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We're told to buy hybrid cars, change our electricity supplier, insulate the roof. But what if you're not in control of such things - a teenager. Worse - your parents have more important things to worry about than global warming. However, there are still some things you can do.

Steps

1. Before you go to bed each night, turn off all the lights upstairs, (and downstairs if your parents are already upstairs). If you leave phone or i-pod chargers plugged into the mains then it uses electricity even if it's not in your phone/i-pod as well.
   
2. Talk about pollution and global warming to your parents if you are truly interested in it. Don't push them to be more green and annoy them but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a few suggestions every now and again. Some grownups are interested in living large. They might drive a huge SUV, live in a McMansion or simply waste things. Try to explain to your younger siblings what is happening in the world to them, as simply as possible. Allow them to make up their own mind but you might find they will be more open to it than your parents.
   
3. Don't leave the T.V. on in the background. Even if you're watching it but you're not very interested in the program - consider if there is something that you'll find more enjoyable and also doesn't use so much energy. Playing outdoors for example. Remind yourself of childhood hobbies, Lego and board games can still be enjoyable in your teens.
   
4. Haven't got any ideas for your birthday presents? Suggest a green theme. Energy efficient light bulbs for your lamps, recycled notebooks/stationary, sponsor a green charity in your name, solar powered chargers. There are lots of things you can buy that will be useful and enjoyable. Plus there will be an added warm feeling on your birthday.
   
5. You may have heard on the news about a website which is Google - but in black. The theory being on some older computers (monitors that arn't flat screen) it takes less energy to show black than white. If you have one of these monitors change your background to black. For all computers lowering settings such as brightness and contrast will reduce the energy you use.
   
6. If you are on the computer just to talk to your friends - you don't need your printer/scanner/speakers switched on too. Try to turn on only what you need.
   
7. Remember that appliances on standby are still using energy. When you turn something off - really turn it off!
   
8. Printing out homework can be important but see if you can save energy by printing out two short ones on the same page and cutting it in half. If you've doodled on a piece of paper you can print on the other side - especially if you're going to stick it in your book anyway.
   
9. Walk in demonstrations.
   
10. Collect names for a better climate.
    
11. Eat less meat.
    
12. Take a shower instead of a bath.
    

Tips

• Ask your science teachers about what you can do. Learn as much as you can about the environment as it will make you feel stronger about the cause.
  
• Remember you can't change the world by yourself, but everything you do helps. Don't get fustrated when people are not as enthusiastic, you are only one person and can only do so much.
  
• You could collect names on your own, and then send them to a politican, but it is easier to contact an organisation for better climate.
  
• Read or watch the news. They may make announcements about ongoing name collections or upcoming demonstrations.
  
• Bring cloth bags to stores and use them instead of plastic or paper.
  

Warnings

• People might become annoyed with constant lectures. Realise that not everyone feels the same way. It's good to persuade people but be sure not to nag when you see it's a lost cause.
  
• Be careful switching on and off electrical appliances at the mains.
  

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper (optional)
  
• Picket sign (optional)
  

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be More Green As a Teenager. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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The beauty industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that, until now, has had little other than "cruelty-free" additions to their marketing campaigns in terms of social and health consciousness. The safety of beauty products has largely been taken for granted – who would wittingly poison their customers? Unfortunately, lax regulations in many countries and a faith that companies were testing their products properly has covered up the reality that many chemicals in personal care products and cosmetics are untested, unhealthy and even carcinogenic or have the capacity to disrupt and mimic reproductive actions in both humans and animals. This article discusses some ways that you can start to green your personal care.

Steps

1. Take a look at the ingredients of your shampoos, conditioners, moisturisers, hair gels, lipsticks, mascaras and perfumes. Do you understand the ingredients? It is probable that there are very long words that make very little sense... If one or more of the below statements about your personal care product is true, then the ‘safety’ of your products is questionable. All of the chemicals mentioned next (see "Tips" for details) have been linked to health problems and some or all of them are banned in certain countries:
   
   • shampoo & body wash often contain sodium lauryl sulphate
     
   • hair products often use a combination of: sodium lauryl sulfate and TEA (triethanolamine, DEA (diethanolamine), or MEA (monoethanolamine)
     
   • methylparaben appears on many labels, from cosmetics to deodorant and perfume
     
   • dibutyl phthalate, or DBP, or diethylhexyl phthalate, or DEHP appear on many labels too.
     
   
   
2. Understand the problems you face when using many everyday commercial personal care products:
   
   • many beauty products are not well regulated
     
   • health and beauty products top advertising breaches (they don’t do what they claim they do)
     
   • many use varying mixtures of synthetically produced chemicals
     
   • many of these synthetic chemicals have not been approved by regulation authorities, but find their way into products and onto shelves through loopholes in regulations
     
   • as much as a third of personal care products contain at least one chemical linked to cancer
     
   • mineral oil and petroleum are the basic ingredients in many cosmetic products – these have their origins in fossil fuels
     
   • the meanings of "natural" and "organic" are generally not regulated and can mean whatever the company wants them to mean! “Organic 100% active ingredients” reads a loud label that misleads you into believing that the product is organic, when it is most definitely not.
     
   
   
3. Choose organic products. Organic products should be certified, but if they are not, another good way to assess their validity is to look out for a list of natural ingredients. True organic personal care products do not contain preservatives – so there should be absolutely no sign of methyl or propylparabens. It’s up to you – learn to read the label and be careful of products claiming that they’re organic when they are not!
   
4. Be careful of sunscreen. There are concerns about both chemical and mineral blocking sunscreens. The higher an SPF the more chemicals are involved in its production, and sunscreen encourages a false sense of security – we think we can stay out in the sun longer than is either smart or safe. See further Understand Your Sunscreen Label. It’s all a question of balance – stay out of the sun as much as possible, cover up when in the sun. The average t-shirt has an SPF of 7 and according to an Australian study, and 85% of fabrics have an SPF of 20 or more. Use organic or natural sunscreen properly but as infrequently as possible.
   
5. Be careful with body lotions, face creams, make-up. As already outlined above, the biggest issue with the incredible range of lotions, potions, gels and pastes is the unregulated chemicals that make up their composition. It is medically recognised that the body absorbs a lot of what goes on our skin. A sobering thought: the average adult uses 9 personal care products exposing them to 126 chemicals. Look out for chemicals that are harmful to you (see top 4 chemicals to avoid below) or, rather than scrutinising every label, go for organic or natural alternatives.
   
6. Be aware of the ingredients in your deodorants and toothpastes. Household essentials – we can’t do without them. But we can question what goes into them. Did you know that most commonly used antiperspirants contain aluminium – toxic to the nervous system and a cause of irritation? Consider that antiperspirants block pores and stop the body regulating its temperature naturally. Toothpaste contains parabens, titanium dioxide (for whitening) and high levels of fluoride – there is growing concern about the level of fluoride we consume from a combination of our drinking water and toothpaste. We are told that fluoride helps fight tooth decay, but high doses can be poisonous. It is mandatory for toothpastes in the USA to carry a poison warning (since 1997), if they contain fluoride. Look for the natural alternatives in health food stores, or make your own, such as baking soda toothpaste.
   
7. Stay aware with hair care. Hair might be dead (it contains no living tissue), but it’s as absorbent as the skin, and the number of chemicals we put on our heads in the name of beauty is particularly scary – shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, gel, serums, wax, hair dyes etc. Shampoos and conditioners use petroleum products, whilst hairsprays and gels use formaldehyde, phthalates and synthetic fragrances – time to start reading the label! The hair colour ingredient Toluene-2.5 Diamine (TDA) is known to be highly toxic. Not only is it dangerous for your health, but it’s harmful to the environment, as is coal tar, which is sometimes also used in anti-dandruff shampoos and preparations. There are natural hair colours using vegetable-based ingredients such as henna, walnut and chamomile extracts which you can use as alternatives.
   
8. Keep learning and researching (see links below). You’ll begin to realise that greening your personal care is a long and hard process that is not being helped by numerous cosmetic and personal care product industries bent on protecting profits rather than studying health impacts and providing healthy alternatives. And the frightening aspect isn’t so much the use of the chemicals, but the cumulative effect, because we use so many different products, and the chemical soup that we wash down the drain every time we shower or clean ourselves. Be proactive and read your ingredient labels, demand that changes to products be made by writing to companies that manufacture these chemically laden products and ask your local pharmacist to stock safer products from companies that have taken a conscious choice to remove the potentially dangerous chemicals from their products.
   
9. Make your own personal care products. You can make many different products at home from nature's products, unprocessed in the main. For example, visit wikiHow's Handmade Cosmetics category for many great ideas.
   

Tips

• Top 4 chemicals to avoid and why:
  
  • Sodium laureth sulphate - banned in Europe and Central America:
    
    • It’s used because it makes things foam
      
    • It’s found in toothpaste, shampoo, body and shower gels etc
      
    • It’s a suspected carcinogen linked to kidney and liver damage, nervous system disruption, eczema and dermatitis
      
    
    
  • Parabens (methyl, propyl, butyl & ethyl) – banned in Japan and Sweden and under review in the UK
    
    • Parabens are used as a preservative or germicide
      
    • They are found in conditioners, hair gels, nail creams, foundations, mascara, facial masks, skin creams, deodorants, sunscreen and hair colouring
      
    • They are a hormone disrupter – mimics natural estrogens that lead to cancer; linked to breast cancer, skin rashes
      
    
    
  • Formaldehyde family Diazolidinyl urea, 3-diol Imidazolidinyl urea, DMDM Hydantoin, Quaternium-15, Nitorpropane-1, Formalin, Methanal, Methyl aldehyde, Methylene oxide etc. - banned in Europe
    
    • It’s used because it’s a disinfectant, fungicide, germicide, defoamer and preservative
      
    • It’s found in shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, liquid hand wash, skin lotions, bubble bath, hair care products, antiperspirants, nail polishes, talcs, mouthwash etc.
      
    • It can cause allergic reactions, dermatitis, headaches; it irritates mucous membranes, is linked to joint and chest pain, fatigue, dizziness and immune dysfunction
      
    
    
  • Phthalates – banned in Europe
    
    • It’s used because it makes plastic soft
      
    • It’s found in nail polish, hair-straighteners and sprays, body lotions and deodorants
      
    • It’s a carcinogen linked to birth defects, lowered sperm counts, damage to reproductive organs, lung, liver and kidney cancer
      
    
    
  
  

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
  

Sources and Citations

• Original source of article, Green Sprout, Green Your Personal Care, shared under a creative commons licence.
  
• The following websites are sites recommended and used by many cancer prevention, chemical-watch and health-wise groups. These sites will help you to explore any of the chemicals in your products that may be giving you concern:
  
  • Skin deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products from the Environmental Working Group, a team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers and computer programmers who expose threats to your health and the environment. You can search a product, ingredient or company in their easy-to-use database – it’s great to use.
    
  • Cosmetic Dictionary is a cosmetic ingredient dictionary, which gives you the low down on just about any ingredient you can think of.
    
  • Health Canada provides a list of prohibited and restricted cosmetic ingredients, regarded as an ingredient ‘hotlist’ .
    
  • Cosmetic Ingredient Review publishes alerts - read those on Dibutyl Phthalate, Diethyl Phthalate, Dimethyl Phthalate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.
    
  
  

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Green Your Personal Care. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Tired of fly sprays and the unwanted chemicals they contain? There is a very easy solution to keeping flies away from the outdoor dining area and you can do it yourself.

Steps

1. Clean out a small tin with a lid.
   


2. Take a clean piece of cloth or a small piece of dish sponge able to fit into the container. Saturate it with one of the following oils:
   
   
   
   
   • Lavender oil - lavender is considered to be particularly effective against flies[1]
     
   
   
   • Citronella oil (dilute with water first)[2]
     
   
   
   • Eucalyptus oil (dilute with water first)[3]
     
   
   
   • Pennyroyal oil (dilute with water first)[4]
     
   
   
   • Peppermint oil (dilute with water first; likely more effective against mosquitoes but also considered to work against horse-flies[5])
     
   
   
   • Lemongrass oil (dilute with water first)[6]
     
   
   


3. Place the cloth in the tin and shut the lid. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
   


4. Use. Whenever you need to use the tin, remove the lid and place on the entertaining table. Make as many as you wish to put around the entertaining area to deter flies.
   


5. Replenish the oil after each use; once open to the air, the strength weakens and needs to be topped up.
   

Tips

• Wear gloves when handling the saturated cloth, especially if you are handling food and/or have skin sensitivities.
  


• You can amplify the effect of the essential oils by using candles. Simply add a few drops of the chosen essential oil (or use different ones at different ends of the table) into the melted wax area of a burning candle. The odour will waft out as the candle burns.
  


• If you are familiar with combining essential oils to produce scents, try a combination of the above suggested essential oils for a pleasant odour and possibly a more powerful fly dissuader.
  


• Note that lavender oil can be used freely without needing to dilute with water. Water dilution should follow the instructions accompanying the essential oil. Providing you do not wear the oil, dilution at a ratio of 1 part oil to 3 parts water will likely prove sufficient for most oils but know the properties of your oils before making assumptions. If you intend to wear any of these oils as a repellent, the advice here does not apply and you should seek information from the appropriate source.
  

Warnings

• Always read the warnings accompanying essential oil products and do not use if you are pregnant, have a poor immune system or allergies unless you know the oil to be safe.
  


• Always keep essential oils out of the reach of children. Many are toxic if ingested, especially pennyroyal. Containers should be kept out of reach.
  


• As with any herbal remedy, you are the best judge of whether or not the herbal solutions are doing what you seek from them. If not, experiment with different types until something meets your needs. Sometimes the effectiveness of oils is dependent on local conditions.
  

Things You'll Need

• Small tin with lid; ideal tins include confectionery tins, cough drop tins, candle tins etc.
  


• Small piece of cloth, for example, calico, cotton, handkerchief etc.; or cut a piece of dish sponge down to size
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ Annie's Remedy, Natural herbal homemade insect repellent, mosquitoes, flies and The Frugal Life, Getting Rid of House Flies



2. ↑ Gerald F McCarthy, Better Living with Essential Oils



3. ↑ Care2 Green Living, Easily Custom Make Your Own Insect Repellent - How-to



4. ↑ Care2 Green Living, Easily Custom Make Your Own Insect Repellent - How-to



5. ↑ Maria Schasteen, 10 Steps to Health - The Ultimate Peppermint Guide



6. ↑ Natural Health Crafters, Lemongrass Essential Oil

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Natural Outdoor Fly Repellent. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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As we know, carpet, vinyl, ceramic, insulation all common building materials that give off harmful chemicals causing indoor air pollution. While we're in the process of getting rid of these things and replacing them with their eco-friendly counterparts, the indoor house plant has been tested and found to purify indoor air pollution at the rate of 15 plants per 1800 square feet. A study done by NASA and the ALCA, tested twelve types of indoor plants against trichloroethylene, (adhesives, paints, inks) benzene, (detergents, inks, plastic) and formaldehyde, ( foam insulation, pressed wood, grocery bags, waxed paper, facial tissue, paper towels).

The results were very specific from plant to chemical.

THE RESULTS, FIVE TOP (in order) EFFECTIVE IN REMOVING TRICHLOROETHYLENE CONCENTRATIONS FROM THE AIR Gerbera daisy, Dracaena Marginata, Peace Lily Dracaeena 'JANET CRAIG' Bamboo Palm REMOVAL OF BENZENE CONCENTRATIONS: Gerbera Daisy Pot Mum Peace Lily Bamboo Palm Dracaena Warneckei English Ivy Mother-in-law's tongue REMOVAL OF FORMALDEHYDE Bamboo Palm Dracaena 'Janet Craig' Mother-In-Law's Tongue Dracaena Marginata, Peace Lily Green Spider Plant Golden Pathos

Other studies show great results from indoor plants citing their efficiency for increasing humidity levels and decreasing dust. This alone reduced fatigue and sore throats in people by 30 percent. For more purifying plant choices, check out 'How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home by B.C. Wolverton, at Amazon.com.

Via Building Green TV

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My sister and I bought and assembled an electric motor for my dad’s bike this Christmas. It was the first gift he’s ever enjoyed from us.

Recently retired and now living in a suburb of St. Louis, we knew he’d never take to biking as there were a number of screw-this(!) sized hills all throughout his town. Through ten years of teaching I know that adults are far less resilient than children and often times need but one excuse to say “screw this” and go back , in this case, to a steady diet of TV watching. But we were elated to see how much he enjoyed his juiced up Electra Townie! Whether it’s riding with my mom (another proud new owner of an electric bike–she had to keep up), biking to the store for groceries, or putting it on the bike rack and hitting the Katy Trail, few days go by that he’s not on his electric bike.

This began my love affair with electric bikes.

My dad used to be a very active man, his entire life was spent, running, biking, bowling, playing baseball, football, volleyball, racquetball, and golf. However, two very bad knees made even walking a pain, and for the last 15 years all of the activities listed above were whittled down to one–golf, and always with a cart. But now he has his bike and is as enthusiastic as ever to get out and feel the wind whipping through what’s left of his hair (I can say that because he has MORE hair than me!).

As an avid bike commuter, my stance on the electric bike is as follows: it’s not for me–atleast not yet anyway * But it is for all the people who:

+ Can’t (or don’t want to) arrive to work sweaty
+ Have too many hills keeping them from enjoying a regular bike ride
+ Have bad knees
+ Want to enjoy a quiet peaceful relaxing ride without much physical exertion
+ Want to drive less
+ Can’t afford gas
+ Want to help the environment
+ Want a scooter and a bike but only have money for one
+ Want a little exercise
+ Like to avoid traffic
+ Like to take shortcuts
+ Don’t like searching for parking spots
+ Want to have more freedom and more fun!

Here and here are two pretty informative electric bike websites. A browse through these will leave you more informed as to which e-bike may be best for you. Or, one glance at the Rolls Royce of electric bikes may be all you need…

Via Cleantechnica

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