Conserve water

In some parts of the world, water is more valuable than oil. As the planet becomes hotter and drier due to global warming, water scarcity has become a real issue for millions of people all over the world. As shocking as it sounds,the average American uses 100 gallons of water before leaving the house in the morning! Here are some easy ways we can all conserve water:

1. Don’t run water while brushing teeth.

2. Wash the dishes in a machine — believe it or not the machine uses less water than washing by hand.

3. Taking a five-minute shower instead of a bath saves at least ten gallons of water.

4. In the garden, use soaker hoses rather than traditional sprinklers.

My message for today is to avoid the biggest lie of all.

There are many home business opportunities out there that tell their new recruits: “It takes money to make money.”

Obviously, it takes capital to start most kinds of traditional businesses. For example, it would be impossible to open a restaurant or a flower shop without investing real money, and lots of it!

However, the beauty of a home business should be not having to make a big monetary investment. Unfortunately, most off-the-shelf home businesses ask their distributors to invest a tremendous amount in either inventory or training.

Perhaps the biggest offender over the years has been Amway. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met over the years with hard-luck stories about losing money with Amway. The most disturbing part of the picture is that while the distributor lost money, the company did just fine.

While you’re sorting through the home business options, do not lose sight of the simple fact that a fair and ethical company would not ask you to jeopardize your financial well-being by “investing” thousands of dollars in their products and training.

A fair and ethical company would set up their home business opportunity so that everyone involved is a winner — from the business person down to the end user of the product or service.

Think about it!

In the market for new furniture for your home office — or any other part of the house?

Consider green furniture! Prices are coming down every day as more and more consumers demand furniture made from sustainable safe materials.

What is so bad about traditional furniture?

Even the name brand stores typically sell book shelves made from medium-density fiberboard that contains formaldehyde and lacquer. Yuck! Furthermore, the lacquer often releases volatile organic compounds into the home.

Look for products certified by GreenGuard, an independent certification system for products with low levels of toxic emissions.

Wood is better than fiberboard, but consumers can avoid non sustainable, exotic woods by looking for the seal of approval from the Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies lumber cut in an environmentally responsible manner.

Most home business opportunities are scams. Let us help you sort through the muck.

The proliferation of home-based business opportunities on the web is due to several factors. The idea of working from home, of being one’s own boss, has always held a tremendous appeal to many folks frustrated by traditional work. Given today’s grim economy, more and more people are looking to supplement or even to replace incomes.

Over the next few months, we are going to run a series of short articles on the pitfalls of home business opportunities in the hopes of shedding light on a confusing subject.

1.Never invest in a business with products you would not really be using if you weren’t in the business

This tiny piece of advice seems so obvious and yet all too often people fall prey to business models that emphasize the recruitment of distributors over the marketing of top quality, useful products that real people really want to buy.

2. In today’s economy, steer clear of companies hawking non-essential or luxury items.

In recessionary times, people tighten their belts and look to cut expenses. Stick to businesses that manufacture products customers can’t live without so that they will come back again and again.

Although there are wonderful companies out there promoting everything from cosmetics to clothing to air purifies to pots and pans — the smart choice today would be a home business based on high quality, exclusive products that you personally would continue to buy even if you won the lottery, retired to the beach, and never had to work again a day in your life.

Think about it!

Greening Your Home Work Place

One advantage of working from home is the ability to make your own decisions about greening your work place. If you are fortunate enough to work from home, be skeptical of carpets.

Carpets may look nice but they trap lots of nasty things like dust, mold and phthalate particles. Furthermore, new carpets often contain formaldehyde and other harmful substances that tend to off gas for quite some time.

Wood, tile or stone floors are easier to keep clean than carpeting and are less likely to trap pollutants or to exacerbate asthma.

If you already have carpeting, consider not allowing shoes on in your home in order to avoid bringing in pesticides and other toxins commonly used in lawn and garden care. A “no shoes rule” will also keep the carpets and whole house cleaner in general.

If you want to add interest or warmth to a room, consider smaller rugs made out of organic cotton or wool as they can easily be removed and cleaned from time to time.