We tend to think of cotton as pure and natural and images of pretty fluffy white seed heads come to mind. It is the most celebrated and popular fabric the world over and due to its enormous commercial value to so many countries is a significant part of foreign exchange earnings.

However there is another side to the coin which consumers may not be so familiar with. Cotton uses more pesticides per plant than almost any other crop in the world. Growing and harvesting 1lb of cotton fiber (which is enough to make the average tee shirt) exacts a deadly cost to the earth’s air, soil, water and ultimately animals, all of which has an dramatic impact on global health. Furthermore policies and routines employed within the industry ranging from crop subsidies from the wealthy nations to sweatshops which cause misery and poverty.

Organic cotton growing aims to work with nature and uses biologically based and not chemically based growing systems to raise crops. Farmers focus on managing rather than eradicating pests and weeds and help maintain an ecological balance. They have options to control weeds which include hoes, crop rotation, intercropping, mulches etc.

Beneficial ants are encouraged which feed on the cotton bollworm by planting sunflowers for example. Because the pesticides used in conventional cotton growing not only kill cotton pests but also eliminate helpful insects the balance of nature is overturned and there is an increased need for toxic chemicals. This has become known as the “pesticide treadmill”.

In California five of the top nine pesticides are carcinogenic (dicofol, naled, cyanazine, propargite and trifluralin).

The World Health Organization estimates that at least three million people are poisoned by pesticides every year and 20-40,000 more are killed.

Apart from problems associated with growing conventional cotton and processes involved in creating the fabric the dyes are further concerns. Toxins in the dyes affect skin and other organs. People with skin conditions such as eczema may be even more affected by chemicals and dyes. It has been suggested that babies have an increased likelihood of being affected because their skin is thinner and their bodies are still growing.

Basically the choice of whether or not to buy organic cotton is a personal one but I believe that there is a strong case to do so.

by Linda Sones
About the Author: Owner of an online shop selling organic cotton baby clothes and baby toiletries + handmade soap

Buy Organic Cotton, From Field to Final Product

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First you will be testing the soil to determine the properties of the soil you have. You need to find the best organic soil possible to plant your garden. Take a sample of the soil where you intend to have your organic garden. The sample could be sent to a lab where all of the different substances in soil are analyzed and checked. Depending on the results, you can make necessary improvements to the soil for you garden. The next step in learning how to grow an organic garden is, finding the right seeds. There are many outlets offering all kinds of seeds where you can find the exact seeds you are looking for.

Maintaining Your Organic Garden
Maintain your garden regularly if you want to achieve the best results. Learning how to do it systematically makes it simpler. Here are some basic things you should do in caring your organic garden.

- You must weed your garden whenever weeds appear.

- The soil should be watered regularly; however it should never be over watered since that could wash away all the nutrients you have been trying so hard to accumulate in the soil. Watering properly is a very important task in caring for your garden.

- Fertilize your garden in a manner prescribed. It is the key to figuring out how to grow and fertilize an garden. All home & garden centers have fertilizer for you to buy or you could prepare your own fertilizer with products from your home or start composting for the best fertilizer. Generally the best times to fertilize are in the spring, and then again during summertime.

What Will You Grow?
As said before, learning how to grow an organic garden is easy. With few tips and good caring your garden will blossom in no time. Deciding on what you will plant is the next step in learning. Some may choose to learn how to grow an organic rose garden, while others may choose to grow herbs or vegetables. Here, use seed guides and you can determine what plants would grow better in your region. You need to pay attention to seed planting times. Some seeds need to be planted at certain times to ensure optimal growth. With a little research and a touch of a green thumb, you can learn exactly how to grow the perfect organic garden.

By Frank
About the Author:vLearn more about Organic Gardening at http://www.organicgardeningworld.com

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Organic lawn fertilizers have brought new options to homeowners who desire both a green lawn and a green lifestyle. Environmental issues continue to be a concern in our society, and good citizens everywhere are doing all they can to preserve the health of our beautiful planet. Using organic fertilizers instead of chemical products is an easy way to make a difference, and many would be surprised at the effectiveness of the organic solutions. Listed below are some of the many proven benefits of natural fertilizers and insecticides.

Organic Lawn Care is Safer for Your Family
The most obvious value to using an organic lawn fertilizer is to preserve the safety of your family members and animals. Commercial lawn treatments are a cocktail of dangerous chemicals and poisons that cling to shoes, skin, and hair. Even the most cautious application can result in an accidental poisoning. And if you can protect your family and pets from exposure, it is often impossible to prevent wildlife and other organisms from ingesting these chemicals.

Bio-Degradable
Scientifically engineered chemicals react with our planet in very unnatural ways. Almost every naturally occurring resource on earth has the capacity to break down and return value to the environment. Man-made chemicals on the other hand are much harder to dissipate, and often form more potent by-products in the process. Every commercial brand chemical fertilizer contains compounds that are not only initially toxic, but ultimately breakdown and multiply into more toxins.

Less Waste
A major flaw with chemical lawn fertilizers is their “kill everything” approach to lawn care. These herbicides and pesticides may indeed kill unwanted nuisances like dandelions and ants, but they also destroy thousands of helpful organisms such as bees, earthworms, and beneficial microorganisms. Even if your lawn was comprised of 50% weeds, then you would still poison the soil in the remaining 50% with unnecessary chemicals. With organic lawn fertilizers, there is no concern for toxic runoffs or harmful integration with other organisms.

Organic lawn care is not only the best choice in terms of safety for your family, but it is also an effective alternative to chemical fertilizers. The proper application of organic fertilizers and pesticides will keep your lawn green and disease free. And as an added benefit to “going green“, organic formulas can save a substantial amount of money. Many effective formulas can be created in your kitchen with inexpensive ingredients found at your local grocery store. For more resources on how to implement an organic lawn treatment schedule, visit http://naturallawnfertilizers.com and http://naturallawnfertilizers.com

Author: Xavier Gallery
About the author: Make your own natural fertilizers and pesticides by using the resources available at Natural Lawn Fertilizers

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You are what you eat. The sad fact is that as long as farmers are allowed to spray environmental toxins on the food they produce, they will be poisoning you and your family right along with the insects they are trying to kill. These pesticides are more than a simple residue on he skin of your fruit or vegetables. They are in the actual flesh of the produce, carried on the winds far from the field where they were originally sprayed, they are in the soil, in the groundwater, in the fish that swim in the water, in the animals that eat the feed that was sprayed and in your body. They are everywhere. That is why they are called environmental toxins.

Author: Bob Cotto
Back in the 19th and 20th century, canaries were used in the mines to detect contaminated air. Miners used canaries because birds are very sensitive to toxins and are affected by poisonous gasses much quicker than man, thus giving the miners an early warning to any poisonous gasses in the mines. The birds are giving us warning again. According to Audubon magazine, “each year, more than 67 million birds are killed by pesticides applied legally to U.S. farmland.” Sounds like it time for us to consider taking action.

Children are also more more sensitive to environmental toxins than adults are so the damage from environmental toxins often manifests sooner in babies and children. According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer incidence among children under the age of 15 increased 32% between 1950 and 1985. It has also been estimated by researchers that there is a large percentage of cancer occurrences caused by exposure to environmental toxins as well as the well documented fact that the man made carcinogens in our food supply which is a major source of toxin exposure to people in the US.

Today’s modern farmers have an estimated choice of about 50,000 pesticide formulas and about 700 different chemicals. The agricultural industry is not solely to blame because many United States homeowners poison the earth as well by applying around 70 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns each year. Did you know that many of the chemicals we use on our lawns and gardens have exactly the same affect on insects as nerve gas had on soldiers? Many of the compounds used in home pesticides were the forerunners of the compounds used in chemical weapons that were developed during Word War II.

Think it can’t happen to you? Think again. Pesticides are poisonous chemicals that have absolutely no safe place in a human body. They are designed to kill. Want to know what pesticide use is linked to? Here is a quick list: breast cancer, birth defects, weakened immune system, non-hodkins lymphoma, brain damage, fetal death and malformations, fetal brain damage and miscarriage, Parkinsons, prostate cancer, lung cancer, hyperactivity, ADD and other neurological problems, male infertility and long term infertility. Check out Chem-Tox.com for more detailed effects of pesticides with supporting studies.

Any insects and birds eating from treated fields suffer from symptoms like quivering muscles, excessive tearing and salivation, failure of the respiratory muscles and, ultimately, asphyxiation - which are the same symptoms as nerve gas poisoning. Because both insects and weeds develop a resistance to the pesticides it is becoming a vicious cycle. The more their resistance builds up the more chemicals need to be used. It has been estimated by some sources that farmers have been spraying 2 to 5 times more than they were 30 years ago.

When it comes to environmental toxins prevention is better than cure, the best way to help with eliminating toxins from your body is to make sure you have a diet that is high in organically grown foods and low in industrially processed foods. There has been an increase recently in organic farms, and although organically raised beef, health food stores and organic food sections in many supermarkets are more expensive, they offer a valuable alternative to the industrial processed foods. If you find that these natural organic foods are hard to find in your area, try searching for them and perhaps ask your local grocer to try to carry them if and when possible.

An important thing to remember is that although the human body has the incredible ability to detoxify itself, when it is not at optimum health this ability can be seriously compromised. So although organic foods like organically raised beef, health food stores and organic food sections in many supermarkets are much more expensive than normal foods they are well worth the extra expense. It is essential that your body receives the correct nutrients to achieve and maintain optimal health.

While the knowledge that these chemicals are all around us can be discouraging, it is also a very serious call to action for those in the know. This is the very reason that the organic movement has taken on a life of its own. If you are not fortunate enough to live near a Wild Oats, Trader Joes or Whole Foods, there are still plenty of organic options. A great alternative is to find a food co-op or local grower. Buying locally saves tremendous wear and tear on the environment and of course keeps your neighbors in business. Another excellent way to get more organic food in your diet is to grow your own. Just make sure to use filtered water and natural pest control methods. As a last resort you can purchase organic food on the internet from Diamond Organics and even Amazon.

About the Author:
Bob Cotto has over 35 years experience in Senior Sales and Marketing Management positions with a variety of companies, such as We The People, IRM, Live Marketing, Cigna Securities and many others. For each of these companies, he’s led the sales and marketing teams to triple digit record breaking growth year after year. If there’s one thing he understands, its business. And that’s why he KNOWS that the Ultimate Business In A Box has everything you’ll need to succeed.

Find a food co-op at Local Harvest.org
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A green home is one that is eco-friendly and is at harmony with the environment. You can help the environment by making your home greener. Here is how you can do so by adopting a more energy-efficient and earth-friendly lifestyle.

Read the following top ways to green your home.

1. Upgrade to greener appliances.
Make your home energy efficient by upgrading to greener appliances. Replace old appliances with energy-efficient models that are Energy Star rated to scale down your energy bill. According to the Energy Star site, use of energy-efficient appliances in just one in 10 homes is equal to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees.

2. Temperature control.
More than 50% of a home’s energy bill is from heating and cooling appliances. Moderating the thermostat according to the weather goes a long way in reducing energy consumption. Other energy saving methods include using a modern furnace, cleaning its air filter every month and the use of ceiling fans instead of air conditioners.

3. Saving water.
There are hundreds of ways one can save water and reduce energy consumption. A few include fitting faucets with aerators and installing water efficient low-flow toilets.

4. Clean with green products.
Buy green household cleaners that are made of natural, non-toxic substances instead of toxic ones. Carpet and window cleaners containing grain alcohol, detergents made of coconut or other plant oils etc. are bio-friendly.

5. Energy-efficient lighting.
Replace incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs). CFL bulbs use 66% less energy and last 10 times longer.

6. Use recycled paper.
Whenever you buy paper, get 100 % post-consumer recycled paper. These consume less virgin pulp and keep waste paper from ending up in landfills. You can also save more trees by opting out of junk mail lists. Using unbleached paper is more eco-friendly as the bleached paper process results in the creation of harmful byproducts. Also, eschew paper and plastic bags and carry your own cloth bags for shopping.

7. Bamboo floors.
Bamboo floors are more environmental friendly than hardwood floors. Bamboo matures in four to six years while it takes 50 to 100 years for typical hardwoods.

8. Shun plastics.
Plastics are not bio-degradable. They produce harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming when processed, burned or dumped into landfills. The best way is to avoid plastics, the next best thing is to reuse and recycle them.

9. Eco-paint.
Use environmentally safe paints that are organic and solvent-free to paint your home.

10. Green your garden.
Avoid synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Instead use organic manure such as compost and non-chemical pest control methods.

by Real Estate Advisor
About the Author:

Poway Real Estate San Diego Condos Carmel Valley Real Estate

Buy the book: Green This!

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