Although water is essential for humans, yet we waste it every day, thinking that we have enough. Equally we do with our time! There have appeared many gadgets that promises water-saving but requires complicated assembling or a too long user manual.

We are therefore pleased to hear about WaterPebble, a fantastic gadget, which is teaching us how to save water in the most simple way. It looks like a soap bubble, but placed in the bathtub, it monitors the time spent under the shower, announcing us with a red light when it is time to finish. Every time it is used, gradually reduces the time taken under the shower (with approximately 7 seconds), thus by every passing day the quantity of water that you use will be reduced. Take a step towards an eco life, reduce your water bill and push back the deadline! It’s also more pleasant to be alerted by a gadget that it’s time to get out of the bathroom, than the whole family knocking at the door. It’s also great for kids!

Though it looks very nice, like a soap bubble, WaterPebble is not a toy. You do not to mount the pebble anywhere. All you have to do is to place it in the bathtub. There is no need to switch it on or to stop it. WaterPebble battery will work in normal conditions around 4-6 months and it can be reset anytime you want. Placed in the bath tub, WaterPebble memorizes the duration of the first shower and uses it as a reference point. Before you acknowledge, it will reduce the time wasted under the shower with approx. 6 minutes, saving in average 20 liters of hot water per day per person.

WaterPebble will alert you through a light-indicator how much time you have available. Green means you can start the shower. Orange means you are halfway through resources available. Red means it’s time to turn off the water. The goal is simply to finish the shower before the red light to light up thus setting a new personal record time for shower. Isn’t it funny?

At the beginning of humanity, people had no electricity but they were living healthier, in accordance with the laws of nature, protected by a friendly environment. They knew how to use natural resources for their benefit without harming or damaging the nature. Meanwhile, things have changed and technology has replaced the natural ways of living. Nowadays, people consciously aware of the degree of pollution which is increasingly high, due to my massive industrialization, started environmental education campaigns, considering that one can live comfortably using natural resources rationally and by using inexhaustible natural resources such as sunlight, in their favor.

In 1952, in the Bell Laboratories from Princeton, New Jersey, three researchers have discovered that the sun’s rays falling on silica material is producing electricity. Being very expensive at first, solar cells could be used only for very valuable objectives, such as the power sources of satellites. Also, Pocket calculators are powered by a thin strip of silica.

But at the end of 2000, about 1 million homes around the world were supplied with electricity produced by solar cell plants. This source of energy could become an alternative for those inhabitants of Earth who have no access to electricity or cannot afford electricity. Even now, in Peru, in some villages, families spend about $ 4 per month on candles.

Increased sales of solar cells presented an average of 20% from 1990 to 2000. After the year 2000, this percentage increased sharply to 43%.The leading producers of solar cells are Japan, the United States and European Union. In Japan this industry relies on the financial subsidization for people that are buying this kind of systems. In Germany, this system brings benefits to encourage investors for example uses low-interest loans and bonus offers prices for solar electricity consumers. In the United States are carried programs to install solar cells.

The potential that solar arena has is enormous. Some studies have shown that even in the climate of the British Isles, which is very cloudy, installing solar cells on roofs can produce a quantity equal to half of UK electricity needs. The price of solar cells decreases more and more, so it becomes more accessible.

Research on photoelectric technology optimization takes place in hundreds of laboratories and always are announces different news in this domain, whether it comes to their design, whether it comes to solar cell production technology.

It is important that individuals understand and realize the environmental benefits of these new systems that are substantially reducing the resource consumption.

Nature has always been close to us! Why cannot we be close to it?

Earth is slowly diminishing its resources. That is why all people must take a stand. Even the small gesture of going green is “appreciated” by Mother Nature. If you think that going green seems very difficult, don’t think about big plans at first. The first step you can take is right in your own home. Recycling is a good way to start. That way you will be one of the many people that took a stand, even if it is a small part of what really means to “go green”. Buying and using things that are green will make your life better and you will be appreciated by other people.

If you think hard of how to be clean and green at home you will certainly find more than 26 ways of doing so. The most important thing is that you take it step by step and in the process you can convince other people, such as family, neighbors and friends to do what you do. A small step for you can be a big step for earth. You can also consider the fact that you are not the only one that tries to protect earth and there are a lot of people out there who are also doing the same things as you, so, if you do not know what else you can do to protect earth, you can ask others or you can go online to see what people are saying about this “fashion”.

Among others, you should also know that old windows and doors let the heat out and so you will need to make sure that does not happen. That way, you will conserve energy and this is also a “going green” attitude. As I said, every little gesture counts and this can ensure a better life not only for you, but for everyone on the planet.

Recent research explains why traditional diets are no longer effective:  due to obesity substances contained by the food from “supermarket”. The U.S. government recently announced that it has discovered a new threat to health and safety of Americans. It is not about any aggressive nation or a terrorist organization. We are talking about a class of chemical substances, responsible for the “fattening” of Americans. They are called “endocrine- disrupting chemicals (EDC)” and everyone eats them.

Commission for combating obesity on children from the White House discovered that EDC substances can trigger weight gain and obesity. What does this mean? It means that weight gain is not just about the ratio between calories ingested and calories burned. Obesity cannot be placed ​​solely on account of too much fast food and too little exercises, it must also be taken into account this very dangerous substances. These are synthetic compounds that are working in the body, miming estrogen functions, a female hormone commonly used in medical treatments.

Why traditional diets are not working anymore?

The endocrine system consists from all cells and glands producing hormones, coordinating the activities of the entire body. Growth and development, sexual function, reproductive process, sleep, hunger, stress, metabolism, are all “controlled” by hormones. If you are tall or short, fat or thin it is the effect of your endocrine system activity, a very fine-adjusted activity and that can be easily destabilized.

The effect of EDC substances is why traditional diets are not working anymore. According to experts, it almost is useless to remove from your diet all your favorite foods, burgers, pasta or ice cream.

The four golden rules against EDC

Rule no. 1: Learn when you have to pass on organic

According to recent studies, eating organic five days a week means reducing EDC pesticides from the body to undetectable levels.

Rule no. 2: Do not eat plastic

It’s not about plastic itself, but about the chemicals found in plastic containers. 93% of Americans have detectable levels of bisphenol-A (BPA) in the body, this substance being responsible for gaining weight.

Rule no. 3: Avoid fats

Always choose low-fat meat and that produced without artificial hormones. Grass-fed beef, for example, contains 60% more Omega-3, 200% more vitamin E and three times more linoleic acid, which can help weight loss.

Rule no. 4. Filter the water

The best way to avoid EDC pesticides from tap water is the installation of carbon filters. They usually manage to remove most pesticides and pollutants from water.

A report of the SDC (Sustainable Development Commission), an organization from the United Kingdom of Great Britain recommends the reduction of waste and food rich in fats and sugars. The report recently published by SDC, highlights the fact that the elimination of waste, reducing foods high in fats and sugars, meat and dairy products would have a huge contribution in improving health and reducing the negative impact of the food system on the environment.

Called “Setting the Table” and developed by Defra, the study offers advices to the government in terms of the primordial elements aimed at sustainability and evaluates the impact of changing food consumption patterns on the environment and health. The conclusion reached is that there are numerous evidences that changes in the feeding behavior, that are beneficial to the environment also have the advantage of health and nutrition improvement.

The food grid and eating habits have a significant impact on the environment, also affecting the health. About 18% of the emissions of greenhouse gases from the UK are due to production and food consumption. Also, an estimated 70,000 premature deaths in the Anglo-Saxon country could be avoided if the British people’s diet would be as indicated by the nutritionists.

The SDC study also revealed that by eating fish from reliable, sustainable sources, seasonal eating, avoiding bottled water, purchases made ​​without using cars or Internet, and through the consumption of organic foods, which protects the animals, would contribute greatly to a safer and healthier diet. However, the most important benefits in terms of environment and health are resulting from reducing the consumption of meat, dairy products and eliminating the consumption of foods and beverages with low nutritional content, including those rich in fats and sugars, as well as reducing food waste.

The SDC insists on the government involvement in the issue of food system, which, according to them, should incorporate the criteria set by environmental, and public health, but also the imperative requirement that the public catering sector standards include sustainability criteria. It is also recommended conducting further studies on some “hot spots” in terms of sustainability, including meat, dairy, fish, soy and palm oil, and how different production methods affect the sustainability.

It is true that these things take time to become workable but the active involvement of individuals is the first step towards a healthy environment and healthy living. The way we eat can become a self-destructive element. Also, what we eat can have devastating effects on health. It is necessary to get closer to nature and to what the Earth gives us to reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Many of you heard about reducing waste, reusing and recycling. In the “go green fashion” these three components are known as “The 3 R’s”. You can imagine that nowadays they became extremely important in everyone’s lives. In the US each and every person generates wastes around 4.5 pounds each day. It is the leader in the industrialized world regarding waste generation. Americans are the highest recyclers and these levels can generate electricity for about nine million houses. Even so, we all can do better that that.

There are many ways for you to recycle at home and you can easily become one of those who care about earth and want only what’s best for it. For example, in case you are eating out because you do not want to cook at home, you can take with you a doggie bag and take the leftovers with you. You can put them in your refrigerator and you can start eating them another time when you are hungry. They will be fresh and just good to be eaten. Also, you can set up some sort of compost pile inside your own garden where you will be able to recycle the organic waste.

The pile can be made of clippings as well as newspapers. You can also think about disposing of some or all of the chemicals you might have inside your house, like oils, pesticides, cleaners or paints because these contain ingredients that are potentially hazardous and they must be treated in a special way. You can not dispose of them just by pouring these on the ground, to the drain or perhaps in the sewers or putting them in the trash. There is a local waste deposit and you should find out which waste materials are accepted by these so you can bring them there.

Green materials have become more and more used in the entire world. People are trying to go green and they also try to make others follow this path. We all know that earth needs to be protected against bad chemicals or pollution or things that can damage it because it can not protect itself. The problem is that not every time people can choose green products or technology over the regular one because sometimes it is more expensive and not everyone affords it.

So, even if you hear things like “they are really more costly” when referring to green products, it could be true – take into account what you can get while using eco-friendly systems. A property fueled by solar powered energy is really is more costly to create, but energy source is definitely clean, plentiful and costs even less in the period right after set up. A home operated by solar power panels is not going to pay off a lot of expenses (like electrical energy) and others in a small degree (heat). It is true that on the long term green technology is better and more suitable but, what happens to people who cannot afford installing solar panels or technology that can replace the regular one?

Even if on the long term it helps us all indeed, we must consider these aspects when talking about green technology. That is why it’s important to generally keep up-to-date with developments in sectors of interest.

Technology can be clean and in every single zone advancement has been made, much larger or perhaps smaller, however place some sort of label on the products and the actual cost enhances for the reason that it is green however, isn’t only limited, but probably unjust regarding clients. When it comes to entering this particular “fashion”, you should consider all ups and downs.

Ecoist and the Coca-Cola Company renewed their partnership and created this time limited edition bags, the new line of accessories being made of refurbished labels of Coca-Cola bottles. This new type of bags has the role to reduce the quantity of materials that are getting into the waste deposits.

The idea from where it started was to develop a line of eco-friendly products, one that has to inspire the consumers, helping them to see in a different way the things that they are not using anymore and having the tendency to throw them.

Ecoist, the company that launched bags made of candy packages has just renewed its collection with labels from Coca – Cola refreshing soda bottles. The collection, which is limited edition, contains products made from labels of Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Diet Cherry Coke. Using the graphic elements of labels in different, distinctive and even unexpected ways, the new Coca- Cola bags by Ecoist combined patented Coca- Cola patterns with abstract models resulting bags of different shapes and forms.

From its first launch in 2007, the partnership between Ecoist and Coca- Cola managed to avoid the throwing of one million labels from Coca- Cola packages into waste deposits from North America, this way helping Coca- Cola to get closer of its goal of having almost zero production of waste. In addition, they also planted a number of 5.000 trees through the program “Buy a Bag, Plant a Tree”, an engagement of them according to which for every bag sold, a tree will be planted.

Ecoist bags are made on the specific style of the company, labels being cut, arranged and sewed manually. The production is also made entirely manually by handy artisans from Peru, respecting the “Fair Trade” practices. Founded in 2004, Ecoist is known for its line of bags achieved from packages of out of date candies, food packages and labels from refreshing sodas, its list of partners being in a continuous extension and including Coca- Cola, Frito-Lay, Mars, Disney, Cliff Bar and AVEDA among others.

Ecoist is based on the production of accessory clothes for individuals interested by on eco living. The objective of the company is to combine the design with social and ecological knowledge, to provide sustainable, functional and interesting products, which will be very appreciated by their owners.  The collection is available via the distribution network of Ecoist and in the location of Coca- Cola, in Atlanta, Georgia.

In recent years, the marketing of natural and organic cosmetics is becoming increasingly important. After the textile and food products, green personal care cosmetics become more accessible to all. Here you can talk about beauty products that can be manufactured at home from basic products, which at their origin are not categorized as cosmetics such as ex scrub with sugar crystals and chocolate beauty mask. You can also use sesame oil, sugar cane, cocoa powder and many others.

A cosmetic product, in general and in any form, is necessarily composed of active ingredients, excipients and additives. A green personal care product is composed of 35% active ingredients, while a traditional product contains less than 1%. The additives that are present in ordinary products are absent in green personal care products and this is a real feast for the skin. In addition, the packagings of these green products are recyclable and no tests were conducted on the animals. The label of a green personal care product must prove that it complies with some very strict rules: no perfume, no colorant, no artificial preservatives, no synthetic products, alcohol free, wax, Vaseline or glycerin.

Product compounds should not have undergone any chemical treatment whatsoever. What you need to remember is that a cosmetic product must have a minimum of 70% biological compounds to be called a “green product”.

Indispensable for modern men and women, deodorant imposed itself in recent years, in a society where you have to feel good hiding own body odors. But the use of deodorants that contain various ingredients such as: silicone aluminum hydrochloride and other chemical stuff can lead to allergies, deregulations due to perspiration blockages, breast cancer and nodes especially for women who use aluminum-based compound deodorants. It was discovered that the alum stone, a mineral that treats your body with respect, and which was once used to calm wounds caused by shaving razor, can be successfully used as a replacement for deodorant.

Green Wrinkle Creams are effective. Green products are based, unlike traditional cosmetics, on the effectiveness of plants. These have doses of vitamin E with known properties for combating free radicals and vitamin C, known for its participation in collagen synthesis and lighting the skin.

Green personal care products are better for the ecosystem and health. They protect the environment as much as possible, because they are biodegradable and contain no harmful synthetic materials. In terms of health, benefits are certain, because natural active ingredients used are improving the functioning of cells and do not modify or stimulates them in an excessive manner, by artificial processes.

Ecology is an increasingly important subject today. Green living idea was born as a result of the fact that more and more people live crowded into concrete and the nature is swallowed by the cities. As a result of urban congestion, daily life has become a stress factor and people begin to seek alternative solutions to be able to breathe healthy air, began to change their habits to save the planet’s resources and their own resources.

Thus, it was created the concept of environmental education. Environmental education is studying the influence of human activities on the environment. The Environmental Education is based on knowledge about social and ecological systems, but also has an emotional component: the responsibility domain and the system of values ​​and attitudes needed to build a sustainable and responsible society.

It is important that the knowledge you learn in Environmental Education to be put into practice at home. There are many ways that we can become green at home. Below you will find some ways to go green at home.

• Make sure you have replaced all old light bulbs with some green. CFL bulbs (compact fluorescent light) help you make a saving of up to 80%. In addition lasts ten times longer than the conventional bulbs. Even better news is that there is an even more environmentally friendly alternative – LED bulbs.
• Make sure you always, but always, turn off the lights when you leave the room. I know, is the most banal advice as possible but also the most difficult to follow.

• When buying an appliance, make sure you have the energy class A + or A + +. Sure, it’s primarily lower power consumption. Sometimes you’ll find that economies go up to 50%.
• Unplug all electrical appliances when not using them. TV, DVD, computer, home cinema or hi-fi devices are real ‘energy vampires’, even if they are on standby or off mode. Not to mention the phone and laptop chargers, that we most often forget plugged (you can figure out that they continue to consume, because they are hot when you touch them). So the solution is to remove them from the socket. Or to use sockets with button to completely interrupt the power supply.
• Thermally isolate windows and doors. Especially old windows can be a source of heat loss. Not just the window, but also the carpentry or improper locking systems. It’s very simple and fun to isolate yourself with adhesive strips that can be found everywhere in the trading.