green family

Feature

• Relieve Stress and Uplift Spirits with Aromatherapy

  Sniff your way to a happier you by adding aromatherapy to your beauty routine.

• 6 Ways to Go Green for Back to School

  It's that time of year again -- get ready to sharpen those pencils, dust off those books and head back to school! This year, make your kid's back-to-school routine easier on the planet with these six easy adjustments.

• How Green Is Your Bathroom?

  A few simple steps can turn your bathroom into one super-efficient room. Here, some easy-to-implement suggestions that will help you save money and energy in one of the most-used areas of your home.

• Green Your Kid: Gardening

  It's never too early to teach kids how to protect the planet. Start your child on the path to eco-awareness by showing her how to have fun in the garden.

• Low-impact Laundry

  As the mother of a 2-year old boy with an unrelenting affinity for mud pies and finger paints, I spend most of my free time doing laundry.

• Green Your Pet

  When our daughter began teetering around our home independently, I became seriously concerned about the dust on the floor surrounding our feline powder room. How could I be sure it was safe?

• Planet-friendly Parties

  You love entertaining friends and family, but what about all the energy parties require and the waste they produce? These easy changes can give your next event -- whether it's an intimate dinner or a big celebration -- a significant eco-upgrade.

• Conservation With Kids

  Teach your tikes how to go green with these recycling, conservation and reusing activities just for kids.

• The Quest for Eco-friendly Toys

  For the first year and a half of my son’s life, he was content to play with an empty shoe box or a handful of crinkly scraps of wrapping paper.

• Turn Something Old Into Something New

  Upcycling -- the process of breathing new life into unused objects -- makes a great family project and is more doable than you may think. The best part? You’ll be going green while creating something beautiful and functional at the same time.

• Green Your Kid: Trade Screen Time for Together Time

  This summer was fairly relaxing and unstructured for my brood. With the exception of a couple of weekends away, we opted for a home-improvement-themed "staycation" instead of a big trip.

• How Healthy Is Your Bedroom?

  Follow these 10 easy steps to make your bedroom so healthy, happy and inviting, you'll never want to leave!

• How to Beat the Winter Blues

  Keep spirits up -- and the kids entertained -- this winter with these simple, eco-oriented indoor activities.

• Family-friendly Winter Escapes

  In search of a winter getaway that’s tons of fun, easy on the planet -- and maybe even educational? Whether you and your family like it frosty or tropical, there’s an eco-friendly vacation waiting for you.

• Favorite Fall Family Activities

  Looking for ways to enjoy the season? Try these five fun autumn activities for the whole gang.

• How Does Your Garden Grow?

  Forget the grocery store -- the new go-to spot for the freshest produce? Your backyard. These five steps will get your garden up to planet-friendly speed in no time flat.

• Transform Your Trash

  Think twice before tossing out that paper towel tube! Check out these simple ways to get more life out of old items.

• Build a Happy World for Your Baby

  Making your baby’s home, environment and surroundings clean and bright doesn’t have to mean taking big steps -- or breaking the bank. Here, three simple ways to bring joy to bath time, playtime and bedtime.

• Should You Switch to Energy-efficient Lightbulbs?

  Compact Fluorescent Lights, otherwise known as CFLs, have come a long way since they entered the lightbulb market a few years ago.

• Reusing and Recycling 101

  Reduce, reuse, recycle: We all know the phrase. While reducing what you use is one thing, understanding the difference between reusing and recycling is another.

• Family-friendly Ways to Save Water

  You try to save water every day -- but how can you convince your kids to do the same? Try these expert tips for conserving water as a family.

• Summer Fun for the Family

  Parents and kids alike will be thrilled with these eco-friendly summer activities. Let the fun begin!

• How to Slash Your Electricity Bill This Summer

  Take the heat off your wallet with these five simple green tips.

• How to Reduce Waste at Outdoor Parties

  Summer is the perfect time to get together outdoors. Here, eco-expert Emily Anderson shares tips for greening your al fresco summer events.

• Spring Fling: Helping Kids Go Green This Season

  As the weather gets warmer, it's time to find fun ways to get the younger set involved in eco-activities like gardening, easy composting, spring-cleaning and more.

• Start Walking!

  Stay healthy and connected with your family by walking together. Here are some easy ways to get started.

• New Uses for Old Things: Household Odds and Ends

  As a busy, penny-wise, green-minded mama, I'm on an ever-present mission to find new uses for things that may otherwise end up as trash.

• That’s a Lot of Water!

  Want to cut back on your water consumption? It's easy! Try these everyday ways to conserve one of the planet's most precious resources.

• Green Lessons From Kids

  Planet-friendly parenting has never been easier: You can shop for sustainable baby clothes online, scour blogs for healthy recipes and chat with other green-minded moms on discussion boards. But don't forget about the tiny resource residing right under your roof!

• Save up for Family Fun

  Small changes can equal big savings -- and big fun! The money you save from these easy eco-adjustments can pay for some quality family time.

• Green Glossary: Earth Day

  Some holidays are represented by bunnies and eggs, others by pumpkins and candy. But what's the scoop behind the holiday that honors the one thing we all share -- Earth Day?

• Go Green for Earth Month

  April is Earth Month! It's easier than ever to give your kids a clean, green home and inspire them with easy suggestions.

• Easy, Eco-friendly Spring-cleaning

  Get your home ready for warmer weather with these simple, green cleaning tips.

• Green Glossary: Filtered Water

  You know that tap water is great for the environment -- it keeps single-use plastic bottles out of the trash -- and filtered water is the safest way to drink from the tap. But how does a filter work, exactly?

• Green Your Kid: Getting Wise About Waste

  These easy trash-reducing tips will have the whole family going green and having fun.

• The Family That Greens Together ...

  These three easy strategies will have you and your family going green in no time. Bonus: They'll also save you a bunch of money!

• Are You Getting the Most From Your Tap Water?

  Tap water is more eco-friendly than the bottled variety. Here’s how to make sure your tap gives you the clean, pure water you want.

• Eco-eating: 5 Seasonal Soups

  Simple, economical, quick and versatile: Soup gives the entire family plenty of reasons to hover over the pot together!

• You Made That Detergent Bottle Into a What?

  I know that reusing is a key component of the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). I've turned my old jelly jars into coin collectors, my ripped jeans into stylish summer shorts, and my tired T-shirts into rags for household cleaning.

• Play-and-learn Games for Kids

  Combine quality family-bonding time with great eco-games for kids. You’ll have a blast and learn a lot!

• Winter Boredom Be Gone

  It may be cold outside, but have no fear! Kids can be entertained -- and educated -- inside. Here are six eco-conscious activities guaranteed to engage any antsy kid.

• Eco-eating: Warm up With Winter Foods

  Winter veggies are just as satisfying as their spring and summer counterparts. It’s easier than ever to eat seasonally -- and flavorfully – with these tasty options.

• Give a Better Gift

  This season, try these simple ideas that will minimize waste -- and maximize holiday fun.

• Beyond Bottles: A Better Way to Hydrate

  Ditching bottled water is one of the easiest ways to protect the planet and slash your spending. Often sold at a 4,000 percent markup, bottled water accounts for about 2 million tons of landfill waste annually -- and its production and shipping guzzle enough fuel to power 250,000 homes for a year!

• Green Your Kid: Halloween!

  From costumes to candy, there's plenty to love about Halloween. But it may not always be as fun for the planet as it is for us. Want to have a green Halloween this year? Here's how.

• Yoga for Families

  Turn off the TV and step onto your mat.

• How Does It Work? Composting

  I've always known my plants could benefit from the fertilizing effects of my family's cooking scraps, but for me, the idea of composting usually conjured up images of stinky containers bulging with fermenting cucumbers and rotten tomatoes.

Blog

• How Does It Work? Energy-efficient Lightbulbs

  Compact Fluorescent Lights, otherwise known as CFLs, have come a long way since they entered the lightbulb market a few years ago.

• Green Your Kid: Trade Screen Time for Together Time

  This summer was fairly relaxing and unstructured for my brood. With the exception of a couple of weekends away, we opted for a home-improvement-themed "staycation" instead of a big trip.

• Relieve Stress and Uplift Spirits with Aromatherapy

  Sniff your way to a happier you by adding aromatherapy to your beauty routine.

• You Made That Detergent Bottle Into a What?

  I know that reusing is a key component of the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). I've turned my old jelly jars into coin collectors, my ripped jeans into stylish summer shorts, and my tired T-shirts into rags for household cleaning.

• Beyond Bottles: A Better Way to Hydrate

  Ditching bottled water is one of the easiest ways to protect the planet and slash your spending. Often sold at a 4,000 percent markup, bottled water accounts for about 2 million tons of landfill waste annually -- and its production and shipping guzzle enough fuel to power 250,000 homes for a year!

• How Does It Work? Composting

  I've always known my plants could benefit from the fertilizing effects of my family's cooking scraps, but for me, the idea of composting usually conjured up images of stinky containers bulging with fermenting cucumbers and rotten tomatoes.

• 3 New Ways to Have Fun With Snow

  Try these fun -- and delicious! -- ideas to mix up your kids' snowy-day fun.

• Green Your Pet

  When our daughter began teetering around our home independently, I became seriously concerned about the dust on the floor surrounding our feline powder room. How could I be sure it was safe?

• Three Days to a Greener Home

  Sure, eco-awareness doesn't happen overnight. But it can happen over three days.

• Eco-eating: 5 Seasonal Soups

  Simple, economical, quick and versatile: Soup gives the entire family plenty of reasons to hover over the pot together!

• Low-impact Laundry

  As the mother of a 2-year old boy with an unrelenting affinity for mud pies and finger paints, I spend most of my free time doing laundry.

• Ready, Set, Reuse! Halloween Edition

  Looking for ways to repurpose Halloween goods after the spooky season? These tips make it easy.

• Green Your Kid: Gardening

  It's never too early to teach kids how to protect the planet. Start your child on the path to eco-awareness by showing her how to have fun in the garden.

• The Quest for Eco-friendly Toys

  For the first year and a half of my son’s life, he was content to play with an empty shoe box or a handful of crinkly scraps of wrapping paper.

• 5 Easy Ways to Green Your Home

  As a couple, my husband and I were naturals to become part of the green movement. But it was the birth of our daughter that deepened our commitment to making easy household changes.

• New Uses for Old Things: Household Odds and Ends

  As a busy, penny-wise, green-minded mama, I'm on an ever-present mission to find new uses for things that may otherwise end up as trash.

• Green Lessons From Kids

  Planet-friendly parenting has never been easier: You can shop for sustainable baby clothes online, scour blogs for healthy recipes and chat with other green-minded moms on discussion boards. But don't forget about the tiny resource residing right under your roof!

• Green Glossary: Earth Day

  Some holidays are represented by bunnies and eggs, others by pumpkins and candy. But what's the scoop behind the holiday that honors the one thing we all share -- Earth Day?

• Green Glossary: Filtered Water

  You know that tap water is great for the environment -- it keeps single-use plastic bottles out of the trash -- and filtered water is the safest way to drink from the tap. But how does a filter work, exactly?

• Are You Getting the Most From Your Tap Water?

  Tap water is more eco-friendly than the bottled variety. Here’s how to make sure your tap gives you the clean, pure water you want.

• Greener Living 101

  Sure, you want to run a greener household. But with dishes, laundry and all-over cleaning, who wants to add another task to the to-do list? Here, super-easy ways to go green.

• Eco-eating: Warm up With Winter Foods

  Winter veggies are just as satisfying as their spring and summer counterparts. It’s easier than ever to eat seasonally -- and flavorfully – with these tasty options.

• Green Your Kid: Halloween!

  From costumes to candy, there's plenty to love about Halloween. But it may not always be as fun for the planet as it is for us. Want to have a green Halloween this year? Here's how.

Simple Steps

• Have an Extra-special Holiday

  Holiday celebrations aren’t always easy on the planet. This year, try these five tips and have a super-special, just-a-little-greener holiday.

• Raising a Planet-friendly Child

  It’s never too early to start your little one on a green path. Here are four easy ways to introduce him to eco-friendlier living.

• Better Home Decor

  Five easy, planet-friendly improvements to update your house

• Throw a Green Birthday Party

  Birthday parties are an essential part of childhood, but they can also be a major source of waste. Fortunately, there are ways to celebrate without skimping on the fun. Make these simple shifts to your party planning and give the kids a day they won’t forget.

• Better for Baby

  It’s easy to give your wee one a healthy head-start with safe, eco-friendly choices. Here are five ways to protect the planet and your bundle of joy.

• 5 Ways to Save Energy -- and Money -- Today

  Saving energy really can be as simple as the flip of a switch! Celebrate Earth Hour on March 26 by joining the millions of people worldwide who turn off their lights for an hour at 8:30 p.m. in a stand against climate change. Then consider these five simple ways to keep the spirit of Earth Hour alive every day.

• Pack a Greener Lunch

  Whether you’re putting together a midday meal for the office or sending your kids off to school with nutritious lunchtime goodies, it’s easy to pack a greener lunch:

• Five Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

  You may have subsisted on cheese puffs and reality TV before you got pregnant, but the next nine months are the perfect excuse to treat your body in a whole new way.

• The Top 5 Biking Cities in America

  Whether you’re looking for some great family biking or thinking of relocating to a bike-friendly community, these five cities are the top contenders for two-wheeled transport, as determined by the League of American Bicyclists.

• Green Graduation Gifts

  This season, celebrate the graduate in your life with eco-style. Here are some creative gift ideas for all ages. Gift-giving just got a whole lot easier!

• Surprising Ways to Save Water

  Water may not seem like a precious resource -- you just turn on the tap and out it flows -- but green-living experts like Crissy Trask, founder of GreenMatters.com and author of It’s Easy Being Green, will tell you otherwise. Here, four creative ways to save water.

• Green Your Beach Trip

  Going on a family trip to the shore instead of sitting in an air-conditioned movie theater or spending more time in front of the computer is already a green choice. Here’s how to make your excursion as planet-friendly as possible.

• Easy Ways to Save Energy This Summer

  Addicted to keeping your abode at Igloo-esque temps come the first hint of humidity? Summer energy use can do damage to your electricity bill and to the planet, so try these five simple ways to cut down on costs and reduce your carbon footprint.