Reusable lunch containers are an easy way to prevent plastic pollution. Here are a few of my favorites. Small Lunch Containers U Konserve Nesting Trio Stainless Steel Containers with Leak Resistant Lids – I bought my first set of these in 2011. I now have two sets, one for each… read more
Is DEET Safe? A guide to effective insect repellents
Summer is here, and so are the mosquitoes. The best parts of summer almost always come with bug bites. Last summer I sprayed my son with DEET and sent a silent prayer that it wouldn’t make him grow a third eye. I wondered if DEE is safe? So this year,… read more
People like us are the solution to most environmental issues
When I talk to friends about their feelings toward environmental issues, the one thing I hear over and over again is they either feel powerless, guilty or apathetic. I rarely talk to someone who feels like their choices are making an impact. I hear them, and before I started EarthyB,… read more
How To Reduce Plastic Pollution and Waste
Plastic pollution is one of those depressing environmental problems you know is happening and don’t want to think about, so I’ll spare you the sad statistics about plastic islands, dead sea turtles and yucky chemicals leaking into your food. I know you’ve heard it all before. The New Plastics Economy… read more
The Real Reason For Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products
Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” E.B. White, Author of The Elements of Style and Charlotte’s Web I’m pretty sure E.B. White was referring to prejudice against people when he wrote that, but I believe it can also apply to… read more
Almost edible, all-natural skin care products
When I first started looking at the ingredients in my food and skin care over a decade ago, I quickly switched from commercial skin care products to all “natural” products I could buy on Amazon or at Wholefoods. For the most part, I looked for natural products that scored well… read more
Can We Replace Old Traditions With Low-Emissions?
As a kid, I spent every summer at my grandmother’s beach house in Sweden. With my aunt and uncle and cousins, it was a tight squeeze in that two and a half bedroom house. Not exactly my idea of vacation now, but piling into tiny beach homes is a Swedish… read more
Dirty Little (Secret) Skin Care Ingredients
I’m attached to my products. My pink toenail polish and a tiny bottle of Channel # 5 I only use on special occasions. I even have a prescription for Retin-A, so I kinda feel like a hypocrite writing about toxic skin care ingredients. I’m pushing past it, though, because I… read more
I Want A Self-Cleaning Kitchen
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that the only way to get what I want is to ask for it. If I don’t ask, I can’t expect to get it. So I’m asking for a self-cleaning kitchen and a smart home that’s actually smart. For years I’ve been reading… read more
The Story Behind The Stuff
I’m conflicted. I want to live a sustainable life. Part of that means buying fewer things. My children, on the other hand, want a ton of stuff. I consider myself an environmentalist as well as frugal. It doesn’t feel like I buy a lot of stuff, but my daughter’s room… read more
Is The Impossible Burger Safe?
Food additives freak me out. Food that pretends to be something it isn’t, scares me even more. Butylated hydroxyanisole. What? Turkey bacon. Why? Tofu hot dogs. Gross! But the Impossible Burger intrigued me. It’s vegan, but designed to taste like real meat. I read the ingredients online: Water, Textured Wheat… read more
How’s Your Relationship With Nature?
I love nature. That’s easy. Does nature love me back? That’s trickier. I know that humanity has hurt nature by releasing fossil fuels, creating toxic chemicals and clear cutting ancient forests. Humans have done immense damage to the earth, but does that mean nature doesn’t love me? Nah. I believe… read more
Protect Our Natural Heritage
I think President Trump is trying to make me cry. Trump has signed yet another ridiculous executive order targeting our shared environment. This one is putting the national monuments created by Presidents Clinton, George W. and Obama “under review.” That pretty much means they want to allow gas and oil… read more
Happy Earth Day
So, It’s Earth Day I’ve always felt like Earth Day is just another Hallmark holiday meant to get me to buy more or do more. It rubs me the wrong way. Every news outlet will have ten tips on how to be green. Here’s a few you’ll inevitably hear –… read more
Mother Nature
“You’re giving me mean face, mommy!” My four-year-old daughter says I give her “mean face.” It’s usually when we are rushing out the door, and she absolutely must change outfits one more time. Beauty trumps all with her. She is a sensitive and beautiful tornado of clothes and sparkles and… read more
The Conservative Case For Carbon Dividends
I love cash, and I’ll bet I’m not the only one! A group of conservative Washington DC politicians has proposed a plan to discourage carbon emissions and get families paid about $2,000 per year. The Conservative Case for Carbon Dividends would tax companies that produce carbon emissions (which leads to… read more
The End of Snow
There’s some kind of magic that happens when my kids are in the snow. They can spend hours building igloos and throwing themselves down sledding hills. They forget about the iPads and video games. They don’t even ask. They cry when I call them in well after it’s way too… read more
We Need An All Americans First Energy Plan
I became an American citizen in 2011, and it’s the only test I’ve ever enjoyed studying for. Maybe that’s why Trumps An America First Energy Plan is bugging me so much. It leaves a whole lot of Americans out. The America I know, and love was built by millions of… read more