Do you relieve yourself in the shower? Or do you “go” before you get into the stall? According to the Brazilian environmental group SOS Mata Atlantica, you should be peeing in the shower to limit the number of toilet flushes. They believe so strongly in this that they’ve been advertising on Brazilian TV about their suggestion.
Well, if you’re tempted, urine is sterile, so it shouldn’t hurt you. Unless you have a urinary tract infection, there’s no bacteria or anything that can harm you. It was thought to be a good remedy for a jellyfish sting, but scientists have debunked that …read more

At a time of economic turmoil and job losses, many people are turning to home business opportunities. But here’s one I bet you’ve never thought about – sex toy parties. 
Environmentally friendly ‘adult toys’ are being taken out of the bedroom and into the living room by a Northwest-based retailer who has launched Earth Erotic Parties.
Aimed at putting a sustainable twist on the more traditional sex toy parties, the Earth Erotic parties will showcase green vibrators, phthalate-free dildos, natural lubricants, recycled whips and all sorts of other ecologically and non toxic adult paraphernalia.
Sounds like a company that’s taking ‘doing it green’ …read more

Word everywhere is that washing your hands is the key to staying healthy, especially when there are so many bugs and viruses floating around.
Soap and water work great but sometimes you just feel the need to use something a little more potent  – like an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
But there’s a lot of controversy surrounding hand sanitizer products. Some people worry about the effectiveness of them. Others are concerned about the chemicals put in them – chemicals such as the endocrine disruptor Triclosan.
Easier, in some ways, to make your own. That way, you exactly what’s in it.

DIY hand sanitizer recipe
In …read more

If you’re like me and spend way too much time in front of the computer, you might want to consider livening up the area surrounding the computer with a cactus or two.
According to the daily green, some Swiss researchers in the mid-1980s did some tests and found that people ‘who used to suffer from headaches and tiredness felt better after working for two years with a cactus next to their monitors.’
Why?
One theory is that the cacti, which grows in areas of extreme heat and dryness, is able to counter the effects of harsh solar radiation.
My theory – the cactus simply …read more

Warnnig: Reusable Shopping Bags Could Be Making You Sick
That’s the word from a recent study commissioned and funded by the Environment and Plastics Industry Council(EPIC)  in Canada. Randomly testing of reusable bags used by consumers in Toronto turned up an interesting result. It appears that the bags were not only carrying groceries. They are also carrying around high levels of mold, bacteria, and yeast.
Full results indicated that…
* Sixty four percent of the tested reusable bags were contaminated with some level of bacteria
* Nearly 30 percent had bacterial counts higher than what is considered safe for drinking water.
* Forty percent of …read more

Deserts are associated with high temperatures, cracked and parched soil, and little water. If any plants exist, they are usually few in number.
Mirages are more likely than oasis and drinking water is a scarce commodity. But some German scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart think they might have the answer.
Working in collaboration with Logos Innovationen, the scientists have discovered a process that will convert air humidity into drinking water. And best of all, the process is energy-autonomous via thermal solar collectors, photovoltaic cells, and vacuum tanks. 
Here’s how it works: A brine (salt) solution …read more

Hospitals and their emergency vehicles are contributing to the increasing number of asthma cases and respiratory illnesses. Not because of poor health services but because they are extremely high energy users who are creating large amounts of toxic emissions.
Given these facts, the WHO is asking hospitals to look for alternative forms of energy, such as solar panels and wind turbines, to power their facilities. Other actions that suggested include using energy-efficient light bulbs, buying organic foods, and more efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles.
Of course, some hospitals are already doing this and more in their efforts to go green and reduce costs. In …read more

I find it really frustrating that all the great travel giveaways and sweepstakes seem to be only for US residents. Time and again, I get sent emails, newsletters, and discover in my RSS feeds links to great contests and giveaways that tell me I could win ‘a safari in Africa’ or a ‘month long vacation in Italy.’ I look, I salivate, and then I have to click away as I read once again ‘U.S. Residents only’.
And so it goes with this Green Vacation Sweepstakes on offer in celebration of the first annual nationwide Solar Day 2009 being held on 21 …read more

Sure hope it’s not too early to start on my Christmas Wish List ’cause I just found something to put on the top of the list
It’s a Pumgo Scooter – the world’s first pedal-powered scooter.
Check it out…
Think of the all possible benefits…

Increased exposure to Vitamin D – By being outside, you’ll get a decent quota of Vitamin D, something that’s apparently lacking for many people.
Fun and entertaining – Remember, laughter and fun is important for good health.
A stress release – How could you be stressed when riding around like a kid on a Pumgo Scooter.
An exercise workout – It’s a …read more

Our home is our castle. A place to feel secure and safe.
But after reading Beth Greer’s book Super Natural Home, I have to say, I’m starting to wonder exactly how safe my house really is. According to Beth Greer, probably not all that safe, especially if you start taking into account all the dangerous chemicals that we invite in and have around our house at all times.
Beth used to be just like you and me, living what she considered a healthy but busy lifestyle. But when a medical crisis (a 5-centimeter tumour in her chest) caused her to re-evaluate her …read more