GardeningNude

How To Catch A Fruit Fly and Remain Green and Non-Toxic – A Product Review – Terro Fruit Fly Trap

Fruit flies: my enemy in the kitchen. It is true they torture we humans with their incessant irritation, yet removing them non-toxically has always been a problem. The Terro Fruit Fly Trap promises a non-toxic, and therefore, “green” solution.

As a reviewer of the product, I was sent three Terro Fruit Fly Traps – one to test out and two to give-away to my readers. Indeed, the first trap I set out on my kitchen counter, an appealing little apple-like plastic container filled with the Terro liquid attractant, trapped and killed about a dozen of the little buggers. Fruit flies are attracted to the fruity-smelling liquid, then plunge to their deaths once they are inside the plastic container.

However, the very next day, the little apple was knocked over and spilled this red liquid all over the kitchen counter and stained one of my kitchen towels - I had not yet killed all the fruit flies, so I opened the next trap to try again. Smarter this time, I set it beyond the area where it would get knocked over and trapped absolutely no fruit flies because it must have been too far from the “fruit center” on my counter top. It got moved back over near the coffeepot and the fruit. Unfortunately, I set a full crock-pot on it two days later. It survived the crushing, but got flipped over again. ARGH!

Next trap. Sorry folks – no give-aways today. This one trapped all the remaining fruit flies. YAY! Unfortunately my dishwasher, otherwise known as my youngest daughter, knocked it over again wiping up the counter after dishes only a few days later.

Each trap must be recycled or thrown out when done according to the instructions on the trap. It is recyclable and has a P7 resin recycling symbol on the bottom. However, the P7 category is a tricky one. According to my local community recycling rules, only narrow-necked products may be picked up with the P7 category listing. Everything else goes into the landfill. Nationally, it is not much better. Therefore, this product is not a very easily recycled product.

My review: on it’s effective ability to attract and kill fruit flies – two thumbs up.

On it’s practicality for surviving without being knocked over in a busy family home – two thumbs down.

On it’s “green” qualities – I give it two thumbs down as well.

In a perfect world I would like this product to be more stable while still retaining it’s attractiveness. It should also be reusable, and recyclable with a very common recycling standard such as the #1 and #2 recycling codes. Anything else and it cannot be guaranteed as a product which will truly go back into the recycling stream to be reused.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

*These products were sent to me at no cost - I tested them for a month in my own home. My review is wholly honest, my own opinion, and not based on additional payment from the Terro company in any form. In fact, my agreement with them is that I would review their product in a totally honest fashion, keeping my readers and viewers needs at the top of the priority list when considering this product’s recommendation and use.

Save Money – My Top Ten Tips for Reducing Energy Usage In Your Home!

According to a 2009 report from McKinsey & Company, Americans are wasting $130 billion annually on energy. This means we are spending way too much money due to inefficiency in our homes. During a difficult economic time, watching our utility usage is so critical, it can sometimes mean the difference between losing a home and saving a home.

Below are the Top 10 Tips For Reducing Energy Usage – my personal recommendations for running a household that saves money and energy:

1. Audit your household to understand how much energy you are using and where you might best save energy. Utility companies provide free audits if you request them.
2. Heating and Air-Conditioning is the number one consumer of energy in a home. Turn the thermostat down four degrees and utilize an automated energy-star thermostat if you are able.
3. Replace all traditional light bulbs with LEDs or CFL’s which utilize far less energy. Remember to dispose of CFL’s properly – they contain mercury.
4. Turn off lights, air conditioner, and furnace when not in use.
5. Beware of “vampire power” and unplug wall warts, standby electronics and anything else which might be plugged in but not turned on.
6. Water heating is the third largest consumption of energy in your home. Insulate the water heater and water pipes to maintain their efficiency.
7. Seal air leaks with storm window covers. Insulate windows with closed curtains.
8. Avoid using your fireplace – especially when the temperature outside ducks below 30 degrees Fahrenheit - it sucks a tremendous amount of heated air from your home.
9. Close doors, especially at night, to contain heat in bedrooms.
10. Weatherize home by insulating the attic and sealing leaks.

To reduce electrical usage in my home, I use automated light timers and motion sensitive lighting. Recently the Datexx Company* provided me with two of their products to test – The UTimer (see above) and the Smart Rechargeable LED Light. Guess what? I really like both of them and found they did help me reduce electricity usage.

Here is how they work – the UTimer gets plugged into an outlet and also into a lamp. It turns the lights on automatically in the evenings when the light changes to dusk; no complicated timers to program. If you like, it provides an led night light for you which uses only a tiny bit of electricity. Every day I used to turn the lights on way sooner than dusk; this timer has encouraged me to be a little bit greener by utilizing day-light for a longer period.

The Smart Rechargeable LED Light is a power failure light, motion detector light, photo-electric night light, and 8-hour emergency flashlight all built into one. I love this as it is a great night light in the hallway and allows us to go up and down the hallway without turning on more powerful energy-sucking overhead lights because of its awesome motion sensor.

Both of these products help you with the #4 item above – turn the electricity off when not in use. To purchase these products, simply go online to the Datexx Company.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

*These products were sent to me at no cost - I tested them for several months in my own home. My review is wholly honest, my own opinion, and not based on additional payment from the Datexx company in any form. In fact, my agreement with them is that I would review their product in a totally honest fashion, keeping my readers and viewers needs at the top of the priority list when considering this product’s recommendation and use.

Today is “Botany of Desire” Day – Learn More About Nature By Watching This Awesome Show!

This evening an absolutely fascinating nature story will be shown on PBS at 8:00 PM. It is based on Michael Pollan’s incredible and deeply inspiring book, The Botany Of Desire; A Plant’s—Eye View Of The World.

Pollan examines the truly amazing link between the natural world and humans; proposing that humans and domesticated plants have formed a reciprocal relationship. Although there are hundreds of examples Pollan could use, he chooses apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes to describe his theory on this remarkable connection.

As a member of the press, I was fortunate enough to see an advanced preview of the movie and feel it is something really worth watching for the whole family – a way to understand the connection of humanity with the natural world. Above is a short PBS preview of the television show for you to enjoy.

I found the television show surprisingly beautiful and well put together – the scenes are gorgeous and the subject matter quite fascinating. Certainly a great way to spend an evening with your family.

Pop some popcorn, get in your comfy-cozers and spend a great evening watching the television show Botany of Desire tonight at 8:00 PM on PBS!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blogs - www.gardeningnude.com or http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

A Review of the Lifetime Yardcart Wheelbarrow – and A Ride For Harry the Pug.

Want an awesome wheelbarrow to help you with your Fall chores? I have the one for you, plus it has the advantage of featuring a patented design that distributes more weight to the wheels and less to the user, helping to lighten the load when wheeling supplies around the garden. Also, the tub of the Wheelbarrow is made from 100 percent recycled material, which of course, means it is better for the planet.

My review for the wheelbarrow is that it is excellent - beyond wheeling Harry the Pug around the garden, I have also used it to lift heavier containers, bags of soil, and leaves. Sturdy and well-balanced, the cart seems to be easier on my back than traditional wheelbarrows.

My only concern is that when the wheelbarrow arrived, all the parts were covered in plastic wrap. Why? That seems like a waste of good resources and an added expense that could be eliminated to lower the cost of the product. Outside of that, I feel the product has been great in the garden. Plus Harry the Pug enjoys riding in the wheelbarrow – you can see him getting a ride at the end of the wheelbarrow assembly video (above).

Size-wise, the wheelbarrow’s tub has a capacity of six-and-a-half cubic feet and can hold up to 550 pounds. It is available at Lifetime.com and Sam’s Club stores.

As a reminder - if you use a wheelbarrow to do fall chores, collect your fall leaves for mulching, not for burning.

Today’s post is a “Two For Tuesday” – this blog is on both my greening blog – www.gardeningnude.com AND my gardening blog – http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com – ENJOY!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com.

*This product was sent to me at no cost - I tested it for two months in the garden. My review is wholly honest, my own opinion, and not based on additional payment from the Lifetime company in any form. In fact, my agreement with them is that I would review their product in a totally honest fashion, keeping my readers and viewers needs at the top of the priority list when considering this product’s recommendation and use.

GAIAM’s Kitchen Compost Pail – A Great Way to Encourage Garden Composting – A Video Review

Composting is one of the easiest ways to create incredible soil for your garden which requires very little or any amendments. Compost is “black gold” and the first step to composting is getting your kitchen bi-products inside your home out to the larger composter behind your home.

Truly, compost pails are a neglected part of the composting process because of their simple nature, yet many people give up on composting without really trying at it because they do not like the smells or issues related to “rotting” veg material sitting on their kitchen counter. A compost pail combats that problem.

This stainless steel compost crock* was sent to me from GAIAM, an awesome company focused on providing products to customers who value the environment, a sustainable economy, healthy lifestyles, alternative healthcare and personal development. They are keeping life green – and this crock is a part of that by encouraging better composting. See the below video review I made for the compost pail:

Compost pails hold kitchen scraps. A pail should be large enough to hold at least a day’s kitchen compost and perhaps two – this crock holds more than that easily. Here’s some advice on utilizing a compost pail in your kitchen, with a mention of some of the better features of this particular pail:

• Wash the pail on a regular basis. Rinse with warm water and soap. I like to dry it with paper towels I might have already used but not diminished much, then I put the paper towels in the compost pail as it is great material to compost. Good idea for reusing paper in the kitchen.
• Empty the pail every two days or whenever it fills – with the lid and charcoal insert GAIAM’s crock uses, it keeps odor down considerably, so can be kept longer.
• Fruit flies become far less of a problem with this pail due to the lid structure. Be sure to keep your pail lidded for prevention of fruit flies.
• Regularly sterilize the pail with hot water and bleach. This prevents harmful bacteria from becoming a problem.

Please get a kitchen compost pail soon; it’s a great holiday gift and will encourage the user to really consider composting in a more serious light.

I loved GAIAM’s stainless steel kitchen compost keeper after testing it for almost two months, and plan on using it for a long time because it was really easy to use and has a terrific non-stink charcoal insert in the lid. No compost stink in the kitchen is fantastic! It helped remind me to bring the material out to the garden composter, instead of tossing it down the garbage disposal. All around a win-win product.

If you would like to learn more about the above composter and perhaps order it, just click this link.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

FYI – I also posted this on my gardening blog – http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com, but felt it was so useful for composting, I should post on my “greening” blog as well. Enjoy!

*This product was sent to me at no cost - I tested it for two months in the kitchen. My review is wholly honest, my own opinion, and not based on additional payment from the Gaiam company in any form. In fact, my agreement with them is that I would review their product in a totally honest fashion, keeping my readers and viewers needs at the top of the priority list when considering this product’s recommendation and use.

The Morton Arboretum On The Cutting Edge; Beer Bottle Glass Sustainable Paving

Once again The Morton Arboretum is on the cutting edge with sustainability; utilizing recycled glass as a path product.

“Building paths from recycled beer bottles is another wonderful example of our progress towards a more sustainable experience for the public,” said Kris Bachtell, Director of Collections and Facilities. The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized 1,700 acre outdoor museum with 4,117 kinds of trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world located in Lisle, Illinois.

FilterPave^TM paving is crushed glass and beer bottles held together by a special mixture of polyurethane and comes in several different colors. It’s benefits include a highly permeable surface which allows water to sink through and return to the water aquifer instead of traveling into our sewer systems. This is excellent for the environment because the glass mixture is rescued from landfills.

According to Bill Handlos, Director of Presto Products Geosystems Division (seen left), the company that manufactures and the product for the 1,000 square foot walkway, “another benefit of the FilterPave^TM porous pavement is it helps reduce the “heat island” effect by trapping and mitigating heat, rather than reflecting it, as a blacktop surface does.”

Emerald Site Services, LLC, a leading environmental service company in Illinois, donated the installation. John Donahue, from Emerald Site Services (seen right), says “All ingredients for the product are mixed and then laid like cement on the path. It forms a “rice krispy” like consistency which allows more maximum porosity.”

Surprisingly, the finished product only costs about $10 to $12 per square foot installed, which is similar to the price for brick paving. However, utilizing recycled eco-friendly material in a permeable paver form makes it a much better choice than traditional paving for both residential, government, and businesses across the United States.

FilterPave^TM beer bottle paving is long lasting – currently lasting over 16 years in trial tests – and has an attractive crystalline glitter when finished. The Morton Arboretum chose “Amber” as it’s color for the path – a great choice on a grass path surrounded by planting beds lined with brown mulch. It looked beautiful when finished.

Winter plow blades can damage the surface of the paving, however, by plowing the surface a tad high to prevent damage, the permeability of the product allows snow to melt exceptionally quickly, thereby maintaining an ice free surface quite easily. Long term maintenance includes making sure large leaves and debris are swept off in the fall and winter. Outside of that it is maintenance free!

Way to go Morton Arboretum, Presto Products, and Emerald Site Services! Showing the world how cutting edge “green” can really make a difference for your local community.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

A Yellow Pages Rant – What’s With The Phone Book Company SCAM? Americans Go Digital and Save Our Resources and Our Landfill Space

Once again I have received the damned Yellow Pages Phone Book. I do not want these books - I have not used a phone book in nearly five years. Ever. Not even once in five years! Usually I toss the old book – which is still in pristine condition - in the recycling bin annually and accept the useless new book. But this year I have chosen to do something different – RANT!

Yep, I know I rarely rant, but this time it’s personal. Several times a year I receive pounds and pounds of unwanted phone book on my front door step. Because most of my referencing is done online, I find it a tremendous waste of paper. There are some people who might need or want the annual Yellow Pages distributions – but my preference is the distribution of phone books should be consumer driven. In other words, we should be able to opt-out of receiving this junk mail or better yet, if the books are wanted, they should be requested individually on an opt-in basis.

Think about that – how many people would actually take the time to phone the phone book company and request a free book? Seriously. Not a single person I know. This is surely why the program does not exist. IT IS A MONEY MAKING SCAM!

According to the Yellow Pages Association, consumers reference print Yellow Pages directories more than 12 billion times per year while Internet Yellow Pages sites receive 4.6 billion references each year. My question is where do these statistics come from? NO ONE HAS EVER CALLED ME FROM THE YELLOW PAGES COMPANY! EVER!!! Are they out there dialing up everyone in the United States to get a truly accurate number instead of an estimation?

Information from www.stopthephonebooks.com really puts the phone book scam into a green perspective:

Creating 500 phone books takes:

TREES -- according to a study in California 17 to 31 trees- depending on how much is new paper and how much is recycled paper .

ELECTRICITY – 4100 kwh (a 3 bedroom house in Colorado uses about 600 -1500 kwh per month-- so that about 3-6 months of electricity)

WATER -- 7000 gallons of water (that’s about 14 gallons of water per book - Gee, I thought we were trying to cut back on wasting water).

GAS – ????  -- how many gallons of gasoline for the delivery trucks? Gas for the trash trucks? Gas for the recycling trucks?

So-- how much did we use for 615 million phonebooks ? -- Well, that’s about 1.23 million times each of the numbers above -- in just one year (and we are not even including the electricity and water it takes to recycle these products yearly). Also, guess what? Only 15% to 20% of the phone books created are recycled annually. 

Of course, that’s an estimation, right? It’s just my opinion, but according to the Yellow Pages Association website, it’s okay to estimate, right? That’s how they got their 12 billion number. Apparently estimating how many people are actually utilizing their phone book product justifies how much of our natural resources we are destroying. With this mindset, estimating is a great way to justify tricking businesses into advertising in a useless, wasteful, out-dated, resource-sucking product also.

My thought is this is a SCAM to take money from business owners and is an utterly useless and ridiculous piece of advertising SPAM which we do not want. It’s time for all of us who agree with the this rant and opt-out of this insanity and do something kind for the earth.

I phoned the below phone book businesses today and tried to opt out but could not. ATT/Yellow Pages was impossible. I tried to opt out, repeatedly, but no one ever answered the ATT number so that I CAN opt out. I will try again tomorrow.

— ATT/ Yellow Pages: 1-800-479-2977

— Verizon: 1-800-555-4833

— DEX: 1-877-243-8339

— Yellow Book:1-800-929-3556

In my opinion, it’s part of the SCAM – they avoid you on purpose so opting out is not a consumer choice – how unprofessional. But then again, businesses which build scams really are not very professional are they?

Here’s the reality - most of the directory companies do not offer telephone menu options which include opting-out. It would be great if they provided an online way to opt out – I guess that’s just asking way too much from a bunch of scam artists!

This is an issue we should be contacting our government about. Contact your local representative and tell them you want something done about this outlandish scam built to steal good businesses money!

Please help come up with additional ideas to make a difference. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think -

Do you feel this is a giant underhanded SCAM like I do?

What can we do to stop this unprofessional practice from phone book company’s around the globe?

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Buy Local Handmade Soaps and Make a Green and Clean Difference

 

Why buy local?

Simple – it’s green. Studies on buying local show that locally-owned businesses generate a premium in economic impact to the community and our tax base. Locally owned business contributes less to urban sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution. generally speaking, local businesses tend to set up shop in town, farmers markets, or city centers as opposed to developing on the outer “mall” areas.

Most importantly, local businesses are owned by people who live in or near the community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the future of the community. In other words – they are promoting positive economic impact both because they want to practice honesty in business and because they are directly connected to the community economic growth.

One of my favorite local businesses is a soap maker who comes to my weekly community farmer’s market. Her name is Kassandra Hesek and she runs Black N’Tan Soaps. While she does not have significant online ordering capability yet, she does have a website – www.blackntansoaps.com. Her main way of selling her product is hands-on - by directly touching the community through farmers markets.

Kassandra’s handmade soaps are delightful. Above you’ll see several “flavors” of soaps she sells including Lavender, The Gritty Gardener, and Bugger Off. After trying her Bugger Off soaps and oils, I can say in the last week I have not had a single mosquito bother me. The Gritty Gardener sit on my kitchen sink and I use it every time I come in from gardening. All the soaps are heaven, plus I am reassured that her ingredients are natural, green, and good for my family.

Look into your local businesses like Black N’Tan Soaps and help make a green difference for the world and a financial difference for your community. Buy local today!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Get Yo’ Green On Tuesday – An Indoor Bokashi Meat and Milk Composter Review

Clean Air Gardening sells this cool Indoor Kitchen Composter which composts more than traditional veg material, it also composts meat and milk. While I have practiced outdoor composting for several years, I have never done indoor composting and was curious if this worked. You can see a video review in the above short video.

According to the package directions, composting happens directly in the 16” X 10” X 10” pail so it is perfect for apartments and condos. Bokashi composting uses a different method than outdoor composting. Essentially it pickles the waste, turning it into fertilizer using fermentation. It works in half the time of conventional  composting. Moisture released from food waste can be drained out through a spigot at the bottom of the compost bin and can be made into a compost tea for house plants.

Clean Air Gardening shipped out the composter and a 2.25 lb bag of a special Bokashi mix that enhances the microbial action of the compost and allows traditional veg material as well as meats and milks to breakdown. Bokashi is a Japanese word that means "fermented organic matter." It can also be used as a soil amendment to increase the nutrient level and microbial diversity of the soil.

According to Clean Air Gardening, here’s how to use the Indoor Kitchen Composter and Bokashi mix:

“Before putting any compost in your Indoor Kitchen Composter, start by laying down a layer of Happy Farmer Bokashi. Then, when you add fresh food waste in the Kitchen Composter it's important to add additional Bokashi on top of every layer of scraps. Once the container is filled to capacity, let the waste continue to ferment for two weeks and then transfer into your garden or planter.”

Overall, I felt this product works and is rather amazing in it’s ability to breakdown meat, bones, and milk waste. However, it can be smelly if you do not cover the food waste properly (note the look on my face in the video). It is a wonderful idea for apartment dwellers and for people who have a strong motivation to save landfill space. I do prefer traditional composting better because it is less expensive. To maintain the Indoor Kitchen Composter, you must repurchase the bokashi several times a year.

For those of you interested in really taking a bite out of the landfill space situation, I think this is a more than fabulous idea. If you are interested in purchasing this composter or others, Clean Air Gardening has a wonderful selection. Go to www.cleanairgardening.com for more information.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Me Thinks I Need A New Royal “Water Saving” Throne – ‘Cause My Toilet Stinks!

My toilet stinks!

Although it’s shiny white porcelain glow, unique design, and lovely matching accessories made it a fashionable find, the real reason my husband and I bought the very special Crane Plumbing toilet from Menard’s was because of its beauty as well as its advertised water saving, money saving, and all around GREEN qualities.

Imagine a toilet with grandeur and “green” attributes; a royal throne fit for a Green Queen. Ah yes… this was indeed the dream. It took weeks of negotiation, preparation, and research before we purchased the toilet. Thrones are special, after all, and purchasing a toilet special enough for this Green Queen did not come cheap.

What a shock we received when it takes three, sometimes four, flushes to get the unmentionable contents to go down the plumbing. We must plunge several times a day to keep everything unclogged. Having purchased this toilet several years ago, I can now say, no – SHOUT - my irritation and disappointment with this horrid bit of porcelain. It is not water saving. It was a rip-off.

Sounds of irritated cursing can regularly be heard from behind the closed bathroom door. Mostly repeated refrains of “OH CRAP!” In fact, Mr. Crapper would be embarrassed that his name should ever be associated with this plumbing reject. Water saving? How is it saving water to flush two, three, sometimes four times instead of a single flush?

Our old toilet; now fondly remembered as “Old Faithful,” never missed a flush. Never clogged, not even once. Compared to the amount of water we are forced to use now, our old toilet (although not labeled “water saving” like the new one is) was definitely saving us water. And what did I do? I threw “Old Faithful” out in the garbage like an old candy wrapper. He’s buried in the landfill now. Lonely and missing our warm bottoms I am sure. Oh the tragedy!

My advice to you is do not buy a “water saving” Crane Plumbing toilet from Menard’s unless you have a guarantee and double-check their return policy. In fact, do your research on what you really get when a product is advertised “water saving.”

Next time you pray to the porcelain god, please put in a good word for me. Why? Because my toilet stinks!

How is your “water-saving” toilet? Is it really saving you water? Is there a better solution? Would love to hear what you have to say - I need some serious toilet help.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Olympus Stylus TOUGH-6000 Camera Review

 

There’s one word for the new Olympus Stylus TOUGH-6000 – TOUGH!!!! Spending 14 days on a Mexican eco-adventure means you have to have a camera that will survive anything. This camera is shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof, crushproof and shakeproof and was worth it’s weight in gold on my latest eco-adventure.

Whether I was getting ready to jump off a 30’ tree to zipline (above), or taking pictures of beautiful cenote scenery (below - last photo), the camera took fantastic photos. During the adventure I dropped the camera about four times, a guide stepped on it, and it accidentally fell off a boat twice. No kidding. And guess what? It kept on taking the best darned digital photos I have ever taken.

In the above shot you see hundreds of butterflies at the Sian Ka’an Bioreserve – a world heritage protected site in Mexico. They are zooming, dipping, and diving faster than my eye can keep up on an incredibly windy day – yet, the camera still captured the shot with amazing clarity.

Above you can see a photo I took underwater during murky conditions while only holding the camera in one hand. It is of a diver feeding a stingray and his fishy buddies in at the Xel-Ha eco-park near Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. WOW! No ordinary camera could take a photo like this. Best yet, it is a little hand held camera that can go any where so was easy to put in my back pack or my purse.

It has some amazing features, including the ability to digitally record a movie. Below you can see how I recorded a mini-movie in a cenote in Mexico using my little TOUGH-6000. I am swimming and am taking the photo-mini-movie one-handed while doing it. You will see both over water and underwater shots in the short video. COOL! I love it!

There are lots of other special features on this camera I have never seen before on other cameras including Face Detection, Tap Control (which allows you to tap the camera to take the photo), Beauty Mode (which allows you to smooth a persons complexion during the shot), and several night-shot taking features that were all easy to use. My entire education on how to use the camera happened on the airplane on my way to Mexico. I scanned the manual, hooked it on my wrist and was done.

My overall review is this is one fantastic camera which I have loved using. I can’t wait to show my readers more photos from my greening projects I have planned this spring and summer.

There was only one thing I had trouble with – the wrist strap Olympus provides with the camera does not allow you to tighten it close to the wrist. Because of this it came out of my hand and dropped during some of the more rigorous activities on my incredible Mexican Green Living Eco-Adventure. Hopefully a tighter fitting wrist strap will be easy to find.

Please leave a comment and let me know where I can find a strap that will not be obnoxious looking, but will still hold tight to my wrist.

Thanks Olympus – for making one tough camera that is a pleasure to use. You have opened a whole new world to me in photo taking - wonderful!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Get Yo’ Green On Tuesday – SubZero Water Bottles – A Very Disappointing Product Review

While at the local Walgreen’s a week ago I spotted one of those cool new stainless steel water bottles which was advertising it was “Reusable, Refillable,  Recyclable.” It came in several colors and sizes and was made by SubZero.

Since I am concerned about plastic usage, I felt this was a great reusable alternative and bought three of them. What convinced me to buy was the tagged “features list,” which seemed significant: “Does not leach harmful chemicals into liquids, Producing stainless steel is toxin-free, Surface has no pores or cracks to hold bacteria, Life expectancy is over 100 years because of its impact and rust resistance, Can also be recycled 100%."

My first concern - there are a LOT of cautions on the exterior of the bottle – but they seemed fairly obvious like “Intended for cool and cold beverages only,” or “Do not use cleaners containing bleach or chlorine.”

My disappointment and shock began the first day I gave my eight year old daughter the water bottle to use. THE FIRST DAY! She brought it home from school and said, “I can’t drink out of this, it has rust at the bottom.” It did NOT have rust on the bottom when I gave it to her. I thought perhaps it was mold or something so took the lid off and looked in. Here’s a photo – yep, rust!

Then I examined the exterior of the bottle. Where the bottom of the bottle was  connected there was a strange white limish substance oozing out of the rim. WHAT?!?!?! Here’s a photo of that – I had a hard time getting a clear picture with my camera, but you get the idea – what is that stuff?

Next I poured the remaining water from only ONE DAY of exposure of the bottle into a clear glass. Let me assure you people, this water went in to the bottle CLEAR and fresh. This horrid stuff filled with rust and gosh only knows what. This is what my daughter was drinking after it was inside the SubZero Water Bottle. I made this photo large – I want you to see how disgusting that is – DISGUSTING!

I was downright horrified. Although I did not save my receipts from Walgreen’s (uh yeah… very stupid) I DID save the SubZero tags and re-examined them. “Made in China” and distributed by SUBZERO / Global Advantage in Missouri. Today I will be sending Walgreen’s and SubZero a link to this review – SUBZERO PLEASE TAKE THIS PRODUCT OFF THE MARKET! This should NOT be happening after one day of use – our children need fresh, clean, drinking water and I was very disappointed with it and found it is NOT the green product you are touting it to be.

SPECIAL UPDATE:

WOW!!! www.H20x2.com saw this post and has agreed to send new water bottles out so we can try a better brand - AND - is going to sponsor a $50 gift certificate contest during the Gardening Nude "Mexican Green Living Blog Adventure 2009".

I'll be blogging for 14 days straight talking about eco- and environmental adventures and green living starting 3/21 and www.H20x2.com will be joining us. Tune in to win a free FUNCTIONING and WONDERFUL waterbottle from H20x2.com!

Woot! Thank you H20x2.com – you rock!!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Monday Whazzup - Is There a "Green" Snowblower?

"Tis the season for snowblowers. Just how green and sustainable are they?

After years of debate and justification over the purchase, last season the family finally gave in and bought an electric snowblower. Certainly a less green solution to hand scraping the mountains of snow we receive in the state of Illinois. However, a huge back-ache reliever and a much quicker solution to snow clean-up compared with our old mode of operation.

Electric snowblowers, although not as powerful as most gas guzzling, carbon emitting, snowblowers, are easy to use and generally less expensive as well.

Of course, without direct carbon emissions, electric snowblowers have the advantage of being much higher on the green and sustainable scale. Our Toro snowblower is so easy to handle, a small child could use it. Getting out in the winter weather is a delight when your back is not aching over hours of snow scraping.

If you really want to make a green statement - try a new manual snow clearing tool called a "Wovel." While it still requires physical labor, the Wovel website claims the Wovel Shovel is doctor recommended and the "World's Safest Snow Shovel." According to the site, "A University of Mass. independent study confirms the wheeled snow shovel clears snow with a fraction of the effort and [is]safer on the back: 'comparable to simply walking.'" Without a carbon emission footprint during use, this tool is a great idea for those concerned about muscle strain during snow shoveling.

Should you have a handicap or physical limitation, this shovel is still not the best choice, however. An electric snowblower would be easier to handle with very little effort. From a sustainability perspective, I find the Wovel a nice alternative to the traditional snow shovel which can help reduce muscle strain.

Here it is in action:

Living a green lifestyle is possible by doing a little every day. While many are afraid to go green, thinking it is an "extreme" choice, the truth is going green is easy, simple, and anyone can do it. Be mindful of your choices, like determining which snowblower to use, and soon your life will be much greener and healthier.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blogs - www.gardeningnude.com or http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Get Yo Green On Tuesday - "Best In Glass" Glass Cleaner Review and a Tip To Improve Home Air Quality

Every Tuesday, Gardening Nude The Blog will discuss a new way to Get Your Green On – today’s green discussion is a product review and advice on how to make the breathing quality better in your home.

Our 1970’s basement laundry room is unfinished. Our family’s mold allergies are huge and I spend every day defending myself and my girls against them. Because of this, I felt the reason I felt sick whenever I walked into the laundry room was not because of the sheer volume of laundry, it was because of microscopic molds which grew on the floors and walls.

For five years I tried to kill the molds. We bleached everything and even put different flooring down to cover the frigid and supposedly mold covered basement floors. Then one day I told my husband I could not deal with the laundry room any more. Seeing dollar signs from a total laundry room renovation, Dr. Husband, Fixer-of-All-Evil-Money-Problems ran into the laundry room and scanned the room for evil mold. When he came back out, he said, “It’s not the mold, it’s the chemicals.”

“HUH?” I replied.

“Look – we have all our shelving open and I can see at least twenty different housecleaning and laundry chemicals sitting out. Your asthma and allergy issues might be triggered whenever you walk into this room. You get dizzy in the housecleaning aisle at the grocery store – I’m sure this is it.” After consideration, our laundry room is also our furnace room, which needs strong ventilation. The air from the laundry room was being broadcast all over our living quarters as well.

By the next week we packed all the chemicals into two very large tubs that sit beneath the washer and dryer. I rarely admit this, but the husband was right; now when I walk into the laundry room I no longer feel ill. This is a great way to clean up the air quality in your home. If the chemicals you use are out and in the open the odor can touch each and every person in your home, particularly if you have ventilation or the furnace area near the chemicals.

If just SMELLING the chemicals made such a significant impact on our family, imagine how it is impacting yours? Perhaps it is time we all start to consider that using non-toxic cleaning chemicals is better for our family and better for the world. I have started searching for non-toxic and environmentally friendly choices whenever possible. In my search I have found some things just cannot be substituted. However, the majority of our household cleaning products do not have to be toxic and we all need to make a change.

My favorite non-toxic product is Method’s “Best In Glass.” They tout it as a planet friendly ammonia-free glass cleaner. I get this nectar of the God’s (at least for my windows) from Target. It works great and smells lightly of mint, which is one of the few scents I can handle without a problem. It does not smell of vile, gut-wrenching, chemicals which might give you cancer or kill you. In fact, it is made of Corn Alcohol, Surfactant (Naturally Derived), Biodegradable Solvent, Fragrance, Color, Preservative (under 0.1%), Purified Water. That’s one of the shortest chemical ingredient lists I have ever seen.

My official review for the Method “Best In Glass” product is two thumbs up. The photo below shows the wonderful glass cleaner in front of my now very streak free shower doors – if you hear angel’s singing and harps playing, that’s because “Best In Glass” is simply heaven on earth for your family.

Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community!

www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blog - www.gardeningnude.com