Donating a Mattress
With bedbugs on the rise, it’s harder than ever to donate a mattress. But it can often be done if the mattress is clean and bug-free. If not, you may be able to recycle it. A mattress in great condition — with neither sags, stains nor pests — may find a home in your own [...]
Is July 2010 Heat Wave a Sign of Global Warming?
Updated 8/15/10 – July 2010 was the second warmest on record, according to a new NOAA report. While July didn’t quite break the record, the first half of the year did. It was the hottest January to June since record-keeping began in 1880. Is the extreme heat a sign of global warming? Probably — at [...]
Saving Jamaica Bay
I often think we undervalue the nature spots that are not wildernesses — the ones in and near cities and towns. Not only do these underappreciated places provide precious habitat for wildlife within the built environment, they also give humans respite from the hustle-bustle of modern life. Jamaica Bay in New York City is one [...]
Green Eating
Local, seasonal, organic, unprocessed, etc. I’ve covered these food topics and more in my writing over the years. My new Green Eating page explains the principles and links to the pieces. Among the more interesting items are columns on sustainable wine, coffee and chocolate, as well as a couple on the importance of eating less [...]
12 Most Important Foods to Buy Organic (2010)
Last weekend, I got a friendly warning from a farmer at our local Greenmarket. Holding up the big, beautiful bell pepper I’d selected, he said, “You may find a little friend inside.” Friend? I cast an uncomprehending look at him. “We don’t use pesticides,” he explained. I assured him I preferred the a little bug [...]
Safe Bug Spray for Kids and Adults
Is it safe to use an insect repellent on your kids — or yourself — that contains DEET? And are there any safe and effective alternatives? IN SHORT: DEET-based bug repellents may carry some risk, depending on the concentration of DEET in the product and the individual’s health and chemical sensitivity. For a safer, effective [...]
Wild Animals in Our Midst
What should communities do when deer habitat disappears and the animals spill out into yards, parks and streets? In the area where I grew up (Essex County, New Jersey), the community recently responded with deer hunts. The alternative — giving the deer contraception — was rejected due to cost. I was horrified. Not so long [...]
Your Own Kitchen Garden
Have you been thinking about planting a kitchen garden this spring with vegetables and fruits you love to eat? Food grown in your own garden will be fresher than anything you can buy — even from a farmer’s market. In many cases, it will be tastier, too. My favorites are just-picked, sun-warmed tomatoes and sweet [...]
BPA Linked to Heart Disease, Study Confirms
Heer’s another reason to steer clear of food and drink packaging containing BPA — it’s been linked to higher rates of heart disease. In a sampling of U.S. adults, those with the highest levels of BPA in their urine were almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease than those with the lowest [...]
ABOUT
This Green Blog is the companion blog to NRDC's This Green Life, a green living column written by Sheryl Eisenberg for the Natural Resources Defense Council. (Subscribe to get it for FREE each month.) Sheryl has also written Greentips for the Union of Concerned Scientists and designs websites for environmental groups and others with her firm, Mixit Productions.
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Nature Map
Add your favorite nature spots to the collaborative This Green Life nature map:
1)Go to the map on Google.
2)SIGN IN to your Google or Gmail account. (You need an account to edit the map.)
3)Click the edit button in the panel to the left of the map.
4)DON'T CHANGE the map title or description! INSTEAD, click the balloon icon near the map zoom controls.
5)Move the balloon to your favorite spot and click.
6)Tell us why you love it—and link to a picture if possible.
7)Click OK.
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