My awareness of the importance of eating organic, as-natural-as-possible foods has increased in the last few years. The dilemma of this awareness is being torn between choosing more expensive groceries or compromising what I put in my body. It can be hard to remember that the benefits outweigh the costs when they come in the form of long-term health I can't see, versus the immediate, visible hike in my grocery bill. [...]
Non-stick cookware cleans very easily and some health-conscious cooks appreciate that it requires less cooking oil than uncoated varieties. But the convenient cooking surface comes with potential risks when it is used with high heat. At temperatures exceeding 500 degrees Fahrenheit, the synthetic fluoropolymer coating in Teflon non-stick cookware begins to break down and release toxic perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) into the air. The Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested how quickly [...]
Minimalism as a counter-cultural movement has been increasing in recent years. Perhaps you've jumped on the minimalist bandwagon and are happily downsizing, reducing your consumerism, and creating less waste – all of which gift you with more time and energy to enjoy the most meaningful things in life. But now it's time for Christmas. If you've recently begun converting to a more minimalist lifestyle, the holidays present a formidable challenge [...]
With the holiday season upon us, eco-conscious folks look for ways to prepare their homes for an eco-friendly holiday. Wanting to reduce your carbon footprint is something that can be done all year round, not just during the warm weather seasons too. So, with a few small changes, you can make a difference and be a good steward of the environment. Christmas lights LED lights are not only beautiful inside [...]
Is it true that polyester fleece clothing is a huge contributor to the problem of plastic in our oceans? —Mickey Walton, Seattle, WA We’re all familiar with the issue of non-biodegradable plastic debris (shopping bags, soda bottles, fishing nets etc.) clogging up our waterways and making its way out to sea—sometimes accumulating in huge “gyres.” But what you might not realize is that even if you are responsible about recycling [...]
Autumn provides ample brown material for composting, and turning food scraps into fertilizer gives you everything you need to get a jump start on soil enrichment before the frost sets in. Whether you are already skilled at composting and want to make the most of the nutrients you save or are just starting out, the results can make a major difference in the health of your lawn or garden. Fall [...]
Any tips for how to make my Thanksgiving greener and less wasteful this year? —Melissa W., Boston, MA Ah, Thanksgiving! For many of us, it’s the favorite holiday because it revolves around togetherness and inclusiveness and preparing and eating our favorite foods—and usually doesn’t include any overt commercialism. But just because you don’t have to buy and wrap gifts doesn’t mean Thanksgiving is necessarily green, although there are lots of [...]
It's time for moms to stop selling ourselves short. Take a look at any new movie about motherhood, popular parenting blog or, hell, just your Facebook feed, and you’d get the impression there are a whole lot of mediocre moms running around. In fact, there’s an entire cottage industry of mom bloggers who make a living assuring their fellow parents that its OK to to be just an OK mom—bloggers [...]
Namaste, Ladies I’m one of those working moms who is always asked how I do it all. I’m not proud of it. It’s really just a testament to my ability to smack a smile on my face regardless of how insane I’m feeling at the moment. I think most working moms ( and let’s be honest this includes women who stay at home and their full-time job is being their [...]
Pick up a couple of extra pumpkins this weekend and put this tasty soup on while you carve your Halloween masterpiece. Do you think you’ve carved more pumpkins than you’ve eaten? That would be a crying shame, for while a jack-o’-lantern is a lot of fun to make and display at Halloween, the pumpkin is a hugely underrated vegetable that merits more space to shine at mealtimes. If you have [...]