Health Living Tips

What difference can one homeowner make to the environment? Why, when big polluters are making “green” changes, do we need to change our daily living habits? The answer is simple… children! By making slight and easy changes in the way we look at, and treat Planet Earth today, future generations of children will have learned by example.

• Teach the Children

My children love the outdoors, because I expose them to it. They also love computers, and I am sure if we exposed them to fast foods they would love that as well. It’s all about making good choices and being a good example. I’m not talking about wearing hemp clothing or eating granola all day long although there are those who do. You do not have to be that committed to be a part of the “Green Initiative”. For those who merely have a healthy respect for the world we live in and want to take action to help improve the environment, there are many simple changes that we can make, and teach our children to do the same.

• Recycling

There is more to recycling than paper, plastic and bottles. Organic waste is one of the largest contributors to landfills which causes methane gas, the principle component of natural gas, is released into the atmosphere and is a contributing factor in the depletion of the ozone layer, which in turn plays a major part in global warming. Organic waste such as leaves, grass clippings, and non-animal food scraps do not decompose efficiently enough in landfills yet makes the best compost for your vegetable garden, flowers, trees and shrubs.

• Composting is Easy

Composting can also be fun, especially if you enjoy gardening, and is even more rewarding when you think about the thousands of acres of open space being saved through the very simple practice of recycling and composting. All good gardeners know that there is nothing better for your plants and turf than good old fashioned hand made compost. There are many different types of composters on the market today that make the task of composting very easy and will protect against attracting stray or wild animals. You can even quicken the process of making compost by using safe and organic composting accelerators giving you compost within a few weeks.

• Use Organic Products

Using organic fertilizers and control products also cuts down on soil, air and ground water pollution. Sure it’s easy to buy a bag of name brand fertilizer or pesticide; however it is just as easy to find organic products now more than ever. In fact, it is also just as cheap. The larger name brand companies are beginning to put out their own lines of organic gardening products, so be sure to keep an eye out.

• Getting Rid of Insects

Rather than spraying for insects which would be both timely and costly, install a bat box or two in your trees and let them take care of the bugs for you! Adding ladybugs or praying mantis to your garden is much more fun than spraying weekly for bugs. If you live in a rural area and zoning allows for livestock, chickens are an amazing bug control. Yes, just a couple of chickens running loose in your yard will eat up to 1 million fleas and ticks daily.

• Conserving Water

Where droughts are prevalent each year conserving water is a must. Watering your yard can account for up to 40% of water consumption. Catching rainwater with rain barrels to water your yard or garden is just as easy as dragging out your hose and will save you a substantial amount of money on your water bill. One 80 gallon rain barrel can capture 3,275 gallons of water per year and you’ll be putting the water back into the underground aquifer. Not routing rainwater from your roof to your garden will only serve to tax drainage systems rather than benefit vegetation or replenish natural, underground aquifers. Most rain barrels are made from either 100% recycled plastic or reused food industry barrels, so either way you will also be putting renewable resources to good use and your plants and flowers will thank you for it.

• Plant a Tree

Every tree planted helps remove CO2 from our atmosphere, depletion of the ozone layer. There are many other benefits to growing trees in your own yard or community for that matter. They provide homes and a safe haven for the many wild animals that still reside among us. Mature trees help shade our home from the sun, cutting down on energy consumption when using air conditioning. One of the more proactive and well established non-profit organizations is the Arbor Day Foundation which encourages the planting and care of trees worldwide.

• Pervious Patios and Walkways

For every 1,000 square feet of pervious patio, driveways or walkways, you can prevent an average of 12,100 gallons of storm water runoff from going into your communities drain system. This same water will help to recharge our lakes, wetlands and groundwater.

• Green Up the Inside of Your Home

Green Living not only pertains to what affects us outside, but on the inside of the home as well. We can reduce waste going into landfills by composting our table scraps. We can save precious trees by using toilet paper made from recycled paper, and to stop using napkins and paper towels all together. An average household can save up to $120.00 per year by not buying paper towels and napkins. How do you go without them? Use cloth napkins that can be washed. And for wiping up spills and cleaning, there is nothing better to use than cloth rags. Changing out your old traditional light bulbs for the energy saving type is an easy switch. Not only do they last longer, they run on less energy, which saves you money and the world precious resources. Wrapping your hot water heater, insulating your electrical outlets, and sealing leaky windows can also save lots of energy. Then there are the really simple changes one can make such as, turning off the lights when you are not in the room, keep the heat turned back to 68 degrees or below, only use the air conditioning when necessary, washing your clothes in cold water and only when you have a full load and that goes for the dishwasher too. You can save and cool your boiled cooking or bath water to water your houseplants. The list could go on and on…

• Make a List

There are many changes that you can to help improve our environment. Gather everyone in your household and discuss how your family can contribute to the health of the world we live in. Children are the most receptive to new ideas and will have a lot of fun making their own top ten lists. By our making good choices today, our children will make even better choices tomorrow.

Going green isn’t very hard. For example, here is a great green laundry tip - start with not using laundry detergent. My family and friends started to use a machine called a LaundryPure by Ecoquest to get clothes clean. This works great by eliminating the need for laundry detergent by utilizing silver ions and UV water purifier technology.

Now instead of buying laundry detergent, we buy laundry equipment such as replacement UV bulbs and silver ion probes. The return on investment is great because we not only don’t have to buy detergent any longer but it only uses cold water for every cycle. We recouped our investment in the machine in about a year and a half.

We also use a UV air purifier in our home to keep our indoor air quality fresh. Mother earth is hurting and so are our lungs. According to the EPA (from a study in 1987), “the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) ranked indoor air pollution fourth in cancer risk among the 13 top environmental problems analyzed.”

Everybody is exposed to a variety of risks to our health as we go about our everyday lives. Whether driving in cars, flying in planes, participating in recreational activities, we are all being exposed to environmental pollutants and all pose varying degrees of risk. Many of these risks are unavoidable, yet some risks we simply choose to accept because we don’t want to impede our lifestyles. Other risks we might decide to avoid if we had the opportunity to make informed choices. Indoor air pollution is one risk that you can do something about.

Why wait until earth day or someone to market green products to take some time and make some changes. There are many ways to go green besides the typical recycling stance. We recycle everything we can, don’t get me wrong. But take this as an example, I work from home so I have a “green commute.” I already gave a great laundry tip. Also, using a UV air purifier or water purifier can do wonders. And Learning about air contaminants and how they effect our health. Or how about, reviewing the growing media coverage on the results of poor air quality to gain a better understanding of our planets ailments and how you can help. And finally, seeing how our breakthrough technology can improve the quality of the air you breathe.

There are many sources to relieve the affects of these harmful risks. For example, according to Ecoquest, with over 5 million air purifiers sold and a 98% satisfaction rating, Fresh Air by EcoQuest is the safest, most sought after air purifier in the world. In fact, our Fresh Air technology has been given the exclusive “Certified In Space” distinction by the NASA associated Space Foundation.

Freshmenz Enterprises offers UV air purifers, laundry products, UV water purifiers, laundry tips, healthy living technologies and green products, please visit: http://www.freshmenz.com “Breathing air is not optional, unfortunately breathing clean air is.”