Green Spot

From Soy-based lubes to rechargeable vibrators, yes, your sex life can go green too.

Even safe sex can be had over and over with Vegan Condoms, yeah, prophylactics without Casein, a protein derived from Cow’s milk. But if a vegan lifestyle isn’t appealing, support a free-trade Brazilian condom factory that provides jobs for thousands of people in rain forest lands, and farm the tree rubber with little to no environmental impact.

Mother Earth needs love too, just as we do. And there’s nothing wrong, but everything right about wearing lingerie or underwear made from bamboo. Bamboo is one of the most sustainable, organic materials on the market today. Bamboo plants grow, and absorb CO2 faster than trees - and is one of the most durable reusable bag materials we use at Simply Green Solutions. As many know, clothing meant for the bedroom doesn’t have to maintain much durability, as it doesn’t stay on for too long.

Eco-friendliness has indeed made its way in to most aspects of our lives, and in the case of sex, it definitely creates a better and friendlier experience for you, your partner (yourself?) and Mother nature too.

Green is Sexy

Self-Activated Building Envelope Regulation (SABER), is the name for the UC Berkeley-born photosynthetic film that could save energy, regulate heat and overall climate as well as light in homes and buildings in the future.

Like the skin of some animals, this film would adhere to the exterior of a building, the windows actually, and through the use of nanotechnology, allow cool or hot air in as well as light. There are two layers to the SABER material: The first layer of micro-lenses in a photo-sensitive gel opens as more light becomes available outside, this allowing the interiors to be brightened and lit. This should help to regulate office lighting energy expenditures and reduce energy waste. As this first layer opens, more air is allowed into the building (with a limit of course) to help cool hallways and office space. The second microscopic layer is composed of a polymer that pushes water-vapor and humidity out of the building as heat builds up in spaces meant for living and working.

This technology is in initial prototype stages but seems promising. As the recent oil spill in the gulf teaches us, renewable energy that can replenish itself is the only sustainable way to ensure the environment remains intact. Nature has always been able to regulate itself before industrial society, as is seen in the growth of plant life to battle Carbon Dioxide buildup. It’s time for human ingenuity to take over where nature has left off and regulate ourselves through the use of simply green solutions.

SABER Technology Could Reduce Energy Waste in Buildings

Post consumer materials can be found around the home in many places. The kitchen is one of many of these places and the list of home goods available that represent a change in our collective habits, mindsets and purchasing demand has increased exponentially since the first Earth Day decades ago.

Aside from the reusable bags that are used to transport groceries, and the day’s lunch and beverages, there are also the reusable canteens that act as receptacles for the necessary intake of water - both goods come from post-consumer material, and whether its stainless steel, organic cottons, or recycled PPP or PET, they are now staples in the modern, eco-friendly kitchen.

Recently Reynold’s Wrap® and Scott Tissue and Towel Papers have introduced new product lines that are made from post-consumer materials. The famous Reynolds Wrap® brand has gone a step further to offer its “100%” line to the world in a time where the Earth desperately needs some reduction in waste. This foil wrap line is made from, as the name says, 100% recycled aluminum, and is an innovative and brave step for the company. Scott® offers toilet paper, paper towels, moist wipes and more, at up to 60% of post-consumer recycled materials.

Although both companies should be commended for their efforts, and are leaders on the shelves of markets worldwide, it is possible to reuse towels and napkins in the kitchen and near the bathroom sink to reduce paper usage altogether. Not only would this save you money, but is a more eco-friendly choice in the long run. We do indeed support companies that make green products, and the intentions are good. Simple green solutions are all around us though, and rather than wrap leftovers or cover bowls in aluminum foil, reuse BPA-free tupperware to cut down on aluminum waste.

In conclusion, the home goods market and families around the world continue to think and live more progressively in an eco-driven consumer world. As this trend continues, the future may see a green home on every street, and cleaner neighborhoods for generations to come.

Reynold's "Green" Wrap: 100% Recycled Aluminum

Scott "Naturals" Tissue and Paper goods

Composting. You do it, we do it, everyone does it.

NO - not really, actually not enough people do it. MOST people don’t compost. We applaud you if you do! Why? ‘Cause its kind of a dirty little chore in which you place organic waste matter (usually plant or food waste) in a container in order to induce bacterial fermentation - that can enrich dirt to create nutrient-laced soil. Plants love the stuff. Metropolitan dwellers on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered with the idea of a countertop or next-to-home receptacle that can smell, attract fruit flies, or spontaneously combust.

Yes, it can explode. Left for to long without occasional stirring or plant feeding, compost can develop methane that heats up, and <BOOM> fire erupts. But that rarely happens, and if it does, usually only in larger piles.

Here are Types of composting:

• Backyard & Facility composting — If you have a yard or space and a balance of ‘browns’ (fallen leaves or straw) and ‘greens’ (grass clippings and food scraps - such as banana peels, coffee grounds and egg shells), you have all you need to make compost. Isn’t that exciting? Don’t all rush out at once…
• Worm composting (vermicomposting) — If you have a tiny yard or live in an apartment or have an abundance of food scraps, this type of composting is for you. Did you ever eat worms as a kid? If so, see a doctor, it could still be inside you having lots of worm babies.
• Grasscycling - If you have grass clippings and don’t want to use them in a compost pile you can leave them on the lawn to decompose, or gather it in a reusable garden sack with a draw string. There are many techniques and benefits - just don’t feed them to cows, the blades decompose fast and can make them sick. Nobody likes green milk!

10 good reasons why you should compost:

1. Yard and food waste make up 30% of the waste stream. Composting your kitchen and yard trimmings helps divert that waste from the landfill, waterways and water treatment facilities.
2. You will significantly reduce pest problems–and your use of pesticides.
3. Healthy plants from healthy soil look better, produce better and have a much greater ability to fight off pests and diseases.
4. Adding organic materials to the soil improves moisture retention.
5. Adding decomposed organic material to the soil feeds beneficial organisms.
6. Compost amends both sandy and clay soils.
7. Compost provides a balanced, slow–release source of nutrients that helps the soil hold nutrients long enough for plants to use them.
8. Composting saves money–you avoid the cost of buying soil conditioners, bagged manure etc.
9. Feeding your plants well will improve your own diet. Plants grown in depleted soils have a reduced nutrient content.
10. Home composting is a valuable tool in educating children about nature and the cycle of life.

Initial stages of composting is easier than how gross it looks.

Stir it up after gathering it for awhile, or it can get VERY hot.

Adding it to dirt creates a "super soil" that plants GROW wild over.

Grow something. What are you waiting for? As a human being, be it man or woman, knowing how to properly plant, grow, tend to and harvest is an essential piece of knowledge we should all have.

Here in Los Angeles, the Pedal Patch Community (PPC) helps not only bring the community together for poverty and hunger awareness programs, but generates -

“…sustainable communities one patch at a time through the application of urban agriculture.”

With over 6 acres of urban land for group and volunteer cultivation, PPC volunteers and workers that are supported through charitable donations help at risk youth, and neighbors in low-income neighborhoods tend to communal gardens and learn about how being social helps a plant, fruit or vegetable grow better.

If you have a lot of unused property and land ripe for crops, gardens and more, check out SharedEarth.com - you may be connected with someone willing to till your land and if you’re in the U.K., check out LandShare.net (or FarmLink if you’re in Ontario, Canada). The shared gardening community is slowly growing due to the social power of the internet, and even in metropolitan locations such as New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles, there’s Yards To Garden - which displays mapped listings of potential neighbors you can team with to revitalize yards and grow fruits and vegetables, and another called Sharing Backyards.

If you’re a young, aspiring farmer though (which is severely lacking - Farmers age 65+ currently outnumber those age 35 and below Sixty to One), there are programs in nearly every U.S. state to introduce farm work to up and coming workers looking for an agricultural shift in their lives. Hyper-Local production of garden vegetables and fruit could free up thousands of acres of farmland for other, more in-demand crops. Plus, the savings in transportation costs would be great too. A common snag in modern life is that the ones who want to grow gardens haven’t had access to land to do it. Websites like this will really help make that possible. So long as land owners know the squatter laws (primarily in the U.K.) and draw up simple liability protection contracts, social gardening can bring us all together and make our neighborhoods a better place to live in.

Community Garden in Inglewood - In Progress

We’re all interested mostly in what matters to us. What does matter to us? We do. You matter to yourself. You, your life, and your inner circle of family, pets and friends are the most important things in your life. Care about the things that matter by ensuring you are knowledgeable about what you put in your body.

Let’s talk about food. In fact, present day food manufacturing isn’t exactly a sustainable solution for maintaining health. Tomorrow (April 21, 2010) on PBS, you can watch “Food Inc.”, the renowned documentary of food’s modern travesties. “Food Inc.” takes a hard look at genetically-modified foods, organic farming, big industry food manufacturing and is similar in tone to famous health food documentary titles like The Future of Food, Super Size Me, and the little known King Corn (which spends time looking at High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) - which itsef has been linked by many studies to increase body fat more so than most other food additives.

Nutritional experts such as Eric Schlosser, Rory Freedman, Kim Barnouin, and experienced farmers have a lot of good advice for people trying to maintain good health, good taste, and support good food in an imperfect society built to meet demand for bigger food made faster and cheaper - there are solutions and ways around factory-farmed food, and paths towards excellent health:

• drink decaffeinated green tea instead of coffee
• if you gotta drink wine, try for a wine without sulfites or a winery that is certified organic
• eat only whole grains that have not been bleached or stripped of their nutrients
• start your day with fruits for fiber and natural energy
• say “no” to natural sweeteners that contain aspartame (its been known to create formaldahyde in the body and there have been cases where arsenic was found in manufactured sweeteners) and choose natural stevia or agave nectar instead
• eat more wild caught fish, it has essential oils for the body and will ensure you eat less meat (half of all antibiotics sold in the USA are given to factory farmed animals)
• try and eat organic when possible, as a lot of non-organic meats, dairy, and eggs can contain pesticides
• studies have shown that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and soy are less prone to cancer and heart disease

Take some time to think about the food you eat, watch “Food Inc.” and eat smarter for your very own simply green solution.

(All information derived from Demeter Certified Organics, MikSucks.com, GoVeg.com, Organic Consumer Assoc., California Cert. Organic Farmers, WholeFoodsMarket.com, Marin Organic and the movies mentioned above)

Shop Smart, Local and Organic at a Farmer's Market

Then say hello to that new pair of shoes in a reusable bag, starting with Puma. The 3rd largest sporting goods manufacturer behind Nike and Adidas, has redesigned their shoe box that will in turn, reduce their energy and water usage by over 60% within the year after it rolls out.

“Puma estimates that the [new packaging] will slash water, energy, and fuel consumption during manufacturing alone by 60%—in one year, that comes to a savings of 8,500 tons of paper, 20 million mega joules of electricity, 264,000 gallons of fuel, and 264 gallons of water.“

Employing the know-how of a world renowned industrial designer, a unique cardboard structure was built to encase and protect its shoes within a reusable bag made of PET, something we know a lot about. The new cardboard “skeleton” which takes form upon being wrapped by the reusable bag, uses 65% less cardboard than a shoe box and has no laminate - making biodegrading or recycling easier. Hopefully other companies will follow suit and follow in the greener and sportier footsteps of Puma.

VID: See how PUMA says good bye to shoe boxes.

Guess who's leaping into even more eco-friendliness?

Does your plumber carry a wrench that can make the Earth smile? Is plumbing even something you think about? Probably not, but if you’re a home owner, you pay bills - water, heating, power, and more. A green plumber and eco-friendly plumbing, heating and energy techniques can save you money, and yes, can lend a hand in saving our environment and energy waste.

His pipe is green

As part of a multi-national association, Green Plumbers USA®, with American headquarters in Sacramento, is an organization that helps to train plumbers in up-to-date water and energy efficiency technology. Accredited plumbers practice installation of:

• Tankless Water Heaters, which reduces energy waste by up to 40% by heating water only when needed
• High Efficiency Showerheads, which reduces water usage while maintaining proper pressure
• Aerating Faucets that also maintain accurate pressure but allow less water flow thereby eliminating an extra gallon per minute of water waste
• Basic Home Water Audits, a 50-point inspection and review of a home to solve energy and water loss, reduce monthly bills, and help your home become more eco-friendly
• High Efficiency Toilets, which use less water and can save up to 4,000 gallons a year!
• Solar Hot Water Systems that integrate solar paneling with your water heater, qualify for Federal, State and City tax credits (in most places) and save thousands of dollars and reduce energy waste

Sooner or later, Green Plumbing certification will be necessary as consumer and building code demands require more stringent plumbing, heating and in-home water alternatives that save money and provide better care for the world.

No green plumber's crack here...

California is possibly partnering up with Chinese Government contractors to assist in building a high-speed railway. Recently, California voters passed a bill to fund a high-speed rail that could connect Sacramento to San Francisco, and other cities. China has a very extensive rail network that has functioned well for many years, and its technology is being considered for use in Florida as well.

The deal calls for Chinese technology and coordination of a project that would be built here in California, but in the meantime, it seems offers are being entertained from countries such as Germany and Japan as well. China is being called upon to build its successful rail line in Saudi Arabia, and this mode of transportation can reduce carbon waste from cars and planes - not to mention create jobs and cut hours off of road vehicle travel time.

We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed and giving them a call to see if they need reusable bags, canteens and more for that green solution on its maiden voyage.

C'mon ride the train!

It may help the Earth grow greener.

Let’s talk about poop - and an idea. Looking for a good book while you’re defecating? Do you require reading material while expelling fecal matter? Most of us do, and all of us poop. Yes, its a bit taboo to talk about, but it’s an important part of life, and occurs as part of our daily rituals, many times when you least expect it. But when you do expect it, why not help save the sewer system, and raise some crops at the same time. Kill two birds with one turd.

Use your poo to compost. Composting is a practice in which farmers or at-home gardeners mix decomposed plant, animal and other organic material to create a porous and nutrient-filled soil additive that helps plants grow, and maintains a healthy garden. Rather than let your waste go to waste so to speak, take a dump on your lawn utilize your stool in your compost practice. Yes, composting practices have taken a turn for the odd - Humanure. A gentleman by the name of Joseph Jenkins has written a nearly 300 page book on the subject, which has been translated into many languages, and even instruction videos for the not-so-faint at heart. You can even be a friend of Humanure on Facebook (while you’re at it, be our fan too!).

First, build yourself a little outhouse or compost toilet as seen below. Second, drop a deuce, go number two, a toozie, y’know, poop! Third, flush by tossing sawdust on top which neutralizes the odor and starts the composting process. The nutrients and water in your stool combine with organic plant or animal material (coffee grounds, egg shells and banana peels help too) to create fertilizer. Rather than have a waste treatment plant take up to a year to do this, you can do it in your own backyard - something the city of Austin, Texas, has approved for funding.

So what are you waiting for? Get the info above and help along your garden with a simply brown solution.

Compost Toilet