Good Nature

Just For Mom

Still looking for a perfect gift for Mother's Day? Try GreenGlass.com for an eco-friendly and original gift. Green Glass recycles bottles and makes them into really cool original glassware, vases, pitchers, and candlesticks. (You can even put a Good Nature Inc. gift certificate inside!).

Get Some R&R In An Eco Chair

It's getting close to the time of the year where we can spend time reading, relaxing, & entertaining outside (on a patio/deck installed by Good Nature Inc.!). If you are in need of new outdoor furniture check out the earth-friendly options available from Loll Designs.

The products they sell, which included chairs, chaises, side tables, and ottomans, are made entirely from recycled plastic. Loll Designs believes green products are and should be superior in every way to those that are not green. They are dedicated to creating long lasting products that are made from recycled materials using sustainable business practices.

 

Volunteering to Save The Planet

If the coming of Earth Day has you wondering what you can do to save the planet and you already recycle, carpool, eat locally, compost, and have changed your bulbs. Try this for something different, call a National or State Park and see if they need volunteers this season. These parks are wonderful places and receive tons of visitors each year. To keep them running and environmentally intact the parks services rely on its employees, interns, and volunteers. How cool would it be to “work” at the Grand Canyon? You can definitely find something to fit your outdoor interests by volunteering at a park. Volunteers help with trail repair, habitat restoration, animal monitoring, and other tasks. What are you waiting for call a park today!

Battling Aphids, Caterpillars, & Mites the Natural Way

One thing I have to deal with every year on my plants and in my garden are unwanted pests. You can purchase organic soaps, and I have, from the store but making an insect soap at home is just as effective and less expensive.

Ingredients

3 drops of nontoxic dishwashing soap

32 ounces of water

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Spray bottle (be sure to label as insect soap)

Mix all ingredients together in the spray bottle. When spraying on plants be sure to saturate them, but avoid the blossoms.

Recycling Tip: Cooking Oil

Did you know you could recycle cooking oil? I did not until I read it on Earth 911. To find a recycling location near you go to Earth 911.

If live in Hamilton County (Indiana), you can take it to Hamilton County Hazardous Waste Center. For Marion County residents, Earth 911 has several locations listed that will accept your old cooking oil.

Cleaning Produce

Do you really need to buy an expensive fruit and vegetable wash? No, is the answer from Cook's Illustrated. In tests performed by Cooks Illustrated a mixture of 3 parts water and 1 part white vinegar was just as effective as expensive products. All you need to do is spray the produce and rinse with water. This method removed 98 percent of surface bacteria on smooth-surfaced produce, like apples and pears. For delicate fruit, like berries, fill a bowl with 3 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Drain, rinse with water, and then spin dry in a salad spinner lined with paper towels. It is also a good idea to wash produce that has inedible peels because your knife still cuts through the peel and spreads any contamination throughout the part of the fruit you will be eating.