Accidentally Green

Making Healthy Decisions That Honor God and Happen to Help the Environment

10 Ways to Soothe a Bee Sting

A couple weeks ago, Little Sister disturbed a nest of ground bees and got stung. We were visiting our neighbors at the time, and I wasn’t sure what was wrong – I just knew she was hurt. When I picked her up, I got stung. Then, sure enough, Big Brother got stung, too. (It was then I figured out Little Sister's ouchie was a bee sting.) Once I got the three of us into our house, I found live bees hiding in the children’s clothing and quickly killed the insects. Finally I was able to calm my ... Read more

Ways to Stop Bedbugs Before They Bite

As I shared on Saturday, bedbugs are nasty bloodsucking creatures that quickly infest homes, hotels, movie theaters, cruise ships, buses and subways, hospitals, schools – just about any public place. Because bedbugs can live up to eighteen months without a meal, they are known to inhabit areas whether people are present or not. They hide in beds, furniture, curtains, carpet, bedding, baseboards, molding, and behind wallpaper. With their flat bodies, they can easily hide in cracks, crevices, ... Read more

Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite

Recently, I had a chance to spend a mother/daughter weekend in Columbus, Ohio. I was excited for the overnight getaway, but also paranoid. Actually, it’s much more accurate to admit I was pretty freaked out. My anxiety was all about bedbugs. Columbus is a hot bed (pardon the pun) for bedbugs. Other cities are infested, too – you can check out reported infestations at The Bedbug Registry. Once my mom and I checked in to our hotel, I yanked back the sheets and checked the mattress covers ... Read more

Foodie Friday: Fall-Off-the-Bone Ribs

As a lover of most things barbecued, my husband really enjoys grilling out. He has a fall-off-the-bone rib recipe, but it takes hours of work. No doubt the finished product is tasty – but it’s a little too labor-intensive for me for a few pieces of meat. So when we get a hankering for ribs and don’t have hours to grill, I prepare them this way. They do take a long time to cook, but the recipe is super simple. And since it’s done in my kitchen, I have more time to prepare sides, clean up ... Read more

Finding and Fixing Common Indoor Air Pollutants

On Saturday I issued the Accidentally Green Fresh Air Challenge to help you reduce indoor air pollution simply by opening your windows at least thirty minutes a day. And Monday I shared my family’s recent experience with an air purifier. Purifying indoor air can be important – especially in the homes of young children or anyone with chronic health conditions. Indoor air pollution can cause or exasperate asthma, respiratory tract infections, allergic reactions, congestion, coughing, ... Read more

My Family’s Experience with an Air Purifier

As you may remember, my family’s been trying a Holmes air purifier and new aer1 high performance, disposable filter system. After my long bout with pneumonia and strange, recurring odors in my new-old house (new to my family, but fifty years old) I was particularly excited to try the purifier with odor eliminator filters. So did it work? Like a charm. Sometimes I wondered if it was a combination of open windows, fresh air, and the purifier. (Are you participating in Accidentally Green’s ... Read more

Greening Your Vacation Transportation

By now you should have a good idea how to make environmentally conscious preparations for your vacation – and how to make your vacation a little greener. But one big factor needs to be addressed: how can you get to your vacation destination in the greenest way possible? Air travel Sometimes, an airplane is the only way to travel to your vacation destination. When at all possible, try to book a direct flight since taking off and landing uses a considerable amount of fuel. If you’re ... Read more

4 Ways to Plan a Green Vacation

Once you’ve packed your belongings and prepared your home, you’re finally ready for vacation. As you depart, don’t leave all of your green habits at home. Here are four simple ways to make an environmentally friendly difference while traveling – and they shouldn’t cramp your style: 1. Plan to see a single destination instead of traveling all over the place. You’ll potentially save in transportation costs – especially if you can walk most places – and you might even score a cheaper room ... Read more

Eco-Friendly Vacation Preparation

If you’re anything like me, a lot of preparations need to be made before leaving for vacation. Sometimes I wonder if the hassle is worth the trip – but it always is. Just because you’re taking a break from your day-to-day routine doesn’t mean you need to take a break from your green habits, though. Here are some easy ways to pack and prepare for your next vacation: Packing When planning what to pack, try to take only what you’ll need. This will give you more space in your luggage for ... Read more

Avoid Two Ingredients in Sunscreen

Yesterday I explained what sunscreen does and doesn’t do – including the fact that sunscreen does not prevent skin cancer. Consumers typically can choose from two kinds of sunscreens: “chemical” and “mineral.” Chemical sunscreens penetrate the skin while mineral sunscreens – usually made with zinc or titanium dioxide – remain on the skin’s surface. As long as the minerals aren’t nanoparticles (or micronized), mineral-based sunscreens are safe. Sadly, most chemical sunscreens do expose ... Read more

Sunscreen Surprises

Summer’s here! It’s time to get outside and enjoy the warm weather and longer days. Because people are out in the sun so much more, summer’s typically known as the season for sunscreen. But will sunscreen actually protect you? Surprisingly, no one knows for sure. In fact, there’s no proof that sunscreen protects against skin cancer. 1 So what does sunscreen actually do? It simply prolongs the amount of time you can be exposed to the sun without getting a sunburn. Ready for another ... Read more

Safe Sunscreen Shopping Guide

Before last summer, I never gave a second thought about safe or unsafe sunscreen. All sunscreen was safe, right? Wrong. Two ingredients, retinyl palmitate or oxybenzone (more about those on Wednesday), are really dangerous. So last summer I made the switch to a safe Badger brand sunscreen and loved it. I loved the smell, the coverage, and most importantly, how I didn't have to worry about what I was slathering on my children. When shopping for safe sunscreens, look for a few important things. ... Read more

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