Eco-Friendly Pet Products

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Eco-Friendly Pet Products

October 24, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / No comments

I have to admit, I’ve always been a dog person. Not that I don’t get along with cats, but I’ve always loved the energy and pure love that dogs give you. But a purring cat is also a relaxing pal to have around the house. While we love our furry friends, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain a sustainable household when you’re taking care of them. When you clean up their messes, or take them for walks, or even choose their food, eco-friendly options are available if you do a little research. There are plenty of more sustainable choices out there for your little friend!

For the Pups: Biodegradable Poo Bags

Taking your dog out for a walk is great exercise for both you and your pup. However, a lot of people take non-biodegradable bags with them to pick up their dogs’ poo while out and about. There are many companies that are taking the initiative to make 100% biodegradable poo bags that are tested to be shelf stable as well as being just as decomposable as many food products (though obviously not made for the compost!). You can take your little friend out without worry about creating waste!

Category: Environment /

Fit And Green: Be Eco-Friendly at the Gym

October 8, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / No comments

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We’ve talked about the benefits of going to the gym as a way to get satisfied while being healthy and focusing on your personal improvement. But going to the gym can feel like it’s a waste of resources, especially if yours is far away or if you’re going by yourself. More and more fitness companies are starting to make environmentally-friendly fitness gear that are made from natural or recycled materials that can make sure your workout doesn’t work out Mother Nature’s splendor. While many gyms around the country are going green, the reality is that your local workout spot won’t necessarily be keeping the earth in mind (at least, not right now). So what can you do to reduce your carbon footprint while getting in shape and being healthy? Quite a bit, it turns out!

Walk, Bike, Carpool, or Hit the Park

Once you have the motivation to hit the gym, getting there is one of the easiest ways to start reducing your footprint. Depending on the weather, instead of hopping in your car to get to the gym, you can do a whole bunch of those eco-friendly things to get there. If you have it in your budget, a bike will give you a little warm-up before you hit the gym (and going to the gym is another great excuse to budget out for one!) while cutting down on pollution emissions. Of course, walking is also a good warm-up anytime you’re going anywhere. If you’ve got workout partners and the gym is too far away to walk or bike, carpool with your friends! Not only will you have workout accountability buddies, you’ll also have your friends there with you to cheer you on as you hit your fitness goals.

The best way to reduce your fitness footprint (and save on your monthly bills) is to bike or walk to the park and do your workouts there. Obviously, depending on where you live, your climate might not make this the best idea throughout the year. But if you live in a place where the weather makes it easy to hit your local park’s trails, definitely take advantage of it. Looking at trees and grass is better than a packed, sweaty gym!

Eco-Friendly Homemade Skin Care

October 5, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / One comment

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Summer may be over, but if you’re the kind of person who likes to take care of your skin, it’s just as important during the fall and winter months. After all, you’re still going outside every day, and even days that seem long mean you’re going to need some TLC. Buying skin care products can be an expensive process – especially if you’re going the more organic route – so trying to make sure your skin looks healthy can take its toll on your budget. Not to mention the kinds of chemicals that go into your typical store-bought skin care products can actually harm your skin in the long run! So if you’re looking to make your own skin care products that can help you keep your budget in check, we’ve got some recipes that you can make at home.

Exfoliating Scrub

One of the best feelings in the morning or at night is to use an exfoliating scrub that you can utilize to massage your face while getting rid of dead skin cells. Your face feels and looks invigorated as well as being soft to the touch. But there’s an easy way to make an exfoliating scrub that works just as well (and probably smells better, too)! Here’s what you need:

Olive oil (other kinds of oil work just as well)
Kosher salt, ground coarsely
(Optional) An essential oil like lavender or jasmine for natural fragrance

First, you want to mix the salt and the oil together and until it’s the consistency of paste. (Make sure you’re careful about adding the olive oil slowly, because you can always add it in, but you can’t take it out!) You’ll know it’s the right consistency when you can rub it in between your fingers without it dripping into the bowl. Then you want to add a few (and only a few!) drops of essential oil for fragrance.

Category: Environment /

Go Green on Your Morning Commute

October 2, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / No comments

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We’ve all been there at some point or another in our lives – a dreaded morning commute to work that means we have to get up earlier in the morning than we’d like, get ready, and then sit in a car for what feels like forever, your engine idling and your mind wasting away to madness (or at least it feels like it). Gas prices going through the roof, more and more cars on the road every year, and the horrible smell and look of smog while you’re driving can make your morning commute a nightmare. But you don’t have to contribute to the mess and the toxicity! An eco-friendly commute is possible if you plan accordingly.

Public Transportation

Many people hear the word “bus” and have a little freakout – especially if you’re a single female who’s heard stories of really creepy people on their rides around town. But riding the bus usually isn’t all that creepy or weird. Especially with gas prices going up and people having to sell their cars, more and more people are riding the bus and other public transportation to get where they need to go. In fact, it’s a good way to get to know your city or town a little better, or read a book, or listen to some music to get you focused for your day, and the lull of the ride home is an opportunity to wind down a little before you get home. Your local bus line or light rail systems are built to get you around town, especially when you’re on a budget with crazy gas prices. And a 30-day pass is less expensive than what you’d pay in gas every month anyway!

Category: Environment / Tags: eco friendly advice, go green

Reduce Stress: Take Care of a Plant

September 27, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / No comments

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When we’ve talked about greening up your house, we’ve mentioned cleaning, refurbishing, recycling, upcycling, starting a compost, and more, but we haven’t touched on a long-term way to go green while also reducing stress – taking care of a house plant! It looks great in your home, creates a freshness to any room, and is really good at giving you focus while also being low-maintenance. Even having a small house plant in your office can also help you reduce stress while you’re at work.

Studies have shown that having a house plant not only helps to fight off toxins in the air, it also helps reduce blood pressure, fight fatigue, decrease coughing, and offers many other health benefits. They also bring a little pop of color to any room or office while bringing a sense of life (meaning you can boost your creativity anywhere you live and work!)

Category: Reducing Stress / Tags: stress reduction, stress tips

De-Stressing Tip: Start a Sunset Project

September 12, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / 2 comments

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With the summer starting to wind down, it’s a perfect time to enjoy the nice weather and spend a little more time outdoors. You can start watching the leaves change, feel the air cool down, and enjoy the change of seasons into autumn. For someone like me who lives in the desert southwest, we witness some fantastic sunsets all year round, and being in sunny climes means that we have an unobstructed view of fantastic sunsets at the end of the day. Watching a beautiful sunset, with all its colors and cloud formations can melt away our culture’s hyperconsumer pressures. A good way to de-stress is to take some time and start a photo project of the sunsets you see every day for a month.

A Way to Wind Down

Before the time changes, taking a daily sunset picture is a great way to wind down from your day. We’ve always talked about taking some “you” time during the day so you can re-focus and clean out the clutter from your mind. Having a glass of wine or listening to some music as you’re taking photos to set a mood can help you relax. Watching the sunset is also a good time to practice some mindful meditation and think about your goals, or do some free writing or journaling. If you’re a painter, it’s also a good time to work on your art!

Category: Reducing Stress /

Natural Remedies for Instant Stress Relief

September 10, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / No comments

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With the end of the summer into fall, that means all kinds of stressful things are happening – the start of school, allergy flare-ups, a change in schedule from the summer – and they can end up taking a toll on your body before you even realize what’s going on! Those who are going green might not be looking for the usual ways to deal with stress and are looking to go for a more natural (and sometimes cheaper) route to reducing stress and improving your health as the leaves change and the climate cools. There are plenty of easy ways to make natural remedies for stress relief. They can be a wonderful supplement to other healthy habits like exercise and diet that help contribute to a stress-free lifestyle! Here are some easy things you can do to take some time out to de-stress:

Category: Reducing Stress /

Laughter and Stress Relief

September 6, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / One comment

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When people talk about using laughter as a way to reduce stress, they always trot out the same old cliché: “Laughter is the best medicine.” I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous to say (again), but studies have shown that laughter really is good for your body and overall health! Prolonged exposure to funny things like comedic shows, movies, and even just things that make you smile cause a wealth of short-term and long-term benefits for your body and mind – and might just change your life for the better in the process. And what better time to cheer yourself up than with some laughter as the autumn begins?

Improve Your Body

Strengthen Your Immune System: We know that having negative thoughts and stress can take their toll on your body, and in some ways can make pre-existing problems with your body even worse. Laughing and positive thoughts release neuropeptides, endorphins, and other hormones that strengthen your immune response. A good bout of laughter also triggers an increase in cells that produce antibodies and boosts the effects of T-cells in your body, overall reducing the effects of stress on your body.
The Outside Stimulates Your Insides: Those endorphins produced by laughter aren’t just good for your immune system, but they’re also great for helping to ease pain (including breaking the pain and spasm cycle caused by some muscle disorders). The increased oxygen intake means that organs like your lungs and heart are stimulated at the same time endorphins are released, making you feel better. You also work out your ab muscles and relax your other muscles. The best feeling is having sore stomach muscles after a full night of laughing!
Overall Relaxation: According to the Mayo Clinic, a fit of laughing activates and then alleviates your stress response, meaning an increase in blood pressure and heart rate – then it cools down to make you feel relaxed. The stimulation of circulation in your body relaxes your muscles so you can let go of some of the physical ways stress manifests in your body.

Category: Reducing Stress, Satisfaction Ideas / Tags: stress reduction

Satisfaction Tips: Unique Ideas for Men and Women

September 4, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / No comments

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Sometimes, we find satisfaction in life by finding time and doing things that we wouldn’t necessarily think would be up our alleys: public speaking, or sky diving, or even joining a sports team can feel like scary things at first, but can be as satisfying as joining a book club or going to the park. For me, karaoke used to be a scary thing I thought I’d never do, but now I love to go (and try to) sing with my friends. It’s all about finding something unique that will get you out of your rut.

Men: Take An Improv Class!

Need a little more humor in your life? Try taking a class in improvisation! If you’re one of those funny guys, taking an improv class will help you sharpen your wit, keep you on your toes, and even maybe make some new friends. Many local theater troupes offer improv classes one night a week, and if you’re good enough, you might even end up on stage being funny with the pros! If you’re a creative type, improv is terrific for building characters and thinking of different situations.

Category: Satisfaction Ideas /

Supplement Back-To-School Lessons With Postconsumer Ones

August 24, 2012 / Kari O'Connor / No comments

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If you’ve made the choice to find the satisfaction of enough for today in your life, welcome to the Postconsumers crew! Resisting the media machine of mass consumerism can be difficult at times, but the rewards are priceless. Knowing what’s enough for you is a powerful lesson to learn, and one that you can pass down to your kids as they start on their own life journey. Of course, giving life lessons to your kids can be difficult, no matter their age. They’re going to be bombarded with messages not only from the media, but also their friends and other parts of their families. As kids head back to school, it’s time to start thinking about what Postconsumer lessons you’ve learned and how education isn’t just about schoolbooks and chalkboards. The life lessons you’ve learned outside of the classroom are the perfect supplement to your child’s education. Teaching your kids how their education can be a part of finding their own satisfaction of enough will give them solid building blocks for the rest of their lives!