Don't forget to eat your vegetables!

Everyone knows it's important to eat your veggies (and fruits!), but shopping at the grocery store may not be the best way to get your produce. Why not check out our local Farmers Market? It's a great way to get outside during this beautiful time of year, not to mention the benefits of buying local produce:

*Experts are anticipating an increase in food prices due to the skyrocketing price of oil as summer approaches. By buying locally grown produce, you can counter the effects of rising gas prices on the cost of food.

*Local food tastes better AND is better for you! One food has been harvested, nutrients are lost quickly. Cut down on the time between picking and eating, and your produce will be crisp, flavorful, and packed with nutrients.

*You're helping local farmers AND putting some of your food money back into the local economy. It's a win win situation!

*Buying local food helps to reduce dependence on foreign oil needed to ship food thousands of miles AND cuts back on greenhouse gas emissions.

Products offered at the Downtown Wilmington Farmers Market include fresh fruits and berries, vegetables, plants, herbs, flowers, eggs, cheeses, meats, seafood, honey, baked goods, legumes, pickled items, jams and jellies, wine, art, crafts, and more.

When: Saturdays April 19 - December 20, 2008, 8 am - 12:30 pm

Where: Historic Downtown Riverfront on N. Water St. (between Market St.& Princess St.)

Clean and Green!

If every household in the US replaced just one bottle of 25 oz. petroleum based dishwashing liquid with one 25 oz vegetable based product, we could save 81,000 barrels of oil. Enough to heat and cool 4,600 homes for 1 year.

Not only that, but you'll be keeping nasty chemicals out of your home and out of the drain. And with new green products popping up daily, prices on these "specialized" items are quickly becoming more affordable.

One to try: Seventh Generation- Betty reports back to us that it is available at our local Harris Teeter, and works great on dirty dishes!

Some other green cleaners:

Mrs. Meyers "All of our cleaning supplies are made with natural essential oils, are biodegradable and phosphate-free, and we never test on animals. Whether you use our All Purpose Cleaner (good for just about everything) our Dish Soap (cuts grease like nobody’s business), or any of our other cleaning supplies, you’ll find our products are good for your house, your nose, and the environment."

Method Mission: to create a happy healthy home environment-their line is available at Target

Seventh Generation

Celebrate Earth Day

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day.
It was a time when cities were buried under their own smog and polluted rivers caught fire. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment.
For more information visit www.EPA.gov

Top 10 Easiest Ways to Green Your Office

Wanna talk more than just gossip next time you're at the water cooler? Think green. If enough of us make a few eco-friendly changes in our daily routines (and spread the word around the office), it'll add up to big benefits for us and the planet.

1. Kick the Bottled Water Habit.
Every year, 1.5 mil barrels of oil go to making plastic water bottles used in the United States, and less than a quarter of those bottles are recycled, so choose a reusable bottle instead.
2. Compute This.
Set computers to enter sleep mode after 5 min of idle time, and you’ll be saving energy during lunchtime and other outings. And shut them down at night – contrary to eco-myth, it’s better for the earth and your computer to shut them off before you head home.
3. Zap Your Phantom Energy Loads.
Plug your office electronics into a power strip so that you can easily turn them all off when you’re not using them - you’ll keep your devices from sapping “phantom” electricity loads when they’re off but plugged in. On average, 40% of the energy used in homes powers turned-off appliances.
4. Purify with Plants.
It doesn’t take a forest to clean the air in your office, only about one plant for every 10 square yards. Plants like philodendrons and peace lilies absorb airborne pollutants, keeping the air you breathe clean and clear.
5. Forgo Bad chems.
Standard keyboard cleaners contain toxins you definitely don’t want to inhale. Just one 10-oz can of chem duster has the same greenhouse gascreating effect as burning 100 gallons of gas. Take CTRL: Just turn your keyboard upside down, give it a little shake, and slide a piece of 2-sided adhesive tape between the keys.
6. Dodge the Drafts.
Printer drafts, that is. Unless you’re printing something superimportant, save ink and paper by tracking your changes in electronic documents. If you absolutely need to print something, print it double-sided. Who could conscientiously object to that?
7. Pay the Piper Online.
You probably already do it at home for convenience, but lessen your paper clutter at the office too by banking and paying bills online. Phone companies alone use 23,280 tons of paper per year just to bill U.S. residential customers for single lines of service.
8. Get Inked.
Ink cartridges can take up to 450 years to decompose. Recycle your old ones, and next time you buy, go with refilled cartridges, which work just like conventional ones and cost up to 75% less than new ones.
9. Safeguard Your Lunch.
Baggies are piling up in landfills quicker than you can say “ziplock,” and toxins in plastics are no picnic. Reduce waste by taking your lunch in reusable, safe containers. Some plastics, like PVC (#3), polystyrene (#6), and polycarbonate (#7) contain hormone disruptors or other nasty chemicals. Stay healthy with plastics #1, 2, 4 or 5.
10. Climb Your Way to Green.
A surefire way to avoid awkward elevator silences and save energy? Take the stairs instead. No surprises here: Climbing stairs burns up to 10 times more calories than standing in an elevator. And, depending on type, capacity, and usage, an elevator’s yearly energy usage can equal the energy used to power seven homes annually.

For more tips on living green visit idealbite.com

Nalgene to phase out hard-plastic bottles

Hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A will be pulled from stores over the next few months because of growing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health risk.
Nalge Nunc International, a division of Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., said Friday it will substitute its Nalgene Outdoor line of polycarbonate plastic containers with BPA-free alternatives.
“By eliminating containers containing BPA from our consumer product mix, our customers can have confidence that their needs are being met,” Steven Silverman, general manager of the Nalgene business, said in a statement...

For more on this article go to MSNBC News Health

20 Uses for Used Dryer Sheets!

Who would've thought? Here are 20 tips for getting a second use out of your used dryer sheets!

Some of these are a little way-out, but there are some really ingenious ideas:

1. Use it to dust your television screen. The anti-static chemicals in a dryer sheet will help to repel dust and lint.

2. Use old dryer sheets to easily wipe up talcum powder, flour, and other messes of this type.

3. Used sheets usually have enough fragrance in them to freshen up other areas in your home. Stuff them in tennis shoes, place them in closets, in laundry hampers and in pieces of luggage -- anywhere your house needs a little "refreshment."

4. Run a sheet over a piece of thread when you're doing sewing tasks. The thread won't tangle up as easy.

5. Have pet hair on your clothing? Simply wipe it off with a used dryer sheet! Also works great on cloth furniture too!

6. Keep dust and other contaminants off your glass computer screen by carefully wiping it with an old sheet.

7. Did you purchase some old, musty books at a garage sale or thrift shop? Make them smell good again! Simply place the books in a sealed plastic bag with a used dryer sheet. Allow the bag to sit undisturbed for a day or two, then remove the contents. The musty smell will be gone!

8. Got a problem with mice? Find where they are entering your house and stuff the hole shut with a used sheet. Mice won't chew through the smelly material.

9. Place a used dryer sheet in the bag of your vacuum. Sweep your house, and, once you're done, the air will smell as fresh as your clothes do.

10. These wonders of the 70's are also said to repel mosquitoes as well as other annoying, flying insects. Don't rub it on you. Instead, stick a used sheet in your belt loop.

11. You can use dryer sheets to clean and polish the chrome on your vehicles.

12. Is there a build-up of soap scum on your glass shower door? Simply use an old dryer sheet to eliminate the mess.

13. Is the interior of your car or truck smelling a little stale? Forget the pine tree on a string! Place a few used dryer sheets under the seats of your vehicle instead!

14. Use sheets to clean and polish the glass lens of your eye glasses. They're not recommended for plastic lens, though!

15. Is your hair dry and full of static electricity? Gently wipe a used dryer sheet over your head to get rid of it.

16. Dryer sheets make great dusting cloths for your wooden furniture.

17. Help keep dust and other contaminants out of your house. Simply place a used sheet inside every furnace/AC register in your house. Make sure it covers the openings and replace once they are dirty.

18. Keep your window blinds clean longer by wiping them periodically with used dryer sheets. The anti-static properties of the product will actually help to repel dust and dirt.

19. Are your scissors not cutting as smooth as they should? Wipe the blades clean with a used dryer sheet to remedy this problem.

20. Used dryer sheets make great little cloths for quick shine ups in the bathroom and kitchen too. Just use one on each of your chrome faucets and see how brightly they shine!