Green Leaf

Learning to make your own health and beauty products at home carries loads of benefits. You’ll save money, skip the hard-to-recycle packaging, and be able to control the ingredients your family comes in contact with during their morning routine. If you’ve never made hygiene products yourself, the concept may sound a little intimidating. But most concoctions require only a few household ingredients. And they work just as well as your favorite brand. Check out these two simple do-it-yourself, natural toothpaste recipes to get started. Basic Homemade Toothpaste Difficulty Level: Easy Homemade toothpaste. Image: Matt and Betsy Jabs, DIY Natural You need only four basic ingredients and about five minutes to complete this simple yet effective DIY natural toothpaste. Bloggers Matt and Betsy Jabs of DIY Natural say this toothpaste costs less than $1.50 for 5 ounces. That’s about a 300 percent cost savings over store-bought toothpaste. And it’s free of potentially harmful additive...

This clever card game gets players' animals to cooperate or compete with one another, while foraging for food and raising offspring. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2RxclL3 http://bit.ly/2DO15Gu

We have to slow down and smell the coffee, and it might actually be fun. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2MKgnP2 http://bit.ly/2WydyFB

The modular MoreFloor system lets you store things in your floor -- clothes, shoes, even a bed. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2S5icMM http://bit.ly/2RYV95T

As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2CUtby6 http://bit.ly/2MGrDMD

I was expecting them to either be fine or freeze. I was wrong. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2G07rov http://bit.ly/2FXScMR

I've heard about electricity-free alternatives to fridges and decided to test one out. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2Rw0g8C http://bit.ly/2FX9GIY

It may sound repetitive, but it makes meal-prepping simpler and more reliable than constantly seeking novelty. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2B8qHMb http://bit.ly/2ScA4V9

"We're not going to recycle our way out of this problem," the company has said. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2UtnQor http://bit.ly/2GbdO7D

For some of the juices – all from well-known brands – drinking just 4 ounces a day is enough to cause concern. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2Ru4jST http://bit.ly/2Wy9UeB

It's not just consumers who are driving change in the food industry. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2B6DBKT http://bit.ly/2GbUC9H

Our photo of the day comes from Oregon's Cascade Mountains. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2sXpeE4 http://bit.ly/2G0wFTB

As someone who cares deeply about the subject of sustainable fashion, I’m often fiercely questioned when I wear or promote something made of leather. I’ll concede that, at first glance, it seems hypocritical that I don’t eat beef but have several well-loved, cow leather shoes and accessories. Animal agriculture is notoriously polluting and damaging. You know that. It is not in fact responsible for half of the world’s emissions as the documentary  Cowspiracy  claims –– that figure came from one 2009 un-peer-reviewed article that was quickly debunked and never replicated. The number is actually at most 18% of worldwide emissions . Still, other research shows that avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your personal impact, and getting the world to switch from beef to beans could get us almost all the way to meeting our emissions targets. Most notably, livestock is the leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon.  And most of the meat produced ther...

These clever, all-natural wraps cut down on plastic use and make food last longer, too. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2FXAede http://bit.ly/2RpRzgg

This modern prefab from Italy is conceived with energy efficiency and ease of assembly in mind. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2G9OMG2 http://bit.ly/2WvtpVm

It brings food from farmers markets to customers without filling up the trash. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2TsnXRj http://bit.ly/2WwBskw

George Monbiot describes how we are shipping our garbage, including old tires, around the world. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2HCCnN7 http://bit.ly/2Si7TEi

A new study emphasizes the importance of minimizing young children's exposure to screens. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2Uxvj69 http://bit.ly/2Wwo144

Scientists found people who did this slept like babies. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2MFXRYm http://bit.ly/2FWvCnH

An infectious disease physician dishes the dirt on water bottles. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2sSLmzu http://bit.ly/2RrRvfG

They are planning an electric car platform that they can build faster and cheaper. But will we ever trust them again? from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2MIZ94B http://bit.ly/2Gbr2RR

The answer might surprise you. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2RtGric http://bit.ly/2RrRvfG

We go through multiple dozens a week, but it never seems to get old. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2BdJMwH http://bit.ly/2GaTJ18

Windows are wonderful, but can you have too much of a good thing? from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2RtTZup http://bit.ly/2FXbO3t

Just don't actually hold it... from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2Wx7Vrg http://bit.ly/2G94Ojm

The goal could be reached even earlier, if Scots changed what they eat. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2HEhK2Z http://bit.ly/2sI4nWj

The evidence keeps piling on. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2B7rBsw http://bit.ly/2FVZP6q

Made from wool that yaks shed naturally each spring, these base layers are even warmer than merino. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2Wu7wFH http://bit.ly/2HBJfdK

Using a series of rotating LED lights, this work highlights the visually transformative powers of the Moon. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2RSPQF8 http://bit.ly/2CUH5jJ

This little lamp from Frevent Design from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2RVBsvV http://bit.ly/2CSP297

It's gross, but it's not dangerous. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2WsVFrB http://bit.ly/2DFaP5x

Scientists found a new way to change how people think about winning and losing. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2DIIyLH http://bit.ly/2RUV9UE

If it wasn't so subsidized, it would be a lot more expensive, and people might fly a lot less. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2RqVoBE http://bit.ly/2UqHwt7

The NY Public Library has created a holiday specifically for the book freaks among us. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2Wv7xsW http://bit.ly/2S6Z6VF

This nickel structure as strong as titanium but four to five times lighter could do double duty as a battery from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2RUFLYo http://bit.ly/2DIfS5z

Our photo of the day comes from the White Mountains, California. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2CQbgIN http://bit.ly/2UsnGhg

The harshest snowstorms along the Eastern Seaboard will remain as frequent in a warming world. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2UnMW8b http://bit.ly/2DFBDme

Bra maker Harper Wilde has partnered with textile recycler For Days to turn old bras into reusable yarn. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2MFrCZ2 http://bit.ly/2sRCom3

A Tesla won't get a camel through the eye of a needle. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2B2SWft http://bit.ly/2B8bj2p

A lot of people are complaining about scooters, but they could be transformational. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2MBoLjW http://bit.ly/2TeV2jk

One month is just long enough to break a habit that is seriously compromising your health. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2MBnkC4 http://bit.ly/2sPzPRD

This contemporary small dwelling has both a main-floor bedroom and a secondary sleeping loft. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2MJePFn http://bit.ly/2sOTLE5

The scientists say this could be a breakthrough for humans with sleep problems, but I'm not so sure. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2HDXGOc http://bit.ly/2ScfcgC

If the Loop pilot project succeeds, store shelves could soon look a lot different than they do now. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2MCvABV http://bit.ly/2DFtEFS

It takes all kinds. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2UmV212 http://bit.ly/2UlE9Uf

The NY Public Library has created a holiday specifically for the book freaks among us. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2CODBiM http://bit.ly/2S6Z6VF

Richard Florida says "We are cleaving into two nations." from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2Thr3Y7 http://bit.ly/2B6xI0j

Our photo of the day proves that truth is more spectacular than fiction. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2TnhuXO http://bit.ly/2B88oXL

It's like a moving High Line, and is still a very good idea. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2FT2ca7 http://bit.ly/2FQwfPL

The goal is a good one. The timeline is not. from Latest Items from TreeHugger http://bit.ly/2G74Tnt http://bit.ly/2G2Y7zj