Living Green – Eco Living By Design

In the Living Green section we explore how to live a sustainable life. Under Eco Shelter we look at the design on construction of Green Buildings and how to create and maintain a Healthy Homes. Under Green Thumbs we explore not only Organic Gardening but also creating truly sustainable living environments in Permaculture. Under Food For Thought we examine the issues surrounding what we eat. We look at how we grow our food under Sustainable Agriculture, the abundance of edible wild foods in Wild Crafting, How to preserve our food for later consumption in Putting It Up. The health advantages of a fresh Whole Food Diet and the environmental advantages of a local diet. We also look at all the systems that contribute to creating and maintaining total and Natural Health. We examine Eco Energy and Eco Transport solutions and under Urban Solutions we explore the greening of our towns and cities.

In Waste Not we help you reduce, reuse, repair, recycle and rethink our way to a sustainable future. In Green Gear we let you know about new and innovative green products that can make our life healthier and more sustainable. This section can also help you expand your eco awareness through Eco Education and Eco Tourism . And after we talk about all the great things we can do, we show you How To Do It! That is what living green is all about.

Toxins in Dentistry

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Written by Ruth Morrison

There has been a long standing contraversy about Amalgam Fillings used in many dentists offices and yet only one in four people know that these so called “silver fillings” or amalgam fillings contain mostly mercury. This is a concern not only for the general public but it should also be a concern for dental workers that are exposed to this toxic substance every day in thier work environment.

Wikipedia, defines “amalgam” as an alloy containing mercury. This material is most commonlly used by dentists for fillings in ones mouth. The composition of this filling is generally as follows: 50% is mercury, approximately 22-32% is silver, approximately 14% is tin, approximately 8% is copper, and the remainder of the 100% composition is other trace metals. It appears that Dentists use such material because it is reletively inexpensive and, it has qualities of strength and durability. I began to wonder why dentists call a meterial that is primarily mercury a "silver" filling. I thought perhaps it is because of this very contriversy. So I began to look into it. Most people know how toxic mercury can be so it is only logical that if the dental association does not want to alarm its market that the dental association might prefer dentists to call these mercury fillings “silver” fillings.

This tends to be the case in almost every conventional dentistry practices throughout Canada and the United States. It seems that mercury fillings are so cheap and therefore profitable that the industry continues to use them in spite of growing evidence that might suggest that they should not be used at all.

Finding A Green Home

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Written by Garnet McPherson

If you want a green home for your own shelter you have some options. You can build your own green home from scratch or remodel your existing residence with eco and healthy home solutions. Either of these experiences can become a huge learning experience in itself.

If you're looking to simply buy a new or existing green home it can be challenging to weed through the thousands of conventional property listings to find the rare eco home among them. Green living has become much more popular in recent years however there's still not many resources to help you help you find the one that meets all your needs. However with a little time, research and effort you can find the eco home that fits your life style.

The first step is to become an informed buyer to help you know what you should be looking for in an eco home. One way to get informed about green homes is to attend a green home show where you can meet green home builders, see green home products, and learn more about green homes in general. Often your local chamber of commerce will have information about green home events in your area. It is important to educate yourself about green homes before you spend your hard earned dollars. Just because a green home is listed as a green home does not make it so and there is no need to spend more for a green home that is not really green.

On the flip side there are very eco-friendly homes on the market that aren't being promoted as such. I recently found an amazing green home on MLS near Colborne Ontario that was actually built for Earthwalk to be a demonstration home for green building and healthy sustainable home technology that was loaded with green features and eco landscaping and organic garden features that are typically not yet available in many green homes. Sometimes synergy and pure luck can also help you find what you are looking for.

However generally you need to be informed and do your homework to find the best green home for you. Read green home books, green building magazines, and green home guides, and get up to speed with green home trends. Explore green home products that you might want to include in your home. In the end you should have a list of green characteristics and features you would want in your green home before you begin shopping.

For an interesting and at exotic collection of some amazing green homes for sale there are a small number of green home web sites that you can search for suitable green homes in your part of the world. Our team will be posting a list of eco property sites here soon so stay tuned ...

WWOOFing Your Way Around The World

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Written by Nick Palmer

WWOOFing is about travel and learning and making a differance! WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It is a group of organizations that works together as a team to help people gain more knowledge of ways to develop an improved sustainable way of living. The organization began in 1971 in the United Kingdom. Since then, they have expanded their team to over 100 countries across the world. There are now over 900 farm hosts across Canada and becoming a volunteer on Organic Farms is a way to learn about WWOOF and how to develop your own sustainable living practices.

Summer’s Bounty, Year-Round

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Written by Lana Winter

We avid gardeners who do not live in balmy climates often face the prospect of spending October to March with our faces pressed wistfully to our windows, counting down the days to when we can get our hands dirty and our hearts happy by tending our gardens once again. Fortunately, there are ways to get around this greenery-deprived sulking by growing food plants and herbs indoors during the winter.

Eco-chic – bring the outdoors inside

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Written by Sylvia Hoehns Wright

Too many times, we hesitate to simply sit and enjoy or bring the fruit of our labor inside. Yet, from a wintry spray of evergreens and berries to formally arranged summer roses, with a few tips and planning, anyone can be eco-chic: find it satisfying to bring the beauty of the outdoors inside.