What’s in the dust in your home? There may be insect fragments, lead dust, pesticides, pollen, dust mites, animal dander, hair, human skin flakes, fungal spores or cigarette ash.
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Radon: If Only It Smelled Like Sulphur
Portland, Vancouver, Salem, and points between have a radon issue--one that has been here for thousands of years--and one that is not going away.
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Where Did My Interest Go?
It’s painfully obvious to more and more Americans that the interest from their bank accounts, money market funds, and other fixed income investments has plummeted in recent years.
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Radon, an Invisible, Odorless Northwest Issue
Portland and Vancouver have a radon issue– one that has been here for thousands of years–and it is not going to go away. The soil in the Willamette Valley, much of Clark County, and the Columbia River Gorge has a granite component, Ice Age material brought down the Columbia River from Montana repeatedly between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago, during the Missoula Floods. It is found as sand, gravel, cobblestones, even boulders. This granite, mixed into the upper layers of our soil, contains uranium, which breaks down naturally over time and produces radon gas. Invisible and with no smell, radon is drawn upward into our homes (regardless of architectural style,…
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Sterling College Completes Fossil Fuel Divestment
Sterling College, an environmentally focused, liberal arts institution located in Northern Vermont, announced that they have completed the divestment of its endowment from the fossil fuel industry
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The Basics of an Energy Efficient Mortgage
Going green has many benefits. Not only does it lower your impact on the environment, but it could potentially save you money. When it comes to your home, it can be difficult to make your house more energy efficient. Luckily, with an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM), you can borrow more money to help you upgrade your home with green technology. Here are just a few upgrades that qualify under an EEM: Alternative heating such as a pellet stove New windows and insulation New roofing technologies Solar Panels for both electricity and hot water heating In order to qualify for an EEM, you must first qualify for a regular mortgage. When…
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Sauna for Life – Sauna for Health !
Sometimes it is a simple wood-paneled room, with an electric heater and a thermometer on the wall, letting us know how hot it is. It may be at the gym, or fitness center, or maybe in your own home. Sometimes it will be a small freestanding building in a wooded glen with an authentic wood-burning heater. “It” is a sauna, and saunas bring different images to mind for different people. Saunas were largely unknown in this country before the 1950s, but have steadily become more popular as the source for both good times and therapeutic benefits. Pronounced “SOW-na”, it is a Finnish word that describes both the process of the…
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Simplicity Is the Way
When I started my journey beyond the borders of my upbringing, I learned that simplicity was the way. I built a cabin on the back of a flatbed truck with a six-cylinder engine. You know, the kind of engine where you could see the parts and knew what they did. I found my way to a cabin in a canyon with a spring, a cow and an outdoor shower. I learned to make bread in a wood cook stove, to churn butter and raise honeybees. I went to work and came home tired from a day well spent on producing something tangible. I know simplicity is the way, but like…
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5 Unconventional Ways to Cut Home Utility Costs
. For the average American household, monthly utility bills represent a significant chunk of the family budget, usually 5 – 10 percent of monthly expenses. Since utilities are such a big chunk of your expenses, there are probably a number of ways that you can effectively cut your home energy costs each month. While many people may see “going green” as an additional expense, there are a number of green practices that can help you slash your monthly bills. At this point, we all know how to set the thermostat higher when we sleep or leave the house. We know that we can turn the water heater down a little…
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Traveling? Have These Essential Oils With You
Pack These Essential Oils With You Cinnamon Cinnamomum zeylanicum 1 drop daily for upset stomach or diarrhea. Ginger Zingibar officinale 1 drop 3 times daily for travel sickness. Lavender Lavandula officinalis Blend with aloe vera oil and apply to skin. Use for bites, cuts, and scalds. Lemon Citrus limonum 1 drop 3 times daily. Gargle for sore throat and general anesthetic. Peppermint Mentha piperita var amara Blend with aloe and apply to skin for aches, pains, and bruising. 1 drop 3 times daily for indigestion. Tea Tree Australia Melaleuca alternifolia Blend with aloe and apply to skin for sunburn or apply directly to infection. Ylang Ylang Cananga odorata Apply directly…
