Considered as an alternative to petroleum-based candles, soy wax candles are a more sustainable and cost-effective product, providing the environmentally-conscious consumer with a safer and healthier product for the home, as well as for the planet.

Whether you have a window box for herbs and flowers or a garden that merits its own zip code, we all face the same challenge: How do we keep our gardens healthy and pest-free in an eco-friendly way?

When looking for an eco-friendly alternative to something as poisonous and environmentally harmful as termite extermination, the best defense is, as the saying goes, a good offense. However, there are now a number of options for environmentally safe termite extermination available.

When putting together a nursery for your baby, there are many things to consider in order to make it eco-friendly. Yet if it is not in your budget to redo the flooring and paint, or if you just don't want to remodel the room, there are easier steps to take, like buying safe products and accessories

When looking to refinish your hardwood floor, the main thing to consider is an environmentally friendly hardwood finish. Most commercial finishes are solvent- and lacquer-based, which are terrible pollutants of air quality.

Plastics come in seven different varieties, numbered 1-7 on the bottom of the packaging, within the triangular recycle symbol. These plastics have a variety of different recycling capabilities, as well as different chemical compositions, some of which are harmful.

Recycling antique furniture, and restoring it to reproduce its original luster not only keeps furniture out of the landfill, it also saves trees from being used to produce new furniture.

There is no better insulating material that can fully seal your home, save on costly utility bills and protect your family's healthy than Spray-in-place foam insulation (SPF) which provides clean, green, and long-lasting insulation with exceptional value.

Compact florescent light bulbs have garnered cries of disgust from consumers since they were introduced thirty years ago. These bulbs were too big for some lamps, expensive ($20 or more), flickered and buzzed, and had poor light quality (a cold dimness). But technology has caught up with customer demands for energy-efficient bulbs that shine warm, bright light similar to standard incandescent bulbs.

Environmentally friendly rugs come in a number of forms; they can be made from recycled materials and materials that are considered renewable resources--those that are quickly replenished without a lot of strain on the environment, which usually come from a plant or animal.

Synthetic carpets, those found in most homes, emit Voltatile Organic Compounds into the air, called off-gassing, polluting the air in homes and the enviornment. By replacing your old carpet with natural, organically derived carpets you can create a healthier living enviornment within your home as well as in the planet at large.

From the moment we find out we're becoming parents, there's nothing we want more than the very best for the child that will be coming into our lives. What better way to ensure this than to start your baby's life right with a healthy and toxin free environment?! Though it is difficult to control the environments outside of our homes, what we can control is the inside of our homes, and the space designated especially for our baby. You can accomplish creating a healthy and toxin free environment by greening your baby's nursery.

The products used to cover the walls of your home with colorful textures and patterns can be made from non-sustainable materials. These ingredients can include many chemicals that will be harmful to you and your family. Here are some interesting eco-friendly wallcovering options that you might consider in your home. These products will not only make your residence look great, but your purchase will contribute to a green way of life and a healthier home.

Countertops have been included in the shift towards eco-friendly living and now there are some fantastic materials being used in kitchens that have little impact on the planet. There are many green countertop solutions that will withstand the heavy abuse of water and food preparation of daily household use. Using recycled content and non-toxic chemicals, manufacturers have created eco-friendly countertops that not only perform well, but they rival traditional materials in appearance too!

If your walls are starting to look a little shabby, or if you're just looking to give your home a little make-over, then a new paint job is probably on your agenda. And if you want your home to be a little more eco-friendly, or if you just don't like the pervasive smells that usually accompany a fresh coat of paint, then environmentally friendly paints are for you. Using these eco-friendly paints are not just good for the environment, but in the long run are beneficial to your health.

Try looking up "laundry detergent ingredients" on Google and you'll get a number of different things. Words like surfactant and diethyl ester dimethyl ammonium chloride aren't exactly words you think of or even consider when you are doing your laundry. It would be interesting to see what percentage of Americans even consider what ingredients are being used in the laundry detergents they are soaking their clothing and bed sheets in.

Carrying around plastic grocery bags might eventually be compared to wearing a scarlet letter on your chest. Sure, this may be an extreme analogy but if you've ever forgotten your reusable bags while in a crowded line at Trader Joe's, you might know what accusatory look that I'm referring to. Although progressive stores like Whole Foods and TJ's aren't really big on distributing plastic bags (TJ's does offer a plastic bag that is actually compostable), the rest of the nation's grocery stores are, which is why it's your job to bring your own bag.