Green Cleaning Tips

Hello all,

It may not be Spring Cleaning time anymore, but that doesn't mean you're going to withold from cleaning for almost a year, right? Now, don't go running to that Swiffer and Windex just yet! Here are some Green Cleaning Tips from "ReadyMade" to polish up your household in the most environmental ways possible. :)

HERBAL ALTERNATIVE
Ever have problems with flies? Of course you have. Instead of reaching for that fly swatter or the nearest tossable object, drive them away with a potted basil plant. These annoying insects find the aroma of these herbs repulsive, and therefore will keep you spending less time killing flies and more time enjoying your bug-free home.

CLEAN AIR ACT
Did you know that houseplants can significantly reduce biological and synthetic pollutants in the air? Well, they can! Some of the more popular potted plants with this benefit are gerber daisies, chrysanthemums, ficus, peace lilies, and devil's ivy.

SMUDGE FREE
In order to clean up those scuff marks from leather furniture, gently rub the eraser end of a pencil over the affected areas. "It's a toxin- and fume-free way to make imperfections disappear."

BRUSH IT OFF
For polishing off the metal fixtures in your home, use non-gel toothpaste to help in keeping them "clean, sparkly, and tarnish-free."

MAGIC WAND
Here's a nice trick for those cosmetic junkies, instead of tossing your used-up mascara brushes, keep them for "cleaning small nooks and crannies. Simply shampoo the bristles, allow them to dry, and get to work."

For more Green Cleaning Tips, check out the "ReadyMade" website where they have a whole list of interesting, eco-ways to tidy up your home. :)

Peace&Love,
Dr. Green T

Works Cited:
"GREEN CLEANING TIPS." ReadyMade, n.d. Web. 23 Jun 2010. http://readymade.com/resources/homefixes/green_cleaning_tips/.

Global Warming?

Happy Summer Vacation!!
Hope you're all enjoying your time away from school like I am.

Quick question, why are we in a fight to reduce global warming? Unfortunately, many people don't know the cause behind this environmental movement nor do they understand the importance in taking action now.

To put it quite simply, our atmosphere consists of gases, both human-caused and naturally occurring, which either absorb or emit radiation. Ultraviolet radiation from our sun hits the Earth with most of it being reflected back into space by cloud, the ozone layer, and ice. About 25% is absorbed by the planet, and then re-emitted as infrared radiation.

However, some of the re-emitted radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases in our atmosphere which excite the molecules and cause them to emit radiation back onto Earth as heat. The more of these gas molecules we have in our atmosphere, the more infrared radiation is absorbed and sent back to the Earth's surface.

"The greenhouse gases that we have the widest understanding about are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs, used for aerosols). CO2 currently contributes the most to the greenhouse effect – the amount of radiation being trapped and re-emitted by greenhouse gases – but the other gases combined will soon be as important to the greenhouse effect as CO2" (Yahoo! Green).

So nobody becomes overly paranoid by this, you should know greenhouse gases are not necessarily a bad thing. They actually help in making our planet livable as the average temperature would be slightly below zero degrees Fahrenheit without them! With them, the average temperature is 59 degrees Fahrenheit, but the growing concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere will make this subject to change. This is why we are fighting to prevent our Earth from global warming, to keep our planet from increasing its average temperature to degrees that may threaten the livelihood of mankind on Earth.

With that, have a great summer and be sure to live Green! :)

Peace&Love,
Dr. Green T

Works Cited:
"Yahoo! Green." Yahoo! Inc., 2010. Web. 19 Jun 2010. http://green.yahoo.com/global-warming/lime-67/just-what-is-a-greenhouse-gas-anyhow.html.