The Advantages of Bamboo Eating Utensils

The Advantages of Bamboo Eating Utensils

When you are looking for an alternative to hard wood, plastic and metal utensils, why not consider using bamboo utensils? Bamboo utensils usually provide a lightweight, attractive appearance and are stronger than wood utensils. Also, bamboo will not mark non-stick cookware and are simple to care for just like wood and plastic utensils. Below are several advantages that you can get when you use bamboo utensils.

The first advantage is what I call the environmental factor. Typically, bamboo grows at a faster rate compared to wood and can be replaced easily. Just imagine an entire forest that can be regenerated in three to five years. More so, if you shift to bamboo products, you can help in reducing the stress on the world’s forests. Isn’t that reason enough?

Another advantage is its strength. While bamboo is actually a grass, still it can be as strong as steel. Utensils made of bamboo can last very long and are much more durable than wood and plastic utensils.

In addition, utensils made of bamboo are 100 percent biodegradable. Bamboo utensils are ideal especially for campers and hikers because they are super light and some of them come in their own colorful case, which makes them easy to find when dinner time arrives.

When it comes to health and safety, bamboo products can be grown and harvested without the use of pesticides, which is not the case for wooden products.

Finally, these products are very light and so easy to clean. Also, they are …

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The Importance of Allergen Free Flooring

The Importance of Allergen Free Flooring

According to recent figures put on WebMD.com 55% of Americans now test positive for one or more allergy. That is a frightening fact – over half the population now has an allergy of some description. Allergic reactions and asthma is now regarded as the fifth most serious chronic condition in the United States. And the problem can only get worse because allergies are passed down from generation to generation. A child with one parent suffering from an allergy has a 33% chance of developing an allergy and that figure goes up to 70% if both parents have an allergy.

Of all the allergies that one can have it is not food allergies which are the biggest problem. Food allergies only account for 2% of the total number of allergy sufferers. The most common types of allergic reaction are to pollen, mold, dust mite excretion and danders. People wrongly believe that it is pollen that is the main cause of their runny noses and streaming eyes. Pollen is just one cause. The fact that people in rural areas in developing countries who have greater exposure to pollen have a much lower incidence rate of hay fever throw into doubt the pollen theory.

Allergic reaction is primarily a developed world problem and it is interesting to note that in countries like America and Japan people spend 90% of lives indoors. Thus it stands to reason that it is improving indoor air quality that is key to preventing people from allergies suffering from …

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Add Some Sparkle to Your Backyard With a Bamboo Tiki Bar

Add Some Sparkle to Your Backyard With a Bamboo Tiki Bar

Summer time is fast approaching and while many are planning barbecues for warm weather holidays, birthdays and outdoor picnics, many homeowners are looking for new ways to add character and style to their outdoor living environments. While it could be simple to reorganize your outdoor furnishings, or change the colors on your cushions and outdoor pillows, why not up the ante and include a bamboo tiki bar into the mix?

These tiki bars are ideal for outdoor entertaining because it acts as a main location for the food and drinks you serve, outdoor décor and a focal point while engaging your party guest. Many people love the look of this type of bar because it also creates an authentic look to a tropically themed party.

Here are few reasons that bamboo tiki bars are a great addition to your backyard or outdoor living space:

1.    Bamboo is an environmentally sustainable product that you’ll feel good about purchasing. It isn’t just the hippies and tree huggers that are looking out for the well-being of our planet. Americans all over the nation are looking for new ways to shop smarter and use products that use a smaller carbon footprint. Bamboo is considered a sustainable resource because it’s the fastest growing plant ever known, sometimes reaching more than 3 feet per day.

2.    The upkeep and maintenance of bamboo is incredibly easy. To keep the original color of your outdoor bar, you simply have to wash it down with soap and water. If …

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How to Design a Garden You Can Enjoy All Year

How to Design a Garden You Can Enjoy All Year

The key to enjoying your landscaping all year-round isn’t sexy, exciting nor secretive-it’s planning and design structure. To succeed in having a four-season landscape design, we will need to understand design, color, and form-and how the techniques apply to create your home landscape. How Design, Color, and Form relate to our desired goal of enjoying your gardens year-round will rely on staggering our flowers, shrubs, and trees so we can take advantage of their natural life cycle. The goal is to “stagger” our plants so we will have things flowering in the Spring, Summer and as Fall comes around, we will have colorful leaf changes and moving into Winter, we can rely on the plants shape or Form to create something beautiful to look at while everything has either died or moved into its dormant life stage.

Starting with Spring, we can break the season down into two sections, plants that flower in early and late Spring. That way once your early Spring flowers and blooms start to fall away, your late Spring plants will begin their ascent into full bloom. Because of this staggered approach, we’re going to need to spread these plants throughout the entire design because we don’t want one section to pop off while the rest of your gardens lie dormant. If we don’t look at the bigger picture, we might get lucky and have things look nice naturally, but with proper foresight, we can take advantage of the different life-cycles to enjoy the flowers for …

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Growing Herbs in Your Square Foot Garden – Basil

Growing Herbs in Your Square Foot Garden – Basil

Growing herbs, especially basil, in your square foot garden is an excellent way to have a kitchen garden right outside your back door. Herbs mixed with fresh vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, leeks, and beets is easy to do with Mel Bartholomew’s method of square foot gardening.

If you haven’t picked-up a copy of Mel’s book entitled All New Square Foot Gardening, you really shouldn’t delay. In it, you will find a wealth of information about growing basil. Along with learning to grow basil, you will find helpful information on growing other herbs like cilantro, mint, and oregano. There are many varieties to choose from.

Basil, particularly ‘Sweet Genovese’, is the best for Italian pesto. But, be sure and experiment with basil flavors like cinnamon, licorice, and lemon which are also good in many dishes. Six plants of “Sweet Genovese’ will yield enough leaves to make pesto all summer long without you being overwhelmed. Of course, it’s easy to freeze any variety of this wonderful herb if the need arises.

Another variety to try, especially if you are fond of Asian cuisine, is ‘Siam Queen’. A spicy Thai basil, with an intense flavor and fragrance all its own, makes it a great choice. Another great choice is ‘Holy Basil’ which was introduced to Europe in the sixteenth century as a culinary and medicinal herb. You will want to experiment and have fun growing all the different varieties of basil in your garden.

Many varieties of basil seeds are available …

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Non-Toxic Window Blinds

Non-Toxic Window Blinds

A little known reality of home décor is the fact that some items in your home contain toxic substances that can actually have a negative impact on the health of you and your family. Carpet, upholstery, and even window blinds are just a few of these items, so it’s important to know what you have in your home and whether there is any risk to your health. Fortunately, there are a wide range of environmentally friendly products that do not contain unnecessary chemicals, and non-toxic window blinds are one example. Aluminum blinds, honeycomb cellular shades, and bamboo shades are examples of non-toxic window blinds that are safe and have minimal impact on the indoor air quality of your home.

Of course, homeowners don’t always realize that they need to consider safety when purchasing new blinds, and oftentimes, their main concerns are style and affordability. Still, even non-toxic window blinds are constructed from a variety of materials making them an excellent choice regardless of your style preferences or budget. Let’s discuss some of the most popular varieties of non-toxic window blinds.

Aluminum Blinds

Aluminum window blinds are a hugely popular choice for homeowners because they are affordable, durable, and available in a range of colours and styles. Indeed, aluminum window blinds are the most common non-toxic window blind found in homes today. Because they are long lasting and lightweight, these flexible window coverings stand up well in any condition. They resist corrosion, they are easy to clean, and they provide excellent …

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