4/24/13

Bees are necessary for the pollination of flowers to help keep our food supplies robust and the natural world thriving. With the bee population declining, there are small things a backyard gardener can do to help protect the insects. The biggest thing you can do is to make your yard an insecticide-free zone -- employ organic methods to control invasive species whenever possible. Since bees need a safe habitat, bundle twigs and dried brush together and place it in a corner of the yard; the bees will make it home and will pollinate your garden at the same time.

4/23/13

It's easy to "green" your morning cup of java by buying U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic coffee beans. When choosing coffee, you may see all sorts of labels proclaiming the beans are "shade grown," "fair trade" or "rainforest-certified." While these are nice statements, the U.S. government regulates none of them. When you choose USDA-certified organic coffee, it has met strict standards -- the coffee plants are grown without any chemical insecticides or fertilizers and are roasted in a factory free of other beans that may have been grown conventionally.

4/22/13

One easy way to create a healthy indoor air environment is to grow houseplants -- they help filter out toxins and make the air cleaner. But many houseplants can be toxic to cats and dogs if they are ingested, so do what the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommends: Use nontoxic plants. Safe houseplants include bamboo, Christmas cacti, button ferns, hens and chickens, pearl plants, ponytail palms and spice orchids.