The Druid Grove

by **Dryadia2** » 05 Sep 2005, 20:24

Thank you for the links and helpful suggestions Wren!
I just now tried the baking soda and vinegar in my kitchen drain...love the fizz! It reminds me of high school chemistry class. :grin:

Peace and Blessings,
:dryadia:

/|\

by **Wren MacDonald** » 06 Sep 2005, 03:52

Yeah, when I was a kid we used to make "volcanoes" with baking soda and vinegar for the lava. :grin:

Wren ^.~*

by **Dryadia2** » 22 Sep 2005, 22:12

Here is a link to some gardening topics:
http://www.stretcher.com/menu/topic-g.htm#gardening

Here is the website's homepage:
http://www.stretcher.com/
It has all sorts of info about saving. Their motto is: "The Dollar Stretcher - Living better...for less"

Peace and Blessings,
:dryadia:

/|\

by **Lorraine** » 22 Sep 2005, 23:54

That looks pretty good Dryadia2! I might pick up some handy hints there.

by **Cariad** » 30 Sep 2005, 04:02

http://www.foe.co.uk (friends of the earth)

http://www.absolutelypure.com (for chemical free beauty)

http://www.treehuggermums.co.uk (for cloth nappies and menstrual items)

xx

by **Dryadia2** » 30 Sep 2005, 04:29

Thank you for the links, Cariad!

Peace and Blessings,
:dryadia:

/|\

by **Wren MacDonald** » 30 Sep 2005, 13:15

There is a book that is a compilation of a newsletter (out of print) called The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. It's meant to save money but also is very eco friendly. ^.^ I checked it out from the local library a while back and jotted down a bunch of notes of directions and ideas. ^.^

Wren ^.~*

by **Lorraine** » 01 Dec 2005, 17:58

http://www.freecycle.org/ is a brilliant idea - a way to exchange used or unwanted new goods of all kinds, locally, for free. So those items get a new home, and don't end up as landfill straight away. I've made a separate post on it just now, giving more information on it.

Lorraine

by **Guardian** » 14 Dec 2005, 21:51

for anyone who has pets, particularly dogs, there are a few topics I would suggest looking into...

the first is the BARF (biologically appropriate raw foods or bones and raw food) diet. organic foods can be used with this diet, which is not only better for the environment but much better for your dog as well! you can find more here:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/barf.html

the second, is the problem of over-vaccination in dogs(not particularly an environmental topic...), but I personally have taken this attitude towards people as well. the idea is that instead of vaccinating for every possible disease, and giving unnessicary "booster" shots, we should allow our pets (and ourselves) to naturally build a healthy immune system. more here:
http://www.petplace.com/Netscape/nsArtS ... artID=5490
and
http://www.critteradvocacy.org/Are%20We ... 20Pets.htm

I hope this was helpful, and I'm sorry if I put it in the wrong spot!

by **Kay MoonDawn** » 28 Dec 2005, 04:58

In this part of the world, it's still winter - but I am already thinking of warmer months. With these months mean mosquitoes and other bugs. Mosquitoes really bother me - when I get bitten it's in multiple places and the swelling and iching is horrible at most times.

I was wondering if there is any organic way to repel these insects away from me - before I get bitten...?

Thanks.

by **Guardian** » 28 Dec 2005, 06:56

Kay - From what I understand, if you let them bite you and leave them alone, it doesnt nearly itch as bas as if you swat them away....

also, lavender oil is an excellent itch reliever.

by **Wren MacDonald** » 18 May 2006, 08:42

Kay MoonDawn wrote:In this part of the world, it's still winter - but I am already thinking of warmer months. With these months mean mosquitoes and other bugs. Mosquitoes really bother me - when I get bitten it's in multiple places and the swelling and iching is horrible at most times.

I was wondering if there is any organic way to repel these insects away from me - before I get bitten...?

Thanks.

Okay, a serious delay in response to this question :oops: , but there are more natural ways to repel mosquitoes than ye olde DEET.

First, Gaiam has this solar-powered keychain thingy that is supposed to emit a high frequency sound, I believe, that wards them off. It gets good reviews but I've never tried one. Anywho if you want to look into it I believe it was around $10 and hey... no batteries! You just hook it to your belt loop or whatever.

Also if you go to a natural food store they should have some alternatives to Off! type bug repellants (we sell these where I work, but again, never tried them). Some are sprays, some are lotions, etc., and no harsh chemicals.

Also if you're going to be hanging out in your yard or some other stationary place where you can light a candle, don't forget citronella candles do work pretty good too! You can just get the candle, the candle in a holder, or those torch-thingys too. Good if you're having a gathering of people outside.

Sorry I don't have any personal reviews for you. : ) I honestly don't bother much with the mosquito repellant, though we do have them here, it's not nearly as bad as when I was a kid in NJ with woods in our backyard and THOUSANDS of the beasts attacking us. My friends and I would be outside playing ball until it was too dark to see and then we would move inside and count and compare mosquito bites (somehow I usually won... they must like me!). Anywho after that a few bites every now and then (I'm in a dry area) doesn't bother me much. That plus I wear a lot of clothes that they can't very easily penetrate :grin:

. Long sleeves, pants, skirts, turtlenecks. Yes, in summer. Yes, in 90+ degrees. Yes, I'm a freak.

Oh, and when you DO get bitten... put some regular old bar soap on it and let it dry on there (don't rinse it off). It will help lessen the itching. : )

Hope this helps! = )

Wren ^.~*

by **Dryadia2** » 18 May 2006, 13:25

I take "B" vitamin and Garlic tablets in the morning before I go out to do yardwork. The scent given off thru the skin is unpleasant to bugs (so I'm told, and it seems to work). Consuming brewers yeast or anything containing it, is also supposed to discourage bugs from biting.

In addition, I carry one of those small 'sonic' devices (that Wren mentioned).

:dryadia:

/|\

by **Coll_Dana** » 27 Sep 2006, 14:12

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to get back to the Ecover products. They are great. I live in The Netherlands and they are sold here in nature stores it's great to use and very friendly. For my laundry I use klok, that's an all purpose washing powder and bio degradable.
I try to live as nature friendly as I can. My handsoap is by Aloë care and this has helped me get rid off a nasty wart on my hand, so it has more purposes. For personal use I try to uise products that are friendly and not tested on animals. Sanicur is one of the brands and Weleda, which is very nature friendly.
So nice to see this thread.
Here in the Netherlands we also have a couple that write books like the tightwad and I have read them too. Lots of things I try to incorporate in daily life, but some things ,like using teabags several times, I don't.
Recycling plastic bags as dustbin bags is something that I do and using a rubber broom to clean hairs from the floor instead of using the dustbuster several times a day. There are lots of things we can do that won't cost a lot, but will have great effect in the long run.

by **Wren MacDonald** » 28 Sep 2006, 23:15

Coll_Dana wrote:Recycling plastic bags as dustbin bags is something that I do and using a rubber broom to clean hairs from the floor instead of using the dustbuster several times a day. There are lots of things we can do that won't cost a lot, but will have great effect in the long run.

Oh yes, I use plastic shopping bags for my trash bags too. I don't know the last time I actually bought a box of trash bags. I usually use cloth bags when I shop, but sometimes you stop in unexpectedly or you don't have enough, and I still manage to accumulate plastic bags! One of these days I want to get the trash bin Gaiam sells which has hooks on the sides so that your plastic shopping bag will stay in place (rather than slide down inside the bin when it doesn't quite fit around the rim). Very handy!

Also on the cleaning up hair note, a pair of (dry) rubber dishwashing gloves will work getting hair off too... so if you've got pet hair on the couch, put on a rubber glove and just wipe it off. It really does work, and no vaccuuming or sticky lint-pick-up roller things required!

Wren ^.~*

by **Aurora** » 29 Sep 2006, 01:20

Here's a website i find useful, has tips on recycling etc:

http://www.planetark.com.au/

by **Dryadia2** » 02 Oct 2006, 18:11

Safe and Natural Pest Control:
http://www.landofvos.com/articles/wingt ... epest.html

by **Coll_Dana** » 04 Oct 2006, 12:12

Thank you so much, that is a great link !!!

by **Graidh** » 04 Oct 2006, 15:27

On the bug front... Badger Balm makes a good Anti-Bug Balm that has Citronella, Cedar, Lemongrass, Rosemary and and Geranium oils.

I love the other Badger products as well, especially the sore muscle rub. It smells so much better than the usual over the counter rubs!

Badger Anti-Bug

by **plaidcat** » 03 Oct 2007, 17:17

One of my favorite cleaners is Nature's Miracle, and you can find it in pretty much any pet specialty store. The cleaner's ingredients consist of: Water, Enzymes, Ispropyl Alcohol, Natural Citrus Scent. Products like this are actually marketed for pet stains (the enzymes break down the organic matter better than regular cleaners do), but i use it on nearly everything of organic origin (which is almost everything). You can use it on upholstery, clothing, carpet, whatever.
Its safe to use around mammals, and even birds (a lot of bird poop cleaners are similar products).
I buy big honkin' 1.5 gallon jugs when its on sale, and fill up smaller bottles as needed.

The Druid Grove

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