Watermelon, Watermelon in My Garden

Can you see it? It is hiding there in the midst of all the leaves. Yay! We are so happy to see it. I'm wondering if there will be enough time before summer is over to harvest it.
From Wikipeida.
 Watermelon is a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind (exocarp) and fleshy center (mesocarp and endocarp). Pepos are derived from an inferior ovary, and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of melon – although not in the genus Cucumis – has a smooth exterior rind (green, yellow and sometimes white) and a juicy, sweet interior flesh (usually deep red to pink, but sometimes orange, yellow and even green if not ripe).

We haven't tried to grow watermelon for a few years because it takes up so much room. If it turns out good, we may plant more next year.

YUM!

344 Square Feet 24 Rooms

Green Ideas for Your Bathroom

Bathrooms are often over looked when it comes to green ideas. Not because we do not want to save the planet, but because we think we need those harsh chemicals and we refuse to give up our comfortable shower. You may think that as long as your green every where else in your house, it doesn't matter. Howdini editors tell us that it's not that hard to make some simple changes to improve the air in our bathroom while also making a huge impact on our environment. Take a look at their video.

Earth Day - Green Ideas

Green Products -
Save energy by buying a cold water detergent.

Change out all your light bulbs to new CFL bulbs. They are more efficient then incandescent ones and have come a long way since they first came out in producing brighter light.

Recycled rubber nuggets can be used as mulch and is non-toxic. They are made from 100% recycled rubber and look just like a dark brown bark.

Invest in a water filter and reusable water bottles. 1/3 of the water bottles today are recycled meaning 2/3 of them end of in landfills.

Replace all your faucets with eco-friendly water savers.

Tips to living green - 
Conserve water by not cutting your grass as short. The shorter it is the less water it needs to grow.

Have a small garden that your kids can dig around in and plant flowers. Getting them involved with nurturing plants early will instill a love for nature in them.

Replace old appliances with Energy efficient models. Not only will you save some green, but you will be doing your part to help the environment.

Turn  your thermostat down to 68 degrees. Even lower at night and sleep better.

Turn up your air conditioning to 75 degrees and help conserve more power.

Coca Cola is a Leader in Company Recycling Programs

Coca Cola is blazing new trails when it comes to recycling policies within the company. Looking at new ways to recycle 100% of their products in to reusable items helps them to reduce their carbon footprint. Coke is also helping people to start recycling programs in their communities by working with local curbside collection organizations.
With water conservation projects and climate protection changes their company is working on creating the planet a greener place to live, work and play. Take a look at their site and see all the programs they are implementing.
Recently they released this statement "PlantBottle PET plastic bottles are made partially from plants, which reduces the Company's dependence on a non-renewable resource -- petroleum. It is 100 percent recyclable, and preliminary research indicates that from the growing of the plant materials through to the production of the resin, the carbon footprint for the PlantBottle packaging is smaller than bottles made with traditional PET."
The company has also just released their new cooling machine that works off carbon dioxide and eliminates HFC-Free insulation, eliminating 99 percent of the direct green house gas emissions. Take a look at the article.
Hopefully in the years to come many other large corporations will take a look at the model Coca Cola is setting and join them in creating sustainable products and the ability to look at reusing in a creative way.

Good Job Coke

Local Home Shows Go Green

According to WBNG.NEWS people who attend the home shows are interested in making their home greener. This is a good sign for those of us who are concerned with the planet. Where there is an interest corporations usually step up to the plate. We are hoping to see more builders and stores offering greener solutions for the home. As more do the prices will begin to come down so that every American can have the choice to choose a greener option.
Are you interested in making your home a greener place to live? Check out your local home and garden show. You may be surprised at what you find.

Online Bill Paying

Did you know that you can save time, money and paper by paying your bills online? Most credit card companies and many other bill companies allow you to pay your bills online. Cell phones, garbage, electricity and water call all be paid online. Now even the hospitals and doctor offices are getting online to accept payments. If you are organized you can even receive statements online. This saves you not just financially but takes your identity protection one step further by not allowing your mail to be snatched.
If you have a bill that does not accept online payments, check with your banks bill-pay system. Many banks offer their customers free bill pay. This is an online system to pay your bill with direct deposits or live checks from  your bank. It saves you time and stamps.
My only caution if you do switch to this way of paying your bills is to keep very good records. There have been computer glitches and you will need to have the ability to reference your payments. If you received online bills, store them in online email account instead of your hard drive. Change your passwords frequently to protect your identity even more.

Green Rug Cleaning - Product Review

We just cleaned our rugs. With a dog, three cats, and three kids, winter can take it's toll on a white carpet. Even though spot cleaning can keep it at bay, a good cleaning once in a while is needed. While I hate using chemicals that can hurt my kids, animals or the environment, there hasn't been a lot of choices until recently in the carpet cleaning area. I did a little research and found a store that sold the Rug Doctors Oxy-Steam Green cleaner. I was hoping it could help my white carpets while providing me with some peace of mind in bringing chemicals into my house.

How did it work? My carpets look great! We did not see any residue in the carpets and did notice any off gassing. Our dog especially seems to leave marks where he lays, and even though hand cleaning did not take it off the carpet, this cleaner did.

I would give this product a 4 on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being best. I would really like it to be labeled better and a list of ingredients on the bottle so I can use this product with even more confidence in the future.

Buy Reuseable Water Bottles

For less then $20.00 you can purchase a stainless steel bottle that can be used for water, coffee or tea. Most coffee shops are very willing to fill your personal cup with your choice of beverage. Coffee shops on average go through 500 cups a day, many of which will end up in landfills. For the price of two bottles, one for water and one for coffee or tea, you will save almost 600 cups or bottles out of the landfill in one year. If you were able to convince your co-workers, family, and friends to do the same think of the impact you could have in one year.

There are many types of water bottles, coffee cups and sports bottles on the market today. They come in many colors, sizes and styles. While it may cost a bit more at first, quality should be the number one factor in choosing your bottle. You should choose a BPA free bottle with enough room to hold your favorite sized drink. Remember if you like your water cold to get a bottle with a wide lip to accommodate ice cubes. Replace the juice boxes in your childrens lunch boxes with smaller water bottles too. These small changes will not only be better on your health, but better for our environment as well.

Green Ice Remover

With the winter season in full swing it's time to find some products we can use that are safe for our families and our pets while being environmentally responsible. One of our biggest concerns outdoors when the snow starts flying is ice. We have a lot of sidewalks and porches at our house that get ice build up very easily. We try to keep it shoveled and free of ice, but that is not easy to do when the ice is 1 inch thick and harder then a brick. We used to use salt and other chemical based melts to keep our sidewalks safe for the mailman, delivery people and ourselves. However as we have become aware of the impact those products have on our environment we have searched out other ways to provide safety. One product that we found this year is called Safe Paw. Not only is is safe for your pets but is environmentally responsible and safe for your sidewalks. Enjoy the snow this year while keeping your children and pets safe.