Walking Fido? Pick Up Some Trash While You Do It!

Every day I like to take my dog for a walk. Its good for him and it clears my head of all my worries of the day. A while ago I noticed that there was a lot of trash around my neighborhood and it really started to bother me. Whenever I see trash I always pick it up to throw away later but lately I've been collecting handfuls of trash. To make it easier on me I attached on of those doggie duty bag holders to the back of the leash so that whenever I see trash I can pull out a bag to put it in so I can throw it away later. I've started to notice a remarkable difference in my neighborhood; it looks a lot cleaner. It makes me feel so good when I know I'm doing something good for the environment. Now whenever I walk anywhere its an instinct to pick up trash I see on the ground! What small things do you guys to do help the environment?

Filtered Water Bottles

When I'm at School I like to bring a reusable water bottle so that way I'm not wasting plastic. I have a 24 ounce water bottle and I found that sometimes I will drink all of the water in the bottle before I get to my third hour. I usually just refill my bottle with the water from the water fountain and I'm fine. I'm not too picky with what water tastes like so the flavor doesn't really bother me, but I know it does bother some people. I was shopping at Target and I found this new thing called a Filtered Water Bottle. It has a filter that is connected to the lid of the bottle and the water goes through the filter before you drink it. It is made with BPA Free plastic and its proven to remove 90% of chlorine, bad taste, and heavy metals. So that mineral taste that you get when drinking from a faucet or water fountain will be almost diminished. Its good for 200 uses or three months, if your not much of a counter you will be able to tell by the taste of the water when its time to change the filter; the water won't taste as pure. The water bottle itself comes with one filter and costs 13 dollars and the replaceable filters cost around 11 dollars, which isn't to high if you think about it. You would have to buy four filters a year which would be about 44 dollars. Think how much you would be spending if you bought a years worth of bottle water, there is a major difference. So not only are you keeping thousands of plastic water bottles out of landfills BUT you are also saving yourself hundreds of dollars! If you want to check out the water bottle click here!

Stores Can Be Good Influences!

There has been this new trend that has been traveling all over different states. Its recycling your plastic bags from shopping. Now stores such as Walmart and Target have been putting up bins where you can deposit your old plastic bags. I've seen a lot of these bins filled to the rim which is such a breakthrough, people if there isn't a recycle bin in clear view will probably not go out of their way to recycle. Since big stores like this have been putting up these bins smaller stores will soon follow in their foot steps. Now if there is a store that isn't doing this in your area then you should request them to start doing it! Hopefully this trend will be contagious and travel even further! All you have to do is ask and it can help Mother Earth. Small things like this can make a big difference!

Cash, Debit, or Credit???

Did you know that if you use your Debit or Credit card it actually helps the environment? Well the way it helps is money takes a lot to make. So if you put your money in your bank account automatically it will the recycle the cash back out, which means there will not be a for more money to made. Also using Debit and Credit cards is actually a lot safer (and easier) than money. If you were to lose cash you would never get it back but if you lose your card you just have to cancel that one and order a new one! There really is no reason you shouldn't start using your cards more! Also there is a new way to swipe/use your card where you only have to wave it over the key pad. If the total purchase is under 25 dollars then you don't have to sign. How easy is that? Especially if your in a hurry! There is a new thing out now where you can customize your cards too! You can put your own picture on there or chose a picture they have! A lot cuter than money right? I know I'm going to start carrying my Debit card, what about you?

Flying Anytime Soon?

On airplanes you usually get a complementary beverage when flying. (Depending on what airline you fly.) Think how many people everyday get those little plastic cups that your drink is poured into. Now, think about how many people throw that cup away after they finish their drink and then ask for another soda and get a new cup! Scary, right? That's a lot of plastic and aluminum being wasted! There is an easy solution to eliminating some of the plastic being wasted. All you have to do is instead of getting a plastic cup to pour your drink into, just drink from the can. When asking for your beverage just politely tell the stewardess you'll drink from the can. Most likely they will be happy to do that for you. I mean hey, its less work for them and the planet! It also might even be more sanitary! If your not able to drink it from the can, then just hand on to the plastic cup until the next round of drinks. Don't throw it away until you know they are done serving drinks in case they want to give you more! Now if your feeling extra green hold on to your plastic cup or aluminum can and take it off the airplane to recycle when you land! Yes, one person can make a difference. Share this cool tip around and maybe if more people talk about it they might stop using mini plastic cups on the plane!

Try Using A Water Bottle!

Recently, I learned something pretty scary. In bottled water, the plastic has toxins in it. These toxins are not let out until the water bottle is heated. For instance, leaving it in the car during Summer, being stored outside at the grocery stores, or being stored at the big warehouses until someone orders a shipment. Scientists always say not to reuse water bottles if the bottle had gotten hot. Now over the years they are discovering more and more about plastic which in result is telling us how deadly they can really be. These toxins have been proven to cause cancer over a slow period of time. At first when you hear about them they don't sound like anything to worry about when really they are deadly.

Here are a few do's and don'ts:

• Don't drink water that has been in a hot car
• Don't buy water that is sitting out in front of the grocery store odds are they have the same exact deal/brand inside where its cool
• Do buy a safe reusable water bottle. Buying a water bottle is probably the safest precaution you can take.
  
• You know where the water has been and if its hot or not.

I have been using a water bottle for almost four months now. It keeps your water cool longer, saves the Earth (no plastic is being wasted from bottle water), more quantity, and saves you money (you don't have to buy bottle water!) Another thing is you can customize your own water bottle and make it cute! This way you'll want to carry a reusable water bottle instead of a boring ol' plastic one! Everyone please take this post seriously and think about your Health!

Organic Hand Wipes and Sanitizer!

About the past two weeks we all have been having a Swine Flu scare. Now it isn't as deadly as they are making it though. (I talked to my mother's friend who's a nurse about this, she said the media is over-reacting.) Anyway, there is still no reason to stop washing our hands! I was thinking about how many chemicals there are in hand sanitizer and hand wipes that could harm us. So, I did some research and found some really good organic options. These products are by EO and are vegan. They have ingredients such as, Lavender Oil, Aloe Vera, and organic alcohol. There is hand sanitizer and hand wipes by them that have lavender in them. The really cool thing about the wipes is that they are biodegradable! I thought that this was so neat I had to do a post on it! You can find these products on Amazon and Drugstore.com