Garden | Hip Moms Go Green

Green Remodeling

If you’re trying to make your house more eco-friendly, finding a starting place can be a challenge. Maybe you have a house you’ve owned for years and aren’t sure what you can replace or add to make your home green. Maybe you just bought a new house and ready to make some eco-friendly renovations. Or perhaps you are considering a remodel or addition onto some existing part of your home. Whatever the reason, adding a green touch to the house is an excellent idea, and you may be surprised how easy it is!

Not only can you find a plethora of materials that can make your beloved abode more sustainable, but there are also a wide range of products and practices designed to help save energy (and money!), conserve heat, and promote healthy living. I know that the green moms out there are ready to take the plunge. Here are only a few ideas on how a home can become more eco-friendly.

Alternative Energy

Using sources of alternative energy is one of the most visible means of greening your home. On the top of the list are solar panels, the large photovoltaic arrays that can be set up on your roof to absorb incoming sunrays. Not only can adding solar panels create an alternate energy source to offset electricity bills, but the sunlight’s energy can also be used to heat water and save on hot water pumps.

What about colder or cloudy areas where solar panels aren’t really an option? Look into installing a geothermal heat pump, which draws in heat from the ground to warm water. These systems can be combined with air temperature control units too, and since the heat within the earth is stable year-round the geothermal pumps can be used from summer to winter.

Both solar panels and geothermal heat pumps can be expensive, often running into the thousands of dollars. Because of their energy-saving uses, the additions will pay for themselves within a few years, but start-up costs can be high. For a less expensive and lighter touch of alternate energy, consider using solar landscaping lights that don’t require wiring or complicated set-up.

Don’t forget low-energy light bulbs, either! Switching light bulbs over to more eco-friendly versions is a great way to save on electricity in a home. Turning off large appliances at night and buying systems with Energy Star ratings are also good methods for ensuring your house uses as little power as it can.

House Sealing

Making houses sustainable is about saving energy, and there is no better way to save energy in your house than by making sure it is well-sealed. An air-tight house will keep cool temperatures inside and hot temperatures outside–or vice-versa, depending on the season. The more temperatures are kept separate, the less air conditioners and climate control systems will need to work, creating big savings on utility bills and protecting your house from invading pests, too.

If you have a problem with cracks in your attic or basement, or are considering a new addition, then you may want to use one of several varieties of cotton insulation made from recycled blue jean material that has no VOCs or toxins. For large projects professionals are available who specialize in soy spray foam insulation and blue jean insulation as well.

Windows are one of the primary heat-loss zones in the house. What kind of windows do you have? Find out whether you have double-paned or singled paned windows and what type of frame materials surround them. There are many different kinds of sealing windows you can choose to replace less effective versions. The best and most expensive models have multiple panes of glass with clear films that reflect ultra-violet rays and inner spaces filled with inert gases like argon that stop heat exchange without outside temperatures. When it comes to eco-friendly frames, watch for fiberglass, vinyl, and composite frames which excel at keeping windows fully sealed.

Avoiding Toxic Materials

Sustainability projects are excellent opportunities to weed out dangerous substances that can exude toxic gases into your home. VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds, are some of the worst offenders. These particles chip off from paint and varnish and float through the air years after the paint is applied, causing damage to the brain and kidneys. Remodeling offers a chance to replace VOC-emitting paints with less toxic varieties and use VOC-free paint on new additions. Choosing eco-friendly stains and varnishes is also important.

If you want to take an extra step in removing toxic materials you can also test your house for levels of radon gas. Radon is a colorless and odorless gas producing by soil and rock. In some cases it can seep in through the basement and become trapped in your house. Many scientists believe radon is the second-largest cause of lung cancer behind smoking, and there are strict regulations as to what levels of radon are safer for residential buildings. If this is a concern, test kits are available that you can use and then send into a lab for detailed analysis.

Outside Renovations

Don’t let your green endeavors stop at the doorway! Landscaping and remodeling are perfect opportunities to add outdoor, eco-friendly additions to your home. If you live in a dry climate, you can set up a rain barrel or rain-irrigation system to make the most of every drop the sky sends your way. If your zone is more temperate, you may want to consider a roof garden instead. These grass-and-flower roofs, popular in European cities, add an extra layer of insulation to your home and make use of the rainfall instead of draining it off into the sewers.

Of course, such ideas are just the beginning–with a little searching, you can find eco-ideas perfect for your own needs! You will be amazed at all the ways there are, large and small, to add a green touch to your home.

Green Pest and Weed Control

Pesticides can put eco-conscious gardeners in an unpleasant Catch-22. Using pesticides can harm the soil, contaminate groundwater, and make vegetables or fruit unsafe to eat. They may wipe out the bugs, but they also interfere with the natural garden environment and can disrupt necessary elements of the food chain. On the other side, not using pesticides can lead to annoying infestations and the loss of both food and flowers.

But not to worry! There are, in fact, a wide variety of green pest control techniques. They can work in all different climates and gardens without causing significant damage to the soil or contaminating water supplies. While some “natural” pesticides are actually just as dangerous as the synthetic versions (poison is poison as far as nature is concerned) it is easy to find non-toxic remedies for your bug problems, too. In short, it’s possible to save your garden while helping to save the earth at the same time!

Note: Most green pest control options are for insects. If you are being annoyed by something larger, such as gophers or rats, you may want to consider buying a solar-powered pest prevention product. These are small devices that are planted into the earth with a surface solar panel that gathers in energy from the sunlight. When enough energy has been taken in, the device spreads a deep vibration intended to drive gophers, moles, and other unwanted underground pests away.

When you are considering weed control make sure you choose an option that is not toxic to your ground, plants, or grass especially since this is where you precious tots roll around. We found the best weed control ever by St. Gabriel Organics. Not only does it work brilliantly it smells as if you are making apple pie in the yard for a day.

The Forces of Nature

The garden work in a balance, just like other natural environments, and often the best remedy for a pest problem is to use natural responses that fit in the framework of the garden environment. Certain tree oils such as cedar oil, for instance, protect bark against bugs and can do the same thing for your soil when used as a spray. Citronella oil can have a similar effect, a very light version of a pesticide that when used correctly acts as a prevention rather than an active killer. An even simpler remedy for getting rid of insects living on plants is to wash them away and drown them with water. As long the plants aren’t overwatered, no harm done!

Other plants are also an excellent defense against certain types of bugs. For landscaping purposes, you may want to try plants that local insects are not attracted to, or even plants that bugs avoid. A famous example is the mosquito plant, or the Citrosa Geranium, which deters mosquitoes and other like-minded flying pests.

One of the most useful nature-tools in the fight against insects is other insects. The bugs that eat and ruin plants are only a small portion of the insects that live in gardens. Others eat dead bits of leaves or twigs and help replenish the soil, while some live off the destructive bugs that endanger your plants. While most pesticides will kill these insects indiscriminately, encouraging the right kinds can actually improve the health of your garden. Ladybugs make excellent predators if you have aphid problems. Green lacewings and mini-wasps are also worthy protectors, and many nurseries sell these insects in larva-form for you to seed at the right times among the plants. If you have trouble finding them locally, there are also online companies that sell packaged eggs of beneficial insects for you to use at your discretion. These insects will naturally die out or move elsewhere as the destructive pest population declines.

Eco?-Pesticides

As stated before, many natural-made pesticides can be just as deadly as the synthetic versions, and while they do not tend to last as long, their presence in a garden environment can still be highly disruptive. If you prefer to avoid using toxins to control your garden, then there are other options. Many eco-friendly gardeners use garlic and lime sprays, which are irritants to certain kinds of destructive pests. For a more complete list of what bugs these sprays work against, you can visit: http://www.extremelygreen.com/pestcontrolguide.cfm

Diatomaceous earth is another popular green pesticide. This earth was once plankton from the ocean that was fossilized, and is now mined and processed as a fine white powder. Diatomaceous earth is so fine that its particles stick and cut into insects, but it is harmful neither to plants nor to humans. Boric acid also works in small quantities, as do home remedies like putting out stale beer to attract and kill slugs. For a more advanced solution, you can look into the new chemical spinosad, a bacteria-based neurotoxin that only affects the insects that ingest it, allowing more controlled applications for the bugs that actively eat your plants.

These are only a small part of the eco-friendly pesticide solutions available to gardeners. Looking up which of your plants are being attacked and what kinds of insects are a problem is an excellent start to finding out more information. Green pest control is all about specific answers for specific problems, and the more knowledge you have about your pests, the better you will be able to protect and encourage your garden.

Earth Day~Plant a Garden With Your Kids

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My younger son and I just planted our garden for the year. Honestly, this has to be the best way to teach your kids about how important it is to be mindful of what we’re putting into the Earth as well as our bodies. We use organic soil, organic seeds, and organic fertilizers in our efforts of going green. We haven’t had a problem with pest control—my husband and the baby are very happy to hand pick bugs
off the plants—but if we did, there are many organic, safe pest remedies available at your local nursery, and many can be mixed at home with common household items. I let the baby pick which seeds to plant this year and he chose all the things he loves: carrots, Swiss chard, tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkins (extremely giant!), and lettuce. Broccoli will go in later. We don’t have a ton of space, so the selection had to be limited, but the most important thing is to let your kids be really involved in the creation of their garden. It’s a great time to teach them about Earth Day issues like pollution and water scarcity as well as nutrition. (The reason my older son isn’t involved in this project is that he’s in school all day, and he only willingly eats carrots!)
You can start your seeds in store bought seed starters, (Burpee has an organic one where everything can be composted or recycled when you’re through.) but a really fun thing to do, and one that’s also great for the planet, is to start your seeds in egg shells. When you crack eggs to use in recipes, try to crack them towards the top so that you leave a majority of the egg shell whole. Rinse them out and save them until you have enough to start your plants. We keep ours in the carton (you can also just use the carton—separate the egg sections and bury them straight in the ground once your seedlings are ready to go outside—so that they’re easier to work with. Fill the shell with soil, drop a seed in, and add water. Keep your “pots” in a window with lots of sun, watering when the tops are dry. You can plant the egg shells directly into your garden. I like to crack them a bit so the roots don’t have to work so hard to reach the new soil. You don’t need a lot of space for your garden. We use an old bookcase that my husband built turned on its side and filled with garden soil. We put our watermelon and pumpkins in large pots and just let them go wild in the side yard. Be creative and try to reuse containers where you can.
Every day, we go out and the baby waters with his watering can. He really loves his garden and shows everyone when they come over. There’s nothing better than seeing the excitement on his face when he gets to pick vegetables that he grew from seeds. I hope this really instills a love of vegetables and healthy eating for life, but since I do have a twelve year old that did the same activity starting when he was two and now only eats healthy food under duress, I know that could be wishful thinking!
Have fun and GET DIRTY!

Kelly Polston
Contributing Author and Chef

How to Start an Urban Herb Garden

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Your Urban Herb Garden

A cityscape is a great backdrop for an urban herb garden. You don’t need a nearby country lane to reap the benefits of home grown organic herbs. Herbs are hearty and forgiving plants that will tolerate even poor soil and still produce a bumper crop of tasty leaves if you keep a few things in mind.

Purchase the Right Herbs

Make sure that you purchase herb plants that are certified organic. If you start from seed there are several companies that produce organic. Buying organic seed helps to support organic farms and ensures that there are no GMOs or chemicals added to the seeds.

Herbs Need Loose Soil

Although many herbs are famous for flourishing in nutrient poor soils, they almost all require good water drainage. Amendments that lighten the soil, like sand and peat, as well as some organic enrichment from organic potting mix or compost, will give herb seedlings a better start in life.

Most Herbs are Sun Worshippers

Herbs, like oregano, thyme, chives, and sage, need lots of light. If you have problems with shade from tall buildings, consider growing herbs indoors near a sunny window or using a hydroponic setup. Hydroponics, or soilless gardening, uses synthetic sunlight from special bulbs to furnish plants with adequate light, and the presence of instantly available nutrients in the water makes it possible to keep more plants in less space. An indoor hydroponic herb garden can be a tasty alternative in locations where no ground space is available or your garden can’t provide six hours of light daily.

Give Herbs Enough Water

Herbs, like mint, parsley, basil and dill need regular watering. If you can’t rely on nature to always do the honors, try using a drip irrigation system, or check out the feasibility of harvesting rainfall in a rain barrel. Some rain barrels have a bypass valve that will only start accumulating water after the first rains have washed the pollution out of the air.

Herbs smell great and have many uses, both in the kitchen and in your medicine cabinet. Once you have your own urban herb garden, you’ll be snipping chives for your potatoes and making pesto in no time.

Going Green with Hip Moms Go Green is fun and attainable. We're dedicated to empowering you to simultaneously effect a healthful difference in the lives of your children and planet. Whether you're looking for tips on how to make your existing home green, want to identify creative ways to share environmental and social responsibility with your little ones, or incorporate nutrient-dense foods into your family's diet in a delicious way, HipMomsGoGreen is your ultimate resource. We bring all of your favorite eco-topics and products to the table to make going green part of your everyday life.