In a few days I am flying back to where this blog had it’s beginning in 2012 – Australia! Over the past years we have grown and changed. My fellow blogger is retired and now it is just me, but I still maintain the same goal – to provide trustworthy resources…
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Do you feel ill whenever you are in your house, but feel fine when you stay in a hotel or at a friend’s house? There could be something in your house that your body is reacting to. Mold is often the named culprit; however, it isn’t always mold. To determine what is…
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Managing waste is a major issue for countries around the world. When I am visiting somewhere one of the first things I look for are recycling containers. If they are easy to find, then that place is usually doing a better job encouraging people (tourists and residents) to recycle. In…
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I may have brought bedbugs home from my vacation. What an awful souvenir! I travel a lot, but this is the first time I have had an encounter with bedbugs. Maybe staying at all those convents and monasteries in Europe instead of five star hotels protected me from these unsavory…
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Does your home have “curb appeal?” October is a great time to stand on the curb and check out the condition of your house. Are the spiders taking over the front porch? Does it need painted around the windows to keep the moisture out? Are there loose shingles? Is the…
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Oh, to have granite countertops adorn your kitchen! They are the dream countertops for many people who are building a new home or remodeling their current home. The quality, appearance, and even status, attracts many people; however, another element of granite countertops has come to the forefront in recent years…
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Having fun in Jacksonville, Florida while learning more about radon. You may not think that’s something you need to know about. Not true! You need to pay attention and take action. Radon is a radioactive gas that is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is found in…
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Today I was walking across campus and someone almost walked into me because she was so busy texting she was barely staying on the sidewalk. We live in an exciting and changing world. Ninety percent of adults have a cell phone and81% of cell phone users are texting or receiving…
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Springtime in Georgia is magical. The wisteria winds through the trees along the roads and in wooded areas. It looks like a ribbon of purple intertwined among the trees. The sweet heady scent floats through the air. A thing of beauty to all but those with allergies and those who…
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Guest blogger: Gabrielle Walters, CHES, MPH and Radon Educator with The University of Georgia Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics. ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ St. Patrick’s Day is a day that began as a way to celebrate the work of St. Patrick in Ireland and…
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Today, September 1st is my parents’ wedding anniversary. This year they would have celebrated 60 years of marriage. Sadly, my Dad passed away earlier this year during the cold winter months. He is missed, but we do have lots of wonderful memories. One of my fondest memories is of Dad…
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Here comes company… It is a given fact that every one of us has visitors in our home throughout the year. Sure, some of us entertain more than others, but whether we like it or not we all have the occasional house guest. If it’s not family visiting during the…
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This week I participated in an informative blogging workshop taught by Tara Dunn for the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences Cooperative Extension. She did a fantastic job of helping all of the participants develop blogs and better understand and use online communication. Blogs are a great…
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Is it supposed to snow on May Day? I just returned from a conference on energy in Fort Collins, Colorado. The hosts did a wonderful job showcasing all four seasons. The first few days were close to 80 (great for solar power). Then there was rain, which provided some relief…
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Have you ever considered how resilient your house is to damage from natural disasters? I am talking about things like flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, hail, straight-line winds, and even droughts. I am attending a workshop put together by LSU Extension that focuses on how we can create homes that are more…
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Guest Blogger……Morgan Barnett, Master of Public Health Degree Candidate at The University of Georgia Many of us burn candles to make a room smell good, or just for decorative use. While candles create a calming effect, the allure of candlelight can quickly turn into a disaster if proper safety measures…
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Recently I was teaching an online class about keeping your home healthy and reducing the asthma triggers in your home. I talked about some of the main asthma triggers in your home – dust mites, pet dander, secondhand smoke, mold, cockroaches, and mice. The training included action steps to take…
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Today I heard a wonderful presentation by Henry Cisneros, who was Secretary of HUD under Clinton. He spoke at the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) 20th anniversary celebration. He talked about housing, linkages between our homes and our health, and changing housing needs. It was a good reminder of…
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There are some simple things you can do to become a more environmentally conscious consumer. Watch the video for some things you can do to reduce waste and save you money. Take the Shades of Green quiz on the UGA GreenWay website.
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I just returned from a themed cruise to the Caribbean that featured classic movies and movie stars from the past. It was just what I needed – rest and relaxation sprinkled with movies, good food, good times, and a therapeutic saltwater Jacuzzi and pool. On the cruise I got to…
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Take the Radon Test to see how much you know about radon. 1. What is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers? a. Secondhand smoke b. Radon gas c. Industrial pollution d. All of the above 2. Where are you most likely to be exposed to radon? a. At…
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Is your cat watching the warm air in your home leak out around the front door? This infrared photo shows air leakage around the front door of my home. Does this look like your house? You don’t need an infrared camera to check to see if you have air leaking…
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Guest Blogger……Morgan Barnett, Master of Public Health Degree Candidate at The University of Georgia None of us want to think that something terrible like what happened just this month, in Georgia, could happen to us or our loved ones. A fire engulfed the duplex of a family sleeping inside and…
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Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and number one cause among non-smokers. You may think this is just a problem in the north or for homes with basements. Not true! Radon kills about 21,000 people each year, more than drunk driving. One in…
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Over the holidays I was admiring the photos in the Montana Outdoors magazine. All of the photos are amazingly beautiful. There are photos of elk and foxes at play, birds in flight, fish swimming, wildflowers in bloom and reflections of nature throughout Montana. The one photo that really stuck out…
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Drought is a word being tossed about in the media far too often these days. This year we saw corn withering in the fields, giant cracks in the soil and lakes 12 to 15 feet below pool. We are definitely experiencing a rainfall deficit. Here in Athens we just got…
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A news story earlier this week served as a reminder about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO). An Atlanta school was evacuated when several students and adults became ill from exposure to high levels of CO. Thankfully, everyone seems to be okay, but the school remains closed while officials work…
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How many of you remember getting “BIG MONEY” during the holidays from a favorite aunt or uncle or maybe your Godparent. I remember one particular Christmas, I had been sick with a very sore throat. My uncle was visiting and the family was sitting in the kitchen. I walked into…
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I am posting this for my colleague Sharon. This is the first in a series of 3 postings on gifting and children. Today as I was driving back from Thanksgiving with family I started to think about why some people seem to be very generous with their time, talent and…
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Is your house like mine and filled with stuff? Lately I have been cleaning and trying to downsize. I am finding things that I no longer use, but they are still in good condition and could be useful to someone else. Yes, I know I can donate things, but what…
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I am writing this blog posting on my birthday, so I will take this opportunity to wish myself a happy birthday. : ) Now on to the topic. I have been looking forward to sharing what I learned at an energy workshop I recently attended in Montana. It was great! …
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We have been back from Australia for a little over a month now and time has flown by. It is well past time for a new blog posting. Our goal is to add something new about living greener at least once a month. There are several things we can all…
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As we left Australia I found myself looking down on the Sydney harbor and recalling all of the interesting things we learned and the wonderful people we met. I learned that my image of the country did not match reality. Australia was more impressive than I imagined. I especially enjoyed…
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Lenah Links brings together community members from Lenah Valley, New Town and the surrounding communities to share their ideas on sustainability, transportation, local food production, and community dialog. The community members say the most important part of Lenah Links is that people are getting to know their neighbors. Lenah Links is a subgroup of Lenah…
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At the Hobart cohousing development there were designated “chicken barons.” What this means is that a single family was in charge of taking care of the chickens – everything from feeding them to gathering the eggs. Residents are encouraged to bring vegetable matter to feed to the chickens, and the…
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Cohousing and ecovillages are one of the ways Australia is addressing the housing crisis. Issues such as affordability, ecological impact of new (and existing) housing developments and creating communities that embrace the human need for connecting with whom we live with and nearby are important elements of sustainability. Cohousing and ecovillages embrace the small…
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Lest we think Australia is free from trash and debris, take a look at this photo of a screen on the river in Melbourne which is designed to catch trash. Like many large cities, they have trash on the streets too, especially cigarette butts. I am not certain that smoking…
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We visited so many spectacular spaces throughout our trip, and this Community Garden in Hobart, Tasmania was certainly one of them.
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While in Tasmania, we visited a honey-making family from Huan Valley, outside of Hobart. Their farm is near Huonville and they have a little store called The Honey Pot. The Honey Pot is owned and run by local Huon Valley beekeepers and it has a wonderful range of delicious Tasmanian…
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I just couldn’t resist sharing some of the simply beautiful photos we took while in Australia. Enjoy!
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While visiting with four colleagues (Kate Archdeacon, Che Biggs, Jessica Bird, and Kes McCormick) from the University of Melbourne we were able to learn about their efforts to achieve sustainability at the University. Their goal is to develop guiding principals, which will frame the Environmental Policy and outline environmental sustainability strategies for the University –…
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What happens when you produce such little waste that the majority of what you no longer need is recyclable or compostable? This trashcan: This is the trash can employees at the University of Melbourne have for all things that are not recyclable or compostable. Now that’s something to be proud of!
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Take a look at this great campaign aimed at conserving wild habitats and saving trees. The loo! It’s one more place we can use recycled materials and help to cut down on new waste.
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You probably can! I recently discovered this great article outlining “10 Things You Never Knew Were Recyclable” on Earth911.com, and there are some great options listed: -Crayons -Keys And, yes -Hair! How else do you think they clean up dangerous oil spills? And it’s great for composting! Give it a…
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I guess the Aussies like Krispy Kreme too! But we could’ve guessed that… It’s a good thing doughnuts are the same upside down or rightside up!
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Silo by Joost , 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne 3000, is the permanent project of Joost Bakker, eco-entrepreneur, who is a champion for sustainable design and local sourcing of food and foraging movement. This restaurant does not just talk about “zero waste” they are ‘zero waste”. We were lead to Silo, by Kate Archdeacon…
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Biophilic Design suggests that suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. We heard much at the Healthy Building Conference about the need to rethink our living spaces – beyond community gardens, bike paths, and public transport – though each idea is important it…
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We had an amazing time at the Farmers Market in Brisbane last week and I just have to share a pic and some videos that I took while visiting. This friendly farmer took a moment out of the day to pose for a pic with his mum. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_yhsSW1OtI?rel=0] The Brisbane…
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“CityCycle is an initiative of the Brisbane City Council to introduce a new form of environmentally friendly personal transport similar in style to European bike hire systems like Vélib’ in Paris and Sevici in Seville. Within 3 km of the city centre 2000 bicycles will be available to pick up and drop…
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St. Kilda’s “Veg Out” Community Garden is built on the site of the old St. Kilda Bowling Club in the Port Phillip Council area. The facilities are also home to artist studios, rented on a month to month basis, with garden plots are rented for a $100 annually. The site…
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