Maureen Wise

We know that most people consider Spring and Summer to be the most important times of year to maintain and care for their lawns. In Autumn, most homeowners are more concerned about getting rid of fallen leaves and putting up Christmas decorations. We’d like to encourage you to keep paying attention to your lawn for a few more months!

There’s been some panicked press and a lot of concern about the Spotted Lanternfly arriving in both Ohio and Indiana recently. The insect was identified very near Ohio in 2019 and then actually found in Ohio in Mingo Junction in 2020.

For many people who make an effort to live sustainability, it's equally important that the end of their lives are environmentally conscious as well. But what is a green funeral? The Conservation Burial Alliance defines it as "a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat."

Eggshells that might otherwise get thrown in your kitchen trash can—and end up in a landfill—can be used to benefit both plants and animals in your backyard. How to use eggshells in the garden depends on if you are a veggie gardener, a birder, or a flower gardener.

Have you heard about the slow drain on your electricity from appliances, known as “vampire loads,” “phantom loads,” or “standby energy drain”? These are the oh-so-scary loads of electricity that our electronic devices and appliances suck out of outlets even when we don’t have them turned on.

Alec McClennan, Good Nature Organic Lawn Care’s founder and CEO, has shared his passion for chemical-free lawns since 1999. He is a frequent speaker on the topic at conferences and other events.

There’s no doubt that single-serve coffee makers are downright convenient. Java drinkers can make just one cup of coffee to their exact liking while their housemates, office mates, or clients can make coffee (or tea, hot chocolate, chai) to their own personal tastes. No more arguments over how dark or light or which flavor to brew the community coffee pot. The major downside to a single-serve coffee maker is the plastic pod that remains after you make the coffee.

The average cost of tree removal is estimated at $985. If you’re looking to remove the stump along with the tree, it will cost an average of $1,072. However, the cost to remove a tree can vary greatly — from about $155-$230 per tree on the low end to over $2,000 on the high end.

There’s a new threat to your lush lawn this year in the Midwest: the Fall Armyworm. The thing is, they’re not worms and your organic lawn will probably recover easily if you see an invasion.

People in the United States are consuming more meat and dairy alternatives. Statista recently reported that sales of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are soaring. Purchases of milk alternatives such as almond milk, soy milk, and oat milk increased 20% in 2020 compared to the previous year with total sales of $2.5 billion. Sales of meat alternatives rose 45% in 2020 compared to 2019 with total sales at $1.4 billion.

Unless you live in an area that has banned single-use plastic shopping bags, you likely can't avoid them. From the grocery store to take-out orders at your favorite Chinese food place, plastic bags are everywhere. Your local group might even hand over some of their locally grown produce in plastic bags.

Americans purchase billions of batteries every year to power toys, cell phones, clocks, watches, laptops, portable power tools, rechargeable vacuums, radios, smoke detectors, remote controls, and so much more. When they no longer hold their charge, it’s always a good idea to recycle them – and in some cases, it’s the law. This guide reviews common battery types you use at home and how to recycle them.

Are you a crafter or an artist who likes to experiment with different materials? If so, you probably are already familiar with your local creative reuse center. But if your community doesn’t have a creative reuse center, this may be something you’d like to get started locally. If so, this article is for you.

Do you have a craft stash at your home? In your collection of crafting supplies, do you have partially used paints that you know you’ll never use again or a partial packet of buttons? Maybe you have irregular pieces of fabric, foam, and felt. Or there’s a third of a skein of yarn that just won’t match anything, half a sheet of stickers for a very specific project, crayon stubs, worn-out paintbrushes, outdated cake toppers, or any other leftover materials from your crafting projects.

Look around your bathroom and you'll likely find a lot of plastic that can't be recycled, including toothbrushes, floss containers and floss itself, feminine products, deodorant containers, and toothpaste tubes. The latter of these tends to be especially confounding to recycle because it's hard to tell what materials are even used to make these tubes.
So, are toothpaste tubes recyclable, and can they go anywhere beyond the landfill once they're empty?