This is Day 321 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green Christmas is only 5 weeks away, so you’ll be wrapping gifts before you know it! Now’s an excellent time – if you have a spare moment – to start thinking about greener ways to wrap gifts. Since there’s no hurry yet, you can start looking through your house now for some creative ways to recycle and reuse materials for holiday gift wrapping. The fantastic news about gift giving … [Read more...]
Resourceful Table Decorations {Green in 365: Thanksgiving}
This is Day 293 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green, Contributing Writer When Thanksgiving is spent focusing on thanking God for His faithful provision and blessings, it’s one of my favorite holidays of the year. If you’re hosting a Thanksgiving dinner this year, it doesn’t matter if you’ll have dozens of guests at your table or just a few – you can decorate your table with creatively tasteful elements that also are environmentally … [Read more...]
How to Grow a Fall Garden
This is Day 265 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary of Accidentally Green, Contributing Writer Until last year, I only thought of gardening as a spring and summer possibility. Since I had never heard of fall gardens, I had never tried them before. Boy, had I missed out on a unique growing season. Grow a Fall Garden Fall gardens can be started near the end of summer. Depending on your climate, this may be mid- to late-August, or mid- to late-September. Typically you should … [Read more...]
Repurposing Containers for Toy Storage {Green in 365: Play Room}
This is Day 228 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green I used to think that my husband and I had a lot of belongings. And then we had kids. Suddenly, the contents of our home multiplied. First it was all of the bulky baby gear – a Pack’n Play, swing, bassinet, and strollers. Once my babies outgrew those things, then toys and books began to fill our house. Now that our children are reaching school age, their toys are shrinking in … [Read more...]
Energy-Efficient Drying {Green in 365: Laundry Room}
This is Day 197 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green When it comes to laundry, the way you choose to dry your clothes can save – or waste – a lot of energy. Fortunately, there are plenty of environmentally friendly ways to dry your laundry. Photo by africa Air Drying The most affordable and green way to dry your clothes is by using a clothesline. Wet laundry dries pretty quickly when it’s hung outside, and even though you don’t spy so many … [Read more...]
Preventing Mosquitoes Naturally {Green in 365: Outdoors}
This is Day 169 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green For years I thought that commercial mosquito sprays and citronella candles were the only ways to deter mosquitoes. Then I discovered a host of natural ways to prevent the pesky bloodsuckers. My family tried these techniques last summer. While we don’t live in the deep woods, I did notice that we weren’t bothered by mosquitoes. So we’re repeating the same methods this summer with hope that they’ll … [Read more...]
Illuminating Light Bulb Choices {Green in 365: Bedroom}
This is Day 134 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green I remember when compact fluorescent lightbulbs were introduced to the public. My husband and I had just bought our first house, and we invested in dozens of CFL lightbulbs to conserve energy. Room by room, we replaced every incandescent bulb with a CFL one. The lighting definitely looked different, but we were excited at the thought of saving so much money. Then our electric bill … [Read more...]
Make Your Own Toilet Bowl Cleaner {Green in 365: Bathroom}
This is Day 107 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green Thanks to a host of hazardous chemicals, toilet bowl cleaners are some of the most toxic cleaners on store shelves. No one wants to be exposed to toxins – and mothers of young children should use extreme caution, since you never know if or when your little ones will end up playing in or drinking toilet water. Fortunately there are several nontoxic and affordable ways to … [Read more...]
Effective Natural Teething Remedies {Green in 365: Baby & Child Care}
This is Day 79 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary Bernstein of Accidentally Green As a new mom, I shocked our family’s pediatrician by mentioning that my newborn son was teething. That’s right – two tiny teeth were poking through the gums of my one-week-old. Because he was so young, there was no remedy I could offer, except for frequent breastfeeding. Oddly enough, his teeth disappeared back into his gums and didn’t reappear for another three months. That strange … [Read more...]
Make Your Own Homemade Produce Cleaner {Green in 365: The Kitchen}
This is Day 51 of the Green in 365 series! By Hilary from Accidentally Green I really wish my family could afford to buy all organic, all the time – especially because I would love to avoid exposure to pesticides and genetically modified organisms. But unfortunately, our current grocery budget just doesn’t allow it. Even with a limited budget I try to buy as much organic food as possible, lots of fresh produce – and I avoid buying produce listed on the Environmental … [Read more...]
