Cork is one of the most environmentally friendly materials.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of cork is the little plug that you use as a wine bottle stopper. It’s no wonder why, considering that the main commercial use for cork is the wine bottle stopper. The question is, can cork be used for other things? With its useful properties, the potential for other commercial uses of cork is wide and varied.

Check out these interesting facts about cork:

1. Cork is a renewable resource.
2. Cork can be harvested without damaging the environment. (Note: Bamboo, hemp, rattan, and water hyacinth also can be sustainably grown and managed, but the advantage of cork is that it can be harvested without killing plants or trees)
3. Cork comes from the cork oak tree.
4. Cork is made of a honeycomb structure that contains an air-like substance.
5. Cork is long lasting.
6. Ancient cork oak forests spread over two and a half million hectares in Italy, Spain, France, Algeria, Portugal, Morocco, and Tunisia.
7. Cork oak takes twenty-five years to reach maturity. Once it does, the bark can be peeled off the tree. When professionals execute this process, no harm is done to the trees. The cork bark grows back in nine years.
8. People have been living off the income generated from peeling cork oaks and selling cork for hundreds of years.
9. Cork oak forests have been protected by royal decrees and government legislation for hundreds of years.
10. Cork is one of the most environmentally friendly materials.

One unique use for cork is cork flooring. Cork flooring is light in weight but the material is strong and flexible. As far as using it for flooring goes, it is easy to stain and add patterns so it can be made to fit in with any style of interior decorating. It’s honeycomb structure gives cork flooring its soft and springy quality. When weight is removed from the cork flooring, it regains its original shape making cork flooring suitable for high traffic situations and heavy furniture. With proper care, it can last for many years.

Cork flooring contains suberin, which is a waxy substance that seals the flooring and makes it water and mold resistant, in addition to fire retardant. Cork flooring is also allergen free so it is perfect for people with dust and mold allergies.

Cork flooring is a much more affordable alternative compared to hardwood flooring for many reasons. The price of hardwood floors to purchase is higher. Cork happens to be a great natural insulator that can absorb heat in the cold winter months, thereby keeping the home warmer and requiring less energy. Another great quality of cork is that it is an acoustic insulator so it’s very quiet. It really is a wonder for anybody coming home late at night and not wanting to wake up the rest of the house.

Castile soaps can be used all around the house.

Castile soaps are popular brands of environmental-friendly soaps that are now making the rounds of homes which are able to use them in a variety of ways. Some people who have heard of this soap have also taken to using it as an alternative beauty product. Its flexibility in use is also contributing to a number of benefits for all users. A Castile soap is either made from a vegetable oil, olive oil, jojoba or other natural plant extracts. Its natural ingredients are considered its primary appeal to many users who are more open to using alternative materials that are less harmful to the environment.

Castile soaps either come in the white solid bar or liquid form but their uses and benefits are basically the same. Its origins is said to be from Spain in the 16th century era where it was then known as “jabon de Castilla”. Its many benefits and uses:

Bath Soap. It is known to be a favorite of people with sensitive skin as its gentle and natural ingredients works against acne, blemishes, and dry skin. The olive oil ingredient is also best for eczema and psoriasis. It also works as a natural moisturizer.

Best for Babies. It is also safe for babies whose sensitive skins cannot tolerate strong chemicals in soaps.

Lather. For men, it can also be used as a lather for shaving and because of its natural ingredients, helps to naturally moisturize the skin after the shave.

Laundry and Dish Soap. Interestingly, Castile soaps also work well as laundry soaps and are known to clean soiled clothes and even diapers effectively compared to some laundry soaps with harsh and strong chemical compounds. It is also used as a dish soap which effectively cleans and rids of food smell.

Shampoo. It also works as an effective shampoo and does not leave an itchy, dry feeling that commonly happens with liquid shampoos that have strong chemical ingredients. Its gentle ingredients do not leave any traces of flakes in the scalp that are sometimes triggered by commercial shampoos’ drying effects.

Floor Cleaner. Used as a floor cleaner, families do not need to worry about having their small children or babies lying and sitting down on the floor that’s been cleaned with Castile soap as it is totally free from any harmful chemical.

Pet Soap. Not only are Castile soaps flexible for human use but can also be used on pets – cats, dogs, or any other type of pets one has that need to have their regular bath.  Pet owners can use the soap as well and it is guaranteed to be safe and will not irritate the furry and hairy friends.

Tooth Paste. Castile soaps are also good and safe teeth cleaners.  While they may not taste nice when used as an alternative toothpaste, they still can make good teeth cleaners.

Antioxidant. Castile soaps are proven to be effective in fighting cell degeneration because of its olive oil component.
Biodegradable.

Because they are completely free from the common strong chemical compounds used in cleaning or hygiene materials, Castile soaps can be used all around the house and for anyone around the house. Also, its guaranteed safety components can completely dissolve in waterways rather than pollute it.

Castile soaps are becoming more and more popular for their variety of use and the greater benefits it can give that it is expected that more households will be using this kind of soap for decades, and yes, even centuries to come. The availability of its natural ingredients is making their presence stronger in and outside the United States. Some companies are now developing Castile soap bars and liquids in many colors and fragrance to choose from.

Power derived from people is a green energy that could be using for charging up any and all electronic gadgets.

With so many electronic gadgets in the world today it seems like we are constantly charging them. There is technology being developed though that would tap into the energy of people’s movements. This could be used to power mobile device and possible an entire structure. The power derived from people is a green energy that could be using for charging up any and all electronic gadgets in place of traditional electricity that causes a carbon footprint.

Facility: Innovate is an architectural research company in London. It is working on making an energy collector in areas that draw a lot of people such as shopping malls, sport complexes and other buildings that have large events. This technology will not be noticeable though to the naked eye. However, their movement on the tiles will activate a pneumatic machine which then pushed air along to a turbine where is creates electricity according to Oliver Schneider, the managing director. Only a slight difference will be felt by people similar to being on a floor mat.

Oliver says, “We’re looking to generate around 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity (from each device) per day. That’s enough to charge around 300 phones per day.” This power will then be transferred to stations for the purpose of charging phones, or to be used for electronic signs and lighting too. Since this technology makes direct current, powering the local DC gadgets is a more effective use of it than converting it to AC to feed through the grid.

This company is preparing to install this type of mechanism for the first time in the USA later on in 2010 and somewhere in the UK quickly to follow. Even the ticket areas in the stadiums could do this, any spot where people congregate into a group.

This version of collecting movement energy can be placed under traditional flooring material, unlike the slabs for generating energy that the Pavegen Systems, another London company, devised. It means this version is much more versatile and can be used other places.

Now Zhong Lin Wang in Atlanta at Georgia Tech wants to use people’s footsteps make electricity without having to do special flooring to accomplish this. He wants to develop special shoe pads and similar devices that can collect energy using the pressure from the feet of the person wearing them, in the near future. These will utilize piezoelectric nanowire generators; these actually generate alternating current when handled correctly. Wang last month reported results of a mechanism around 5 centimeters wide which when it was flexed generated 1.3 volts, this is enough for an AA battery to get charged.

Over in Berkeley, Chieh Chang and his colleagues at University of California have come up with a process for printing the nanowires which similarly generate energy. These are created through electrospinning process. This takes a solution that is charged and processes it though a needle which is electrically charged and sends it to a grounded surface. This print method for nanogenerators could even be used with clothing and other textiles to charge up electronic devices for the person wearing them.

This is definitely a promising idea for energy savings. Anything we can do to lower the drain of resources in the world will help lessen our carbon footprint.

Bottled water - is it really better than tap water?

There is a real controversy going on about bottled water today. Is it really better than tap water? “The Story of Bottled Water” was released on YouTube in honor of World Water Day. This is an innovative narration on the problem with the bottled water we like to buy today. Almost immediately the “International Bottled Water Association” stated this video as sensational. Then it brought out its short film stating the practices of sustainability, which their members participate with including brands such as Nestle.

The bottled-water story though stated that the companies that bring out bottled water are frightening consumers into believing their tap water is contaminated and dirty, when at the same time they use tap water in their bottling process. Two of the companies that do this that were mentioned in the video were Coke’s Dasani and Pepsi’s Aquafina. Annie Leonard is doing the narration for this video.

The video points out landfills get about 80 percent of the used plastic bottles or they get burned up. Of course the “International Bottled Water Association” states that things are different that 30.9 percent of the water bottles are actually recycled.

Tom Lauria, the VP of communications for the association, states “Consumers are really quite thoughtful in selecting and enjoying a safe, healthy, convenient, calorie-free beverage that’s delicious, refreshing and a very smart drink choice. That’s the real story of bottled water.”

It is pointed out by the association that the world has a need for bottled water in cases of emergencies such as tsunamis, earthquakes and floods. This water cannot be provided if there is not industry to make it.

But according to the United Nations, bottled water happens not to be a sustainable industry. In the United States alone the water produced takes oil to produce at the rate of 17 million barrels each year. At last resort IBWA’s video had only received 250 hits, while “The Story of Bottled Water” received 120,000 hits.

Today, we do need to be more careful about how many of the plastic bottles windup in landfills. If you must use bottled water reuse the bottles instead of trashing them. Even if you make a vase with them a stick a single flower in them. You alone can decide which side of the bottled water story you want to believe.

More and more people are turning to re-useable bottles and filling them with just plain tap water though in place of buying water. This way no plastic bottles have to be purchase at all to wind up in landfills later. If you are afraid your water is not totally safe to drink from the tap there are filters you can get to run your water through before you drink it.

So think about both sides of this story and see where you opinions lie. Conserve water and energy though to help lessen your carbon footprint. If you need to eliminate some of the bottled water you buy to accomplish this along with re-using or recycling any of the plastic bottles you do use.

Try to find a real estate agent that knows about green houses for one thing. Not all of them understand everything they should. If you can find one that has been certified by the NAR (National Association of Realtors), that would be ideal. The realtor that has gone through this certification process can acquaint you with the green features of the home along with explaining any tax credits you can get or other information you need to know in conjunction with the house.

If you can’t find a NAR realtor then you can tell if a house is totally green by looking for certification from a third party. There are several organizations out there that do this Energy Star is probably the best known one. This certification shows the house has been tested and inspected for it better using energy than other homes of its size in the same local area. The certification by Energy Star shows the house is more efficient by at minimum of 15 percent than the houses constructed using 2004 International Residential Code.

Even on an older house you can evaluate it for energy usage. You can have an energy audit done on the house for about $300 – $500. An Expert will first inspect the house and look for how efficient it is constructed as far as using energy. Then he will do the blower- door test which shows anywhere that the energy is escaping. This test shows how tightly the house is sealed when doors and windows are closed.

If the house does not test out well you know it will use too much energy and needs improvements. You may want to keep looking at houses at this point. There might be something better out there that you don’t need to do energy improvements on.

Another aspect of a green house you need to be aware of is what type of landscaping does it have? If the house has all high-maintenance plants which need constant watering the landscaping is not very eco-friendly. If instead it has plants that need water in a moderate or low amount and are disease resistant too than these are usually more eco-friendly. Xeriscaping is a great way of landscaping today which a lot of green homeowners are turning to. It takes little water to maintain the landscaping done this way.

The good thing is that green houses do not necessarily cost more today than other types of homes. It all depends on the types of features included some are the same price as traditionally-built homes. They may however, cost a bit more per square foot of house since they are usually a bit smaller in size.

The green homes use less energy which means your energy bills will be lower. This alone is a reason to consider owning one. Just do your research and make sure it is truly a green home before you purchase it.

Fortunately, there is the trademarked biodynamic agriculture that provides a better way to go beyond organic farming. The trademark belongs to Demeter International – Demeter being the Greek goddess of the harvest – which is composed of over 50 member nations including the United States.

Demeter International is the largest certification organization for biodynamic agriculture, of which the certification issued must be renewed annually under the strictest of standards. The criteria for certification include but are not limited to biodiversity and ecosystem preservation, livestock integration, soil husbandry, and the prohibition of GMOs in the farm. Basically, the farm where the produce bearing the Demeter logo must be treated as holistic organism from the littlest of microorganisms to the farmers themselves.

With such stringent criteria, consumers are assured only of the highest-quality products manufactured using only the most organic methods. Yes, organic farming and biodynamic farming share many things in common such as the use of biological methods in regards to soil health, food quality and human treatment of animals as well as the use of compost, cover crops and green manures. But the similarities often end at these points. Biodynamic farming also has its major differences with organic farming such as the following:

Organic foods can now be produced with the use of imported organic fertilizers but biodynamic harvests rely entirely on the nutrient-rich soil.
Organic farmers are allowed to use imported organic pesticides. With biodynamic farming methods, however, the emphasis is on humus development to build up resistance against insects, pests and diseases coupled with balanced predator-prey relationships. There are nine prescribed preparations for stimulating humus development, which are designated by the numbers 500 to 508.

While organic farmers can utilize imported organic feed, biodynamic farmers must make their own livestock feed source at least on an 80 percent level. Biodynamic agriculture emphasizes biodiversity with at least 10 percent of the total farm area devoted to such a purpose. Organic farming has no such limitations on the farms.

Where organic farmers can have just certain portions of their farms and corresponding produce certified as organic while the rest may not fall under the category, biodynamic farms must be certified as such from one end to the next. Organic farmers will plant without regard to astronomical events. Biodynamic farmers will take into account lunar influences in deciding the best time to cultivate certain crops.

We now have a choice beyond organic produce. Biodynamic products are now more available in grocery stores and supermarkets. Just be prepared for the higher prices, which are 10 to 30 percent higher on average than organic produce. Then again, for the benefits of healthier food and a healthier environment, the higher prices are worth it.

First, have a party during the daytime. This way you can use the light of the sun. You won’t have to use electricity to light up your party this way. If you do have a party that goes into the night, consider going with some nice soy candles. They will give you light, you won’t waste electricity, and they provide a great ambiance for your celebration as well.

Another way to go green this Fourth of July is to go outdoors for your celebration. Instead of renting a big room that you have to decorate, just have the party outside. The landscaping can be the décor that you need. Choose an area where there is some shade, put up some tables and chairs, and have a great party to celebrate.

Instead of using paper items of plastic items for your party, go with nice dishes that are reusable. You can go with nice glass dishes for an adult party or go with plastic reusable plates if you are going to have kids around. Using reusable cups and silverware will help cut down on all the waste for that day.

If you want to decorate it, do it in an eco friendly way. Go with a nice centerpiece for your tables. Consider something like flowers in a basket or vase, some floating candles in bowels, or even purchase some small flags to display. They can be used again and again, so don’t throw them away.

Think green when it comes to the refreshments for your Fourth of July celebration as well. Go with fruits and vegetables that are organic to serve all the guests and go with dishes made of whole foods. Try to avoid going with pre-packaged foods so you don’t have as much waste and you cut back on calories too. The environment will thank you and so will the waistline of all of your guests.

These are some simple things that are easy to do on the Fourth of July. Use these tips and ideas this year. You will avoid having a negative impact on the environment. It is also a great way to help teach friends and family members about the green lifestyle that you have chosen too, so you can pass on great information about living an eco friendly life.

And if the Great Pacific Garbage Patch wasn’t enough bad news in a sea of earthquakes, plane crashes, and oil spills, the Great Atlantic Garbage Patch has just been recently discovered. Just like its Pacific counterpart, it is a floating landfill of human garbage, mainly plastic products.

Its specific location has been pinpointed as the area between Bermuda and the Azores Islands, both of which are in the area known as the Sargasso Sea. If the name sounds familiar, it is because the Sargasso Sea is where the legend of the Bermuda Triangle takes place. So now, not only is the Sargasso Sea the graveyard for lost ships and airplanes, it is also the graveyard of our garbage. Call it ironic, indeed.

The Great Atlantic Garbage Patch was discovered by Anna Cummins and Markus Eriksen during their trip to the Sargasso Sea. The duo took samples of the water from the seabed every 100 miles to determine the sea’s composition. Sadly, each time their nets came up, large plastic hauls were present.

Admittedly, many of the plastic materials were hardly the size of pencil erasers. But one must remember that even a small piece of plastic lodged in the digestive system of a small sea animal or a bird can mean the difference between life and death for that creature.

Indeed, this new oceanic garbage patch presents numerous hazards to marine life, fishing activities and tourism in and around the areas concerned. Lest we think that only the Bermudas and the Azores Islands will be affected, think again. Many of the plastic trash in the Great Atlantic Garbage Patch will find their way into distant shores, thus, wreaking more havoc along the way.

So, just how destructive is plastic to marine life and everything that depends on it like the creatures of the land and air that feed on them? Consider these facts: In some areas of the ocean, the ratio between plastic and plankton in terms of weight is 6 is to 1. Of the 200 billion pounds of plastic produced each year, approximately 10 percent will end up in the oceans, of which 70 percent will float down to the ocean floor and 30 percent will form the visible garbage patch that we see on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans today.

As even a fifth grader can imagine, marine wildlife is killed so much so that 100,000 of these creatures, big and small, will die as a result of the oceanic garbage patches. But that damage does not stop there. Plastic debris damage boat and submarine equipment; bury beaches in mountains of trash; and affect the fishing catch of the commercial fishermen.

What can you do to help lessen the trash on these great oceanic garbage patches?
Well, stop drinking bottled water, for starters. And then, you can also organize a recycling drive in your neighborhood. Every little bit of plastic disposed the right way will have an impact on the environment.

Protect the planet as well as your family's health by reducing your consumption of chemical cleaning agents.

Detergents, degreasers, and solvents are the common chemical cleaners used at home. Ordinary detergents contain phosphates, which cause oxygen depletion and localized suffocation of aquatic life. Cleaning products that contain chlorine, potassium hydroxide, solvents and ammonia are equally hazardous to the aquatic life. Degreasers such as those regularly used on boats tend dry out the natural oil needed by fishes’ gills to take in oxygen. When safer, chemical-free and cheaper forms of cleaners can be found in our kitchen counters and cabinets, why must you continue to use hazardous toxic cleaning kits?

Using simple ingredients like water, baking soda, white vinegar, and tea tree oil, you can keep your home stain-free, dust-free, mold-free, and sparkly clean.

Replace your bottles of commercial window cleaners with a mixture of vinegar and water. Put it in your spray bottle and scrub the glass off using old newspapers. For cleaning up your oven, use baking soda instead of your usual powdered cleansers. Wipe up the grease with this white powder and flush it off with water to leave your oven stain-free, grease-free and without traces of dish smell.

Polishing your furniture with homemade solutions is a little bit tricky. Still, try some of these simple recipes to stay far away from chemical-based polishers and cleaners. First recipe, create a mixture of a cup of olive oil and half a cup of lemon juice. Put the mixture in your spray bottle and spray it on the surfaces of your furniture. Buff it off with a soft cloth and you are done. Recipe number two – if olive oil is not available, use jojoba or a liquid wax. Instead of fresh lemon juice, you may use white vinegar to create the mixture. Dab a soft cloth into the solution to remove the grits, dust, and dirt on the surfaces of wood furniture.

If you are in the habit of using laundry fresheners, try using your vodka for a change. You have read it right. Spritzing pure vodka on your clothes helps freshen up worn jeans and jacket in between washes. A spritz or two of vodka over your clothes will evaporate not only the booze scent of the vodka but also the noxious odors of worn clothes. On the other hand, if you wanted to deodorize certain areas in your home, more like in the kitchen, a five percent solution of vinegar in water can be used as a homemade deodorizer. Spray some on your cutting board or bathroom to eliminate the odor.

If you want to remove molds and mildew from your home’s tiled surfaces, especially in the bathroom and kitchen, put 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil into 2 cups of water and use this solution as your cleaner. Also, straight vinegar is equally effective in killing molds.

It is a fact that traces of the chemical ingredients if commercial home cleaning kits are found in our water sources. These chemicals may contaminate the streams, rivers and lakes from which the water in our local water treatment plants may be sourced. Contaminated food and contaminated water equate to disease. By using homemade and non-toxic cleaning solutions, you get the personal gratification of protecting the planet as well as your family’s health by reducing the world’s consumption of chemical cleaning agents. Also, using more earth friendly cleaning kit does not only help the planet recuperate from the pollution and damage caused by chemical wastes, but also yields huge savings on your grocery budget.

It’s the Packaging
Let’s start with the materials used to package these hair products, which are often colorful to attract the consumers’ attention. You will find plastic cans, sachets and spray bottles, all of which takes hundreds of years to decompose.

Thus, you will read reports of plastic residues poisoning the soil and ground water. In a way, when you become careless with your hair products because you were too engrossed in beautiful hair, your future grandchildren will pay the consequences of non-potable water.

Plus, you cannot deny the fact that plastics are made from crude oil. This is the same industry that has wreaked havoc with the planet although we must also acknowledge the important role it has in modern life.

Now, imagine how many people have thrown away the plastic packaging of hair products into their trash bags with nary a second thought. The landfills will soon fill up with these plastic products and then we would all suffer in one way or another.

It’s the Contents, Too
But the problems do not stop with the packaging either. The ingredients contained in said hair products are in themselves very toxic to human health and the environment, if not now then in the future. Just to name a few of these ingredients and their adverse effects on humans and animals:

• Butane and propane are toxic to human beings especially in large doses.
• Cyclopentasiloxane and dipropylene glycol affect the sense organs of wild animals even in moderate doses.
• Polybutene is widely used in pesticides. Now, it comes into contact with your scalp and skin.
• Diazolidinyl urea poses toxicity issues for humans and acts as a neurotoxin in animals.
• Polyquaternium-11 is a possible carcinogen with the added danger of becoming a respiratory toxin.
• Benzyl nicotinate and phytic acid has broad systemic toxicity on animals (and in people, too, if that is the case)
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone is known as an immune system toxicant in humans.

The names may twist your tongue, yes, but these can turn your life around for the worst from long-term exposure. Are you ready to sacrifice your long-term health for short-term beauty?

It’s the Alternatives
If you are not willing to do so just because of hair products, then we recommend going for eco-friendly alternatives. You need not worry as efficacy is not sacrificed because these alternative products are just as good as their mainstream counterparts.

You can find these alternative hair care products in many online sites and health food stores. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that you should forego reading the labels. You should still do your research even when the products are labeled “natural so-and-so”.

So, when you start reaching for the hair beauty products, think of their environmental effect and think twice. You should not go the way of the days when human beauty came at the expense of the environment and your health.