A Plan B On Valentines Day

Every year men and women spend a good deal of time and energy planning Valentine’s Day surprises for their loved ones. Regrettably, many these plans are ofttimes ruined due to fortune beyond their control. They may find all of their preparation go to waste. However, you can not only plan a great Valentine’s Day surprise for your loved one but have a backup plan in case anything does go wrong.

Planning a dinner date to a nice restaurant on Valentine’s Day can backfire. Even if you make reservations well in advance there can still be ramifications. For instance the restaurant may lose your reservations, merely too busy to honor your reservation or the restaurant may be too crowded to have a relaxing experience. In cases like these you can have a plan B by being prepared to go home and cook your date a fabulous meal if the restaurant is too hectic on Valentine’s Day. You can prepare by buying a few simple and versatile ingredients that you can use to create a great meal at a moments notice. This way you will be prepared if anything goes wrong plus the ingredients will not got to waste because you can always use them later.

Finally, consider purchasing tickets to a sporting event or concert for your date on Valentine’s Day. This is a great gift if it something you both enjoy but you can wind up needing a plan B if the event or concerts are cancelled for some reason. If you are planning to go to a sporting event and it is cancelled you can have a plan B by inviting your date home to watch highlight tapes of previous games. You can assemble this video beforehand and if the game is not cancelled you can always give it to your date after the game. In the case of a cancelled concert you can create a CD of your favorite songs by the band you were going to see.

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How to live a green life with small kids

Acquaintances of mine have recently — and I dare say rather abruptly — decided to move to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, with their two little kids. Because the farm is old, they intend to tear it down, and build a straw house in its place. Of course, they want to use solar energy to power their appliances and live off their organic produce. If the thought of engaging in a similar adventure makes you want to run away screaming instead of ecstatic, you’d not be alone! But it’s still possible to live an urban, comfortable life with small children and still be green, too. How?

Big global changes really do start with yourself. And as parents, we have a great opportunity to instill a love of the earth in our kids. Raising environmentally-aware children is hardly possible if we don’t set the right example. There are lots of small things we can do to make a big impact. Here are some ideas for you!

Cut down on your garbage

Isn’t the amount of garbage we collect by simply going grocery shopping amazing, in all honesty? We are so used to collecting packaging and plastic bags that we’ll only throw away very soon that we hardly think about them at all. If we keep on doing it, our kids won’t think twice about it either. Cutting down on the amount of garbage you collect is a surprisingly hard task, but it is very much worth it. Start by using fabric grocery bags instead of disposable plastic ones, and try buying non-packaging fruit and vegetables at farmer’s markets (hopefully organic, too!). By only doing this, you will certainly reduce your “carbon footprint” significantly.

Green babies

Are you currently trying to get pregnant, expecting, or the parent of a baby? In none of those cases it’s too late to consider cloth diapers. I switched to cloth with my younger child, and found modern cloth diapers to be wonderfully user friendly, as well as green and good for the budget. Breastfeeding is an obvious choice for green mothers, but making a conscious choice to buy only the gear you really need for your baby. And, while there are plenty of organic baby products (like cribs, mattresses, and baby carriers) on the market, getting second-hand items or accepting hand-me-downs is obviously even greener.

Square-foot gardening

Have you heard about this amazing gardening book? If not, look it up — even apartment dweller with a small balcony can have a square foot box with soil and a variety of vegetables! Gardening has a learning curve but it makes the fragile nature of life quite clear to little ones, and it’s also a lot of fun. If growing your own vegetables sounds a bit too intimidating to you, try pots with herbs like peppermint, basil, or thyme instead.

Make your own household products

Making soap, washing-up liquid, laundry detergent, facial cream and window cleaner is pretty easy, and can save a bit of money too. Many children will love getting their hands “dirty” making their own products, and there are many recipes available on the internet. Soap-making is a little dangerous and shouldn’t be done with toddlers very nearby, but if you choose to give it a go, your little ones and their sensitive skin can still benefit. Once we’re on the topic of managing household chores, also try line-drying if you don’t already.

Let the car rest

This is a biggie. Walking, cycling, and using public transportation may sound like a life sentence to fanatical car users, but in most areas it’s possible to let the car rest at least some of the time. Carpooling may be another possibility. For short distances, you may just as well use a bike or walk. Those activities give kids a nice work-out and save some energy too. Public transportation is more kind to the earth than driving yourself, and not having to find a parking space can be liberating too.

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Compare Solar Water Heating And Solar Air Heating

Solar air heating and solar water heating are perhaps the best improvements you can make to your home, in terms of energy and heat. At a virtually negligible cost, these technologies could save you thousands of dollars, while also doing a great deal of good for the environment, so it’s quite a win-win situation. So let’s look at some of the similarities and differences between them, in order to better understand what each brings to the table.

First of all, both of them require sunlight. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, sunlight must not be confused with heat! You can have a lot of sun on a really cold day, or it could be really hot but cloudy. Both of them rely on a collector which itself relies on sun rays to heat the air or the water, so the bigger the surface and the more solar power, the more heat.

In the red corner, we have solar air heating; the air is heated through an airbox and then reinserted into your home, either actively (through a fan) or passively (by convection). Typically, if done right and in proper areas, it can provide up to 50% of all heating in a certain room or house during the cold season, but all year round, that figure goes closer to 25% rather than 50. It should be very cheap, as it is made from simple, non expensive parts, and realy easy to do yourself, with a minimum investment and it should be fairly sturdy, as non of the parts require particular caring and maintenance.

In the blue corner, solar water heating can account for up to 85% of all water heating, which is much better than solar air heating. Furthermore, in some cases, it is also used to heat the home, though that requires some special technology and is suited only for really cold and sunny areas. What it does is it heats a certain fluid, which can either be the water itself or, even better, a mixture of anti-freeze and anticorrosive, which then in turn heats the water through a heat exchanger. It works complementary with traditional water heating, but it does the job all by itself in most cases, failing only during the night and the cold season.

Now, heating water is expensive, so it can save you a whole bunch of money, but the thing is, it is a little more costly and also requires some maintenance, regarding the fluid, the pipes, and not only. You have to be sure at all times that nothing comes through the water, so it requires much more care.

So, who’s the winner you could ask? Well… both! Both are really great improvements to your house, both will save you a lot of money, and both are really green. Of course, one is more high maintenance but has more potential at the moment (solar water heating). If you plan on going for both of them, you’re definitely doing the right choice, but if you only have to choose one, for different reasons, such as a really harsh lack of money or not enough room for two absorbers, then it’s hard to say which one is better.

Do you use a lot of water? Does heating air cost more than heating water? Do I want to spend more time and money for a better return of my investment? This kind of question will answer your problem; if you’re having a hard time, just keep track of these expenses for a whole month, and decide afterwards.

The Benefits Of Drinking Green Tea

The drinking of green tea in China has been a family gatherings for thousands of years and part of every day lives. Apart from its superior taste, there are health benefits from drinking green tea as well. Today the medical communities have recognized these benefits, and wherefore you should drink tea too.

Majority of Americans drink coffee several times everyday and since it contains a larger amount of caffeine, many people are looking into substituting green tea instead. You will surely savor the tea’s nutty aroma and its sweet grassy flavor. Whilst some studies show that green tea also has caffeine, there are now decaffeinated green tea sold in the food market.

All the same, whenever you want to go for the traditional green tea, it would help to know that the caffeine content is lesser as compared to coffee. Some people get jitters and you can avoid this by taking green tea in moderate amounts. Those who plan to stay late or those who work at night should drink green tea instead of coffee to help them stay awake.

Green tea is made up of antioxidants which can help to improve the overall health of a person. If you lack energy to carry out the day’s tasks and chores, drink tea will give you a burst of energy especially if you drink it everyday.

The body cells are also promoted by drinking tea. Other health benefits include the prevention of heart diseases, cancer, and many other health illness. Drink tea to boost the immune system for better health. Take green tea instead of water and juices to reduce weight as the tea can suppress appetite. Tea can taking anytime you like, before meals, during, and after meals.

There is no other beverage that can give you all these health benefits. There are now bottled ready to drink green tea which you can purchase. Green tea supplements are also available, talk to your physician first. Seek his advice before taking any health supplement, and especially for a pregnant woman or if you have certain allergies and illnesses.

Asian people benefited from green tea for centuries, there is no reason why you shouldn’t do it yourself, so join others who have discovered the health benefits of drinking tea

Buy Organic Varieties When Available

One of the main reasons people buy organic food is that organic varieties are considered healthier and more natural. However organic food is often a lot more expensive than the regular options. As times are tough you are probably wondering where you can cut some pennies without it effecting your health. What you might not know is that some foods are more resilient than others and therefore don’t absorb as many of the chemicals that people have issues with. There are plenty of places to buy organic food from including an organic food wholesaler. But knowing which foods matter also means understanding why they don’t absorb chemicals.

The main difference that you will find between different foods ability to absorb chemicals is down to thickness or surface area. As an example, Banana’s or Onions have an outer layer or casing that gets peeled off, therefore there are less likely to be any chemicals in the part you are eating. Foods with thinner skins or an outer casing that you eat run the risk of passing these chemicals on to you.

As a guide here are a list of foods which are worth buying organic, this is due to their thinner outer skins and the chance they may absorb more chemicals.

Sweet Bell Peppers
Peaches
Apples
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Spinach
Lettuce
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (Imported)
Potatoes

The following foods have a tougher outer skin and therefore are less likely to contain any chemicals;

Pineapples
Mango
Avocado
Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Kiwi Fruit
Oranges and Citrus fruits (if eating the fruit and not the skin)
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya

You can also save money by shopping in season, these will be cheaper and fresher Cotswold Fayre are a wholesale food supplier and have a variety of foods including healthy snack and food options for any diet or food store.

Big Chill On Hold: Global Warming Delays Ice Age

The next Ice Age may be a more distant prospect than scientists had thought, due to the effects of carbon dioxide emissions on global warming. The Earth has been in its current interglacial period for over 11,000 years. Although it was estimated that a new Ice Age could begin around 1500 years from now, recent reports suggest that it could actually be anything from 50,000 to 500,000 years before huge glaciers take shape on the globe again.

Whilst some people see the delayed Ice Age as a positive thing, many are pointing out that this is a clear sign of how human activity is impacting on the planet. Changes in carbon dioxide levels mean the Earth is unlikely to be cool enough for ice sheets to form within the next millennium, as CO2 effectively insulates the globe. Indeed, sea levels have risen significantly in recent years due to high temperatures causing the break up of huge ice plateaus in the arctic regions.

The Earth has experienced at least five ice ages and close scientific examination of the planet’s orbit and of rock samples suggests that the concentration of CO2 had to be around 240ppm (parts per million) in order for this to occur. However, levels are currently around 380ppm and even if all emissions were to be halted today, it would be many decades before the atmosphere was clear of carbon dioxide.

A delayed ice age is by no means the only worrying result of global warming. Increasingly extreme weather conditions have also been attributed to the world becoming warmer. Scientists are always contemplating ways in which to stop so many greenhouse gasses being pumped into the atmosphere, but there is no doubt that a worldwide collaborative effort will be necessary for any tangible change to be felt.

One possibility for tackling carbon dioxide emissions could be wider use of CO2 scrubbing, which captures the gas before it enters the atmosphere through a complex filtering process. The plastic used for CO2 scrubbing is even recyclable, making it a hopeful prospect for green energy enthusiasts. In the meantime, we’re certainly not in immediate danger of experiencing an Ice Age, though whether this is a good or a bad thing for the Earth is open to interpretation.

Written by Jemma Saunders
Read Jemma’s blog or follow her on Twitter @JemSaunders1

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