel Canyon, Los Feliz, Marina Del Rey, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Melrose. Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Woodland Hills, Topanga Canyon, Westwood, Hollywood Hills, Pasadena, San Mareno, Santa Barbara, Orange County, Ventura County, California, New York, & the greater United States…
Our Best Advice has been brought to you by www.ISAstaffing.com, renowned Best of The Best in Household Work and Domestic Help staffing. Visit often for other great ideas, use our Tell A Friend featured link to this blog, and our Domestic Staffing website to pass our HOT TIPS and renowned services. THANKS!