4/10/14

Now that spring has sprung, many of us have gardening and landscaping on our minds. When choosing new plants to make your home look amazing, consider buying native plants. Native plants are exactly what they sound like: They are indigenous to the region of the country you live and do more than just look good. They are plants that enhance the wild ecosystem and help bring biodiversity to the environment. These plants are useful to wild animals and beneficial insects. When you choose native plants, you get more bang for your buck: Your yard looks good, and it helps the environment. To know which plants are native to your area, visit findnativeplants.com.

4/9/14

With more than 1 million iPhone apps in the Apple store, it can be mind-boggling to know which ones to download. When it comes to green-minded apps, the Environmental Protection Agency has made it easy by compiling a 290-item list of the best apps at epa.gov/greenapps. It includes apps like GasHog, which calculates the real-time, real-driving fuel economy of your car from tank-to-tank fill-up, and JouleBug, which marries social media and games to reward players when you reduce energy waste in life and at home. In addition to discovering new eco-apps, you can also see which apps are people's favorites, and why.

4/8/14

With honeybee colonies and populations at an all-time low, it's important to take small, easy steps to help them survive. If you see a colony of bees in your garden this summer, help feed them by making a simple mixture of 1 part sugar and 1 part water. Heat it until the sugar is melted, cool it and pour it into a shallow bowl. Fill the bowl with marbles so that when bees come to feed on the sugary water, they won't drown -- the marbles give them an easy place to land. The bees will drink the sugary liquid, then fly off to turn it into honey. Replace the sugar water from time to time.