Sometimes it's easy to choose the greenest way forward. This is one of those other times. Artificial grass: once a novelty affordable only by the wealthiest sports-grounds, it's now set to conquer the domestic markets as a green product. But which grass is greener - the real thing or the Brady Bunch stuff?

Near-Zero Maintenance. Save reservoirs of water (can't get greener than that), doesn't get churned up into ugly bald patches, and has a longer "life" than grass. It doesn't matter how eco-friendly your mower is - ditch it.
Gets rid of unwanted plastics. You're standing on recycled tires. (And no, if it catches fire it won't burn for a decade).
Hygiene-Friendly. SynLawn recently released a version that's porous and anti-bacteriological - music to the ears of pet-owners. Extra chemicals? An estimated 70 million pounds of pesticides and fertilizer dousing U.S. lawns every year? Not on this.
Is that a gasoline-powered mower I see in your garage? Oh dear - and you call yourself green.


Lawns just don't help the environment - they are the environment (pdf). Cleaning the air, sustaining microbial life, providing worms for birds, and so on. Take lawns away, and our suburban ecology falls apart.
It's your garden - it's meant to be tended. That's how you develop a relationship with it, one where you both grow. It's a living thing, not an inanimate appliance. (You work in I.T., right?).
When the sun's out, plastic turf heats up something rotten - up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, some say. Even if that insufficient to actually melt a plastic tire, surely the fumes will be toxic enough.
Lawns are carbon sinks: admittedly this is offset by their maintenance, but even so, the 40 million acres of American lawns filter in the region of 13 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually (estimates Brendan Koerner for Slate).

Difficult to know where to stand, isn't it?

Image: kevindooley

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As the sun moves through its yearly apex, the bright rays shine through my windows and bring light to all those dirty little things I was able to ignore in the darker winter months. There are great tips all over EcoSalon for naturally removing the nitty gritty from your kitchen and your clothes. But now I need to polish my silver earrings, shine my Tibetan singing bowl and make my iron skillet look pretty enough to cook in again.

Here are some old-fashioned, non-toxic ways to clean metal:

Iron: Scrub down your iron item with a little water and some steel wool. Once it’s clean, let it dry completely and rub in a little oil to keep it from rusting again.

Silver: Make a paste out of baking soda and water. Leave it on the silver for a minute, rinse with hot water and polish! If your silver is heavily tarnished, leave the paste on for an hour.

Pewter: Pewter can be washed in warm, soapy water and then polished clean.

Chrome: A lot of places recommend cleaning chrome with diluted ammonia, but that’s not something I want to keep around my house. Try rubbing the chrome with a piece of aluminum foil dipped in white vinegar instead.

Brass and Copper: Years ago a friend recommended ketchup for cleaning my copper bracelet, and it worked! It’s the acidity that does the cleaning, so a mix of lemon juice and baking soda will do the trick. If the tarnish is too heavy, soak your items in hot vinegar and salt until you see the shine, then take it out and rinse.

Et voila! Sit back and enjoy the shine, chemical free!

Image: Jones G Gallery

via The Good Human

A truly modern city is one that's overgrown.

I love cities. In Rome last month, I was fascinated by how Italians utilized every corner of their balconies and gardens (more so in the Republic of Georgia) - admittedly as much for rusting motorbike/moped parts as for greenery. That's men for you. But it struck me how this most ancient of European cities has evolved - in some places at least - into the very synergy of nature and culture that modern designers are falling over themselves to create from scratch.

That means growing things. That's the personal call to arms of the city dweller, the would-be guerrilla gardener, the committed gastronaut. It's a cinch to line windowsills and balconies with pots and baskets. There are even kits to do half the work for you, like the Miniature Edible Garden Kit, or the "herb eggs" we reported on recently. Your own fresh oregano and mint makes dishes like this toe-wigglingly delicious - grow nettle and dandelion, and you're on the way to a free, healing green tea every morning. The list heads over the horizon. Feeling more adventurous? Have a read of this blog from a balcony-growing enthusiast.

But it's not just about saving money, it's about ownership. The best way to live in a city is to care about it; to want it to have a positive effect on yourself and those around you. A city neglected by its occupants feels ugly and unappreciated. So let your plants run riot over the wood and concrete - beautiful and useful. Bring your city to life!

Image: bluelemur

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You hear cynics say that bringing your own grocery bags to the store isn't going to make a difference. That we need to get industry to stop polluting and government to commit to renewable energy. And then they say, with none-too-little smugness: "But hey...go ahead and do it if it makes you feel better."

Why, thank you, I will!

However much we do need more government and industry commitment, I find this attitude not only infuriating and condescending but also dangerous. Yes, dangerous. This is just the kind of talk that makes people throw up their hands and say, "Screw it, I'm not going to compost. It's messy and a lot of trouble and it doesn't do any good anyway. I'm going to buy bottled water and throw away the bottles while I'm at it. And I'm going to drive the biggest car I can find and eat an 8-oz. steak every day."

Smug: we could use less of it.

The fact is, this attitude that it's somehow "not our job" or futile to "do our part" is relatively new. Americans used roll up their sleeves to do the hard work. Do World War II, rationing, and Victory Gardens ring a bell? In that case, the government did inspire the people. In our current situation I think the people need to inspire the government. But however it happens, this stuff worked and can work now. (At one point, Victory Gardens supplied 41% of the produce consumed in the United States.) Now that's collective action at work. Isn't the survival of the planet at least as important as winning a war?

I didn't know until I started writing this, but Michael Pollan recently covered some of the same ground. Here's what he says. What do you think? How much do individual environmental choices matter? Or are they only really good for making us feel better?

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Image: Thiru Mirugan

I spent most of my youth outdoors, either running around the neighborhood with friends or on the tennis court or playing after school sports. Needless to say, the harsh southern California sun had its way with my skin. Terms like SPF or UV weren’t on the tips of everyone’s tongues just yet. We preferred Baby Oil and Ban de Soleil!

There isn’t much I can do to remedy the sun damage done. Instead I take seriously the warnings of my dermatologist and am hyper-vigilant about sunscreen. I have tried them all. Who wants the oily residue or the strong fragrance or the anti-eco ingredients most sunscreens contain? Clogged pores? Ugh.

SmartShield is my new favorite. It’s waterproof, sweat-proof and made especially for the active and eco-conscious. Petroleum free, marine safe and biodegradable, it absorbs quickly into the skin and won’t stain your clothes or leave your hands slippery. Smartshield sunscreens are used by serious athletes and the US Coast Guard, as well as fly fishermen and scuba divers.

I tried it for myself to see if it was good enough for you, our eco-chic readers. My conclusion: an eco thumbs up. Reasonably priced in lotion, spray, gel and towelettes, they even offer a self-tanner and after-sun gel. Available at SmartShield.

Go ahead, have some fun in the sun…without the sunburn or the burn on the environment.

Want more? Of course you do!

Luanne's sun protection guide and report on coral reef devastation.

Sara's eco-friendly picnic essentials.

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If you’ve ever considered vacationing in Taos, consider staying in an Earthship for the night. Earthships are surprising constructions,  made mainly from old tires, aluminum bottles and cans. Far from looking like a trash heap, Earthships are elegant, well-insulated and built to blend into the natural environment.

Located 15 minutes outside of Taos in the high New Mexican desert, HelioHouse’s Earthship serves as an educational, sustainable vacation rental and boasts comfortable furnishings, a full kitchen and beautiful views. They’ve even got wireless internet.

But besides the creature comforts, HelioHouse – and all Earthships – uses passive solar, passive ventilation, rainwater catchment, graywater systems, and onsite solar sewage treatment, to create off-grid, wholly sustainable living.

By staying at HelioHouse you can support innovative green design and at the same time learn about a very viable alternative, green building method. Consider this an education vacation.

Check out the DVD Garbage Warrior to learn more about Earthship innovator and biotect Michael Reynolds.

Here's one for you business owners. It seems everyone's aware of the wisdom of tote bags - even the plastic-mad British are wising up to the damage urban tumbleweed wreaks. So let's sing the praises of reusable tote bottles. Why the business angle? Because they're the savviest of marketing tools!

Plastic drinks bottles were always going to be trouble. (Ask Carmen Salva). The logic is damning: since they're designed to be throwaway, they're made super-cheaply, encouraging corner-cutting in the interests of profit-making. Counter-argument: they're thrown away before the chemicals do the consumer any damage. Counter-counter-argument: disregarding the toxins released when they degrade or combust, the argument still doesn't hold any water. So let's save some time and label them a menace, period.

Tote bottles are the way forward - and the way to look progressive and responsible. Business owners, take note: a custom tote bottle from companies like KleanKanteen or SIGG can be emblazoned with your logo, effortlessly improving your green-cred any time your customer gets thirsty. (Beware, though: bottles from, say, Nalgene still use the B.P.A. that has everyone worried. So, choose wisely).

And why not supplement it by following the German retail model - at the office canteen, add an extra charge to the price of plastic-bottled water, redeemable when the bottle is returned for recycling.

Image: judepics

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A summery weekend ahead - and there's no real excuse to be indoors during the day (no arguments, please). But if you find yourself online just now, here are a few links worth a read:

Whip Up are keen for us to reap the benefits of the homemade and the handcrafted: be sure to make some time for them.
Shown above: sea kelp is everywhere! Mostly in the sea, of course, but here on land we keep bumping into great sea kelp products (for example, in our first linky feature) - and now there's this Natural Hair Wash with Sea Kelp and Organic Kelp Shampoo Bar over at Pretty By Nature. It looks like chocolate. Can you eat the stuff as well? (Aha!).
Tracey "Tao" Oliveto has been looking at alternatives to plastic shower curtains (and finding that even antibacterial hemp needs a through-breeze to stay pristine.
Over at Grist, Katharine Wroth is getting in a lather over green dish soaps. Me, I like being up to my elbows in Ecover.
Shown above: Solar-powered gadgets over at Re-Nest: love the oven, not so convinced by the lighter (what's wrong with these?).
Recyclable plates that survive the microwave and the freezer....and they're made from fallen leaves and water? Yes, really. (Thanks, Triplepundit).
It's true - you can make notebooks out of anything - and as this article shows (found via Hippyshopper), that even includes tea tins.
Shown above: how much do we love recycled shipping containers? Answer: lots. Therefore we're floored (and walled and ceilinged) by the sheer genius of the illy Quick House, reported on by The Style Files.

We like the recycling suggestion by Tracey Stokes at eco street - turning washing machines into furniture! (Using up discarded items other people don't look twice at - that's classy).

Vanessa at GreenAsAThistle has just finished her 365-day lifestyle makeover. Wander back through her archives (here's day 1) and see how she found the experience.

Enjoy the sunshine!

The Guerrilla Gardeners have another weapon to use in the urban jungle. It's called the Bloom device - and it works like a dandelion.

When the wind whips through it, a dandelion "clock" (or "wishie", depending on where you are in the world) disperses into a multitude of single-seed fruits borne aloft on a tiny umbrella of fine, silvery hairs. The designers of the Bloom use soap bubbles (natural vegetable soaps and oils). Pedal fast enough on your bike, and enough wind enters the Bloom's air intake to force a bubble out the other end - containing a plant seed.

So as our Guerrilla Gardeners cycle through the streets of their towns, they leave a trail of bubbles in the air, dropping plant seeds into cracks in the sidewalk, wafting them into verges - into every conceivable nook and cranny where life can take root. It's a cheeky, quirky, organic process, and we love it. But others will regard it a nuisance, and they'll fight back. I wonder how?

- via Guy Kawasaki

Image: Society Creative IIc.

Everything really is going green. I suppose it was only a matter of time before producers came up with another idea for reality shows and home makeover editions. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not knocking Discovery Communications’ new Planet Green channel, which airs green lifestyle programming 24/7. I’m just wondering how many spins they can put on eco-sensitizing your life before becoming kitschy (or desperate).


With program names such as the G Word, Supper Club, Renovation Nation, and Mean Green Machines, these shows will be fun to watch once, but will enough people keep tuning in? Personally, I’ll stick to my online sources (ahem, EcoSalon).