• put all the soap chips in the foot of an old stocking, hang it near a faucet outside to wash  hands

• break up the last remains of the soap bar, put in a pump bottle, add some water, shake and you have liquid soap

• make a soapy scrubber. place small bits of leftover soap into a square of nylon netting, fold the netting so there are several layers around the soap, then tuck in all the edges with heavy thread. use for scrubbing collar stains or cleaning hands after gardening or painting.

• make soap on a rope, sew up a drawstring bag, say, out of an old washcloth, and deposit your soap bits inside. next, throw in a couple of tablespoons of dried herbs, like chamomile and lavender plus a couple of tablespoons of medium ground oatmeal to act as a skin softener.
• to recycle your soap scraps into new bar soap, place 2 cups of grated soap scraps in a saucepan and cover them with water. let them soak for 24 hours, giving them a stir every now and then. next, bring the pan to a boil, remove it from heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil for each cupful of soap soup. pour the mixture into molds–milk cartons work great. after they’ve hardened, you can cut them into smaller bars, but let them cure for two weeks before you use them.

• to make a cleaning gel, place 2 cups of grated soap bits in a saucepan, covering them with water. wait 24 hours, stirring the soap soup now and then. after 24 hours, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. reduce to a simmer and then whisk or mash the mixture to completely dissolve the soap. remove from heat and allow to cool. for each cup of soap gel in the pan, add two cups of talcum powder and two tablespoons of mineral turpentine. mix the concoction well and store in a wide-mouth container with a tight-fitting lid. this super-soap can be used as a general purpose household cleaner as well as a laundry aid.

for ways to turn soap chips and slivers into new soap visit:

oatmeal soap

turn soap scraps into soap bars

nylon soap balls

making handmilled soap

for products to help you save soap visit:

sponge soap saver

soap saver bags

owl wash cloth & soap sack

america’s favorite farmer’s market

help grow the local foods movement and support sustainable agriculture in your community.find your favorite local farmers market by city or name, and vote!

the winning market gets $5,000 • 20 top recruiters win a $50 cash prize • each week, a random market wins $250

click here to vote

visit yellowpagesgoesgreen.org to remove your name from the list.

according to the epa (environmental protection agency), americans use up to 100 gallons of water per day.  nearly 450 million people in 29 countries face severe water shortages. predictions indicate that within 5 years, at least 36 u.s. states will face water shortages due to a combination of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, and waste.

research has shown that residential water use could be reduced by as much as 50 percent through efficiency. here are a few simple suggestions for reducing your water consumption. test your water sense with this quiz from the epa.

• if your toilet was installed before 1992, add a toilet dam to reduce the amount of water flowing out of it by 35 percent and still leave it functioning properly. (never use a brick to displace water in the tank, because it can deteriorate and clog your pipes.)

• turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. fill the basin for washing or shaving.

• wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl, and fill you sink to wash and rinse dishes, instead of running the water.

• don’t let tap water run to get cold, store a pitcher of water in the refrigerator.

• run dishwasher and washing machines only when full and remember to adjust the load size.

• don’t  pour unused water down the drain, use to it water plants or give (clean) water to pets.

• landscape your property using native plants appropriate to your climate, so that they won’t require excessive watering and will retain soil moisture.

• sweep, rather than spraying down, your driveway and sidewalk.

• time water usage. put a timer on your sprinkler and outdoor faucets/taps.

for more information on conserving water visit the epa’s website

click here to take quiz

summertime means fun in the pool. we all love those colorful foam noodles we use in the pool. you can blow water through it’s inner tube, fold it and sit on it. pool noodles are a blast of summer fun. at the end of the swimming season though you’ll find yards littered with broken, forgotten noodles. this year don’t toss that broken toy away. here are some ways to recycle pool noodles and keep summer fun living on throughout the year.

bicycle accessories

little boys and little girls can think about summer all year long with this recycling idea. cut your noodle, mom and dad, into varying lengths. with the noodle pieces cover bare bicycle frames. just make a slice on one side and slip it over the frame. secure the noodle pieces with colored duct tape. this would keep noodles from getting caught up in spokes or chains. also, don’t noodle areas that would make cycling dangerous. the hollow inner tube of the noodle comes in varying sizes so be sure and pick the size that’s right for your child’s frame.

noodle animals

this is a fun craft for kids and grown ups. make an animal using wooden dowels. you could make a horse, dog or whatever animal you like. after you create your animal with the wood, add the foam noodle pieces to give your animal ‘bones’ some flesh. use buttons to glue on eyes and other features. the possibilities are endless with your noodle animals.

paint stamps

cut the noodle into three inch sections. put a little craft paint on a plastic plate. put a stamp cut side down. dab the paint stamp on your desired surface. it will give you a kind of apple shape. for more detailed paint stamps, use an exacto knife, carefully, and carve some grooves or designs in the stamp surface.

packing material

making a move soon? use your broken pool noodles as packing material. use sharp scissors or a knife to cut the noodle into tiny pieces. pour the noodles pieces into your packing box. the foam makes a great cushion to protect breakables.

fishing floats

are you a fisherman? cut up broken noodles and use them as float locators for your equipment. run some float pieces over some fishing line and tie the pieces to various items on your boat. this would be great if a renegade wave decides to toss your equipment over board. also you the noodle pieces as corks. you’ll know when the big one comes along with a noodle cork. however, let us suggest that if you are thinking about using a noodle as a life saving device think again. the coast guard requires fishermen to have bright sufficient floatation devices. don’t chintz on the lifesaving equipment!

these tips for an eco-conscious 4th of july party prove that life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the pursuit of a thriving global environment, can go hand in hand. having a green 4th of july party is a great way to make your lifestyle more environmentally friendly so that all americans, and all peoples across the world, can thrive on a healthy planet. read on to discover ten simple ways to “green” your celebration of the red, white, and blue.

bring-a-cup

in the medieval era, everyone brought their own spoons to banquets, because the host rarely had enough spoons for all the guests; you can make this idea work for you in the modern age to help you have a green 4th of july by cutting down on waste. instead of buying dozens of disposable plastic or paper cups that will end up piled high in a landfill, take a cue from the medieval era with this nifty idea. ask guests to each bring a favorite cup from their own home, and have them use that cup for the duration of the party. that way, you won’t end up with a ton of garbage, and guests will always be able to tell whose drink on the table is whose.

eat local

serving locally grown and prepared foods is a great way to have a green 4th of july while supporting your community. seeking out farmers and other food producers in your town, or in your region, rather than serving foods imported from far away, cuts down on the carbon emissions that would be created by the trucks, trains, boats, etc. that transport food. the less transportation the food undergoes between farmer and table, the less carbon emissions there are, so eating local is a great way to green your 4th of july.

living flowers

instead of buying cut flowers to dress up your table, why not have a living centerpiece? that way, when your green 4th of july party is over, you can keep the plant around to reduce carbon in the atmosphere. plants naturally turn carbon into oxygen, which is great news for people and all other breathing creatures!

organize volunteerism

one way to have a green 4th of july is to make your party a celebration after a communal “good deed.” as a warm up to the festivities, consider asking your friends to join you for an eco-conscious activity like picking up trash in a local nature preserve, or planting a tree. this will get everyone thinking green, and is a great way to show how volunteerism can be fun.

eat from the farm, not the factory

to reduce the environmental impact of your green 4th of july party, consider eating foods that spend more time on the farm than in a factory. vegetables and other unprocessed items create a lot less pollution and waste than processed foods like bagged chips or pre-made spreads, so why not make a point of serving items that are as close to their natural state as possible? there are plenty of tasty treats you can make without relying on processed foods, so try ditching the chemicals for the day and enjoying a green 4th of july featuring more natural dishes.

break down big packages

instead of buying individually wrapped or packaged items like plastic silverware sets, or individual cans of soda, try to buy supplies for your green 4th of july party in large bulk packages, then break them down yourself. put together sets of silverware yourself, or pour individual servings from large bottles of soda: you’ll save money, and you’ll help save the planet by reducing packaging waste.

pick a comfortable time of day

having a green 4th of july party means that it’s your duty to make sure that your guests are comfortable, but air conditioning a crowded house in the summer can use a lot of energy. to conserve electricity, consider having your 4th of july party at a naturally comfortable time of day, like dusk or evening when things have cooled down, rather than in the height of the noon sun.

while you’re cleaning out your garage this summer, consider greening it as well.

unplug your power tools
figure out which cordless tools  get the most use, then unplug the chargers on all the rest. most cordless tools have nickel cadmium (nicad) batteries, which will hold some charge for up to a year. they lose 15 to 20 percent of their juice each month, but only take a couple of hours to power up again. newer tools with lithium ion batteries lose just 2 to 5 percent of their charge each month, so they’ll be ready to go even if you haven’t charged them in ages.

spread sawdust on your floor
take the superfine shavings captured by your dust collection system, wet them down, then push them around with a stiff broom to sweep your concrete garage or workshop floor. the mix is as good as a power-guzzling shop vac at picking up dust but doesn’t swirl it into the air.

seal your doorway
making your garage more eco-friendly also means protecting your home from the fumes that might leak in. it’s important to make sure that the doorway from the garage into your main living area is properly sealed. add weatherstripping if there is not any already, and make sure that cracks are sealed with caulk or expanding foam.

save used paint thinner
after cleaning oil-based finishes from brushes and tools, allow the dirty solvent to sit overnight. the sludge will settle to the bottom of the jar, leaving a layer of clear thinner on top. carefully decant the clear thinner into a clean jar, and reseal it for future use. be sure to dispose of the leftover sludge at a hazardous-waste-disposal site–never down a sink drain or into a street gutter.

stay away from the rake
sounds like a dream come true right? unfortunately, this isn’t your excuse for not doing yard work. this simply means that the tools you’ve been using are probably not safe for the environment. many yard tools are made from plastic, each factory using pvc materials(to create plastic) emits harmful toxins into the air when producing these tools and even more when destroying them. to be safe, use steel or metal tools.

mix it up in the garage
combine all those cans of leftover white paint that inevitably collect after you decorate the house and use them to paint the garage or workshop. (make sure only to mix latex with latex and oils with oils.) you’ll keep the stuff out of the trash, and by adding the semi-glosses to the flats and eggshells, you’ll end up with a sheen that’s easy to clean.

isolate the garage climate
the garage is probably one of your least insulated rooms in the house. it will be coldest in the winter, and warmest in the summer. minimize this impact by keeping any doors closed that connect the garage with your house. this will keep your energy costs down for heating and cooling your home. additionally, extra appliances like spare refrigerators and freezers can take a toll on your electric bill, especially when you’re trying to keep food cool in your summertime garage. for example, a refrigerator uses almost five times the electricity the average television uses. rather than combating constant temperature fluctuations, assess if you really need a second refrigerator. if so, perhaps a smaller unit for beverages will work better than a full-size cooler.

turn things on their heads
store paint cans upside down so the solvents–which separate and rise to the top–get trapped under the bottom of the can. not only will paint last longer, but solvents won’t be able to slowly seep out through the lid this way.

to find out where you can safely dispose of products you might find while cleaning and greening your garage or workshop visit http://earth911.com/

blue is the new green — check out how to make waves this summer by transforming your pool into a lean, green, energy-saving machine.

• 8 ways to green your pool

• swimming au naturale

• a green technique for cleaning up your pool

• use environmentally friendly materials for your pool

• green cleaning your pool

• eco friendly pool products

•  make your pool eco friendly