Thinking "Green" At Summer Camp

At at day camp in St. Petersburg, Florida, kids are helping not only the environment but those who suffer from cancer.

Everyday at lunch, the campers pick up aluminum cans and other recyclables at a local park where they eat lunch and play.  They put the cans and bottles into recycling bins, but they also do one other key thing: take off the tab of the can.

One camper was very moved by the work done at a local Ronald McDonald house and wanted to help. So every day her and her fellow campers, when they recycle, take the tab off and put it into a container for the Ronald McDonald house.  The tabs are then recycled and the money is used for daily expenses at a house.

Though it takes many tabs for a pound, by doing one small thing daily, the campers are not only helping the environment, but helping those in need.

14-Year Old Highlights the Plight of the Homeless

David Ashby, who is 14, set out on a walk from Orlando to Washington D.C. to highlight the plight of homeless children.

He will stay in homeless shelters along the way and eat only free food available to homeless people.  His goal is to raise awareness and money for shelter that help children.

For insight and updates on David's journey, follow his blog at David Ashby.

For additional information see the article at the Orlando Sentinel.

Tired of Summer Skin but Can't Afford a Facial? Try a Relaxing At Home Facial for Under $5

Is your face feeling dry, cracked, or just plain tired?  You want to do something about it and you want to feel pretty BUT you don't really have the money for a facial or a new product.

Try an at home facial with ingredients from the grocery store.  For under $5 you can make a great at home facial to help restore, and moisturize your face.  You will be feeling beautiful in no time at all.

The basic ingredients are oatmeal, avocado, almond butter, and honey.

See link below for more information and directions on how to apply.

New Type of Plastic Packaging - #7 -- Decomposes in Under 60 Days

Only about 7% of plastic is recycled.  Most plastic is made out of petroleum which takes about 1,000 years to break down.  SO with very limited recycling occurring, our trash is filled with non-biodegradable plastic which sits in landfills.

The packaging industry has come up with a solution.  It is a plastic made out of renewable resources such as corn, soy, or potatoes.  The plastic is just as strong as petroleum based plastic, the big difference is that it breaks down in about 45 days in a landfill.

The new type of plastic has a #7 on it.  So look for products with #7 packaging to purchase.  You will be helping the amount of plastic sitting in a landfill.

Getting Creative to Obtain Donations to Help Needy Kids

A foundation that provides backpacks with school supplies to children in need, came up with a new approach to obtain donated supplies.

Instead of waiting for the new school session to start and ask for donations, they chose to be the clean up crew at schools when they closed for summer break.

They asked parents and teachers to donate gently used backpacks and unused school supplies as they left for the summer break.  They currently have collected over 1,200 pounds of material.

Cost Effective and Effective Washing Machine Detergents By Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports sets up stringent tests and then tests how effective washing machine detergents are.  Some of the requirements are 1)Do they eliminate a variety of stains, 2) fabric ware, and 3) cost per load.

Two big winners were:

• Tide 2x Ultra for Cold water which is only 19 cents per load (not on sale) plus your energy savings for using cold water.
• Cheer 2x Ultra Color Guard - 17 cents per load and specifically for front loader machines.

Go to the full report for more information on detergents and washing machines.  A little knowledge will help you save money.

Follow That Chip: Locally Grown Food is Catching on Even With Big Corporations

New farms are popping up all over.  Nearly 300,000 farms have started since 2002. No, they are not the big farms as in the past, but small community farms.

The farms are meeting a need in the community by providing locally grown food.  Many of these farms are very successful.

Frito-Lay has initiated a new program called Follow That Chip.  The concept is that your chip most likely came from a "local" farm and is a local food.  Frito-Lay offers you the ability to find out what farm your chip comes from.

I took the test.  You put the unique bar-code in from your chip bag.   I then followed my bag of chips from one of several farms in Florida, to the Orlando processing plant.  It was actually fun to see where my chip came from.

3rd Grader Gives Back: Starts Food Pantry for Pets

A 3rd grader, Zach Wilson loves animals.  If he could, he would adopt all the homeless animals so that they would have a home.

Even though Zach could not adopt all the homeless animals, he wanted to help.

He started with what he knew.

With the help of his mom, he began a food pantry in central Florida for pets.  If an owner could have free food, then they might not have to give up their pet.  So why not supply free food to those in need with pets?

Since it the pantry opened several months ago, they have given over 1,000 pounds of cat and dog food.  They have also started a small medical fund for vaccines for animals.

A New Way of Farming Is Popping Up All Over the United States

In Camarillo California a new type of farming is starting.

On farm fields instead of plants and fruit, there are very large greenhouses.  The greenhouses are mostly self-sufficient by producing their own power through solar cells, and collecting rain water.

It takes far less land, chemicals, and energy to farm in a greenhouse, yet it produces the same harvest of vegetables or fruit.

Disney Stars to Help Promote Disney's Project Green Program

Disney is encouraging kids to help the environment by doing small things each day.  Disney's stars such as Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers will be promoting the different projects Disney will be donating to.

Kids can go on-line to vote for the project they want Disney to donate too.