Blog Archives

Plant flowers in your vegetable garden to attract pollinators, reduce pests, and in general be a great ally to your vegetables

4/30/2021

Treehugger.com writer Elizabeth Waddington lists her recommended flowers to plant as companion plants in vegetable gardens. She emphasizes that "biodiverse ecosystems with plenty of beneficial interactions are far more resilient and stable than their mono-crop counterparts. . . For example, flowers in a vegetable garden can draw in pollinators, help with pests, and provide a range of environmental benefits."* For the full list of plants, see the original article on Treehuger.com.

*Elizabeth Waddington, March 12, 2021, "Flowers I Like to Companion Plant With Vegetables," Treehuger.com

Child-friendly seeds are a great way to get kids started with gardening

4/22/2021

Treehugger.com writer Elizabeth Waddington lists vegetable seeds that she recommends for planting with kids. She points out that "sowing any seeds with your kids is a great thing to do. Whatever you grow together, the time you spend in your garden will be highly educational. It can help kids learn vital skills for the future, and feel more connected to the natural world. And it can be a lot of fun.
Sowing seeds with kids can also sow seeds for the future of humanity. It can be an important step in creating citizens who understand the importance of nature and take the necessary action to protect it."* For the full list of seeds, see the original article on treehugger.com.

*Elizabeth Waddington, March 18, 2021, "My Top 10 Choices For Seeds to Sow With Kids," treehugger.com.

Consider a travel company doing off-the-beaten track adventures.

4/15/2021

Travel and tourism companies are starting to incorporate ways of supporting the local communities at their travel destinations and reducing the carbon footprint of their traveling customers. Katherine Martinko lists several such tourism companies in this 2021 article on treehugger.com.

Reduce packaging in daily life

4/9/2021

Think about it: When you buy groceries in excessive, throw-away packaging, you’re buying trash. The cost of that trash is embedded in the prices you pay. If you read last week’s Green Tip, perhaps you’ve been encouraged to eliminate the plastic packaging associated with liquid soap by switching to bar soap. What other changes can you make to reduce your consumption of excess packaging, help the environment, and save some money? Here are a few ideas to consider:

Switch from liquid to bar shampoo.
Buy powdered laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent, packaged in cardboard, instead of liquid in plastic bottles or individually wrapped pods.
Where possible, choose loose produce over produce wrapped in plastic.
Large packages typically have a lower ratio of packaging to contents. For example, a 1-quart container of yogurt is more efficient in terms of packaging than the same amount of product in 4 to 8 single-serving containers. A large box of oatmeal is more efficient than individually-wrapped servings, and, of course, loose coffee, measured out with a spoon, is more environmentally-friendly and significantly cheaper than single-serving K-cups or pods.

Choose bar soap over liquid soap

4/1/2021

Since the start of the Covid19 pandemic in early 2020, we’ve all become more aware than ever of the importance of washing hands to our health and hygiene. Both bar soap and liquid soap are effective at cleaning our skin and killing germs. However, the environmental impact of liquid soap is far higher than that of bar soap.
Liquid soap and body wash are typically sold in plastic containers with plastic (or plastic and metal) pumps. Tossing this packaging in the recycling bin is no guarantee it will actually undergo the costly, complex process of recycling. Moreover, the liquid state of these products makes them heavier to ship, adding to their carbon footprint.
Bar soap is far more efficient than liquid in terms of packaging and transport. However, most bar soaps contain palm oil or palm oil derivatives which are associated with rain forest destruction. Overall, the best choice for the environment is palm oil-free bar soap. Local options include our neighbors at Nether Providence Soap Company and Philly-based Hand in Hand soap.
For more information and thoughts on bar vs. liquid soap, check out this article published by McGill University’s Office for Science and Society and this article on SierraClub.org.

Plant flowers in your vegetable garden to attract pollinators, reduce pests, and in general be a great ally to your vegetables

Child-friendly seeds are a great way to get kids started with gardening

Consider a travel company doing off-the-beaten track adventures.

Reduce packaging in daily life

Choose bar soap over liquid soap

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