A few weeks ago I posted about Mini Baby Bel’s red wax wrapper and how the company could not confirm that the red dye doesn’t leach into the cheese it contains. Here is the response I received. Dear Miss Kaplan, Thank you for contacting us. Our wax is composed of fully refined paraffin wax, micro-crystalline
Search Results for: bathroom/organic-personal-care-brands/burt-s-bees
Organic Farming in the Everglades
Have you ever tried to cultivate land on bedrock? Or grow food in extremely alkaline soil? How about converting bedrock into workable soil? Tried organic farming in the midst of traditional farmers who are creating superbugs? Ever dealt with pesky and elusive species like green iguanas and black and white tegus? What do you think
Safe Cosmetics
Safe Cosmetics
Shower Heads
The shower is the place you do your best thinking, relaxing, and unwinding. A good (or bad) shower head makes a huge impact on the quality of your shower. Itโs time to finally get rid of that leaky, low flowing shower head and make a serious upgrade. Chances are you wonโt realize how weak your
Pesticide Lobby Bugged by Michelle Obama & White House Organic Garden
Are you worried that an organic garden on the White House grounds might cause some Americans to start eating a wide variety of chemical-free, locally grown produce? The Mid America CropLife Association, a lobbying group for agribusinesses giants, is. Just a few days after Michelle Obama invited local fifth graders to help plant the White
Soil Testing
The gardenerโs greatest asset is healthy soil. No matter where you are or what you are trying to grow, taking care of your soil will help your crops. Learning soil science can be overwhelming. It involves lots of chemistry, and you can easily get lost in technical details. We are here to help, with this
Tiny House Interiors
Creativity is essential when planning and designing the interior of your tiny house. Trying to incorporate your kitchen, bedroom, living room and bathroom into an average of 200 sq. ft. is tricky. With the rise in people living tiny, there has been an increase in innovative designs that have come out to help incorporate all
Paper Matters
Paper appears to be high on the agenda of a number of organizations this week. Itโs necessary. Paper is so ubiquitous โ from tissues to toilet paper to memo pads to catalogs to the mess on your desk – that it is easy to forget, or perhaps more convenient to ignore, that paper manufacturing has
Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Too many cleaning products contain chemicals that are extremely harmful to the environment and its inhabitants, including humans. Eco-friendly cleaning products are an easy alternative and solution! The ozone, water, air, land, and the entire ecosystem are all affected by the choices we make as humans, including what products we use. Today I am going
Can I Compost Wax Paper?
Learn which wax paper type are compostable using this comprehensive guide! Discover tips on preparing wax paper for composting and maintaining optimal compost conditions. Choose the right composting method that best suits your resources and lifestyle.
Can I Compost Tea Bags?
Discover which types of tea bags are suitable for composting, how to prepare them properly, and the optimal composting conditions. If composting isn’t an option, explore alternative ways to make use of tea bags and minimize waste.
17 Of The Best Hanging Plants To Add Beautiful Greenery To Your Home
One of the most recent trends in home decor includes adding greenery to your home. Hanging baskets allow you to grow beautiful plants without sacrificing counter space. Hanging plants can add greenery inside your home and have been proven over and over to have positive impacts on your health and the air quality in your
10 Probiotic-Rich Foods That Are Even Better Than Yogurt
Move over, yogurt! These probiotic rich foods are even better.
Personal Happiness and the Economy: A Sustainability Link
In my previous post, I brought up the sustainability prism and the link between personal happiness or peace and the other three, traditional components of sustainability theory — economy, equity, and ecology. In this article, I explore the link between personal happiness and the economy in greater depth. Of course, this is just a taste
Bee Balms Or Bee Bums?
โMom,โ my six-year-old called from the front walk where he had been riding his bike back and forth. He had paused in front of my display of red and purple, firework-like flowers and admired them. At an age where he wanted to know everything, it wasnโt unexpected that he would ask about the different flowers
How to Incorporate a Wildlife Habitat on Your Homestead
Many homesteaders are lovers of the beautiful, nonhuman, natural world and want to see this world thrive on their land. They put bird and squirrel feeders, birdbaths, and perhaps, salt licks on their property to encourage birds, squirrels, and deer (among others) to feel welcome. These are great ways to attract wildlife to your homestead.
Biodynamic Farming: What It Is and Why Do It
I once had the pleasure of working with biodynamic agriculturalists. Being new to biodynamic farming (and agriculture at large), I asked โSo, whatโs the difference between biodynamics and regular agriculture anyway?โ — a fair question to which I received an equally fair response. โBiodynamic agriculture aims to improve the earth we farm to a condition
Fruit Flies Live Longer on an Organic Diet
Fruit Flies Live Longer on an Organic Diet
Can I Compost Pineapples?
Learn how to compost pineapples effectively using this comprehensive guide. Discover the optimal conditions, preparation techniques, and various composting methods suitable for pineapples.
Can I Compost Coffee Filters?
Learn how to properly compost coffee filters efficiently to enhance your compost pile’s microbial activity. Discover the types of coffee filters suitable for composting, the optimal composting conditions, and various methods like hot composting, vermicomposting, and more.
How To Get Rid Of Yellow Jackets
When you’re working your own land, there’s an inevitable moment when you find yourself butting heads with nature.ย You may discover a nasty poison ivy rash, a particularly troublesome patch of morning glory that you just can’t seem to eradicate, or a copperhead den smack dab in the middle of your field.ย But of all
๐ก Homestead Living
Homesteading is the foundation on which Insteading was built. The core values of homesteading are ones that we at Insteading like to promote to our readers and ones that we like to establish in our own lives Self-sufficiency, living off the land, and choosing eco-friendly alternatives are all things we encourage. Our Homestead Living content
Corrugated Metal Ideas For The Home
Corrugated Metal
Gorgeous Recycled Glass Surface For Tiny House Bathrooms
Whatโs more natural? A surface with texture, or one thatโs flat and plastic? Even better is a textured surface made from recycled glass. One of the most compelling things about building a tiny house is that you can consider materials that would be prohibitively expensive in a “normal” home. Salvaged tin ceilings, vintageย hardwood floors, solid
How To Build An Earthbag House For $6,164
In this post, guest author Jay Eisenberg details how he and his wife built their earthbag house for $6,164, completed on Oahu recently in 2017. For years I had dreamed of building my own home and not being enslaved with a mortgage. While living in New Zealand I was connected with Shaye Boddington of DIY
10 Amazing School Bus Conversions
Converting a school bus into a permanent residence is a bit like a coming-of-age story. You take a school bus, probably one very similar to the one you rode in elementary school, gut it entirely, and build a tiny home out of it. To me, the whole school bus conversion process feels very charming, sustainable,
25 Pipe Shelves To Add Rustic Flair To Your Home
Nothing brings rustic vibes to home decor quite like pipe shelves. The antique and vintage feel of exposed pipes contrasts well with farmhouse-inspired wood shelves. That being said, if rustic isn’t your style, these shelves can still be for you! There are plenty of more modern, industrial pipe shelf options that would fit with your
How To Clean A Showerhead: 5 Natural Options That Actually Work
A showerhead is one of many often-neglected home fixtures. When was the last time you gave your showerhead a proper scrubbing — or even thought about it? You might not think much about washing this fixture during regular bathroom cleanings. And why bother? Water spurts out the holes and knocks away any nasty grime anyway,
Know Your Vegetable Seeds: The Lowdown on Heirloom, Hybrid, and Organic Seeds
Now’s the time of year when prudent green thumbs curl up with their favorite seed catalogs and plan their springtime gardens, selecting from a huge variety of vegetable seeds for sale from an equally large number of seed companies. Many companies commonly offer heirloom and organic seeds, but what sets these varieties apart from the
Tiny House Kitchens
The design of a tiny house kitchen is a personal matter. Your final design will depend on your own individual needs and the needs of those whoโll live with you. If you want to build or buy a tiny house but donโt know a lot about design, there are some things you should look out
Agroecological Farming vs. Organic Farming: What’s the difference?
One of Becky’s recent posts raised the question of what separates agroecological farming from organic farming. Although agroecological farming shares some of the same principals as organic farming, agroecology is not associated with a particular type of agriculture. Conventional and organic farms alike can take an agroecological approach to managing farmland. What Is Agroecology? Agroecology
Can I Compost Flowers?
Fresh or dried, flowers are more than just their visible beauty. Some flower types can contribute to your compost pile under optimal conditions and correct preparation.
Can I Compost Cardboard?
Instead of sending away your cardboard scraps to landfills, consider turning them into nutrient-rich compost. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of cardboard in compost and explore other sustainable alternatives if a home compost isn’t possible.
Can I Compost Bananas?
Learn how to compost bananas effectively and reap the benefits for your garden with this comprehensive guide. Discover the optimal conditions and methods for composting bananas, including hot composting, cold composting, vermicomposting, and Bokashi composting. Avoid potential issues such as pests and odors, and explore alternative disposal options and creative ways to upcycle banana peels.
Eco-Friendly Kitchen Sinks
Seekers of eco-friendly sinks, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news first: Affordable, new kitchen sinks arenโt 100% eco-friendly. When choosing a sink you’ll be balancing different aspects of sustainability. We’ve tried to give you a starting point for all the buying choices you’ll have to make. Kitchen Sink Materials/Colors
Fresh Drinking Water Resources & Links
Inspiration Green Fresh Water Resources. Links to water associations and organizations. Info on conservation, data, water and climate change, fresh water research organizations and much more.
Organic Choices
Inspiration Green Organic Choices, See which foods have the least and most pesticide residues. USDA data.
White House to Plant Organic Vegetable Garden
ABC news’ Brian Hartman has reported what many have been wishfully waiting to hear for months: the Obamas will soon plant an organic vegetable garden on the White House South grounds. Following a 60 Minutes interview with Chez Panisse chef, renowned slow foodist and activist for improved national eating habits in the US, Alice Waters,
Compost vs Landfill: Does it Really Make a Difference?
Editor’s note: Many thanks to Dr. John at Floppingย Aces for bringing this 6-year-old-post back into our “Popular Right Now” column for a few minutes. I hope he’s given himself a good pat on the back for his snarky observation; I hope you’ll read just a bit more than he obviously did…. it’s a short post,
Companion Planting For Summer Squash
Summer squash does everything but plant itself. If you seek a vegetable that is easy to grow, flavorful, and nutritious, look no further. You can help summer squash thrive by planting it with companion plants. If you have planted zucchini, pattypan, longneck, or yellow crookneck squash, you know what vigorous growers and prolific producers summer squash can be. Summer
All About Sage
Experienced homesteaders suggest that if you want to attract birds, bees, butterflies, and wildlife to your rural homestead, plant and grow sage. Sage is a favorite in homestead herb gardens because it is one of the easiest plants to grow. A member of 200 genera and more than 3,200 species of the plant family Lamiaceae,
Fast Growing Shade Trees For Your Homestead
It always seems like you don’t realize the lack of shade in your backyard until it’s too late. You’ve already settled on a good book, put out the lawn chair, and made yourself a nice lunch when you discover that the heat of the sun is simply too much. While you could settle on a
Growing Pumpkins
Native to Central and South America, pumpkin is a low growing, vining groundcover plant with bell-shaped yellow flowers and shallow roots. Pumpkins are members of the plant family cucurbit (Cucurbitaceae) that includes melons, cucumbers, squash, gourds, and zucchinis. Growing pumpkins is easy, and they are also easy to harvest, easy to transport, and store well
Growing Cucumbers Using A Trellis
I love growing fresh cucumbers in my country garden and enjoy having plenty for salads and pickling. Most seasons, I have lots left over to share with friends and family or to sell at the market. Native to India, cucumbers are members of the cucurbit plant family, the same as gourds, squash, and pumpkin. They
Can I Compost Flour?
You can efficiently process flour into nutrient-rich compost, but doing so presents some composting challenges. Learn more about the best practices, potential issues, and alternative disposal options of flour waste.
Can I Compost Peanut Shells?
Learn how to optimally prepare peanut shells for composting, and explore the benefits they bring to a compost system. Find out the necessary details on how to process them, and the conditions needed to prevent potential composting issues.
Can I Compost Eggs?
Learn how to compost eggs effectively with this comprehensive guide. Discover the optimal conditions and explore composting methods for eggs while avoiding issues like odors and pests.
Can I Compost Grass Clippings?
Learn how to prepare grass clippings for composting with this comprehensive guide. Explore various composting methods, alternative uses for grass clippings, and important safety precautions to follow.
Can I Compost Rhubarb Leaves?
Rhubarb leaves are not only useful for cooking, but also for composting. Although tricky to process, rhubarb leaves provide nitrogen essential for producing the best compost quality.
Similac Organic Formula: Is it healthier?
Choosing the best formula for your baby is tricky business! Similac makes an organic formula, but how healthy is this option for your child?