All Blog Posts (76)

The best mashed potatoes ever!

These mashed potatoes are seriously to die for. And they are so simple you won’t believe it. My secret is out and now my family members (about 20 who come to my house every year on Christmas Eve) will know how easy it really is. I stumbled across this recipe in my “Fix it and Forget It” slow cooker cookbook a few years ago. Not only are these potatoes delicious, they make my life so much easier beca… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on December 22, 2009 at 1:23pm — No Comments

Save $, Water and reduce pollution

Don't toss out your old toilet and spends hundreds of $ on a new toilet. All you need is a dual flush toilet kit to convert your existing toilet into a fancy new dual flusher http://www.aquabarrel.com/product_one2flush.php Continue

Added by Barry on December 21, 2009 at 6:32pm — No Comments

Decorate green this holiday

The holidays are one of the best times of the year, but can also be among the most wasteful. Here are some tips for making the season a little greener: Switch to LED lights – I was in holiday lighting hell last weekend. I think every strand I took out of the box and plugged in was half lit. Or worse, worked initially and then burned out the instant I had it up on the tree. The exception - all my LED lights worked like a charm. Many strands we have had for four or five years now and not o… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on December 3, 2009 at 11:54am — No Comments

Be a big spender on Black Friday

I’m planning to spend big this Black Friday, but I won’t have to get up early, clip coupons, fight the crowds, or lug around armfuls of shopping bags. How am I going to do it? On Friday, I’m going to sleep in, take a hike with the family, play board games and watch movies. And sometime throughout the day, I’ll get online and take the money I didn’t spend shopping on Black Friday and contribute it to charity. So instead of getting more stuff I don’t need maybe I can help feed some people, clean… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on November 25, 2009 at 5:36pm — No Comments

Double digits and greener birthdays

This week, my daughter (my little girl) is turning 10. Yes, double digits – what the heck?! I’m freaking out about this and I’m not sure why. It’s not a case of “wow, if I have a ten year old, I must be old”. It’s just that I’m enjoying my kids so much at the age they are right now, I don’t want them to grow up. My husband and I always say to them, “Can you do me a favor and please stop growing?” Which we are kidding about, sort of… Some unsolicited advice I would give to moms with younger kids… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on November 11, 2009 at 12:56pm — No Comments

Green Holidays

Holiday consumerism is in the air. The commercials have already started for the Religious holidays. It is a time to keep our Green hats on and think Green! There are a many many ways to Green your holiday and help out the environment! You don't have to give up Holiday giving or Cheer to go Green. It can be fun and rewarding to find new and innovative ways to have an Eco Holiday season. We buy our holiday tree from a sustainable tree farm, we use reusable bags for gift giving, we reuse gift wrap,… Continue

Added by Lisa Hawkins on November 11, 2009 at 9:56am — No Comments

Are toxic cleaning products contaminating the air in your kids’ classroom?

The Environmental Working Group just released this new report titled “Can Cleaning Supplies Contaminate Classroom Air?”. The answer, as you can imagine, is a resounding yes. Although I use natural, non-toxic cleaners at home, it didn’t really occur to me that my kids spend a… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on November 4, 2009 at 9:26pm — No Comments

What I’m really scared of this Halloween

Let me first say that I love, love, love Halloween, so I’m not trying to spoil the fun. But lead in face paint, toxic costumes, high-fructose corn syrup and mounds of trash can make Halloween not so sweet. With a few simple changes though, we can enjoy the holiday while protecting our kids’ health and our planet. Here are some suggestions for a Halloween that’s not so frightening: Forgo the face paint – The Environmental Working Group tested… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on October 28, 2009 at 11:37pm — No Comments

Join me for No Impact Week

This week, I’m participating in No-Impact Week hosted by the Huffington Post and Colin Beavan, better known as No-Impact Man. It’s a week-long carbon cleanse, designed to help you live a better, happier, and healthier life by reducing your consumption and buying l… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on October 20, 2009 at 3:03pm — No Comments

Reduce your plastic use

In my two most recent posts, I discussed the problem with plastics and how to use plastics more safely. The last step now is to reduce plastic use. As a start, here are three items that I carry with me every day. Each is small and inexpensive, but has… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on October 13, 2009 at 1:08pm — No Comments

Plastic by the numbers

I hope you will check out my previous post, “The problem with plastics” for a better understanding of the need to reduce your plastic use in the first place. In addition to all the information I included there, in case I haven’t convinced you yet, please read this Planet Green blog post,… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on October 1, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

The problem with plastics

When people ask me where to start going green, one of the first things I always suggest is to reduce the use of plastics, particularly disposable plastics. I say this because it is one way to go green that is easy to do, healthier for you, better for the planet, and puts money in your wallet. It’s a win-win for everyone. But first, what’s the problem with plastics? The toxicity of plastics is not fully understood or adequately tested. Most plastics contain chemical additives to m… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on September 24, 2009 at 10:45am — No Comments

Safer cell phone use

Last week, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released an interesting report regarding cell phone radiation. After a 10-month long study, scientists at EWG found that cell phones do indeed release radiation and this radiation may be linked to po… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on September 15, 2009 at 1:06pm — No Comments

Breathe easier during fire season

Unfortunately, fires are a reality of living in Southern California, especially in the late summer and fall. As we’ve seen this week, fire season has started early this year. And as hot and dry as it is right now, I fear this is not the last fire we will see before the end of the year. Two years ago, the fires that we burning Southern California felt like they were in my backyard. Thankfully our home was okay, but we came pretty close. I remember firsthand how bad the air quality was at that ti… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on September 2, 2009 at 10:59am — No Comments

Fall Planting

I'm working on fall veggies for organic garden! This is new for me to do fall veggies. We are doing cabbage, kale, carrots, onion, potatoes and collards. Learning to be more sustainable is fun! We love it! We are sharing our garden with neighbors so that we all can give the garden all the care it needs and it's fun to bring us closer to those in our neighborhood! Green living spans way beyond Green Products,recycling or alternative energy. To me Green Living is a way of life and a way of being.… Continue

Added by Lisa Hawkins on September 1, 2009 at 11:55am — No Comments

Back to school in green style

If you’ve turned on the TV, opened the newspaper, or been out shopping lately, you can’t avoid the fact that it’s almost time to go back to school (even if you want to). While I’m a little sad about the end of summer drawing near, I’m also excited for the kids to get back in a routine again and looking forward to an end to my daily juggling act of being a full-time mom and full-time business owner. Back to school usually means a lot of shopping. This year, get school started off right by making… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on August 12, 2009 at 9:48am — No Comments

Composting part 3 – How do I compost?

If you have read my previous posts on the why and the what of composting, maybe you are ready to think about trying it yourself. This is part three of this series (I apologize for the delay – I was busy enjoying a great vacation and some needed downtime with the family). Her… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on August 3, 2009 at 1:58pm — No Comments

Composting part two – what do I compost?

Once you are ready to start composting, one of the first things you need to know is what type food waste can be composted and what can (or should) not. Good compost material: Fruit & vegetables – you can compost any part of your fruit and veggie waste – the peels, pits, stems, cores - even those tomatoes you find rotting in the bottom of your crisper because you bought more than you could use. Egg Shells – egg shells are great but not the actual eggs. Tea bags and c… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on July 17, 2009 at 10:46am — No Comments

Composting part one – why should I compost?

This is the first post in a series on composting. Please do not be afraid and stop reading at this point - it’s not so bad, I promise. I understand how most people feel about composting. In my own journey to going green, composting was one of the last activities that I embraced. I was worried that it was complicated, time consuming, and that it would be messy and smelly. I also thought that I wouldn’t have room for a compost bin in my yard or have enough garden space to use the top soil it woul… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on July 9, 2009 at 12:09pm — No Comments

Be green while you celebrate the red, white and blue

Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love the warm weather, barbeques, block parties and fireworks. Here are some ideas for making this year’s celebration a bit more sustainable. Recycle - If your neighborhood has a block party, volunteer to collect and recycle all the bottles and cans. Every year, my neighborhood has a huge Fourth of July celebration. A few years back, I was enjoying the party but then noticed that there were no recycling bins and all the cans and bottles we… Continue

Added by BuyGreen.com on July 1, 2009 at 1:57pm — No Comments