Maureen Wise

Composting is the best way to get rid of your kitchen scraps without sending them to the landfill. And if you’ve been composting for a while, you may have already started experimenting with composting other items you don’t usually see in a list of materials you can compost. If you’re new to composting, you may be surprised by some of the items we suggest in this list things to compost.

What Are Wild Violets?
Wild Violets are perennial flowers with predictably dark purple flowers that bloom in the Spring. The flower color can vary from white or very light purple to blue-ish purple to dark purple. They have low-growing, waxy, dark green, heart-shaped leaves. The leaves form a cone and do not lose their color in the Fall or Winter. Their flowers attract pollinators in Spring and Summer. They grow in USDA Hardiness Zones (3-9), in the eastern part of the United States.

Making your home greener doesn't require major construction or spending a lot of money. Here are six low-cost, low-time-investment, eco-friendly home improvement projects to make your home greener today!

Mushrooms often invade our lawns in Autumn after a rain. They can appear very suddenly, even overnight. And frequently, en masse.
When invaded like this, you may feel a bit better knowing what kind of mushrooms are visiting your kingdom. Download iNaturalist or the Book of Mushrooms apps to try to identify your mushrooms. Even if do you ID them, do not eat them. Most mushrooms, while not totally poisonous, are going to give you a bad stomach ache and will not make you see psychedelic flowers....

When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, lots of people hit their local nature trails. Many hikers brought the iNaturalist app with them. This handy app makes it easy to identify and learn about your local flora and fauna.
When you identify plants and animals with iNaturalist, you can also contribute to citizen science and scientific studies. Since the coronavirus started, iNaturalist has seen a huge uptick in users and their observations. It has 100,000 more active users as of Septem...

Fewer than 10 colleges and universities have achieved carbon neutrality in the United States. This means that their input of energy, water, food, and so forth is equal to or less than their output. In other words, they have a “net-zero” carbon footprint.
Many institutions of higher education have goals of becoming carbon neutral, but most of these goals are 20 or more years in the future.

Whether you've tasted eucalyptus as a tea, smelled a candle scented with its oil, or hung a leafy eucalyptus wreath on your front door, you're likely familiar with how this beautiful plant can be much more than just another boost of green in your horticulture collection. If you're wondering how to grow eucalyptus indoors, we've got great news: it comes in all sizes!

Whether you use it regularly or not, your treadmill will eventually stop working. When mine was beyond repair, I was determined to recycle every part of the treadmill possible. Based on what I learned through this experience, I’ve put together some tips to help you responsibly dispose of your non-working treadmill.

What Are Mushrooms?
Mushrooms found in your lawn look a lot like those on your plate. They often have short, wide caps and a narrow stem, but there are many varieties. The job of all mushrooms is to help decompose rotting material. They thrive in moist, shady areas and grow most commonly in the Midwest in the Fall. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi in the soil. Typically mushrooms are a result of some kind of decomposing wood in the soil, often old or dead tree roots.

Warmer weather means more opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy nature, so why not have a meal outside with your family and friends this summer? A picnic can be a romantic time with your sweetie, a time to catch up with friends, or a fun time with the kids. And rest assured, you can host a picnic without compromising your commitment to the health of the planet—but it will take some planning. Here are some zero-waste picnic tips to help you prepare and have more fun outside.

As someone working on a book, you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you. There’s much to plot out, decisions of tone to be made, editing to be done, and then publishing and marketing. You have many a word to get up on the screen. I expect you could use some encouragement to keep working at it.

College may not nearly as social this year but you can still make it a sustainable experience. If you (or your kids) are heading to college this upcoming semester, it’s going to be a bit of a different experience than it has in the past.

Summer is one of the best times to get outside and enjoy nature's wonders. Hiking, biking, camping, and kayaking are all great ways to enjoy the outdoors with your friends and family. But, once you're indoors, you likely head straight for an air-conditioned space to cool down. Eco-conscious individuals may wonder about the environmental impact of air conditioning and how to choose more sustainable options. We've rounded up some sustainable air conditioning solutions as well as ways to cool yo...

What if there was a healthy alternative to mammal- or fowl-meat pet food? So, would you consider feeding bugs to your beloved dog?
As it turns out, insects like crickets are not only a great protein alternative to traditional animal proteins, they’re also a more sustainable choice.

Summer is here and it’s time to spend time outside on the lawn! A soft, green grassy area is the perfect spot to play cornhole, read a book, wrestle with the dog, or play tag with the kids. You’ve worked hard to make sure your lawn is healthy and comfortable. But what happens if you suddenly have an irregular dead patch of grass the color of straw? You may have a bout of Ascochyta Leaf Blight. This fungus can come on quickly! We have some tips to help you control Ascochyta Leaf Blight if you ...