Green Grandma named a Most Influential Green Living Blogger 2015!

The last couple of days have really been something. First, the Green Grandma Facebook Page garnered its 10,000th 'like.' (Had to do a little happy dance on that one!) Then, I woke up today to this news: Green Grandma has been named a Most Influential Green Living Blogger 2015 by The PlushBeds Family. 

The qualifications are as follows:

• merit as a blogger
• the type of useful content shared that can be acted upon for the betterment of individuals and society as a whole
• the interaction between the blogger and their audience
• the regularity of posts with fresh, new content
• accomplishments and notable pursuits offline
• promotion of social and ethical causes and principles 

I join other blogs I'm familiar with and admire, like The Holistic Mama, The Pistachio Project, Big Green Purse, and Happy Mothering, as well as some I'm looking forward to delving into, such as Our Daily Green, Simple.Green.Organic.Happy, Green Living Guy, and more!

If you're looking for tips on living a more eco-friendly life, The PlushBeds Family has put together quite a list! I hope you'll check it out!

Honored to be honored,

Fifteen simple changes we all can make starting today!

This is a sponsored post. I received compensation and/or product in exchange for this post. However, all opinions are my own and were not influenced by what I received.

Happy Earth Day 2014!

I started my day by heading to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh where my granddaughter was being seen in the Emergency Room. She had a 105.6 fever and it was a bit scary. Fortunately, she was released a few hours later, with a much lower temperature and a diagnosis of an unknown virus.

Needless to say, this threw off my plans for the day, which included writing this post before noon. Ahh well. The best laid plans of mice and men...

This year, I've teamed up with the good folks at Conserving Now to offer you some good information about greener living and to give away an Omnisax bag (winner's choice) to one lucky reader.

In a previous blog post, I already told you about the fantastic classroom kits Conserving Now had available to help teachers guide their students to greener living. Today's post honors Earth Day by giving you fifteen great tips from Conserving Now that can help you live greener lives, too.

Fifteen Simple Changes We Can All Make -- Starting Now!

1. Start carrying a reusable bag whenever you are shopping.
2. Bring a travel mug to your favorite coffee shop.
3. Walk to the park.
4. Start using rechargeable batteries.
5. As old light bulbs burn out, start buying and using LED light bulbs.
6. Switch to homemade or store-bought natural cleaners. (Check out my book Vinegar Fridays for tips and recipes for cleaning with vinegar.)
7. Stop using paper plates.
8. Buy a bunch of tea towels and ban paper towels from your home.
9. Build a backyard compost bin.
10. Install a water-saving shower head.
11. Invest in cloth napkins and stop buying paper ones!
12. Turn your thermostat down at night or when you're at work (during the cold weather).
13. If you're not doing it already, start recycling!
14. Carpool with coworkers or friends who work close to your office.
15. Donate your old cell phone to a charity.

Simple, right? There's no reason why you can't do every one of these, or nearly one of them. Will it make a difference? Absolutely.

So why not start off with reusable bags? I personally love my Omnisax bags (formerly Envirosax bags). I have a whole bunch of them and I've given many away as gifts. They are durable and slip easily into your purse so you can always have one or two available. They hold a ton. Well, not really a ton, but they can hold up to 44 pounds, which seems like a ton when you're lugging the goods very far! And, since the Omnisax bags are machine washable, they are perfect for taking to the grocery store for meat or produce. No cross-contamination going on here. Just toss the bag into the wash when you get home.

Entering is easy and is for residents of the U.S. who are 18 and older. The contest runs through April 30 12:00 a.m. ET. Entries will be verified. Winner has 48 hours to respond to email. If there is no response, an alternate winner will be chosen. Good luck!



 


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Some quick green tips for summer

Photo by Petr Kratochvil

Did you know a dirty lawnmower has to work harder and use more gasoline than a clean one? That's why you should always clear the underside of any grass/leave clippings after you're done mowing your lawn. Or, if you really care about greening your lawn care, why not switch to a hand pushed lawn mower? In this heat, it will be a good workout and you can skip the gym! Don't you love multi-tasking?! Here are some more ways you can live a little bit greener during these hot summer months:
• End of season savings are often found at your local greenhouse and garden centers. Grab some vines and shrubs to plant close to your house. They will actually help cool your house on these brutally hot days, as well as keep things a bit toastier in the winter. Natural insulation. Who knew? Of course, you don't want vines climbing the siding on your house, as that can cause some damage.
• Purchasing an Energy Star dehumidifier or two and running it/them on hot, muggy days can keep your house feeling a bit more comfortable. If you use AC, you can even hike the temp up a bit as the dehumifiers suck the moisture out of the air.
• If you have electrostatic filters on your AC system, make sure you clean them monthly. Simply use cold water and a soft brush or run them through a gentle cycle in your dishwasher. Do not dry in the diswasher, however!! Air dry the filters before replacing them.
• Continuing on the AC route ... schedule an appointment with your HVAC guy (or gal) to recharge and recycle the refrigerant in you AC system every 2 years.
• If you have vents in your basement, close them during the summer. Why cool an area that's naturally cool already? If the basement is damp, this is a perfect instance where a dehumidifier would be helpful.
• Is your upstairs considerably warmer than your first floor? That makes sense, since hot air rises. With my second-floor office simply not cooling down enough, we ended up hanging an insulated curtain at the top of the steps. It really helped in cooling the upstairs. Also, if you have ceiling fans, set them to rotate counter-clockwise. This will draw the warmer air upward and away from you.
• There's no doubt you already know to clean your lint catcher in your dryer. But how often do you clean the vent leading outside your house? A cleaner system leads to more efficient operation. Of course, hanging laundry on the line is the greenest option, you know : )
• Other than running errands around town, it is more efficient to run your car's AC than it is to drive with the windows open. Why? Simply because the open windows increase drag. The result? A loss of up to 10% in your mileage. Ouch.

Okay, time for me to get to work. Hope you found these tips helpful.

Keeping it green,

Hana