Green

A hummingbird approaches a tube-shaped flower.

Gerchman gave the example of how hummingbirds eat aphids. "Aphids are often seen as immediate pests in gardens. So you can enjoy beautiful flowers, and attract hummingbirds which help protect the plants," she said. An additional note on garden pest control: At a Vegetable Entomologist Workshop in Dallas, pest control experts said to "avoid broad-spectrum insecticies to conserve natural enemies" like hummingbirds.

Flowers and tips to attract hummingbirds to your garden

Gerchman said that hummingbirds are attracted to tubular-shaped flowers. For colder climates such as New England, she said one of the best choices is T

FACT:
Many brands on the market create their own seal of approval. This is very deceiving as this creates a false standard set by the needs of marketing their product, and not the health and safety of consumers and the environment.

TIP:
Look for products that are certified by the Natural Products Association and Green Seal. Both of these non-profit organizations have third party testing requirements that look at the safety of ingredients and their usage both for human interaction and environmental impact.

2) MYTH: A product listed as eco- or earth-friendly is healthy for humans.

FACT:
The general

by Taylor Newman

Every other Friday morning, I drive to a local dairy farm and wait in a long line of cars until a refrigerated white van

Would You Give Your Child Raw Milk?

rolls up and parks at the top of the driveway. The cars creep slowly forward, single file, as each person's bi-weekly order of milk, cheese, and other farm-fresh dairy products - which we place, in advance of pickup, via an online spreadsheet-- is filled by the farmer himself. Customers include stay-at-home-moms and their kids, business people on their lunch breaks, athletes, health-enthusiasts - it's a diverse crowd. But we're all there for one reason. You think breast milk is the most coveted, controversial beverage in America today? Try raw cow's milk. For many moms, it's the natural successor to breast milk's throne. For many other enthusiasts, it's simply liquid gold.

PLUS: Would You Feed Another Woman's Breast Milk to Your Baby?

I ended up in the Friday morning line routine for two reasons. One is that Kaspar, who's s

Chamomile in the author's garden

Flash forward a decade or so and I was working my way through college slinging coffee at a small art house. That's where I discovered the joy of loose leaf teas. I remember the first time I opened the chamomile canister, and poured out a pile of ... dried flowers! It seems silly now, but it was such a surprise to me. "Of course! Chamomile is a flower!"

Flash forward yet another decade, and these days I'm planting my own pretty white chamomile patch in my own little garden, harvesting and drying the buds, and brewing my own homegrown tea. And it is, unquestionably, the best tea I've ever tasted.

The great news is that chamomile is just the tip of the tea-stain

Earthships in New Mexico, near Taos.

Heat and Cooling Naturally

Earthships are homes built with passive solar design principles. During the cool winter months, low angled sunlight enters the home and warms the floors and walls. Exterior and load bearing w