Connecticut Green Living

I had the pleasure of trying several green products in 2019. From eco-friendly make-up remover wipes to distilled spirits, plant-based sesame milk to a long-lasting totable LED flashlight . This isn't hard news, but it isn't fake news either. I shy away from writing about products in a way that implies an endorsement, but I also hate to call out products that don't meet my criteria: eco-friendly but pleasant smelling or tasting, in the case of food and cleaning products. Let's be honest - cleaning solutions, for example, do have a long way to go. The mosquito repellent I raved about nonetheless has an odor that requires my keeping it in a special bag. I am still willing to sacrifice a little of the smell/taste comfort zone for lightening my footprint on the climate change scale. One product that has really grown on me is Greenerways Organic chemical-free all-purpose cleaner. The company also makes what is billed as "a skin-soothing, kid and pet safe line of SPF...

Vivint Solar just released a new report highlighting the states with the "naughtiest" and "nicest" relationship to coal, based on percentage of their energy that has historically come from burning it. "According to our analysis, while many states are moving away from coal, there is still a concerning number of states that get the vast majority of their energy from this dirty energy source," the company said in a statement. When coal is burned to create electricity, it emits carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulates that contribute to poor air quality and climate change. That's why Vivint has listed several states on its Naughty List and some on the Nice List. Where does Connecticut fit in? We're doing okay . Using data from The US Energy Information Association , the company compiled a report that highlights the percentage of coal each state used last year. They culled the total amount of electricity generated (megawatt ...

As a half Jew, half Christian, I was immediately intrigued when I received the promo from Take My Face Off . Also, it's a pretty cute name (and trust me, this time of year there are plenty of days when I'd love to take my crusty old winter face off.) But I'm rather picky about how I remove my makeup. Traditionally I've favored petroleum jelly or Noxema with a tissue. My mother used to use cotton balls but I have found that those shed and then I have stringy cotton enmeshed in my foundation (ok, I rarely wear foundation). The thrust of Take My Face off's solutions is they are environmentally friendly by virtue of being washable, but also smooth to the face. No messy tears. Nothing in the waste bin. Happy Hanukkah Called The Mitty Mini Menorah Gift Set, the kit comes with (obviously) eight disposable washcloths shaped like flames, along with the cardboard menorah for placement. Pockets in the back mean they slip easily over the cardboard prongs or your fingers. The...

LEDs are light-emitting diodes, a semiconductor light source that issues light when current flows through them. Battery life is much longer than with their counterparts, incandescent bulbs, creating a greener solution not only this Halloween but every day. I was offered the opportunity to try out two LED products, and even though I have no Halloween-age kids, I immediately recognized the importance of reviewing the products. According to a Consumer Affairs report, pedestrians are far more likely to be hit by cars on All Hallows Eve than on any other night of the year. The author wrote: "The researchers found that the early evening hours -- between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. -- were the most dangerous times, and that Halloween night was responsible for four more pedestrian deaths than any other night of the year. Nearly all of the deaths were suffered by children or young adults." In that vein, I'm happy to recommend both of these LED offerings this Halloween: 1. NanoTorch Twi...

Connecticut doesn't have any cities that make it to the top largest 100 in America, so there is no way to know exactly how well we stack up against America's greenest. However, in the new WalletHub feature comparing various criteria of America's largest cities, clear lessons and practices can be learnt. For one thing, recycling and abandoning plastic bag use is a huge plus. Connecticut is on its way with the plastic bag tax (10 cents at most stores for a plastic bag ), encouraging reusable bag or no bag use. People (some people) gripe a little but most I've spoken to are very enthusiastic! WalletHub's top green cities from amongst America's largest 100 cities are: 1) San Francisco; 2) San Diego; 3) Irvine, CA; 4) Washington, DC; 5) San Jose; 6) Seattle; 7) Fremont, CA; 8) Sacramento; 9) Portland; 10) Oakland. The worst are: 91) Virginia Beach; 92) Jacksonville; 93) Detroit; 94) Cleveland; 95) Gilbert, AZ; 96) Mesa, AZ; 97) Lexington-Fayette, KY; 98) Toledo;...

Starting today in Austin a conference designed to bring a confluence of parties together, from environmentalists to business leaders, hopes to make a dent in the nation's water crisis. It is not just our country, of course, that is suffering myriad challenges when it comes to water. One Water Summit 2019 is being billed as "the premier national conference focused on sustainable, integrated, and inclusive approaches to managing water, our most precious natural resource," according to Water Research Foundation. The new mindset or movement aims to change "siloed" thinking and make it a more "holistic" concept. For example, waste water and storm water should not be wasted and in many cases in 2019 are not. Laura Huffman, Texas State Director of The Nature Conservancy , spoke to me by phone yesterday and shared that "waste water can be refillable" and that in places such as Las Vegas, fountains have reused such water. In San Antonio at the Ri...

I have been saying for years that our state claims to be green and blue yet its not so secret dirty habit is plastic bags. Plastic bags strewn all over the trees outside Stop 'n Shop. Plastic bags spilling out into the waterways. Plastic bags inevitably choking the life out of fish. It is with great relief to note that our ban goes into effect this Thursday. Here's what you need to know: For the period starting August 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2021, each store including supermarkets and drug stores will charge a fee of ten cents for each single-use checkout bag provided to customers at the point of sale. But, the exciting part is that on and after July 1, 2021, no owner or operator of a store will be allowed to provide or sell a single-use checkout bag to a customer. A "single-use checkout bag" means a plastic bag with a thickness of less than four mils (one-thousandth of an inch, or 0.001 inch) that is provided by a store to a customer at the point of sale. It...