I came across sweet almond oil when a friend of mine put together a hamper of organic skin products straight from the health shop .  To be honest I was dubious, as I think when it comes to skincare, you get what you pay for.

However the claim that it doubles up as a moisturiser and a makeup remover won be over (convenience is also very high on my list of priorities). The fact that I happened to tune in to one of those UK makeover shows when the make-up artist announced that almond oil is her one can’t do without make-up bag staple also helped. (more…)

When we buy organic or fair – trade food, the benefits are obvious- it’s healthier, it tastes better and we know we are helping producers earn a decent wage.  We love the feel good factor that we are supporting our local farmer.  So why is it practically impossible to get consumers to shop for fashion locally, let alone ethically?

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Making plarn, or plastic yarn, couldn’t be simpler. it’s perfect for kids, and would be great for school projects to use up plastic bags.

(I’ve written more about it here, and what you can make from it.)

The only tool you need is a scissors, plus of course a pile of plastic bags. And it takes just a few minutes.

All you need is a scissors. Simply fold the bags and cut into strips. And that’s it!

Here is a 2-minute simple YouTube tutorial that shows you how

Once you’ve made a sufficient length of plarn, you can knit, crochet or braid it to make everything from rugs and bags and even waterproof sandals.

The only limit is your imagination.  But you’ll also find lots of ideas out there on the web.

(c) MaryMulvihill.net 2009

If you’re lobster-red and flaking all over here are some natural products and homemade remedies which will bring you back from the beetroot look without breaking any eco-rules. These sunburn-recovery potions will bring you super quick relief and speed up healing.

Natural remedies

Bathe in baking soda. Adding a few healthy sized tablespoons of baking soda to cool bath water makes a sunburn-soothing remedy. Just keep your soaking time down to 15 to 20 minutes. If you soak any longer, you risk drying out your already crocodile-like skin. When you’ve emerged from the bath, resist the urge to towel off. Instead air-dry, and don’t wipe the baking soda off.

A rub with a spud. The plain old potato makes for a wonderful pain reliever. Take two washed potatoes, cut them into small chunks, and place them in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until the potatoes are in liquid form. Add water if they look dry. Pat the burned areas with the pulverized potatoes. Wait until the potatoes dry, then take a cool shower..
 
Coat yourself in milk. Cool off with a cold glass of milk. Not by drinking but by putting it right on your body. Soak a facecloth in equal parts cold milk and cool water, wring it out, and gently press it on the burned areas.
Add some aloe vera. The thick, gel-like juice of the aloe vera plant can take the sting and redness out of a sunburn. Just cut off a leaf, slice it lengthwise, and rub the insides over the burn.  A great plant to have in your kitchen.

Natural potions

Protect your skin naturally from harmful UV rays. Miessence offers a suncream which is zinc oxide based, therefore avoiding unnecessary chemicals.

Dr. Hauschka After-Sun Lotion has an excellent ultracooling formula with hydrating ice plant extract.  Can be purchased in most health food shops for around €25

Tan in a can.  Looking for that healthy glow without the sun ageing effects.   Spawell are offering a natural tanning product with discounts available online.

You’ve probably already noticed the first hints of autumn: a blush of color in the leaves; earlier sunsets; and cooler evenings.  In just a few days, our calendars will catch up with nature, and we’ll begin the headlong rush toward winter.

Spring and autumn are the “fix-up” seasons, as we make ready for big changes in the weather. What you do over the next few weeks can make a tremendous difference to the size of your environmental footprint through the winter. So we’ve put together a few autumn to-do items to get you started. Sharpen your pencil — and start checking a few off your list!

In the home

* Check your weather stripping. You should do this twice a year. Look for cracks and deterioration, and make sure your door seals are tight.

* Review your attic insulation, particularly if your home is over 20 years old. This is the area in which you can make the most dramatic savings in annual heating bills. Take a ruler into the attic. If you have less than a foot of insulation, you probably need more.

* Seal your windows. Once you’re past warm weather, unplug and seal your window units. If it’s practical, store them. This will also allow you to seal your windows with energy-efficient plastic film.

* Replace incandescent bulbs with CFL or LED lighting. Shorter days and cooler temperatures means more time spent indoors. If you’ve not already re-lamped with energy efficient bulbs, now is the time.

* Install a programmable thermostat. Smart temperature control can easily save 10% of your annual heating and cooling bills – a significant reduction in your household’s carbon footprint. Basic programmable thermostats can be purchased for less than €25, so you’ll recover you investment very quickly.

In Your Yard

* Start a compost pile. Compost heaps need both green and brown matter to get cooking — but there’s no shortage of carbon-rich leaves in the fall. Grab then while you can. Check out our Green your garden section for more info.

* Consider planting trees. Some varieties do well in the gap between summer’s heat and the real onset of winter. Consult your local nursery or garden centre for advice on what sort of trees might be appropriate for autumn planting.

* Bring your summer herbs indoors. There’s no reason not to enjoy fresh basil, mint, and rosemary through the winter months — and having some green indoors will remind you of spring. It takes a few weeks to transition herbs to indoor living, so start before the weather turns.

In your car

* Most automobile owner’s manuals recommend a switch of engine oil weights between seasons. If you did this last summer, switch to your car’s recommended winter weight as soon as the weather cools.

* There’s really no such thing as a “safe” antifreeze, but if you’re getting your radiator flushed before winter, ask for a propylene glycol (PG) formula. It’s less toxic to children, pets, and wildlife than ethylene glycol (EG) coolants.

* Do you have a roof rack for carrying summer gear? Remove it until next year. Roof racks decrease your vehicle’s aerodynamic efficiency and hurts fuel mileage — particularly at motorway speeds.  While you’re at it, check you car for any unnecessary summer items, such as coolers or picnic gear. No need to burn fuel by carrying unnecessary weight.

* Evaluate your tires. Worn tread and improper tire pressure aren’t just bad for fuel economy — they’re not safe, particularly if you live in an area where icing roads are likely.  Inspect, rotate, and balance.  Whip out your tire pressure gauge at least once a month and check all four corners.

We’ll make this list a baker’s dozen: If you’re shopping for jumpers, jackets, and winter wear, start at your local secondhand store.  It’s not just price – though shopping at thrift shop and engaging in the new sale circuit can save your hundreds of euros – it’s putting perfectly good clothing back to use, rather than consuming fresh resources. You may also be supporting a worthy local charity your purchase.

(via Lighter Footstep )

Hailed as the latest fashion craze, clothes swapping is the eco-friendly way to be stylish.

This is definitely the time of year to get rid of all those impulse buys that have been sitting in your wardrobe unworn for months without feeling bad about it?  Clothes swapping parties, known as swishing, are a fun way to walk away with a new outfit.  Recycle all those unwanted clothes as well as having some good fun with your girlfriends.

You dig out those clothes that you′ve only worn once and then swap them for clothes and accessories you really do want. Sounds like a good deal.

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 Modern life has become so complicated that it is often hard to know what is the right, green thing to do. For instance, which is better for the environment: tomatoes grown in Spain and transported to Ireland, or tomatoes grown here in heated greenhouses?

To tackle this complexity, researchers and companies are putting considerable effort into ‘carbon counting’ , to give us answers in the form of simple numbers.  Answers we can then use to reduce our carbon footprint.

For the last two years, I’ve been researching and compiling a new practical guide to green living, and if I learned one thing, it is that there are no easy answers.  Carbon counting is often only half the story, and if we really want to reduce our footprint, we need to look at the bigger picture.  With that in mind, I’ve drawn up 10 top tips (see below), that can help, and may even save you some time and money.

Focus only on CO2 and the ‘carbon footprint’, and the Spanish tomatoes will be ‘greener’, because the environmental cost of heating an Irish greenhouse is greater than transporting the fruits from Spain.

Perhaps a better question is to ask when is the best time to eat tomatoes?  Now, the answer becomes: in late summer, when they can be grown here without the need for heating.

Or take chicken.  It turns out that, when you do the sums, an organic chicken has a bigger carbon footprint than a conventional one, kg for kg, because organic birds take longer and need more food to reach a comparable weight.

Again, rather than focusing solely on CO2, and encouraging consumers to eat green (conventional) chicken, we need to persuade people to eat less meat, regardless of its carbon footprint.

Which brings me to my 10 green commandments.  Instead of trying to put numbers on things — numbers that will change every time some step in the process changes, forcing us to recalculate, and revise the listings — I prefer simple rules of thumb.

And that’s what I’ve tried to do in my new book, Drive like a Woman, Shop like a Man.  From the 101 tried and tested tips, here are 10 that I hope will help you to live a little more lightly over the coming year, and may even save you some valuable time and money.

1. Get free stuff – try sourcing things you need free on Dublinwaste.ie and Freecycle

2.Eat less meat. (Thou shalt not kill, unnecessarily!)

3. Use off-peak electricity – reduce peak demand, spread the load, and we won’t need to build so many new power plants.

4. Get an SUV! ( A superior urban vehicle — with just two wheels)

5. Eat some of your garden. Forget Spain, grow your own tomatoes.

6. Read newspapers online — quicker, and saves on paper

7.Choose what you wear ‘carefully’ – avoid clothes that need dry cleaning, and look for organic cotton

8.Eat the seasons. Now is the season of parsnips, carrots, and winter greens.

9. Drink sustainable water. From a tap, not a truck

10. Spread the word –  if you find something useful, don’t forget to tell your friends and neighbours.

And a happy Chinese New Year to you.

The absolute biggest impact you can have on the environment, is to persuade others to get greener.  Adopting a greener lifestyle is not only the right thing to do it is also really sociable! (more…)

You can′t seem to step outside your front door these days with out bumping into a designer tote, full of shopping deliciousness!! While using these reusable bags is more than commendable, there is only so many that you need!! Recycling the same 4 or 5 bags for your weekly shopping will replace over 500 plastic bags in the year!! (more…)

I cannot believe the summer (or what ever that last season was) has all but disapeared and we are facing into another academic year. With climate change impacting on all our lives so fiercely, students also need to start thinking what we can do to make sure that long, hot summers are not just a distant memory of a byegone era!

Fear not though, you don′t have to be a hemp wearing, patchouli scented, all out vegan hippy student to be a green student. Going green is all about making small changes in your life that will benefit both you and the environment. Believe me it can even be fun!!

From how you get to college, to what can you do as a college student to be more green and eco-conscious? Here are 10 steps you can take:

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