Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year!

Take your green efforts one step further and incorporate it into your laundry room.  Did you know that washing your clothes in cold water will give you the same end result as hot water?….clean clothes.  However, you’ll save tons of cash on your electric bill.  It takes so much energy to heat all the water in your hot water tank.  Why pay for something that you don’t need to?  Switch to a cold water detergent and start washing your clothes in cold water.   Do some multitasking by saving money,  being kind to the environment, and conversing, simply by switching to cold water when you do laundry.

• Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
• Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
• Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Or, use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts “phantom” or “vampire” energy use.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
• Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

So it’s no secret that we here at Supernatural Botanicals are tree-hugging, granola-eating, Earth-loving people, so an event like Earth Day 2011 is a celebration for us.  In our effort to be Green, we ask that you do one thing kind for the planet today.  You can approach this in a myriad of ways…try to walk instead of drive, recycle something, reuse something instead of chucking it into the garbage, avoid putting toxins down your drains,  reduce your consumption, plant a tree, start a garden.  Simply, live a cleaner, more eco-friendly  lifestyle.  Start today, and see if it “sticks” tomorrow.  Stand for something, have a cause.  Happy Earth Day!

The stars of the Discovery Channel’s wildly popular, Deadliest Catch, will be at the Aronoff in Cincinnati on May 9th.  In this rare, live, interactive event, the Bering Sea’s toughest crew swap stories as they take the audience through some of the roughest situations the captain and crew have ever had to face on the high seas. From the treacherous weather and crew conflicts, to the triumphs of the team, Captain Sig and Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand bring the intimate world of crab fishing to a live audience.

“Deadliest Catch” was released to the public in 2005 and has been going strong ever since, making it one of the most popular shows in Discovery Channel history.  For the first time, fans across the country have a chance to hear the stories behind the show, view never before seen video, and partake in a question and answer session with members of the cast of “Deadliest Catch.” Season seven will debut in the spring of 2011. For more information on the Captains, the tour, & much more, check out  www.thecaptainstour.com.

Don’t miss  your chance to see Sig and the Hillstrand brothers in Cincinnati.  We will be offering free tickets in a random drawing.  Just leave a comment and let us know you want to see the stars of the Deadliest Catch.  Good luck! (Winners will be chosen 05/02/2011).

With the surge of catalogs and Christmas cards we all receive in December, be mindful to recycle.  Be especially cognizant of your landfill contributions this month by recycling all magazines and catalogs, recycling envelopes from the Christmas cards, and ultimately recycling the cards after Christmas.  If the card is especially beautiful, buy a great frame, put the card in it,  and put it on a bookshelf, desk, or entry table.  That’s recycling too, you know.  Have a Green Christmas this year!

For every 38,000 bills paid online, 5,058 pounds of greenhouse gases are avoided and two tons of trees are preserved, according to NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association, a non-profit. Using direct payment also saves a person about $150 annually in stamp and check costs and late fees, NACHA estimates.

Have your employer pay you through direct deposit to further cut back your paper trail.  If you feel you absolutely must continue to get paper billing, make sure and recycle the paper.  Very simple steps make a huge impact on the environment.  Step up to the plate and do your part.

Light bulbs account for 25% of all the electricity we use; 75% of that could be saved by switching from incandescent bulbs to CFLs.  Many local electric companies are even offering free CFLs simply for the asking (so call them and ask them.)  It’s everyone’s responsibility to be eco-responsible, so pick up the ball and get in the game.  It’s the right thing to do. 

We all know the 411 when it comes to recycling, and that’s simply to DO IT.  We know better than to make excuses.  We should also know it’s simply a way of life for us now.  It’s should be a way of life for your children, too.

So lets take it a step further and precycle.  What is precycling?  It’s Proactive meets Recycling.    Here are 10 ways to proactively recycle.

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1. Bring reusable bags to the store with you. Cloth or paper will do!

2. Buy Large Quantities. If you buy products in bulk or in large sizes and quantities, you can put them in smaller containers as you need them and this uses less containers.

3. Buy products with the least amount of packaging or none at all. Items packed in multiple containers may look nice, but they are a waste!

4. Buy products packed in recycled packaging. If you have to use a container, it might as well be green. Additionally, you help support green corporations. (Important: make sure you look for the recycled symbol)

5. Don’t buy disposable items (plates cups, pens, diapers, batteries, etc.) They only fill the landfill more.

6. Buy less paper towels and napkins or none at all. Use cloth ones!

7. Buy long life and concentrated items (batteries, bulks , etc.) This saves on packaging as well as product.

8. Don’t purchase styrofoam. It contains polystyrene, which is the most difficult material to break down in our landfill and is considered a hazardous waste.

9. Buy items in cardboard. aluminum, steel, glass, and plastic containers marked 1 and 2 ( They are stamped on the bottom 1 and 2). These containers can be recycled more easily.

10. Read labels for ingredients. Stay away from chemicals that harm our plant and animal life and poison our land.

Plastic bags are not biodegradable. Even if they say they are, they do not decompose fully. Also the ink is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. Whereas paper bags are reusable and biodegradable. If your purchase is small don’t take any bag, this alone could save hundreds of millions of bags. Bring a cloth bag when you shop, or use string bags.