Photo by ultramega

Waste of Heat
Do you have a room that gets used infrequently? A room that’s mostly for storage or for guests? Close the heating vents in that room, close the door and seal the door gap with a towel or similar. You’ll be heating less space and you can easily access the room and warm it up if need be.

Old Socks
Wondering what to do with old holey socks and socks whose mate ran away to the chasm of lost socks? Keep bins of them in the bathroom and around the house and use them for cleaning up spills, and in place of disposable items like paper towels. Cotton socks without holes can be filled with dry beans and microwaved (don’t microwave polyester) to make a nice hot pad.

Trade A Toy
Kids love new things and they love shopping for toys, but when interest in the toy wanes, you start wondering if it was worth all that money you shelled out. Have your kids pick out an old toy (or 2!)  to take to your local Goodwill or thrift store and let them pick out a new toy while you are there. Not only do stores like these have some fun vintage toys, they also often have nearly new toys at deep discounts. This is especially fun with younger kids who are usually easy to please and enjoy anything new.

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Oompa.com is a great place to buy eco-friendly toys that are safe for kids! I have purchased toys for my daughter, and the quality of the toys was great as was the shipping and customer service.

This sale is for ONE DAY ONLY. The code is "Black2008"

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Photo by upturnedface

At the Louisa May Alcott School in Chicago, kids are doing more than learning about the environment, they are actually helping promote sustainability, organic food and healthy living by growing organic fruit and vegetables right at school. Not only are they learning about the fundamentals of eating healthy and the importance of sustainable agriculture, they’re putting what they’ve learned to practice. The students intend to supplement the school lunch program with produce they’ve grown.

The practice of hands-on organic gardening in schools is growing. According to a survey, in California alone there are 2,500 schools with student gardening programs. And last year, nearly 4,000 more applied for grants to start their own garden. Around the countries hundreds of thousands of students are being exposed to organic gardening, and the number of gardens just continues to grow. The trend is even growing in developing nations in Africa where it is hugely beneficial.

The director of the Urban Sprouts gardening program in San Francisco says that kids are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables that they’ve taken part in cultivating and that gardening can help change kids’ eating habits for the better. While the practice of providing the produce to the school lunch program isn’t hugely widespread, it is becoming more popular, not only for environmental benefit but also to benefit the health of children, whose normal cafeteria fare is sorely lacking in quality nutrition. Aside from growing their own vegetables, some schools are actually partnering with local farmers in an effort to eat as much locally grown food as possible.

Learn More:

Farm-To-School Programs Grow Students’  Appreciation for Locally Grown Food

@ OrganicConsumers.org

GET 15% OFF ON NATURAL BABY TOYS - ONE DAY ONLY

Oompa.com is a great place to buy eco-friendly toys that are safe for kids! I have purchased toys for my daughter, and the quality of the toys was great as was the shipping and customer service.

This sale is for ONE DAY ONLY. The code is "Black2008"

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