EarthScents aromatherapy enhanced household cleaning products are safe, effective and planet friendly. So safe, in fact you can drink it!

The Guilt Trip, a new movie starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogin is a comedy film about an inventor who has created an eco-friendly household cleaning product so safe, in fact you can drink it.

Imagine you are Steve and Patricia Hess, the creators of just such a product line and you are out for an evening at the movies. This road trip with a Jewish mother comedy begins and the subplot unfolds as the son makes his product pitch to retailers across the country.

Steve Hess, “It was like us, only without Barbara Streisand. I was really pleased to see that Hollywood is taking note of the terrible risks associated with toxic chemicals common in household cleaning products. I hope the film will help bring attention to this important issue” …read more of Art Imitates Life in the Hollywood Film, The Guilt Trip here

If you find it confusing when wine collectors talk about their trip to the Bordeaux or Burgandy regions in France, never fear, there is hope for you.

On a recent trip to Napa, my fellow travelers helped me to break the code. Countries outside of France cannot call their domestic wines by the French appellations of “Bordeaux” or “Burgandy”.

In the United States we use the terms Cabernet Sauvignon instead of Bordeaux, and Pinot Noir instead of Burgandy.

Because I had cellared two bottles of a 1992 red wine for my son’s twenty-first birthday, I was able to see (and smell) firsthand why one would cellar a Cabernet Sauvignon, but not a Merlot.

Fortunately, my parents had cellared a sublime (a.k.a. expensive) 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon and it was fantastic 21 years later.

Being my frugal self, I had cellared (a.k.a. put on my large wine rack in my pantry) an inexpensive, but good, 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon. Eureka!  It was very, very good 21 years later.

The 1992 Merlot that I had cellared, however was a different story I’ll admit that I did not know in my youth that one does not store away a Merlot for years hence.

We always hear about wine going bad over decades and “turning to vinegar”.  Well, I can attest that it can be a lot worse than that.

The Merlot was revolting.  We could not even manage to try to taste it, because the dirty-diaper-like (sorry) odor was so disgusting.

You may have heard about decanting red wine into a wide-bottomed decanter to aerate it, in order to improve the flavor experience. …read more of The Lean and Green Frugalista Talks Wine here

Industrialized animal production has had a dramatic impact on society, human health and the environment.

Modern animal husbandry is a major factor in water pollution, contributing animal waste, antibiotics, hormones and a witch’s brew of chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides from feed crops.

In the final decades of the twentieth century, almost five million family farms were replaced by large-scale manufacturing operations.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency these concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) confine thousands of animals in a single facility and generate a staggering 300 million tons of waste annually. …read more of Factory Farming, Unnatural, Unhealthy and Unsustainable here

Although DDT has not been used in the U.S. since 1972, traces have been found in human breast milk, even today.  That is not to say that you should stop breastfeeding.

On the contrary, breastfeeding is the best possible nourishment, however you should be aware of the potential sources of this deadly pesticide that still exist.  Besides, if DDT is in human breast milk, it most certainly can be found in cow’s milk.

DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is a banned organochlorine pesticide used heavily from the 1960’s up to and including the 1980’s in some western countries. Originally used to treat malaria and typhus during wartime years, DDT was then later used to kill insects on agricultural crops.

A Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce

How to Use Pesticides Safely in Your Garden

The persistent nature and bioaccumulation of pesticide residue was only detected some time after mass worldwide use had occurred.  This pesticide has been associated with numerous harmful health issues including, neurotoxicity, reproductive disorders, lowered levels of immunity and cancer.^[1] …read more of DDT – Persistent Pesticide Still a Threat here

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t just happen overnight.

It begins with a few small changes, or better yet, some big ones.  We can’t always be perfectly green when we are feeling overwhelmed with obligations and our lives are happening at warp speed all around us.

What if, however, this was your new green mantra?

“When I have a choice, I will  . . .”

. . . reach for the cold water handle instead of the hot so that the hot water heater does not have to use fuel to heat the new water to replace what was used.

. . .turn the water in the shower off while sudsing and conditioning my hair.

. . . shut the refrigerator or freezer door when pausing for a conversation so that the inner temperature will remain low, not requiring electricity to restore it to pre-wide open temperatures. …read more of When You Have a Choice… here