EarthMoment

Graffiti can by an eyesore and ruin the appearance of a building or an entire neighborhood.  It can also be a form or art and now it can be a legal form of art that doesn’t spray toxic fumes in the air.  So if you want to try a new eco form of art, I’ve got a little recipe for you. 

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Why not?

1 can of beer

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Several clumps garden moss

You will also need a plastic container (with lid), a blender and a paintbrush.

To begin the recipe, first of all gather together several clumps of moss (moss can usually be found in moist, shady places) and crumble them into a blender. Then add the beer and sugar and blend just long enough to create a smooth, creamy consistency. Now pour the mixture into a plastic container.

Find a suitable damp and shady wall on to which you can apply your moss milkshake. Paint your chosen design onto the wall (either free-hand or using a stencil). If possible try to return to the area over the following weeks to ensure that the mixture is kept moist. Soon the bits of blended moss should begin to recuperate into a whole rooted plant – maintaining your chosen design before eventually colonizing the whole area.

Not so guilty pleasure

Learn about the art of graffiti,

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/17525652/spraycan-art 

Super Bowl Sunday brings a few things to mind; friends, drinks, all the unhealthy food you can think of, heartburn to follow and oh yeah, football.  We all know that food is the most important aspect of Super Bowl Sunday, and that means meat.  Yes I’m sorry vegetarians, but most likely people will expect there to be meat at a Super Bowl party.  Well you can just tell them that 18% of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions are created by livestock.  Because of the demand for meat, more and more trees need to be cut down for farmland.  Do your part and don’t consume meat for one day, especially that day being one of the most popular days to eat meat.

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Wow your guests with your knowledge after reading this article,

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1839995,00.html?cnn=yes

Not so guilty pleasure

Serve fondue at your party with this fondue set!

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/25613003/Swissmar-12pc.-Fest-Chocolate-Fondue-Set-White

The new Eat Well Guide has taken not just the earth into consideration but they’ve applied our tech dependent society into consideration as well.  This new guide shows readers how using our favorite tech tools to even further our green conscious lifestyle.

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Check it out for yourself.  There are sections that showcase Web sites to help you discover how to eat sustainably and how to further the movement by getting more info out there on the internet.

http://www.eatwellguide.org/downloads/pubs/080811_CultivatingTheWeb.pdf

Not so guilty pleasure

Carry your computer with you wherever you go with this new case.

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/10989539/15IN-SLIP-CASE-FOR-MAC-BROWN

I live in the Pacific Northwest and a little rain (okay a few months of rain) isn’t going to keep me from enjoying the outdoors.  That’s why waterproof gear is a must in my life.  Well Patagonia has made my life even better with their release of the world’s first recyclable nylon jacket and waterproof pants.

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Why not?

Patagonia started using recycled polyester in 1992, than started using only organic cotton in 1996 and recently started using chlorine free Merino wool.  Nylon was the last full product material they had yet to find an environmentally friendly form of until last year.

Not so guilty pleasure

Need some waterproof hiking boots?

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/22646183/Womens-White-Ledge-Waterproof-Mid-Hiking-Boot 

If you’re fed up with winter and can’t bear the cold anymore then perhaps you should invest in a new winter coat to get you through the next couple of months. Trends these days include a lot of fur around the hoods of coats etc, to make sure you’re not supporting cruelty to animals and pick one out with faux fur.  Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference from faux and real fur, here are a few tricks to double check your coat didn’t harm anyone in Thumper’s family.  Check out the backing, fake fur will have a threaded backing while real fur will have dyed skin.  Also animal fur tapers into a point, fake fur does not. 

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Why not?

If you already have a coat with fur and you can’t tell whether it’s faux or real, read the Humane Society’s Field guide below to ensure that it’s synthetic. 

http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/fur/field-guide-on-real-vs-fake-fur-final.pdf

Not so guilty pleasure

Here is a faux suede to keep you warm the last couple of months of winter,

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/6442900/Tumbled-Faux-Suede-Silverton-Coat

2009 is here … one second late!  If you hosted a new years shindig for your friends and family then you most likely woke up to a disaster zone.  Have empty champagne bottles, sticky floors and new years headbands taken over your humble abode? Steer clear of the toxic cleaners and avoid the health hazards that can accompany them.  Instead look at your local grocery store for brands that offer “green” cleaning alternatives.

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Here are a few green cleaning options,

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/buying-guides/green-cleaning-supplies.html  

Not so guilty pleasure

Instead of wasting all that paper by using paper towels in your clean up, try a pack of these white cloth towels that you can wash and reuse.

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/19229380/Deluxe-White-Hand-Towels-16-x-27 

Merry Christmas everyone!  Is your fridge filled with leftovers?  Of course it is. Chew on this, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization almost half of the all food produced worldwide is wasted after production.  I’d say 50% is a pretty darn high percentage of edible food that’s tossed.  Before you toss them, think about various recipes you can create to mix up the leftovers you have.  And next holiday season; think smaller.  More isn’t better when it comes to having a fridge full of leftovers.

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Why not?

To learn more about the food waste crisis read this,

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-22-01.asp

Not so guilty pleasure

Need some recipes to help you use up those leftovers?  Look no further than this book,

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/1948271/Cook-Once-a-Week-Eat-Well-Every-Day-Make-Ahead-Meals-That-Transform-Your-Suppertime-Circus-Into-Relaxing-Family-Time

Christmas Eve is exactly one week away; it’s time to get the presents wrapped and under the tree! Make sure to use up all the left over wrapping paper from last year and re-use all the wrapping you can! Gift-wrap is recyclable as long as it’s not laminated or metallic so tell those anxious gift-openers to go easy on the paper ripping!

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Not so guilty pleasure

Smith and Hawken has classic package decorations to jazz up the underneath of your tree,

http://www.smithandhawken.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=prod1240002p&categoryId=cat340003p&sku=1240002p

This time of year you’re overloaded with gift guides, it seems like every Web site imaginable has to put in their two cents on what your loved ones want for Christmas.  Don’t worry; I’ll save you from reading what I’ve come up with.  Instead I’ll suggest that you read the gift guide created by the people over at Treehugger. They’ve got a creative list of ideas for everyone on your list, the fashion buff, outdoors enthusiast, jet setter, pop culture fanatic just to name a few.

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Check it out here,

http://www.treehugger.com/giftguide/

Not so guilty pleasure

While you’re at it, check out our page of green stores for gift ideas.

http://www.earthmoment.com/overview/1566

Get your home prepared for the first official day of winter. How about this year you save 1600 tons of carbon and $250 bucks! Well we know numbers are always approximate in these kind of estimates so don’t hold it against me if your calculations don’t come out the same.  But still keeping up with these simple tasks will help you do your part to save money and the earth. Here’s how; lower your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, wash clothes in cold water, air dry clothes, turn off unneeded lights.  Sounds pretty easy huh?  The Rocky Mountain Institute came up with a guide to calculate how much it costs you for every carbon ton you save.  This way you can figure out what is the most cost effective way to cut back on your carbon outputs.

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Why not?

Check out Rocky Mountain Institute’s whole guide here,

http://www.rmi.org/images/other/Climate/C02-12_CoolCitizensBrief.pdf

Not so guilty pleasure

If you need to keep a little light on in a room, use this desk lamp with an energy efficient bulb instead of leaving an overhead light on.

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/18683342/Ceramic-Table-Lamp-Black