What does the “green” label on your paint can mean?

A quick reminder: Many of you have sent in answers, but not to all of the questions. You can still catch up.

The more you answer, the better your chances of winning a $600 organic comforter from Vivetique Sleep Systems or a room’s worth of Earthpaint. So don’t delay.

Here is Question No. 4: Of the following the “green” certifications available to test paint, which prohibit any level of an ingredient this is a known carcinogen, mutagen, reproductive toxin, hazardous air pollutant (HAP) or ozone-depleting compound? Continue reading…

Keep the answers coming

Keep racking up your points, or jump into The Natural Housewife contest now for a chance to win a $600 organic comforter or a room’s worth of Earthpaint.

Get full contest and prize details here, and help from the Facebook pages of our hint-droppers – Greener Stock and Brothers Floor Covering.

Here is Question No. 3: The advantages of using PureGrow™ Wool in mattresses and bedding products include: Continue reading…

Proper trash disposal was a lifestyle change for Our LEED AP, and a needed goal for everyone

Okay. I’ll admit it. I never really thought too much about where my trash ended up until I moved to Cincinnati and drove past the local landfill.  It is massive and is said to be the highest point in the county!  As an adult, I always tried to recycle, but now I was really motivated to keep MY trash from going to THAT landfill.

Did you know that the rotting food in our landfills creates methane gas?  Most landfills use this for energy, but I decided that I could put that food waste to better use.  Obviously, we should all try to eat the food that we buy, but it is sometimes impossible, and composting can ease a guilty conscience by making something out of the wasted food.

My first composter was a tumbler.  It worked pretty well, but it took a while to understand the proportions of food waste to nitrogen-rich matter like leaves. Continue reading…

The “greenest” wool that makes the “greenest” luxury bedding products

Q. The description of comforters you are awarding as prizes in The Natural Housewife Contest says they are made from organic cotton, PureGrow™ Wool or both, depending on what the winners want. What is PureGrow™ Wool and what are the advantages of using it in a comforter?

A. The PureGrow™ Wool Program was started years ago in Sonoma County, CA. It is a joint effort of The Natural Bedroom by Vivetique, the University of California Agriculture Extension and the Sonoma County Wool Growers.

The program assures that there are no pesticides, chemicals or pollutants in the environment where sheep are raised and graze. Pastures used in the program have to be free of pesticide and chemical treatments for at least two years before they are used.  Any feeds the sheep are given have to be organically based. The sheep also are not given any hormones or synthetic substances. Continue reading…

You don’t have to be a housewife to enter

Some of you have asked. No, you don’t have to be a housewife, and yes, if you are in the top three, you will choose the size and style of your Vivetique Sleep Systems comforter.  It also is possible to skip a question and still be in the running. There is still room for two more correct answers to last week’s question.

You can get full contest and prize details here, and help from the Facebook pages of our hint-droppers – Greener Stock and Brothers Floor Covering.

Here is this week’s question: If you want to ensure that the hard surface flooring you purchase has been tested, and chemical emissions from the product meet a measurable safety limit, which of the following certifications should you look for on the product? Continue reading…

Some are born with Natural knowledge, but most of us have learned from mistakes

Sixteen years ago, I let my infant sleep on a plastic mattress filled with foam rubber. I had read the baby books and collaborated with pregnant friends.

But nothing and no one pointed out that standard mattresses contain petrochemicals or that these chemicals off-gas for us to breathe and absorb. Even when the baby developed sleep apnea — and had to sleep wearing a halter monitor and alarm because of a family history of crib death — I did not question the standard crib mattress I had purchased from my local baby supply store.

Truthfully, if someone had told me to raise this question, I probably would have laughed and, privately, considered that person to be a little crazy. Everyone in the United States buys and sleeps on traditional mattresses every day.  If there were something wrong with that, we would all know, right? Continue reading…

Better for people? Better for the planet? Let the contest begin!

If you have read the rules and contest details, you know that three winners will receive luxurious organic comforters from Vivetique Sleep Systems and two more will each get a room’s worth of Earthpaint. And you know you will get the weekly, multiple-choice questions quickly if you like us and the hint-droppers on Facebook.

Are you ready? Here is Question No. 1:

CRI Green Label Plus is a certification used for carpet. It means that: Continue reading…

Fourth and Fifth Place Winners Will Get Earthpaint

In addition to organic comforters from Vivetique Sleep Systems for the top three winners, two more winners will each receive a room’s worth of Earthpaint in the Natural Housewife Contest 2012.

Earthpaint is low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) and low-odor. Get contest rules here, and hurry, the contest starts today!

 Contest winners to receive organic comforters from Vivetique or a room of Earthpaint

The theme of this year’s Natural Housewife Contest takes hold during a vacation on the Gulf of Mexico, where The Natural Housewife tells us it’s time to take actions that are better for people or better for the planet. Part of doing that means knowing which products are better for people, better for the planet, both, or none of the above. If it sounds like a multiple-choice quiz, it is. And with the “green” certifications available today, it isn’t difficult. It just takes a little practice, which this contest will give you, along with a chance to win. Get the details here.

Be fast and be on Facebook

How do you know if a product is better for people, better for the planet or natural? Most of you who come here often know it isn’t that hard. This year’s Natural Housewife Contest will let three of you use this knowledge to win luxurious organic comforters, with an average value of $599 each, from Vivetique Sleep Systems.

The winners will be the first three people who submit the most correct answers to weekly questions that will post from April 19 to June 7. To get the questions at the time they post, make sure you have “liked” our Facebook page. You also will get help with the answers by liking the Facebook pages of our designated hint-droppers: Brothers Floor Covering, Greener Stock, and Vivetique. Continue reading…