You only need to walk past a coffee shop in any American city to see that our country loves java. And with so much coffee being consumed on a daily basis, its exciting to learn that there is a productive use for all those grinds being tossed in the trash.

Simply save your coffee grounds, and add them to the soil in your garden. But before using coffee grounds as a fertilizer, I do highly recommend using organic coffee especially if you will be consuming the fruits or vegetables you fertilize.

In case you didn’t know, approximately 60% of the worlds coffee beans are sprayed with potentially harmful pesticides.

Coffee Grounds as a Mulching Agent

Coffee’s breakdown materials can be used as a mulching agent, as well as a fertilizing agent, for gardens. Aesthetically, coffee grounds can be used to make elegant black borders in flower gardens. The rich blackness offers a beautiful contrast to colored flowers and green herbs. For best results, don’t use the grounds alone, but mix with other forms of organic mulch.

When used alone, the coffee tends to create a rich sludge that prevents the necessary air and water to enter. Furthermore, composting with coffee also reduces unnecessary landfill waste.

Continue reading: “Are Coffee Grounds Good For Plants?”

So we’ve seen what we can do inside the house to make a difference on the environment, see my previous blog post “Going Green inside your home“. Now let’s see what we can do on the outside. And let me tell you, if you have kids or a green thumb, some of these are going to be a lot of fun.

1) Composting

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Composting is one of the easiest and greenest ways to help out the environment. A compost bin doesn’t cost too much, or you could even build your own, but even then they’re not necessary, when a nice heap will do fine.

Pretty much anything will go into a compost pile, from your lawn clippings to raked up leaves to last night’s dinner. If you like to drink coffee, add in your used coffee grounds to increase the overall nitrogen balance.

Not only does composting keep your garbage scraps out of the everyday waste, but it also creates a great food for your garden. Wait for your compost to really degrade, and then you have some seriously healthy dirt to start planting your new veggie garden.

2) Start a Vegetable Garden

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A lot of the stuff you can do outside is going to have a green thumb about it. If you have your own compost pile, as well as having your own veggie garden, the circle of nature is just beautiful.

Imagine growing your own food, right outside your kitchen window, and never forgetting those last minute herbs or vegetables you need for dinner. And when all is said and done, all of your scraps go out into the compost bin, to one day help grow more vegetables.

Starting a garden isn’t just something for those with a huge backyard either. Anyone can grow their own vegetables, whether you have a backyard or not. Container gardening is a great way to grow your own vegetables, if you don’t have enough yard space. Everything from tomatoes to lettuce to peppers and herbs, all right out in the small courtyard in front of the kitchen.

Continue reading: “6 Tips for “Going Green” Outside Your House”

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Which of these two scenarios sounds more vibrant for overall quality of life and health?

The wind on your face, the sun on your skin, you talk with a local farmer about the size and taste of this year’s harvest of peaches, as you pop a slice in your mouth. After tasting several different varieties, you choose your favorite one, walking away with a great memory of the farmer in your mind.

Or…

You stand shivering in the freezer section at your local mega-mart, your eyes begin to glaze over from the halogen lights and the neon-colored cardboard boxes containing substances claimed to be food products? You decide on the one with the least amount of additives and make your way to the self-check-out line, excited to get in your car and out of the supermarket.

Clearly, most of us would agree that the first scenario, at the local farmer’s market, is much more appealing than a trip to a big chain grocery store. But what, besides the aesthetic factor, are some of the other benefits of supporting your local farmers market? Here are ten reasons why I believe you should shop at your local farmers market.

Continue reading: “10 Reasons to Buy Your Fruits & Veggies at Your Local Farmer’s Market”

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Our readers have expressed a new-found and growing interest in creating their own organic garden from the comforts of their backyard. Especially after I published my article about Michelle Obama’s organic garden.

So, as a result, I wanted to share a few of my favorite tips for starting a garden that is organic, sustainable and earth-friendly in the convenience of your backyard.

There are numerous benefits to planting your own organic garden at home: First and foremost, you are able to eat the freshest, local, organic fruits, herbs and vegetables around, while at the same time, you act to help reduce the amount of pesticides and toxic chemicals in the environment. And, as organic fruits, herbs and vegetables can tend to be more costly in the supermarket, now is a great time to explore creating your own delicious organic produce at home.

Continue reading: “7 Tips for Starting Your Own Organic Garden”

It seems the White House may be “going green,” as First Lady, Michelle Obama, has started planting the first presidential vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt’s World War II victory garden. I really hope that much of the pressure from organic food and sustainable agriculture proponents has finally been given a sounding board, as the new administration lends an ear towards the movements.

In the last fifty years, America has proven itself as a country able to perfect the art of making cheap, chemically-laden and genetically modified food. And while this food may produce large profits for big American agribusiness and pharmaceutical companies, sadly for all of us, this same food is also causing disease for the people.

It fills our bodies with toxins, and puts a massive strain on our global environment. Similarly, government subsidies have typically been handed out to farmers producing mono-crops, requiring large amounts of fossil fuel and fertilizers to grow and distribute. Mono-crops are also over-produced, leading to heavy surpluses of harmful foods such as high-fructose corn syrup and hormonally-altered soy beans.

The Obama Family Garden

The Obama’s family garden is a move in a different direction from that American reality. It encourages all Americans to look at creating their own locally-grown, organic garden.

Continue reading: “The White House “Goes Green” With New Organic Garden”