Maureen Wise

Cucumbers are a vegetable of choice for many Midwestern gardeners. They are relatively easy to grow and cucumbers are a family favorite, eaten on their own with just a few seasonings, in salads, or preserved by pickling.
However, if you are a cucumber gardener and your plants aren’t thriving, it’s likely you have a beetle problem. Cucumber beetles are hard to get rid of, but there are many organic methods to stop the destruction they inflict on your crop.
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When it comes to greening your wardrobe, a lot depends on what you do with your clothing at the end of its usefulness to you. We urge you to never send clothing to the landfill. Textile recycling is alive and well in the United States. Almost always, nonprofits that accept donations of clothing will recycle articles that are not reusable.
Underwear is sometimes an exception with clothing donations, for obvious sanitary reasons.

If your shower has a plastic curtain or liner, has it seen better days? If so, you may be wondering if you can recycle it. It might seem like you could recycle this big sheet of plastic like you do plastic bottles and grocery bags — but you probably can’t.
Let’s look at how you might recycle your plastic shower curtain. We’ll also consider some better options to take its place and some ways you can reuse that old shower curtain to extend its useful life.

We all know climate change is a critical issue in our world, but with both the environment and global politics changing minute by minute, it can be difficult to understand all the nuances of this concerning phenomenon. But with a little background knowledge, we all have the power to make small adjustments to some daily behaviors to help counteract climate change on an individual and family level. Together, we can make a difference.

If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you understand the value of caring for the natural world. Minimizing your impact on the places you visit helps preserve nature’s beauty for you and other visitors to enjoy. And by preserving habitat, you help protect the wildlife and plants that make the destination so special.

Choosing to take a bath over a shower or vice versa often depends on what kind of mood you're in and what you're setting out to accomplish—whether you need to quickly clean yourself up or just want to soak and relax. But what if there's more to consider when choosing between the two—specifically, which one is better for the environment? Let's settle the bath vs. shower water usage debate.

Choosing a renewable power source to heat your home lessens your environmental footprint. Renewable energy (such as solar and wind power) is nearly infinite, while nonrenewable (burning coal or natural gas) will become depleted and generally creates more pollution. Today, we're talking about geothermal home heating and cooling.

Looking for a fun and healthy way to spend time with your kids this winter? Get outside and help them connect to the natural world — take them on a winter nature scavenger hunt! There’s plenty for them to discover, even in the colder season.

Are you on your way to a zero waste household? If you haul your trash to the curb every week in a plastic trash bag, figuring out a more sustainable alternative to that plastic bag can be challenging. We’ve rounded up a few greener trash bag alternatives for your consideration to help you reduce your single-use plastic trash bag consumption.

These days, CDs are a thing of the past—most of us are using music streaming services. So what do you do with all those old relics stashed in your basement or attic? If you're looking for how to recycle CDs or use them for upcycling crafts, we've got answers!
CDs can be trickier than other items to recycle, and sending them to landfills is discouraged.

The leftover food scraps generated from preparing meals is a constant waste in just about every home. Prepared food leftovers also create waste when not eaten. A recent study from Penn State shows that an average family wastes about 30% of their food.

Between used floss strands, empty shampoo bottles, and spent loofahs, the products we all use in our bathrooms create significant waste. Let's talk about eco-friendly bathroom products and how to make our bathrooms and their contents greener.

If you’re getting your meals delivered, you may already have a collection of cold packs. These gel-filled plastic bags do a great job of keeping perishable food chilled. But what do you do with the cold packs after you’ve unpacked your delivery?

It’s gift-giving season! With Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, winter solstice, New Year’s celebrations, and winter birthdays upon us, you’re likely thinking about finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones. And before you hand over your gift, you are probably going to wrap it in festive wrapping. But before you purchase traditional wrapping paper and bows, review our waste-free gift wrapping alternatives for a green holiday season.

For those embarking on a journey to make their home zero-waste, the kitchen—with food scraps and plastic food packaging galore—may be the most daunting room to tackle. But don't worry! With some research and planning, you can achieve the zero-waste kitchen you've been dreaming of!