Thanks to Xeros Ltd, a forward thinking company in the UK, the future of green washing machines is about to take one giant leap towards a more sustainable future.

According to Eco geek this new washer will hit the market by the end of next year. By cleaning clothes with tiny plastic beads, this new machine allows for a 90 percent reduction in water usage and could reduce utility bills up to 30 percent.

The 3mm-long recyclable nylon beads, along with a small amount of water and detergent, flood the machine during the wash cycle, then drain away with the water when the wash is done. The beads can be reused hundreds of times. The machine will also have the added environmental benefit of eliminating the need for dry cleaning delicate clothing.

The company claims that these machines will have a hugely beneficial environmental impact, stating that: " If all US homes converted to the Xeros cleaning system, the reduction in carbon footprint is equivalent to taking 5 million cars off American roads."

(Photo credit:parabola-pop in SuperEco group on flickr)

The evolution of dish and clothing washers into lean, mean, less-soap-guzzling machines, makes it more important than ever that we begin to use less and less soap.

The New York Times recently stated that most people are in denial about how much soap they use or should I say, overuse.

Our heavy handed soap usage is apparently making our clothing dingy looking, wearing it out sooner and not getting our dishes as clean. Also, at the same time, possibly damaging our machines. This goes for dish as well as clothing washers.

Here are some hints about how to use less:

1. The first step--and this is a hard one for me--is to actually read those handy dandy appliance manuals to find out what is recommended.
2. Using green versions of the high efficiency, low sudsing detergents for our dishes and clothing is best.
3. Marking the outside of cap with a black magic marker is helpful, many of the lines provided on detergent caps are sometimes really hard to see.
4. Find out if we have hard or soft water and adjust our soap consumption to suit our water.
5. With newer, more efficient machines less-is-more because they may tend to bog and work poorly with too much soap.
6. Always look for the Energy Star rating when buying a new appliance.
7. Remembering to recycle our detergent bottles and boxes is so important.
8. Try upcycling a plastic laundry bottle into a watering can!

(Photo credit:somegeekintn on flickr)

In 1894 John Muir wrote: "When California was wild, it was one sweet bee-garden throughout its entire length, north and south, and all the way across from the snowy Sierra to the ocean."

He continues by describing the immense biodiversity before him: "The great yellow days circled by uncounted, while I drifted toward the north, observing the countless forms of life thronging about me, lying down almost anywhere on the approach of night. And what glorious botanical beds I had! Often-times on awaking I would find several new species leaning over me and looking me full in the face, so that my studies would begin before rising."

This sounds like a beautiful dream, a beautiful impossible dream. But biodiversity because of its very nature is still within our reach. Favoring  biodiversity over monoculture, that is the crucial task at hand.

Here are some simple ways we can all foster green biodiversity:

1. Become informed about the historical biodiversity of where we live. Find out about local organizations that aid in the preservation of local endangered species, habitats and watershed. Learn what efforts are being attempted to restore these habitats and how we can help. Get the whole family involved.
2. Support worldwide conservation efforts whenever we can.
3. Research threatened and endangered plants species and provide some space in our landscape for them whenever possible.
4. Remove invasive species that may be choking out biodiversity on our small or large acre. Buy our seeds and plants from ethical organic sources. Plant heirloom varieties. Kick the pesticide/herbicide habit!
5. Support our local birds, they are great sowers of seed and plant a  butterfly/bee garden. Compost everything that you can.
6. Dedicate a "wilderness" area on our property where beneficial insects, birds and small wildlife may shelter and thrive. Plant a hedgerow habitat.
7. Buying our meats and produce from local ethical and organic farmers and markets whenever possible is so important.
8. Dialing back our fast food consumption sends an important message to companies that thrive on the devastating practices of monoculture.
9. Buy less stuff: use it up, wear it out, donate it, gift it. Reduce, reuse, recycle, upcycle, repeat!
10. If you are going to buy things, buy handmade things that support local economies, cottage industries and craftsmanship.
11. Whether we live in an urban or rural setting learning what we love about where we live is so important. Taking a walk in nearby nature, noticing that life is happening all around us, becoming connected, breathing...

Have a beautiful green day!

(Photo credit:ms.lume on flickr)

If a small plot is your plight, fear not for, it's pocket gardening to the rescue!

Taking a lesson from good old mother nature, who can send up a shoot of something green through the cracks in almost any parking lot, some clever folks have come up ingenious green ideas for small gardens.

This new spin on window box gardening has people growing their own green vegetable bounty in the most unlikely places and containers. Pick a pocket, plant a packet and watch your garden grow.

Here are a few really great ideas for pocket and container gardens:

1. Handmade in the USA from recycled plastic bottles Woolly Pocket soft-sided garden containers are suitable for indoor or outdoor usage. Their breathable sides release excess moisture to aerate the soil and their waterproof lining helps keep walls and floors dry.
2. Upcycling an old colander or salad spinner for indoor lettuce and herb growing is a great idea.
3. Create your own attractive DIY hanging pocket garden by upcycling any number of beautifully designed and sturdy coffee or juice bags. Macrame some jute or twine to hang them on.
4. Stylish recycled tire planters are attractive, relatively lightweight and much easier to move around than heavy flower pots. The large handles are really convenient.
5. Eco-friendly and really quite attractive biodegradable rice hull pots and planters are great for green windowsill gardening.
6. Repurpose an old wheelbarrow by drilling drainage holes in the bottom and filling it with soil. This makes a great portable outdoor garden that can be repositioned easily to optimize sunny or shady spots around the garden.
7. Old teapots hung by their handles so that the spout is pointing downwards make great outdoor hanging planters. They usually have a strainer built into the spout to trap tea leaves but if their is no strainer a small piece of screen works just as well. Fill with enough soil so that it does not spill out and plant a hanging thyme, rosemary or other creeping herb and drape it out through the top of the pot.
8. A festive and colorful tin can garden can be made by upcycling large restaurant sized cans. Drill a few holes in the bottom and add some small stones or gravel to provide suitable drainage. Be sure to set these on a tray of some sort as tin cans tend to rust.
9. Always use a good quality organic planting medium to ensure good growth. Well begun is half done.

Don't be shy, if you plant it it will grow! Happy planning, happy planting and please feel free to share your favorite small space garden ideas with us.

(Photo credit:ms.lume on flickr)

The frog was not talking about his garden when he sang "it's not easy being green" he was talking about his soul. Cultivating a green soul is not always easy but it is more worth the doing than just about anything I know.

When it becomes our goal to nurture nature we begin to cultivate a relationship that supports our entire ecosystem.

Remember, if it is poisoning the frogs, birds and insects, then it is probably poisoning us and our kids. So this year take a vow to ditch the pesticides and herbicides and grow a lawn and garden that the frog would be happy to sing his heart out in. Here are some helpful tips:

1. Let's begin by considering our home, garden and environs as part of our immediate family and treat them with the love and respect that they deserve.
2. Keep it simple, let some of the marginal areas of our small or large acre go native or wild. This makes less work for us and helps restore depleted habitats for pollinators and small wildlife. There is no shame in, as Jane Austen puts it, "a prettyish kind of little wilderness on one side of your lawn." You gotta love the style of those nature loving Victorians.
3. Growing grasses, flowers and vegetables that are suitable for our zone helps to maximize gratification from our landscape. Having our soil tested then amending it properly and organically is key.
4. Always choosing to go green with our dollar by sticking to organic and green gardening sites, seeds and supplies for our landscape, is easier now than ever.
5. Making Green Hour activities part of our family's daily routine helps us to build a healthy relationship with our environment. Remembering to dream green by visualizing our lives, our gardens and our planet greenly helps to reinforce their health via "ye olde power of positive thinking."

Happy green planning and I'll see you over the fence this spring with lots of green gardening tips!

(Photo credit:ms.lume on flickr)

There's a secret about natural, non-toxic cleaners that we sustainable living types sometimes hide. I'm guilty of shuffling the truth underneath the rug, too. After all, everyone wants to read a fresh article on how to whip up an intriguing, all-natural concoction for cleaning, right? Here's the natural, unvarnished truth: There are only three ingredients you really need to keep a clean, healthy household. We're not kidding: just three.

1. Vinegar Your battle standard is a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water. It's cheap. Its antibacterial qualities make it perfect for cleaning in the kitchen, bathroom, floors and even the rinse load in the laundry. Because it's acidic, it dissolves and removes soap and mineral deposits from your drinking glasses and dishes, coffee maker, tub and shower. It cleans pet stains and removes odors. Yes, it smells a bit like salad during use—but you'll be surprised how quickly it evaporates, and vinegar's not toxic like the fragrances in so many toxic household products.
2. Baking soda Need more scouring power? Sprinkle on some baking soda. Need even more? Follow up with a spritz of water and vinegar and watch it fizz.
3. Soap Try a natural castile soap like Dr. Bronner's. A little dash in your all-purpose vinegar/water mix adds cleaning power and smells great, too.

Friends and co-workers who turn to me for advice on non-toxic recipes seem surprised and dubious when I shoot it to them straight. In truth, though, these three ingredients are all you really need to buy. If you enjoy mixing up specialized concoctions, you can branch out into all sorts of recipes. Our advice: stick with the Big Three to keep it naturally simple.

As much as we love suggesting sustainable stuff to buy—recycled candles, green iPhone apps, Omega-3 supplements—we get even more of a charge from suggesting things not to buy. All too often, I think we forget the old standard that serves us all so well: reduce, reuse, recycle. We simply don't need more stuff—especially if it's toxic. Consumerism's as rough on the earth as it is on our wallets and the economy.

That's why we love Eco Child Play's list of top 10 toxic products you don't need. We picked our own top three of the most ubiquitous toxic products that are still making into America's grocery carts and reusable shopping bags.

1. Air fresheners Let's get real: you'd rather cover up a bad smell than clean up the cause? Naturally clean smells naturally fresh. Conventional air fresheners are getting greener, but we're not all the way there yet. Your choices could still be exposing you to phthalates and other toxic chemicals. Why not scrub the air clean naturally with houseplants, instead?
2. Household cleaners Conventional cleaning products may as well be labelled as toxic soup, for all the chemicals they contain that are harmful to your health. Vinegar and baking soda will get the job done naturally.
3. Canned food And speaking of toxic soup—yours probably is. Canned soup contained some of the highest levels of BPA in recent tests for the toxic substance. Manufacturers can't seem to control BPA levels in even so-called "BPA-free" products. It's probably wise to can the canned food.

Review the rest of the top 10 "no-buys" at Eco Child's Play.

(Photo credit:tijmen, SXC)

Candles can burn up your efforts at sustainability in no time flat. Chunks of leftover paraffin, lead and other heavy metals in the wick, ugly streaks of particulate matter guttering into your home's air ... Many candles prove to be not so eco-friendly at all.

One small company in Dallas, Texas, has figured out how to get it right. Their slogan: reduce, reuse, recycle ... ReCandle. ReCandle creates luxurious, eco-friendly scented candles from more than 50 percent post-consumer recycled wax. They collect and harvest discarded candles, saving materials headed for the landfill. Each hand-poured candle uses soy or palm wax, a lead-free, zinc core wick, and unique repurposed glass containers.

Even shipping has a light footprint at ReCandle. ReCandles ship in brown paper, with packing materials obtained second-hand (whenever possible) from a local moving company that passes along their used boxes, bubble wrap and peanuts.

Of course, for candles with a warm, golden glow and a warm, golden scent, you could always make your own beeswax candles. It's easier than you think, especially if you use one of many readily available crafts kits. If you prefer to track down ready-made goods, we've tracked down the best sources of natural soy and beeswax candles.

(Photo credit:ReCandle.com)

I detest getting strange looks from sales clerks when I pull out my reuseable bag. This is 2010, isn't it? Haven't we gotten over the idea that single-use plastic bags are a wasteful, superfluous mess? It's days like these when we wish we could hop a (carbon-offset) plane for London, so we could shop at Unpackaged.

Need a little but not a lot? Check. Need a lot more than a little? Check. Whether you bring your own bags, boxes and bottles or whether you need to pick up a few more reuseable bags there at the store, you can get your fill of organic, whole foods.

1. Fill your container.
2. We weigh.
3. You pay.

Pretty simple, no?

While we can't fly over to pick up some groceries this afternoon, we can feast our eyes on what unpackaged shopping at Unpackaged looks like. Enjoy.

Drool over more eye candy from Unpackaged's shop plus information about the store's products and policies at Unpackaged.

(Photo credit:Unpackaged)

Why can't we work someplace this cool? We're not really sure why workers in offices designed by Because We Can designs would want to leave at the end of a work day. Steampunk cubicles ... Giant octopus tentacle cushion seating ... Client goals like "make our office an over-the-top, amazing and fun place to be so we can attract and keep top talent" ... All done with an eye on sustainability. We're so there!

This Oakland, California, interior design and custom furniture outfit is driven by the eco-friendly creative energy of husband-and-wife team Jeffrey McGrew and Jillian Northrup. They call Because We Can a design-build studio, "a mash-up of designers, artists, architects, fabricators and builders that handle the design and production of interiors, buildings, furniture and products." The company creates not only unique workplace environments but also one-of-a-kind pieces for the home.

No matter how high the team soars with its imaginative designs, sustainable materials and building practices remain the foundation. "Building something always means something else is destroyed," claims the design duo on their web site. "We're in it for the long haul, so we focus on using sustainable, recycled, and/or local materials and labor. We don't want to work with toxic materials or in a bad environment and our clients shouldn't have to live with such things either. We also try to make our projects in the most efficient way possible and make them to be as effective as possible, so that they will last a long time and be gentle to our world."

Feast your eyes on Because We Can's interiors, furniture and art and display work. Because we wish we could, too.

(Photo credit:Because We Can)