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Health & Wellness
Natural Home Kitchenware
Why We Chose Bamboo for the Natural Home Kitchenware
Though used like timber, bamboo is a grass that self-propagates as it spreads underground via a network of rhizomes. A white oak tree takes 120 years to grow to maturity; bamboo takes three-and-a-half to seven years.
Why We Use Bamboo for the Natural Home Kitchenware Line
Natural Home chose bamboo for its kitchenware line because it's both sustainable and beautiful.
Natural Home Kitchenware: Truly Formaldehyde-Free
Natural Home bamboo kitchen tools are made without formaldehyde or other harmful additives, through a process that eliminates waste.
Medicinal Uses for Activated Charcoal
Add medicinal activated charcoal to your natural medicine chest to quickly treat infant colic and a variety of poisonings.
Cool Without AC? 3 Homes in the South Prove It Can Be Done
These three homes--in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina--use passive cooling techniques to eliminate the need for mechanical air conditioning. Check them out and learn a few tricks for reducing--or eliminating--your AC bills this summer.
Mom and Son in a 650-Square-Foot Homesteader's Cabin: The Perfect Amount of Space
Victoria Gazeley considers her revitalized 650-square-foot homesteader's cabin, located on 7 acres of fertile earth in British Columbia, a blessing. "I absolutely love living here," she says.
Naturally Clean: Multipurpose Cleaner
Ditch the sponge and the harsh chemical cleaners for this natural bathroom and kitchen multipurpose scrubbing cleaner.
My Favorite Tiny House--Built for $28K
Denise Franklin's 280-square-foot cabin in British Columbia provides everything she needs--and more.
Eco-Decor Delights: Etsy Appreciation: J Clay Pottery
J Clay Pottery features all your favorite foodie items—mugs and plates to bowls and sake sets—in all-natural clay and nature-inspired colors.
Homeschooling: A Holistic Approach to Education
Homeschooling is coming to be considered a holistic approach to learning by families who want to take charge of their well-being and education.
10 Natural Remedies for Allergies
Discover 10 natural remedies for allergies from author Michelle Schoffro Cook to make the spring allergy season more tolerable.
Simple, Natural 190-Proof Air Freshener
It's easy to make your own air freshener spray. You'll avoid chemicals and delight in the fresh smell.
Is Monsanto the World's Most Evil Corporation?
NaturalNews readers overwhelmingly chose Monsanto as the world's Most Evil Corporation.
Spring Clean Naturally: Recipes for Herbal Cleaners
Follow these recipes for using essential oils and a few simple ingredients to make your own chemical-free cleaning products.
Naturally Clean: Bleach/Brightener Substitute
Brighten whites with this bleach substitute.
Naturally Clean: All-Purpose Cleaner
Natural, eco-friendly cleaners are great for your family and for the planet. Try our formula for a natural, herbal all-purpose cleaner.
Naturally Clean: Wood Cutting Board Care
Half a lemon and coarse salt is all you need to keep wood cutting boards looking their best.
Naturally Clean: How to Get Rid of Closet Moths
The signs of a carpet beetle or moth infestation can be as small as a few holes in a favorite shirt. These herbal repellents and preventative sachets will protect your favorite fabrics.
Naturally Clean: Money Saving Cleaners
Making your own natural cleaners is a smart option for savvy-savers.
Naturally Clean: Chemical Safety and Healthy Alternatives
Try our healthier alternatives to household cleaners with toxic ingredients.
Naturally Clean: Make Your Own Washable Swiffer
Cleaning floors can be a bummer. Brighten up with our two recipes for clean floor success. Learn how to turn old towels into eco-friendly cloth towels for your Swiffer and try our homemade floor cleaner recipe.
Natural Product Review: Scotch Naturals Nail Polish
Treat yourself to an at-home manicure with nontoxic nail polishes from Scotch Naturals, a company that creates more than 40 different nail polishes with their eco-friendly, water-based formula.
New Year, New Cleaning Methods
Matt divulges into his New Year's resolution of using greener cleaners and more natural cleaning methods.
The New Issues Are Here
The newest articles of Natural Home are in. See what's inside.
Natural and Homemade Deodorants
Try these natural deodorant alternatives to eliminate body odor without the potential toxins of many commercial products.
Eco-Decor Delights: bambu
bambu creates modern goods for the kitchen and home, created from renewable materials, including bamboo and cork.
Ancient Health at Home: Making Tinctures
Making tinctures at home may sound intimidating, but it is as simple as following a simple recipe from a cookbook.
5 Housekeeping Tips from Mother Earth News, 1970
These tips mined from the second issue of Mother Earth News, published in 1970, will make your housekeeping more enjoyable and efficient. Mother has always known best.
Clean Your Entire Home with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Highlights from the 'Make Your Own Green Cleaners—for Pennies' workshop at the Mother Earth News Fair: How to use vinegar and baking soda to clean just about everything.
6 Simple Steps to Your Cleanest Windows Ever
Does the huge task of cleaning windows leave you feeling overwhelmed? Follow these six simple steps—using inexpensive materials you already have around the house—to get your windows sparkling and streak-free.
Greener, Homemade Cleaners
Conventional household cleaners contain toxic chemicals that could have adverse effects on your health. Learn how to mix up your own homemade cleaners with these suggestions from Natural Home magazine editor-in-chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence.
3 Simple Tips to Make Spring Cleaning a Breeze
My grandmother taught me everything I need to know about keeping my house clean—without chemicals.
How to Clean Your Home's 10 Germiest Places
Keep your family healthy by paying close attention to your home's 10 germiest places.
Slow Homes: 10 Steps to Long-Term Satisfaction
Reacting against the built-for-resale mentality that's destroying our modern homes' liveability, Slow Home Studio offers a path to a more satisfying home.
Gardening Rookie: Books and Magazines for Gardeners
The weather outside may be frightful, but it's a delightful time to curl up with a stack of gardening books and begin planning next season's harvest.
10 Fun Facts About Solar Energy
Solar energy use continues to climb by 20 percent every year. Learn more about this amazing clean energy by checking out these 10 fun facts about solar energy.
New Mayo Clinic Book Promotes Natural Healing
The Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies offers scientific backing to herbal and natural medicine.
2011 Predictions: The Rise of the Conscious Consumer
Natural products research firm Compass Naturals predicts shoppers will get savvy; rebel against chemicals, over-packaging, GMOs and animal cruelty; and grow more of their own food.
Nordic Naturals Introduces Vitamin C Gummies for Kids and Adults
Tart, tangy and tangerine—Nordic Naturals new vitamin gummies.
Habitus Introduces New Line of Sustainable Tile Material
Made from Tagua, Habitus tiles are natural sustainable and suitable for floors or walls.
Make Your Own Lavender Laundry Detergent, for Pennies
This DIY washing powder is simple to make, costs just pennies and smells heavenly.
Natural Itching Relief: Make a Plantain Anti-Itch Balm
Find itching relief in nature. Narrow-leaved plantain is a common garden weed and also, ironically, a gardener's best friend.
Natural Spring Cleaning: Simple, Cheap and Healthy
With just three ingredients and two simple steps, you can clear away germs and freshen your home's air to welcome spring.
Make Your Own Green Cleaners
Make your own all-purpose cleaners, dishwasher detergent and mildew remover with safe, simple ingredients. Ever think you'd be doing dishes with Kool-Aid?
Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz: Clean with Alka-Seltzer
Alka-Seltzer can give your cleaning routine a little extra fizz. Try it for unclogging drains and cleaning toilets.
Polish Furniture for Pennies
Whip olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice into a cheap, effective polish for wood furniture.
6 Homemade Cleaner Recipes
Janeen Solberg developed these homemade cleaner recipes more than 10 years ago and still uses them today.
The Year in Natural Homes
Our favorite natural homes of 2010 range in size and grandiosity, from a 280-square-foot mountain cottage to an urban warehouse-cum-artists'-loft. Every one of them can teach us a lot about living green.
Share Your Natural Beauty Tips
Share your favorite fantastic natural beauty tips and DIY treatments with Natural Home magazine. The best tips win a prize!
Size Matters: Americans Moving to Smaller Homes
The American Institute of Architect's Home Design Trends Survey confirmed what Natural Home predicted in January—Americans are moving to smaller homes.
Americans Move to Smaller Homes
A National Association of Home Builders report and a Better Homes and Gardens survey find that builders and homeowners are moving toward smaller, more energy-efficient homes.
All-Natural Sleep Aids
Sleep more soundly with these natural sleep aids.
DIY Shelter-Kit Green Homes: Affordable and Doable
For an investment of less than $10,000 and about a week of labor, you could have a custom workshop, barn, garden shed or office.
Canada's ecoENERGY Program to End in 2011
The Canadian government's ecoENERGY program stops giving financial assistance for energy-efficient home improvements.
10 Solutions for the Perfect Stress-Free Environment
All it takes is a few deliberate and creative tweaks to turn our living space into a healthful, stress-free environment. Follow these 10 simple solutions to do just that.
Adorn Your Home with Natural Decor
Minimize indoor pollutants, protect your health and live in style with these ideas for incorporating eco-friendly, natural décor into your home.
Natural Home Remedies for the Holiday and Winter Season
Don't let the flu, a cold or any aches, anxieties and pains get the best of you this season. With the season already upon us, here are a few herbs, fruits and foods to consider to help relieve your aches, pains and anxiety.
DIY: Natural Air Freshener
Create a homemade sachet to add fresh fragrance in your home every time you vacuum.
9 Ways to Green Your Kitchen
To lead a healthier lifestyle, green your home with these nine cost-effective solutions.
5 Natural Air Fresheners We Love
Skips the hazardous commercial varieties and opt for one of these five natural air freshener options.
6 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home
Take the initiative and reduce your carbon footprint at home with these six tips.
Biophilic Design in a Pennsylvania Home
Architect and land planner Helena van Vliet incorporates biophilic design principles into her renovated house to create a home connected to nature.
The Beauty of Gemstones: How to Incorporate Gems, Crystals and Rocks into Your Life and Home
Bringing gemstones into your home can add beauty, and some believe they offer healing benefits, too. Find out how to incorporate beautiful gems and stones into your home and life.
Soothe Dry Winter Skin with Avocado
Make a nutritionally rich face mask and a tropical exfoliator to take advantage of all the health benefits of the avocado.
Green Your Life: Natural Dog Treats Review: Buck's Biscuits Gourmet Dog Treats
Buck's Biscuits Gourmet Dog Treats are made with organic ingredients and contain no preservatives, making them the perfect, all-natural dog treat for your furry friend.
Naturally Glowing Skin 101, Part 2: Skin Care Basics
Naturally healthy skin need not be a daunting, complex task. It can be a delightful ritual using natural ingredients found in your own home. The important first step is to simplify your beauty routine. Learn about the five necessities.
Healthy, All-Natural Air Fresheners
Clear your home's air naturally for better health and well being.
"Cash for Caulkers" Home Star Program Offers Rebates for Energy-Efficient Home Improvement
President Obama revealed plans for his new Home Star Program, also known as Cash for Caulkers, which will offer rebates for energy-efficient home renovations such as replacing windows, adding insulation and sealing ducts.
American Vedic: A Pioneering Straw-Clay Home in Iowa
Nearly 20 years ago, Robert Laporte began experimenting with building a house using straw and Iowa's excellent clay. In the process, he discovered what makes a home's soul.
Eco-Candles from Aroma Naturals
While other candle companies are still adding synthetic fragrances to their candles and claiming to be natural, Aroma Naturals candles are made from 100 percent pure plant aromas and natural vegetable waxes (VegePure).
Journey Toward Healthy Hair: Verikira Naturals
Verikira Naturals is a Vegan Cosmetics Organization certified-company that pledges never to use synthetic fragrances, animal byproducts and unnecessary chemicals. What more could you ask for in a beauty brand? Oh yea – it donates 10 percent of its Pink Grapefruit Collection proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation all year long.
Notice When You Are Happy: Tips for a Happy and Healthy Home
Create a happy and healthy home with these helpful tips.
Editor's Pick: Healthy Granola Bars
Reach for these taste-tested, healthy granola bars next time you need a snack.
2010 Predictions: Smaller, Smarter, Greener Homes
For part three of our 2010 Predictions series, the experts predict that consumers will demand—and create—healthier, more efficient homes. Cool by us.
Natural Home Remedies for Bee Stings
Bee stings can cause pain and swelling. Treat your bee stings naturally with these home remedies.
Natural Home Remedies for the Treatment of Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
Can't shake that cough? Clear whooping cough from your life with these natural home remedies for the treatment of whopping cough, also known as pertussis.
Energy Star Home Program Passes 1 Million Mark
The Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program reached a major milestone this week when it qualified its 1 millionth Energy Star home.
An Alabama Family Handbuilds a Sweet, Small Home From Scraps
Guy and Kay Baker and their three sons spent five years building a small weekend cabin in Alabama from scraps and salvage. When the 1,100-square feet house was complete, they loved it so much they made it their permanent home.
Trend Alert: Americans Want Smaller Homes
Americans are turning to smaller, affordable housing. Natural Home editor-in-chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence looks into this trend.
Warren Buffet Backs Affordable Green Prefab Homes
Clayton Homes' first green prefab home project, i-house, will feature a plethora of green technologies and innovative designs.
Bedbugs and Small Homes: Top Trends of 2010
This year readers were concerned about bedbugs and greenwashing, and everyone wants to know more about smaller homes.
Natural Medicine Cabinet: Cinnamon for Diabetes, Infections and Stomach Problems
Valued for centuries for its fragrance and flavor, cinnamon has a wide variety of medicinal uses. Studies have shown that cinnamon can be useful in lowering blood sugar levels for people with diabetes, fighting infections and treating stomach ailments.
Conference Speakers Say Housing is Key to Individual and Public Health
At the Healthy Homes Conference in Denver, a health care pioneer said healthy housing is as important as diet and exercise in maintaining well being and that access is a social justice issue. The Home Depot Foundation is addressing that.
Survey: Green Homes are Still Too Expensive
Americans continue to believe that green homes make a difference--but they need to be more affordable.
Creating Space for Alchemy
Guest blogger Elizabeth Richardson considers quality over quantity, slow homes and creating something beautiful.
WeeHouse Kit Houses: Like Building with Legos
The original weeHouse prefabricated kit house is 435 efficiently designed square feet and comes with everything you need to live well. Need more space? You can snap together two or more of the modules to satisfy your needs.
Kitchens Get Bigger, Garages Get Smaller: 10 Most-Wanted Features for New Homes
An annual survey of home buyers found that Americans want smaller homes with a focus on casual living and togetherness. From larger kitchens to outdoor living spaces, these 10 features were the most popular. Find out how you can get them, too!
Million Dollar House Developer Taps Small Home Market
In Bethel, New York, a developer that has specialized in large luxury homes is building modest houses to appeal to a younger crowd--more anecdotal evidence that smaller homes are here to stay.
Natural Home Beauty Tips
Want to be sure about what you're putting on your skin and hair? Save a little money and have a little fun mixing up these DIY beauty treatments. These natural home beauty remedies are made from basic household and kitchen ingredients!
Wabi-Sabi Wednesday: Simple, Natural Cleaning
Your simply imperfect arsenal for getting the whole house clean--naturally.
Sodium Excess: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Daily Sodium Intake
Consuming too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, yet most Americans consume more than the recommended amount. Reduce your sodium intake with these seven simple steps.
11 Uses for Salt
Salt can soak up stains, clean pots and pans and exfoliate skin. Check out these and other uses for salt!
5 Best Natural Shampoos: Mother Earth Living Editors' Picks
Give your locks the love they deserve with these five best natural shampoos, handpicked by the Mother Earth Living editors.
Natural Product Review: Vineyard Hill Naturals' Lemon Verbena Hand Cream
Cure your winter doldrums with this uplifting Lemon Verbena Hand Cream from Vineyard Hill Naturals.
Natural Headache and Migraine Relief
Have a headache? Instead of reaching for that bottle of ibuprofen, try one of these natural remedies for headache relief: lavender, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, feverfew or willow bark.
Natural Home Remedies for the Treatment of Swimmer's Ear
Suffering from the pain of swimmer's ear? Try one of these natural home remedies to treat your case of swimmer's ear.
Natural Home Remedies for Dandruff
Is your scalp littered with ugly white dandruff flakes? Skip the store-bought, chemical laden shampoos and treat your dandruff at home with these natural remedies.
Natural Remedies for Puffy Eyes
The skin around your eyes is the thinnest part of your skin, making it more susceptible to irritation. Beat looking tired with these natural remedies for puffy eyes.
Natural Ant Repellents For Your Home
These home remedies repel ants safely without the use of chemicals or toxins.
A Green Home: Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Flower Bouquets
Instead of flowers, give a homemade token of your friendship and support.
Re-Think Your Decor: Nightwood's Reincarnated Furniture
Myriah Scruggs and Nadia Yaron, the design duo behind Nightwood, deconstruct abandoned furniture pieces and then reconstruct them into folksy-modern works of art.
Home Remedies for Dark Under-Eye Circles
Tired of looking tired? Try these home remedies for dark under-eye circles.
8 Last-Minute Holiday Gifts
With all the wonderful products that walk across our desks here at Natural Home, here are a few that have stood out during the holiday season. Grab these last-minute gifts for your friends, family, or even yourself. And remember: Green is not just for the holidays. Any of these products would be great year round.
On the Road Again
Jessica talks about her recent trip to the Washington D.C. Green Festival and other locations the Natural Home crew will be visiting this fall and winter.
Throwback Thursday: The Year in Natural Home & Garden Covers
Our Natural Home & Garden cover shoot process has evolved throughout the year. Read a behind-the-scenes take on our covers.
Natural Product Review: Hugo Naturals Sea Salt and Sugar Scrub
Reveal fresh, healthy skin with Hugo Naturals Sea Salt and Sugar Scrub in Sea Fennel and Passionflower.
USA Today's Top Green Homes: Efficient, Affordable and Beautiful
As Passive House Institute standards up the ante, USA Today's "Best Green Homes of 2010" list reflects Americans' desire for affordability, efficiency and style.
17 Uses for Baking Soda
Good for cleaning home and body, baking soda has many uses, from absorbing odors to keeping hair shiny and carpet fresh.
Moisturizing Face Masks for Dry Facial Skin: Kahina Antioxidant Mask
As you combat dry facial skin this winter, consider using a moisturizing face mask, such as Kahina Antioxidant Mask, once a week to treat your skin to an extra dose of high-power hydration.
Nordic Naturals Gives Back to Troops
This holiday season, Nordic Naturals is proud to promote the 'Buy One, Pass it On' campaign, which seeks to provide Ultimate Omega products to veterans and soldiers, both stateside and abroad.
New Blueberry Hemp Navitas Power Snacks
Navitas Naturals is adding Blueberry Hemp to their award-winning line of organic Navitas Power Snacks. Blueberry Hemp Navitas Power Snacks provide a diversity of the most nutrient-dense organic superfoods and organic seeds, fruits and nuts.
Aroma Naturals Shines a Little Light On Your Love
David Salman encourages gardeners to fertilize in fall when root growth is most active and winter fertilizing imperative.
Nordic Naturals Inspires Support for Paws for Veterans
The "Buy One Bottle, Help Two Heroes" campaign initiative kicks off this October, which should help raise awareness and support for the nonprofit organization Paws for Veterans.
Dietary Fat 101
Sort through all the hype over dietary fat with this Fit Fat Guide from Dr. Christopher Mohr.
7 Foods for Skin: Homemade Beauty Treatments
Natural beauty is as close as the kitchen. Check out these seven foods for skin—as well as some homemade beauty treatments you can make from them.
Home Trends: Americans Want Smaller, Smarter Homes
Homeowners want energy-efficient features and functional rooms that will expand on small homes' square footage, according to a recent American Institute of Architects report.Homeowners want energy-efficient features and functional rooms that will expand on small homes' square footage, says an American Institute of Architects report.
Tiny House Subdivision Planned in Oregon
Small house builder Rich Daniels seeks to cluster 100 homes under 400 square feet in a former sawmill.
Blooming Green
This morning in my inbox: Orlando Bloom announced at Wednesday night's Global Green pre-Oscars party that he's building a green, solar-powered home in London. And an RISMedia report stating that despite the downturn in the general housing market, demand for green homes continues to be a hot trend.
Historic Home Produces More Energy Than It Consumes
For less than the cost of an SUV, a Michigan couple rehabbed their historic home to include solar panels and a geothermal system. The 110-year-old house now produces more energy than it needs.
5 Ways to Boost Indoor Air Quality
Two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, our indoor air quality is worsening. Embrace these five healthful practices for cleaner air.
10 Easy Ways to Keep Your House Clean
Keep your home clean and your family healthy with these easy tips.
Homemade Cat Food: Feed Kitty Some Spring Herbs
Treat your cat to fresh spring herbs when you whip up this healthy homemade kitty food.
Make Your Own Compost Bin
Making your own compost bin is simple. Compost bins are great for disposing kitchen scraps to make fresh, rich compost for your garden.
Plants Are Our Allies: Ease Irritated Eyes With Flax Seed
Contributer Susan Belsinger shares her experience with severe eye irritation and a low-cost home herbal cure.
How To Relieve Your Pet's Seasonal Allergies
We aren't the only ones who suffer from seasonal allergies. Try a few of these methods to get your pets back to their energetic, playful selves.
Make it Green: An Easy Natural Home Air Freshener
Instead of using synthetic scents, try this simple natural trick to make your home smell delicious.
Home Remedies for Healthy Teeth and Gums
Commercial toothpastes and gels are not the only way to keep your mouth and teeth fresh and clean. Try these home remedies for healthy teeth and gums without the risky chemicals.
Aroma Naturals Introduces New Butterx Lip Care
Aroma Naturals is thrilled to introduce its new Butterx Lip Care line of all-natural lip balms packed with nourishing antioxidants, moisturizing nutrients and other natural ingredients.
Natural Home Remedies for a Cough
Leave the over-the-counter medications at the store and ease your coughing with these natural remedies.
Natural Home Remedies for Canker Sores
Get rid of canker sores faster by turning to homemade mouth rinses, probiotics and other natural home remedies for canker sores.
A Recycled Steel and Shipping Container Kit Home That Has It All
Made from repurposed shipping containers and recycled steel, based on Prius engineering, with a gray water system and a living roof, this Mojave Desert residence and workplace is a prototype for low-cost prefab kit houses everywhere.
Support Veterans and Prevent Shelter Dog Euthanization with Nordic Naturals
Support this amazing charity that provides trained service dogs rescued from shelters to injured veterans, all by buying top-quality omega-3 supplements from Nordic Naturals.
Deconstruction: A Good Way to Find Free Building Materials
Deconstruction, breaking down houses bit-by-bit, is a great way to find free building materials to build small low-cost homes.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Earning Passive House Certification
The NewenHouse kit home has officially received Passive House certification! The Passive House is also the highest-rated Energy Star home in the state of Wisconsin.
Can I Really Build My Own Home?
Guest blogger Elizabeth Richardson offers inspiration to anyone wanting to build their own home from salvaged materials.
Building Blackbird Studio, My Own Tiny Home
Guest blogger Elizabeth Richardson shares her plans for Blackbird Studio, a 333-square-foot she plans to build.
USGBC Names the Top LEED Homes and Projects of 2011
The U.S. Green Building Council recognizes the top projects, developers and home builders participating in its LEED program for 2011.
Certified Green Homes Sell for 30% More in Oregon
Existing homes that are certified as "green" sold for 30 percent more than homes without such a designation, according to an analysis of the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan region released today by Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit green building resource. Newly constructed homes with a sustainability certification sold for 8 percent more than non-certified homes. This result continues a four-year trend in which new homes with third-party certification for sustainable construction and energy performance have consistently sold for more than newly constructed homes that had not been certified. The term 'certified home' includes homes that received an Earth Advantage New Homes, ENERGY STAR, or a LEED for Homes designation, or a combined Earth Advantage/ENERGY STAR certification.
Think Green When Remodeling (Not the Color)
Consider these environment-friendly tips when remodeling your home.
Our First Winter in a High-Performance Energy-Efficient Home
See how an energy-efficient house faired it's first winter in Maine.
3 Reasons to Legalize Hemp
Here are three great reasons that hemp cultivation should be legal in the United States: food, health and shelter.
Solar-Powered Homes Sell for More, Report Finds
Adding solar panels can increase a home's resale value by as much as $17,000, a new Lawrence Berkeley Lab report finds.
Location Matters as Much as Materials When Building a Green Home
Location near public transportation and walkability are as important as green materials and design in creating a green home, study finds.
The Winter of Our Content
Natural Home editor-in-chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence looks forward to good, green building news for 2009.
Hemp for Homes
Natural Home editor-in-chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence explains how hemp, a renewable resource, can aid in building zero-carbon homes.
EPA's New Green Homes Website Helps Slash Your Energy Bills
A new Environmental Protection Agency website helps homeowners and renters decrease their energy consumption and cut carbon emissions.
Seeing Red
For the past year, I've been chronicling the progress of a green-built home here in Boulder, Colorado, where I live, via this blog and accompanying videos. Watching the project unfold has been enlightening for many reasons, not least of which is the opportunity to see firsthand many of the cool technologies we read about and hear about. Sometimes that entails a little sacrifice.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Nearing Completion of the Interior
Guest blogger Sonya Newenhouse Here Sonya gets ready for a busy week of subcontractors for the NewenHouse kit home. The interior of the home is nearing completion!
Are Crock-Pots Energy Efficient?
Can you craft delicious home cooked meals without eating up a ton of energy? Discover whether your slowly cooked Crock-Pots are any more energy efficient than stove top or oven cooking.
Herb Seed Catalogs Mark the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
As the paper garden catalog is slowly sinking in the west, the Lemon Verbena Lady is searching out herb seed catalogs and websites offering the best seed catalogs and herb seeds of every kind. This is the first installment of several catalog and website postings.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: A Sustainable, Small and Super-Insulated House
Guest blogger Sonya Newenhouse describes the super-insulated, sustainable and small NewenHouse kit home she's planning to bring to market in 2012. The prototype, being built in Viroqua Wisconsin, is striving for LEED Platnium and Passive House certifications.
Living Off the Grid: Food Tastes Better, Sleep is Sweeter, Mind is Calmer
Kate and Jeff are building their off-the-grid dream near Taos, New Mexico. As they build themselves a small straw bale house and make do with a few solar panels, they're realizing how little they really need.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Moving In!
Guest blogger Sonya Newenhouse describes moving into the first NewenHouse and conducting the final duct blaster test and balancing the HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation Unit).
Super Simple Halfway-Homemade Rosemary Mayonnaise
Simple rosemary mayonnaise makes an exceptional sandwich spread.
Make Homemade Cheez-It Crackers
Who needs to make a trip to the grocery store when you can make these tasty cheesy crackers at home?
Homemade Herb Dressings
Simple salad dressings provide bursts of herbal flavor to your salad greens.
Finding Beauty in the Flaw
Guest blogger Elizabeth Richardson shares how she built her home's front porch from salvaged wood—and how she finds beauty in flawed materials.
4 Tips for Living in High-Efficiency Homes
Living in a high-efficiency home can be a bit of an adjustment. Follow these four expert tips to make the transition go more smoothly.
Make Flavored Vinegars with Herbs
Learn how to make flavored vinegar with tasy herbal, spice, fruit and vegetable combinations.
Can Toxins in Beauty Products Cause Obesity?
Research into the potential causes of obesity doesn't lead exclusively to a poor diet and lack of exercise: Environment and exposure to endocrine disruptors can also play a role in weight gain.
Celebrate National Ice Cream Month Naturally
Natural Home editorial intern Kirsten Hudson describes how to make homemade ice cream and gives some organic ice cream recipes.
5 Geothermal Homes, From the City to the Country (And In Between)
Geothermal heating and cooling systems rely on the earth's constant underground temperature of 45 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit to provide comfortable indoor climates. The technology works in any size or style home, in nearly any setting on earth.
Off-the-Grid Living: "We Would Never Go Back to Energy Dependence"
These seasoned off-the-grid veterans have found that hefty batteries make for a happy home.
Opulent is Out; Small and Green is In
Anecdotal evidence from coast to coast indicates that Americans have had enough of granite countertops and whirlpool tubs. They want smaller homes with green finishes instead.
Off the Grid and Constantly Aware
When Paula and Matt learned that running a utility line to their rural Vermont home would cost the same as buying solar panels, they never hesitated. Now they're living the good life, off the grid.
Vision Houses Showcase Green Living in Orlando
Green Builder Media's Vision and ReVision Houses highlight energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, indoor air quality and great new green materials.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Willey House: Small, Affordable and Green
When Steve Sikora and Lynette Erickson-Sikora restored Frank Lloyd Wright's first small, affordable home, they discovered how green the iconic architect really was.
Building for the Environment: Avoid Unwanted Water Damage—and Toxic Mold
Maintaining indoor air quality is important in a healthy home, but poor craftsmanship can lead to water damage and eventually mold issues.
Sarah Susanka Unveils Not So Big Showhouse in Libertyville, Illinois
For the first time, acclaimed Not So Big House author and architect brings quality-over-quality design to a residential development.
National Homebuilder Offers Solar as Standard Feature
One of the nation's largest home developers announces it will offer solar arrays as standard features on new homes in California.
Facebook Community: 5 Tiny Homes We Love
We asked our readers to share their tiny homes: The only criteria was that they be 1000-square-feet or less. Gain inspiration with these small homes from our community of readers who love their tiny homes.
How I Decided to Build a Tiny House
See how one blogger made the decision to build a tiny house and her plans to build it herself.
Minimizing Materials for a Greener, Cleaner Home
Think having a green home is out of your price range? Here are some easy, realistic ideas to create an eco-friendly living space that might actually save you money!
Living Large in a Small Home, Ecovillage-Style
Guest blogger Sarah Lozanova talks about the advantages of downsizing to a small home as her family moves to Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Windowsills for Seedlings
Sonya Newenhouse describes how she uses the southern-facing 17-inch-deep windowsills of her Passive House-certified home to grow seedlings.
5 Easy Home Improvement Ideas for the New Year
Make your home feel like new again with these five home improvement ideas that won't cost you an arm and a leg.
Live Happily Ever After: How to Be Happier at Home
Learn how to be happier at home with these simple living tips.
8 Great Micro-Houses
In her new book, Micro-Green: Tiny Houses in Nature, Mimi Zeiger profiles 36 creative, innovative small dwellings that represent a 'new, rich architectural typology.' Here are eight great examples to start fueling your fantasies.
Mango Ice Cream Recipe
This recipe for homemade mango ice cream has the creamy goodness of ice cream and the refreshing taste of sherbet. Grab a spoon and dig in!
A Rich Gift: Homemade Jelly for Bill and Melinda Gates
When Joan King Salwen is invited to speak with Bill and Melinda Gates about The Power of Half, she learns how valuable homemade gifts can be.
Simple Homemade Holiday Sangria
Guest blogger Kim Wallace shares a simple recipe for homemade holiday sangria.
Sustainable Wedding Food: Settled!
Jessica shares her sustainable wedding food find after locating eco-minded caterers in the Kansas City area.
Turning St. Patrick's Day Candy into Homemade Art
Guest blogger Sarah Lozanova works with her children to turn the heaps of candy they collected at the St. Patrick's Day parade into homemade art projects.
How to Make Homemade Yogurt
Learn how to make homemade yogurt with this seasonal yogurt recipe.
Green Your Life: How to Make Homemade Breadcrumbs and Croutons
Don't throw away that leftover loaf of bread! Use it to make homemade breadcrumbs and croutons. Waste not, want not!
Cambridge Energy Alliance
Sustainability starts at home—but it sure does help to have community backing. Natural Home magazine editor-in-chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence takes a closer look at the Cambridge Energy Alliance, a nonprofit, community-supported program that offers free energy audits and customized plans to make homes and buildings more eco-friendly.
Top 10 Reasons to Live in a Tiny Home
Do you dream about living in a tiny, super-efficient home but worry about living with less space? This list of reasons for living could help push you off the fence. Dream big, live small!
Behold the Miracle of the Earth: 8 Healthy Living Tips
Peruse our articles about healthy living from the July/August 2013 issue. In this issue we teach you how to enjoy your bountiful garden harvest all year; give you product recommendations to create a healthier, simpler, more self-sufficient home; show you simple solutions for quick breakfasts; discuss the basics of simple and affordable DIY body-care products; and much more!
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Inspiration from the Passive House Conference
Guest blogger Sonya Newenhouse describes how and why the Passive House conference inspired her to change the NewenHouse kit home's design to meet Passive House certification.
Small Homes: The Alligator House in New Orleans
Designed as a shotgun-style house for natural ventilation, the Alligator House was designed and built as part of the rehousing effort in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Salvaged Homes Introduction
Elizabeth Richardson lays out her plan for building her own salvaged home.
How to Green a McMansion? Tear It Down and Build Two Homes In Its Place
The Reincarnated McMansion Project aims to tear down one inefficient, climate-insensitive suburban house and replace it with two small, green, handcrafted homes.
How to Design With Junk and Work with Reclaimed Materials
Guest blogger Elizabeth Richardson offers advice on how to incorporate reclaimed materials into home design without the end result looking like "junk."
Wabi-Sabi Wednesday: From Shakers to Shibui, Feeling Its Influence Through Time
Wabi-sabi has infused Western design for centuries—though its advocates rarely knew it. It's in the plain, efficient homes built by the Shakers, the unsentimental Arts and Crafts style, Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie houses and midcentury furniture.
Throwback Thursday: A Lookout Tower Home
A lookout tower home featuring reclaimed materials connects its homeowner with her past, present and future.
Green Home Tips from HGTV's Carter Oosterhouse
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace chats with HGTV green building expert Carter Oosterhouse about simple ways to green your home.
QB1: Living Large in Less Than 90 Square Feet
This tiny kit home—less than 90 square feet—is energy-independent and so well-designed that you'd never miss the space.
Green House Hunting
Managing editor Jessica Kellner discussed her early house hunting experience and her hopes to do green remodeling.
Tiny House: Floating Guest House in Portland, Oregon
This 433-square-foot floating home on the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, feels spacious and airy on the inside.
Transformation Tuesday: Love the Home You're With
In the down real-estate market, more people are choosing to renovate rather than relocate. Use these tips to create a customized home that supports your lifestyle.
House Approves $6 Billion for Home Energy Retrofits
The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, which passed the House on May 5, would provide $6 billion in rebates to homeowners who make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes.
How to Find the Warning Signs of Pests (Before They Find You)
Avoid the headache and stress of dealing with a pest infestation by watching for these simple signs of pests before they wreak havoc.
How to Create Your Own Woman Cave
Whether you work-from-home, need a space to call your own or are just ready to upgrade your interior design, these six steps will transform your spare room into the perfect woman cave.
Mobile Egg House Breaks New Ground
Made from bamboo, wood and grass seed, this tiny house could be our future.
Better Incentives Would Drive Energy-Efficient Home Improvements, Study Finds
Homeowners and renters who made five or more energy-efficient improvements found satisfying savings, a new study finds.
Herby Tip: De-Ice with Garlic
One Iowa city used herbs as a way to de-ice their dangerous roads.
VivaTerra Kicks Off Home for the Holidays Shopping Spree
Eco luxury brand VivaTerra kicks off Home for the Holidays, a 25-day/25-products half-off shopping spree featuring some of their most popular items from the year.
Hot for This Pod: The Sustainsia Work Pod
Sustainsia's compact, green-built work pod could solve my office needs.
DiggersList Brings Discounted Home Improvement Items to New Cities
DiggersList, city-by-city home improvement classifieds, has expanded its website to bring its services to homeowners and contractors across the country.
Save Money, Cut Costs – with Herbs?
Herbs might not be the first thing that come to mind when you start considering ways to save money, but they actually can be a great help in cutting costs while boosting health, flavor and the general deliciousness of life.
Dollar Meal Dilemma
Matt divulges into who really wins in the end when McDonalds' stock is up and the stock market is down.
Alchemy Architects' weeZero: A Net-Zero weeHouse Near Moab, Utah
Alchemy Architects builds its first weeZero, or net-zero weeHouse, in the desert near Moab, Utah.
A Green Home: Creative Storage
Guest blogger Jaci Kennison explores creative storage solutions to declutter her small space.
Tiny House: miniHome by Sustain Design Studio
The miniHome by Sustain Design Studio puts a modern twist on traditional trailer design.
Green Your Life: Homemade Frozen Dog Treats
They don't call them the dog days of summer for nothing. Surprise your pup with these easy and delicious homemade frozen treats to keep him cool in the heat.
How to Make Homemade Candles for your Valentine
Light up your Valentine's Day with all natural, herbal homemade candles.
Easy Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe
Start decreasing your reliance on store-bought, pre-packaged foods by preserving produce at the peak of the season. Try this easy recipe for homemade sauerkraut and enjoy this season's cabbage crop all year.
15 Uses for Olive Oil
From a homemade furniture polish to a skin and hair conditioner, olive oil has many uses around the home. Just check out these 15 uses for olive oil!
It's a Perfect Day to Make Sacred Seed Bread
Sacred Seed Bread delivers the healing power of medicinal seeds in a delicious, homemade loaf.
Salvia Apiana: Growing White Sage
White sage is a large herbaceous perennial shrub native. It attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and offers many health benefits. Then find natural headache relief with our homemade salve.
DIY: Easy, Homemade Terrariums
One guest blogger recently discovered that you can make homemade terrariums from everyday household items already hanging around the house. Check it out now.
Green Your Life: Make Homemade Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a sandwich staple that you can easily make at home. It takes just minutes to make and you can experiment with new and exciting flavor combinations.
Good Pizza Parlors in the Seattle Area
Guest blogger KyLynn Hull shares some of her likes and dislikes of homemade pizza and some of her favorite pizza parlors in the Seattle area.
Borax Has Issues; You Have Alternatives
Because it could cause eye and skin irritation and harm reproductive systems, the Environmental Working Group recommends avoiding it. Baking soda is a solid, safe alternative.
Herbal Gifts for Mother's Day
Looking for the perfect gesture of appreciation this weekend? Try these homemade Mother's Day gift ideas.
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
Swap out your bottled ranch dressing for this easy and nutritious recipe!
Food Wise: Homemade Italian Sausage
Sausage can be healthy if made at home. Try it! It's easy.
Food Wise: The Gift of Homemade Food
I make the cookie-of-the-month for my brother-in-law, and he loves it.
Tasty Homemade Granola Recipe
Making granola at home is simple and allows you to customize it to your liking. Experiment with this basic recipe and discover your perfect granola.
DIY Decorations: Orange Holiday Ornaments
These homemade orange ornaments will add bright colors and a citrusy aroma to your tree this year.
Reader Poll: Which Drink Would You Like to Learn How to Make at Home?
Readers vote on whether they'd be most interested in learning to make hard cider, apple wine, mulled wine, ginger beer, eggnog or amaretto at home.
Weekend Project: Celebrate Hemp History Week by Making Hemp Soap
Cap off your Hemp History Week celebrations by making hemp soap. Hemp oil contains essential fatty acids and poly-unsaturated fatty acids known for their excellent emollient and lubricating properties.
Green Your Life: Delicious Homemade Salad Dressings
Try one of these three simple but tasty homemade salad dressings the next time you're in the mood for a lighter lunch or dinner.
Spring Cleaning: A Fresh, Sparkling Kitchen—Naturally
Some of the nastiest chemicals we bring into our homes are used to clean ovens and drains—and they're not necessary. Learn how to clean your entire kitchen using vinegar, baking soda and a little salt and lemon juice. You'll love the results!
Sweet Ideas for a Handmade Valentine's Day
Save money and win your sweetie's heart with a beautifully set table and handmade candy hearts this Valentine's Day.
Fabric for a Homemade Wedding Dress
Guest blogger Erica Binns travels to Mood Designer Fabrics to find fabric for her homemade wedding dress.
Homemade Chewy Granola Bars Recipe
Replace the sugary, salty store-bought version with this wholesome Homemade Chewy Granola Bars recipe.
How to Make Your Own Chicken Stock
Good stock is an important base to flavoring a lot of recipes. Learn how to make your own chicken stock at home with these instructions.
Homemade Asian-Inspired Guest Soap Recipe
Craft these DIY Asian-inspired guest soaps to reinvigorate road-weary visitors.
Passive House Design: An Introduction to the Passive House Standard
Architect and Passive House consultant Mark Miller offers an introduction to the Passive House standard, including what makes Passive Houses energy-efficient and how they differ from passive solar homes.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: The Heat Recovery Ventilation Unit and Insulation Installation
Guest blogger Sonya Newenhouse describes the HRV (heat recovery ventilation) unit and insulation installation for the NewenHouse Kit Home.
Passive House Design: Pushing the Envelope with the Passive House Standard
Follow along as architect Mark Miller takes his energy-efficient design skills to the next level with the Passive House standard.
10 Tips from Empty Nesters for Downsizing and Living Small
Ed and Joan Kobrinski left a large family home for a smaller, simpler cottage—and they've never looked back. Their tips for downsizing and living in smaller spaces could help make your transition easier.
A Green Home: Birdcage Storage
Keep your storage off the floor and decorate your home using birdcages.
Museum's Smart Home Gets a Green Makeover
Midwest Living designers give the Smart Home at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry a green makeover that features zero-VOC paint, furniture made from recycled steel and reclaimed wood, and other planet-friendly home decor.
My Favorite iPad and Smart Phone Apps: Dream Home and Houzz
Home design apps for smart phones and iPads make visualizing your dream home even easier.
Eco-Friendly Christmas Trees: Live or Artificial?
Natural Home editorial intern Susan Melgren weighs the pros and cons of live and artificial trees in her quest for an eco-friendly Christmas tree.
5 Solutions for Living without Closets, From Someone Who Knows
Victoria Gazely lives in a 650-square-foot homesteader's cabin built by a man who didn't need closets. She's found five great ways to stash her stuff without renovating—and her solutions work for anyone who needs to hide a few things.
Video: A Family of Three in 320 Square Feet
After working four jobs to make payments on their larger home, Debra and Gary downsized—to 320 square feet. The family lacks for nothing, and guests are always welcome. 'I've got everything I need,' Debra says. And their $20K house is paid off.
A Green Home: The Many Uses of Hemp
Hemp can be made into a wide variety of products, including fashionable, functional clothing.
Benefits of Living in a Tiny Home: Time, Money, Peace of Mind
Ryan Mitchell, founder of TheTinyLife.com, is saving up to pay cash for a 130-square-foot home on wheels in North Carolina. He's seeking perspective, clarity—and a girlfriend who gets it.
2 People in 640 Square Feet: "We Have More Than Enough"
Diana and Tony Varnes are the happiest they've ever been, and they attribute their well being to living in a small home. They have more time for reading, talking and enjoying the outdoors—and their relationship is better than ever.
Organize Your Kitchen: Storage Solutions and Decluttering Tips
Clutter taking over? Organize your kitchen with these decluttering tips and storage solutions.
Vermont Natural Coatings Gives Tips on Natural Finish Wood
Vermont Natural Coatings, manufacturer of high performance naturally derived whey-based wood finishes, recently introduced new Heirloom Wipe-On PolyWhey, a durable, safe furniture finish with the look and feel of traditional hand rubbed finishes.
Green Artist Spotlight: David Trubridge
International eco-artist David Trubridge designs furniture, lighting and home accessories that are not only aesthetically beautiful, but also environmentally responsible.
Really Big and Off the Grid
Michael Funk's 6,000-square-foot off-the-grid home and retreat center on 1,200 acres in the Sierra Nevadas is an heirloom, handbuilt with reverence for the spectacle that surrounds it. He hopes it will inspire every visitor to preserve the paradise.
Herbal Beers: Cheers to Fresh Flavor
Beer brewed with herbs is a tasty alternative to traditional malts and hops.
The Benefits of Home Birth
The benefits of home birth outweigh the risks for many expectant mothers. These simple perks can help you decide if it's the right choice for you and your family.
Preparing for Your Home Birth
Reduce stress and help ensure the best birthing experience possible with these simple tips for preparing your home for a home birth.
10 Homemade Holiday Gifts
This holiday season, avoid the shopping frenzy and make your own gifts straight from the heart. These homemade holiday gift ideas are fun and should cover nearly everyone on your shopping list.
Wholesome Baby Foods From Your Kitchen.
An easy description of making your own baby food from scratch. Create nutritional options for your baby and safe money!
Green Your Life: Soothing Homemade Lip Balm
Leave your lips feeling luscious and quenched with this simple recipe for homemade lip balm.
Alternatives to Animal Testing: More Cruelty-Free Recipes
Stand against animal testing with certified cruelty-free cosmetics and homemade lip balms and lotions.
DIY: Homemade Lip Tint
Use nature's own ingredients to add color and moisture to your lips with this homemade lip tint.
Herbal Crafts for Kids: Creamsicle Lip Balm
Create a yummy summertime lip balm with your kids.
Green Your Life: Homemade Gift Guide for the Holidays
Instead of buying your friends gifts for the holidays this year, save money and lighten your impact on the planet by making homemade gifts. These ideas will get you started.
Green Your Life: Homemade Almond Butter
If you're nuts about almonds, try out this simple recipe for making fresh almond butter at home.
Try This Out: Infusing Spirits at Home
Infusing spirits with your favorite herbs and spices is a fun and easy way to stock your bar for holiday entertaining. They also make the loveliest gift for a cocktail enthusiast!
A Green Home: Basket Storage for Small Spaces
Hanging baskets on your walls helps to create storage and still offer decorative design in your home.
Eco-Decor Delights: Humble Earth-Friendly Printed Home Accessories
From perpetually sunny Orange Country, California, Humble sells extremely eco-conscious home décor accessories featuring designs that will remind you of summer's past.
Scent Naturally with PRIMAVERA Organic Airpsrays
PRIMAVERA organic airsprays naturally scent your home using essential oils.
Living Off the Grid: Constant Adventure
Liza Fleischer was a suburbanite through and through when she met her husband, Ted, who she says was 'born 100 years too late.' Now they live in a solar- and hydro-powered hand-built home on 160 acres in Vermont—and she loves it.
How Our Sustainable Tennessee Farmhouse Began
This is the first of a series of blogs about construction of a LEED Platinum-certified home on an organic farm in middle Tennessee.
A Green Home: Use Empty Picture Frames for Organization
Got kitchen clutter? Turn a picture frame into a beautiful, useful storage solution.
Tiny House: The Surfshack
Built from a recycled shipping container, the 160-square-foot Surfshack uses folding, moveable panels and smart design to fit all the creature comforts of home into a durable, weather-proof frame, creating a home-away-from-home on the Washington coast for an avid surfer.
Shopping for Salvaged Home Building Materials
Salvaged products can be attractive components of a new home. Salvaged materials help save resources and money while adding distinctive features. One source of salvaged materials, Habitat Home Stores, also supports housing development for low-income families.
A New Home Getting Green
Jessica hunts for eco-friendly and secondhand items to make her new townhome greener. Greening an apartment or home you don't own can be a challenge, but searching for eco-friendly products is fun.
A Year in a High-Performance Home
After a year with her family spent in a high-performance home, one blogger shares the joys of living in a home that offers low utility bills, energy independence, comfort, lasting memories and much more.
Net-Zero Living in a High-Performance Home
There are myriad perks to turning your home into a net-zero living space. Learn how to find energy independence with these high-performance home tips.
How to Find Home Office Furniture without Breaking the Bank
Find home office furniture for your office space without spending a fortune with these tips.
Smart Kitchen Storage Ideas
Try one or more of these smart kitchen storage ideas to add comfort, convenience and style to small-space kitchens.
Natural Medicine Cabinet: Garlic for Athlete's Foot, Colds and Cancer
Garlic has been used for centuries to treat colds and infections. Modern research shows that garlic may also be useful in preventing cancer.
When I actually BUY something
Great shampoo from Dr. Hauschka.
Mosquito Problems? Bring on the Bats
One small brown bat can eat several thousand insects each night. Install a bat house and invite them to feast in your yard.
Passive House Design: An Introduction to the Passive House Standard Part 2
Architect and Passive House consultant Mark Miller continues his introduction to the Passive House standard.
This Florida Home Stays Cool Without AC--No Kidding
This home in the Florida Keys stays cool by capturing prevailing breezes and taking advantage of passive cooling techniques such as open, screened walls and a reflective roof.
February Is American Heart Month!
Take some time to focus on your heart health this month.
Peter Lamas Naturals: Holiday Hair Helpers
Perfect Seasonal Styles with Peter Lamas Naturals' "Hold Me" and "Repair Me"
In The News: Most Home-Packed Lunches Aren't Properly Refrigerated
Children's lunches aren't kept cool enough before lunch, leading to the possibility of food-borne illnesses.
A Super Green, But Normal, Suburban Home in Texas
Dan and Karen Cripes made a few big upfront investments—including solar panels and a geothermal system—when they built their home in Round Rock, Texas. Now they're reaping the rewards with nearly nonexistent utility bills and a home they love.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: FSC-Certified Roof Trusses
Sonya Newenhouse describes the roof truss system and air-tight barrier between the second floor and the roof for the Passive House NewenHouse Kit Home.
Eco-Decor Delights: MIO – Green Design for Everyone
Natural Home guest blogger Victoria Klein reviews green home decor from MIO.
MiniHome Combines Style, Affordability and Function--in Less Than 1,000 Square Feet
Ranging in size from 528 square feet to 960 square feet, miniHomes are a combination of park model trailer, manufactured home and code-compliant residences that combine modern design with state-of-the-art building technology.
What's Your Favorite Way to Decorate Pumpkins?
Try these pumpkin candleholders and tell us about your favorite pumpkin decorations.
Living in a Small Home: Making Use of Every Inch
Sayra and Dominic live with their 5-year-old daughter in a charming 550-square-foot home in rural Idaho. There are challenges, but they've found that less really is more. 'It's like living in a fun clubhouse,' Sayra says.
Eco-Friendly PopUp Houses Ready to Assemble
The PopUp House from House Port, Inc. embodies the definition of model green home as it utilizes sustainable methods, not only within the structure of the dwelling, but also within the interior of the home.
Eco-Decor Delights: Harmony Art Organic Fabrics
Natural Home guest blogger Victoria Klein reviews certified-organic fabrics from Harmony Art.
Organic Table Linens: Amenity Placemats
Design your dining room with patterned placemats from Amenity. Made of organic cotton and hemp, these placemats come in a variety of colors and designs, making it easy to find the perfect fit for your room.
A Green Home: Decorate Your Walls with Fabric
Hang used fabric on your walls instead of paint or wallpaper.
A Green Home: Organize Your Mail with Clips and Belts
When stacks of mail, cards and school pictures start taking over your kitchen table or refrigerator, wage war with this project to keep it all organized and unclutter your life.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Choosing and Installing Slab Insulation
Guest blogger Sonya Newenhouse describes how she and her team insulated under the slab of the NewenHouse prototype home and the importance of air sealing to achieve Passive House certification.
Tiny House Conference to Take Place in North Carolina
The first Tiny House Conference will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 16.
A Perfect Summertime Retreat—Built for $22,500
Swamp Hut is a complex of four 8-by-12-foot huts surrounding a deck with a fireplace. This an off-the-grid, light-on-the-land summer getaway could easily be replicated in your favorite vacation spot.
How Energy-Efficient is Your Home? Find Out Now
Two new federal programs, the Home Energy Scoring program and the PowerSaver program, make it easier for homeowners to save energy.
Tiny House: Off-Grid Cabin on Flathead Lake in Montana
Perched atop a cliff overlooking Montana's Flathead Lake, this 830-square-foot off-grid cabin steps lightly on its site so as not to disturb osprey nesting in the surrounding forest.
Dreams of a Backyard Bedroom
If the heat is getting you down—and out of your comfortable sleeping—take your bedroom outside and let Mother Nature cool you while you slumber.
A Green Home: Green Investing
Put your money where your principals are—supporting eco-conscious living projects. Invest in green companies to make a greater impact on our environment.
Free Home Charging Stations: The Chevy Volt Just Got Better
In partnership with the Department of Energy, Chevrolet offers free home charging stations to 4,400 owners of its newest electric car, the Volt.
BTTR's Sustainable Oyster Mushroom Kits Are Now In The Produce Department
Back to the Roots (BTTR) is collecting 20,000 pounds of coffee grounds each week, cultivating them into a rich substrate from which to grow oyster mushrooms and make grow-it-at-home mushroom kits.
IPad - for a Green Home?
An overview on how the IPad and new apps relating to home automation can help you save energy through better control of heating and cooling, lights, window coverings, irrigation and security systems. The leading systems providers each have IPad apps
A Green Home: The Green Reason for the Season
Guest blogger Jaci Kennison takes time out this holiday season to honor and appreciate the planet.
Green Artist Spotlight: La Chanh Nguyen
La Chanh Nguyen's eco-friendly designs are changing the function common household items. Her process is simple; she deconstructs an object and recreates it with a green purpose and function.
Changing Whole Cityscapes into Gardens, Just a Few Steps from Everyone's Kitchen
My Mobilegro invention is much more than the next new innovative home gardening product to hit the market.
Tumbleweed Tiny House Pioneer Offers Nationwide Workshops
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company founder Jay Shafer teaches Americans how to build efficient homes of less than 1,000 square feet.
DIY Tiki Torches
Make your own tiki torch and fend off mosquitoes at the same time.
Purse Project: Organize a Roomy Bag with Snap Pouches
If you find yourself with a bag that seems to swallow up all of your things, consider adding snap-in coin purses to help you organize.
Tiny House: The Keret House
At only 156 square feet and just 4 feet across at its widest, the Keret House in Warsaw, Poland, might just be the skinniest tiny house ever.
Tips for Used-Furniture Shopping
Jessica offers her top tips for shopping for used and antique home furnishings.
National Organize Your Home Office Day: 5 Tips
Today's a great day to follow our tips for creating a home office that's easy on you and light on the planet.
How to Keep Pests Out of Your Home
To help you keep your house free of vermin, we've compiled a list of five top tips on how keep pests from ever entering your home.
Nice and Easy Storage Solutions
Use these easy storage solutions to keep every room in your home organized and clutter-free.
6 Energy-Saving Tips Everyone Should Know This Summer
Summer is heating up! Discover how you can cut costs, lower your energy usage and reduce your carbon footprint all while beating the hot summer sun.
Summer in a High-Performance House
In Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage, high-performance houses experience much more comfortable temperatures with little electric output.
5 Ways to Tie Your Home to Winter
Get inspired by early winter to decorate your home.
Why You Should Choose Reclaimed Furniture
Reclaimed furniture can add a rustic yet elegant touch to your home. Find out why you should choose reclaimed over new and how to incorporate it in your home.
4 Benefits of Martial Arts Training at Home
Martial arts training can help with weight loss and improved mobility. Discover how this fitness regimen could benefit you and pick up a few tips for success.
DIY Pest Control: Where Do You Go Wrong?
Avoid these three common mistakes in to help ensure your efforts of DIY pest control actually work.
2 Most Common Ventilation Strategies for New Homes
To boost the indoor air quality of new homes, turn to these two common, energy-efficient ventilation strategies.
LEED Platinum Certification: Why and How We're Involved
Natural Home guest blogger Rebecca Selove explains why she and her husband, John, are aiming for LEED Platinum-certification for their rural Tennessee farmhouse.
Tiny House: The Cube Project
Designed to be a comfortable, modern home with a minimum impact on the environment, the Cube generates its own energy and proves that you don't have to sacrifice creature comforts to live in a small space.
Sustainable Tennesee Farmhouse Uses Native Sandstone
Natural Home guest blogger Rebecca Selove picks natural, native sandstone to use in her sustainable Tennessee farmhouse that she is building to LEED Platinum standards.
3 Favorite Home Remodeling Blogs
These three great design blogs share inspiration to redecorate our homes on a budget—using rescued and reclaimed items.
Winter Comfort in a High-Performance House
Find winter comfort in a high-performance house. With a heat recovery ventilation system you can more-efficiently heat your home.
Q&A: A Glimpse Inside a Super Energy-Efficient Home
Super energy-efficient homeowner Sarah Lozanova answers some of the most common questions she has received from friends and family about her high-performance house.
6 Recipes for Homemade Salad Dressings
Guest blogger KyLynn Hull shares six recipes for homemade salad dressings, including favorites like Ranch, Caesar and Thousand Island.
Green Valentine's Day: Inexpensive, Homemade Gifts
Need to save money on Valentine's Day gifts this year? Natural Home editorial assistant Susan Melgren shares six simple ideas for homemade gifts to give your sweetheart.
17 Uses for Lemons
Did you know that lemons can cut grease, brighten laundry and whiten fingernails? Discover these and many more uses for lemons!
Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Making your own baby food not only saves you money but allows you control over what's in your baby's food. Get started—and find out just how easy it is—with these homemade baby food recipes.
The Herbal Artist: When and How to Harvest Herbs from Garden
Gather herbs for crafting herbal remedies with our expert help. We share basic guidelines for determining the appropriate time of year to harvest each part of a plant and teach you how to harvest herbs from gardens.
Last Minute Gift: Relaxing Sage and Lavender Bath Salts
December 25th is right around the corner. If you're looking for a last-minute gift this holiday season, make these Relaxing Sage and Lavender Bath Salts. This homemade gift is budget-friendly, is quick and easy to make and speaks from the heart.
20 Uses for Vinegar
Good for cleaning home and body, vinegar has many uses around the house, from cutting grease in the kitchen to softening hair and laundry.
Natural Drink Review: Prometheus Springs Capsaicin-Spiced Elixirs
Prometheus Springs' capsaicin-spiced elixirs pack the spiciness—and health benefits—of capsaicin into six delicious flavors.
"Natural" Chicken Label Comes Under Scrutiny
Almost a third of chicken sold in the U.S. is injected with salt water, doubling or tripling the product's sodium content. The USDA is considering revising its standards for chicken labeling so these products can't be labeled 'natural.'
Numi Welcomes Warmer Weather with Refreshing Tea Recipes
These refreshing Numi Organic Tea libations are perfect as we look ahead to the warmer months.
Different Uses for Everyday Items: Lemon
Natural Home editorial intern Kirsten Hudson reveals some alternative uses for this citrus fruit.
The Healing Kitchen DVD: Remedies from Nature's Pharmacy
Bring Andrea Candee's Healing Kitchen workshop to you and take charge of your wellness naturally.
2011 Energy Outlook: More Renewables, Fewer Imports
U.S. energy consumers will rely more on natural gas and renewables and less on imports in 2011. Coal remains dominant.
Natural Lip Balm: Addicted to Lip Balm: Red Roses BeesWork
Red Roses by BeesWork is a natural lip balm and natural lip tint that gets its color from the alkanet root and its softness from rosehips and evening primrose oil.
Natural Styling Products: Onesta Smooth and Shine Thermal Straightening Crème
Onesta Smooth & Shine Thermal Straightening Crème controls frizz and adds shine to straight hair without the use of sulfates, parabens, synthetic colors and dyes.
Natural Scar Treatment: Derma E Scar Gel
Derma e Scar Gel helps naturally reduce the appearance of old and new scars, stretch marks and minor burns.
Natural Lotion: EO Everyday Body Lotion
EO's Everyday Body Lotion leaves skin soft and smooth without feeling greasy or oily.
Natural Cosmetics: Monave Sheer Lip Glaze and Lip Gloss
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews natural lip glaze and natural lip gloss from mineral makeup company, Monave.
Organic Beauty and Skin Care Blogs
Looking for more information on natural beauty and organic skin car? Check out these blogs!
Healthy Beauty Part 1: Your Guide to Ingredients to Avoid and Products You Can Trust
Check out this excerpt from Healthy Beauty: Your Guide to Ingredients to Avoid and Products You Can Trust by Sam Epstein, MD, to find out more about how to swap out conventional products for healthier, natural alternatives.
Healthy Beauty Part 2: Your Guide to Ingredients to Avoid and Products You Can Trust
Check out this excerpt from Healthy Beauty: Your Guide to Ingredients to Avoid and Products You Can Trust by Sam Epstein, MD, to find out more about how to swap out conventional products for healthier, natural alternatives.
Harvesting Rainwater
Natural Home guest blogger Rebecca Selove considers rainwater cistern options for harvesting rainwater at her sustainable Tennessee farmhouse that she is building to LEED standards.
Sustainable Tennessee Farmhouse: Unexpected Green Building Expenses
Natural Home guest blogger Rebecca Selove recounts the unexpected expenses she faced while building her sustainable Tennessee farmhouse. Selove is building her green dream home to LEED Platinum standards.
Buying Appliances for a LEED-Certified Home
Natural Home guest blogger Rebecca Selove narrows down her choices of Energy Star-rated appliances for her LEED-certified home in Tennessee.
Sustainable Wood: Where is the Wood We Want?
Natural Home guest blogger Rebecca Selove explains why she chose Southern Forest Initiative-certified wood for the framing lumber of her sustainable Tennessee home that she is building to LEED Platinum standards.
Green Your Life: How to Dry and Dehydrate Food
Dehydrated foods are high in nutrients and easy to transport and store, but buying them at the store can be costly. Investing in a food dehydrator can save you money, allowing you to make your own beef jerky, dried fruits and fruit leather at home.
A Green Home: Make a Green New Year's Resolution
Take some pressure off resolutions season by choosing "world improvement" instead of just "self-improvement". Add a green resolution to your list this year.
Going Solar at Home with Solar Leasing
My home is going nearly 100 percent solar thanks to a local solar leasing program.
Upcycled Art: Stylish, Eco-Friendly Home Décor Ideas
Add eco-friendly home décor to your space by displaying upcycled art such as vintage fabrics, old t-shirts, magazines and ephemera. Personalize your art with family memorabilia and a unique frame to make a one of a kind eco-friendly creation.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Inner-Wall Framing Complete
Guest blogger Sonya Newenhouse describes the framing process and how she finds opportunities for borrowed light in the inner walls of the NewenHouse kit home.
A Green Home: Window Light Fixture
Rescue old windows and recycle them into beautiful light fixtures.
10 Ways to Get Organized
Follow these tips to banish clutter and increase your efficiency, from your home office to your garage.
In North Carolina, A Passive Solar Home Gets Active
Chris Larson's Asheville, North Carolina, home--already a superb example of smart, passive solar design--gets even better with the addition of solar hot water collectors.
Dress Your Clothes in Natural Fragrances
Roux Maison Detergens are now available in Sweet Tea and Ambrosia.
Good Shopping: Re-Nest's Favorite Etsy Stores
Re-Nest's list of its favorite Etsy stores makes navigating the handmade goods shopping site easier to navigate.
Recycled DIY Dog Bed
Build a sustainable dog bed out of recycled T-shirts or newspapers. When placed in a revamped end table, it makes a nice piece of doggie furniture, too.
A Good Home: Super-Insulated, Healthy Hacienda in Taos
A graduate student experiences the comfort and efficiency of a superinsulated, passive solar home in Taos.
Home Remedies for Children: Use Garlic Oil to Relieve Ear Infections
Relieve ear infections with this at-home remedy. One young mother takes a crash course in using herbs for this common childhood complaint.
Natural Mosquito Repellents
Go ahead, play outside. These tips will keep you from being eaten alive by mosquitoes.
A Green Home: Pillowcase Pegboard
A pillowcase and foam board are all you need for a simple, cheap and environmentally friendly way to organize notes and lists in this project.
Moving Into The NewenHouse Kit Home(2)
Here Sonya describes moving into the the NewenHouse and conducting the final duct blaster test (reaching an amazing score of .51 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals)and balancing the HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation Unit).
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Installing a Frost Skirt and Perimeter Insulation Around the Slab
Sonya Newenhouse describes how she and her team insulated the perimeter of her model Passive House slab and installed an EPS foam frost skirt around the slab for cold climate construction.
Experts Weigh In on the Best Remodeling Projects for Resale
Experts say that that bathroom and kitchen remodels--once a sure-fire way to move a home for sale--aren't necessarily the ticket anymore. Creating a house that feels homey and welcoming is most important.
Switch to Natural Fabric Softener for Safer Laundry
Guest blogger Faith Moser shares five laundry tips (including a homemade natural fabric softener) for cling- and chemical-free clothing.
Aspen and Birch Tree Headboard
Create the feeling that you are waking up underneath the trees with a headboard made of aspen branches.
Hanging Out with Hammocks & High Tea's Karen Young
Hammocks and High Tea designer and founder Karen Young describes the creative process and the steps it takes to create a sustainable home decor line.
Eco-Decor Delights: Mystic Masala Ayurvedic Aromatherapy
Mystic Masala offers Ayurveda-based candles, soaps, and body products made from sustainable herbs and fair trade methods in Nepal.
Window Screens as Jewelry Storage
Turn a window screen and picture frame into a perfect storage solution for delicate jewelry pieces.
Sustainable Tennessee Farmhouse Completed!
Natural Home guest blogger Rebecca Selove shares the lessons she learned building her now completed green home.
Reclaim Old Doors for Storage
Short on storage? Repurpose a door into a swinging shelf or basket storage system!
Healthy, Green Design: 5 Eco-Friendly Interior Design Products Companies
Guest blogger Stephanie Nickolson shares five of her favorite interior design products companies.
Colors of Inspiration: Zero-VOC Turquoise Olympic Paint
Guest blogger Kim Wallace finds four shades of turquoise for her living room accent wall from Olympic Paint and Stain's "Colors of Inspiration" paint color swatch booklet, which is filled with 1,200 zero-VOC interior paint colors.
Tiny House: Sunset Cabin on Ontario's Lake Simcoe
This 275-square-foot cabin on the shores of Lake Simcoe in Ontario provides its owners with a comfortable vantage point for watching sunsets and enjoying nature.
Adobe is Political—And Vaulted, Domed and Gorgeous
Simone Swan built her off-the-grid domed and vaulted home in Presidio, Texas, as a model of how financially and thermally efficient adobe can be. For $50 a square foot, she built a masterpiece. She says you can, too.
Holiday Decorating: Herbal Ornaments
Decorating for the holidays does not have to be complicated. Use our recipes for cinnamon spice and gingerbread cookie ornaments to add simple beauty and fragrance to your home.
Recycled Bottle Chandelier
Use glass bottles or jars over light bulbs to create a beautiful chandelier.
Tiny House: Innermost House: An Off-Grid Cabin in California
Innermost House, a 144-square-foot off-grid cabin in Northern California, provides a retreat for Michael Anthony and Diana Lorence to pursue simple living.
Eco-Decor Delights: Plover Organic Cotton Bedding & Kitchen Textiles
Patters and personality galore, Plover Organic's organic cotton bedding and kitchen textiles add just the right amount of spice to your green home decor.
Save Energy with Home Automation Apps on the iPad
Guest blogger Mike Samsel provides an overview on how the iPad and new apps relating to home automation can help you save energy through better control of heating and cooling, lights, window coverings, irrigation and security systems.
Living Off the Grid: Creature Comforts Met by Sun, Wind and Forest
Cyndee and Tony love being in control of their own power and never having to worry about rate increases and outages in south-central Colorado. Solar panels, a wind turbine and a wood-fired boiler keep them plenty warm and happy.
Blending Teas at Home
Combine a variety of teas, as well as non-tea ingredients such as spices, flowers, herbs, and dried fruits, to create personal signature tea blends that you can use both for sipping and for cooking.
Off-Grid Earthship Home Powered by Sun and Tulikivi Fireplace
A Tulikivi soapstone fireplace and cook stove complement the off-grid lifestyle of a Montana man and his Earthship home.
Live from the Puyallup Mother Earth News Fair
Jessica reports about all the fun and wonderful information at the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup, Washington.
3 Amazing Tiny Homes: Which Is Your Favorite?
Apartment Therapy's annual Small Cool contest, featuring homes of less than 1,000 square feet, is a gold mine for smart ideas that make tiny spaces elegant, graceful and liveable.
Cash for Caulkers Part 1: Home Star Rebates Reimburse Homeowners for Insulation and Air and Duct Sealing
The "Cash for Caulkers" home-retrofitting program, known as the Home Star program, is expected to pass the Senate this summer. The bill offers rebates for 13 different types of retrofits, including insulation and air and duct sealing
Eco-Decor Delights: Etsy Appreciation: Michelle Prosek Hand-Carved Fused Art Glass
Handmade from start to finish, Michelle Prosek's jazzy art glass adds an eco-modern element to any room. Find her unique glass art in her Etsy shop.
A Green Home: Repurposed Clothing and Accessories
Look at your closet, and your shopping, in a whole new way. Repurpose items you already have, making a dress out of a shirt or a handbag out of men's ties.
Cash for Caulkers Part 3: Claim Home Star Rebates for Windows, Doors and Skylights
The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, expected to pass this summer, offers rebates for windows, doors, skylights, window films and storm windows and doors.
Building the NewenHouse Kit Home: Larsen Truss Remote Wall System
Guest blogger Sonya Newenhouse describes building the 12-inch remote Larsen Truss wall, which, combined with the OSB air barrier, will create a 16-inch-thick insulated wall system for the NewenHouse kit home.
A Green Home: Clean Out (and Donate) at Christmas
If you are shopping for the holidays, consider dropping off a box of donations too. Recycling goods to be re-sold is just as important as recycling them into new materials.
Bringing Home Benziger: 2007 Signaterra Three Blocks Red
Mike Benziger, founder and winemaker at Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, California, answers five questions about his 2007 Signaterra Three Blocks Red.
Transformation Tuesday: A DIY Wreath Made of Burnt-Out Lightbulbs
Reuse burnt-out lightbulbs to make this adorable, unique DIY holiday wreath.
Homemade Recycled Art Project
Jessica gives an update on her townhouse greening: a recycling center, cardboard art, and upgraded lighting and bathroom fixtures.
How I Built My Tiny House Part 2: Building Community
Building a tiny home from an old camper trailer brought a sense of community when family and friends pitched in to help.
3 Reasons to Invest in Fiberglass Windows
When it comes to "going green" at home, the purpose is clear: to conserve and manage your home's energy intake and expenditure. A good start, especially during the hot months of summer, would be to take a look at fiberglass windows.
Beauty Review: Thymes
Recently, I discovered Thymes, a very girly company that sells paraben-free body care and home fragrance products. It was love at first sight.
Fill Your Home with Fragrant Holiday Decor
Give your living space the smell of Christmas with these fragrant, inexpensive holiday decor ideas and disguise your artificial Christmas tree with homemade pine cone decorations.
How to Create Indoor-Outdoor Living Spaces
Increase your time spent in nature with these easy ideas for creating indoor-outdoor living spaces.
Natural Product Review: Benecos Natural Beauty's Hand Cream for Happy Hands
Toss this lotion from Benecos Natural Beauty in your purse for well-moisturized hands wherever you are.
Having Trouble Sleeping? Reduce Light Pollution for a Better Night's Rest
Light pollution can interfere with your body's ability to sleep through the night. Get a better night's sleep by reducing light pollution in your bedroom and getting in sync with natural cycles.
Natural Lotion Review: Herbal Choice Mari's Hand and Body Lotion
Herbal Choice Mari's vegan, organic, natural hand and body lotions are naturally scented with plant-based oils.
Student-Built Earth Block Home Brings Natural Cooling to Navajo Reservation
When a group of graduation students began designing a home on the Navajo reservation in southeast Utah, they knew keeping it cool in the desert would be an issue. Their innovative solution—a Windcatcher—is the first of its kind in the area.
Natural Products Expo West 2009
I'm finishing up the loose ends on my desk before I head off for Southern California (where I hear it's raining) and the amazing world of the 2009 Natural Products ExpoWest.
Sushi Tuna Found to Have High Levels of Mercury
Samples of sushi tuna collected from restaurants and supermarkets around the country were found to have higher than recommended levels of mercury, according to a study from Rutgers University.
National Physical Activity Plan Encourages Americans to Exercise
To encourage Americans to get the two and a half hours of exercise a week they need, a group of health experts has developed the U.S. National Physical Activity Plan, which calls for increased funding for bike paths, physical education programs and fitness facilities.
Great Natural Pet-Care Tips
The best tips for natural pet-care from The Herb Companion's latest E-Book "Natural Pet Care."
Exercising Outside Makes You Happier
Exercising outside, close to nature, makes you happier than exercising inside, according to a study from the University of Essex.
Green Architecture: Connect Your Home to Nature
Guest blogger Bill Hutchins explains the ways in which we are increasingly removed from the deeper rhythms and cycles and flow of our source.
Laugh More, Hurt Less: Study Finds Laughter Increases Pain Tolerance
A new study from the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Oxford finds that 15 minutes of laughter increases pain tolerance.
The Top 10 Most and Least Obese States in America
New research reveals the least and most obese states in America, with Colorado and West Virginia taking the top and bottom slots.
Many Natural Cereals Contain GMOs, Study Finds
Buying 'natural' cereal could get you a bowl full of GMOs. To keep genetically modified ingredients off your family's table, buy organic.
Elemental Herbology Starter Kits for Clean Skin in 2013
Choosing the ideal products for your skin type can get complicated. Take the guesswork out of your beauty routine and get a head start on clean skin in 2013 with Elemental Herbology's NEW Starter Kits.
Natural Shampoo: California Baby Swimmer's Defense Shampoo and Body Wash
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews natural shampoo California Baby Swimmer's Defense Shampoo and Body Wash.
Our Health Editor Says Hello!
Amy Mayfield introduces herself to the Herb Companion public.
Why Japan Will Weather This Disaster
As we watch the devastation's aftermath in Japan, the world will learn valuable lessons from a culture that reveres service to others, deep acceptance and community.
In The News: Is stevia a safe sugar substitute?
Stevia is a better alternative to most artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes.
Natural Hangover Remedy: Honey
Overindulged? Treat your hangover headache with one simple natural hangover remedy: honey.
Natural Home Remedies for Constipation
Feeling plugged up? Relieve constipation with these natural laxatives and home remedies for constipation.
Immune Boosters: Elderberry, Echinacea, Garlic and Oregano
The natural world has many treatments for the cold and flu—and some of them might surprise you. Elderberry, Echinacea, green tea, oregano and garlic are my favorite natural remedies for treating and preventing illness.
South African Rooibos Tea Added to Frontier Natural Products Co-oop's Well Earth Ingredients
In its ongoing search for sources of high-quality botanicals, the organic spice experts at Frontier Natural Products Co-op™ recently established a working partnership with tea growers in South Africa.
Double-Duty Perennial Herb: Lemon Balm
Lemon balm works hard for you in the kitchen, bath, medicine cabinet and yard and garden.
Scented Products Contain Toxic Chemicals, Carcinogens
A new study from the University of Washing found that scented products—including those labeled as organic, natural and green—release toxic chemicals that can harm our health.
NRDC Sues FDA Over Antibacterial Chemicals
The Natural Resources Defense Council has filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration to get the government agency to finalize a law banning triclosan and triclocarban, two chemicals commonly found in antibacterial products.
Natural Lotion: Garden of Eve Hand and Body Lotion
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews natural lotions from Garden of Eve.
Natural Lip Balm: Addicted to Lip Balm: Skincando Luxe Brew Lip Balm
Freelance writer and natural beauty expert Kim Wallace feeds her lip balm addiction with Brew, a new natural lip balm from Skincando Luxe.
Natural Sunscreen: Lavera Baby and Children Sun Milk
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews Lavera Baby and Children Sun Milk.
Natural Product Review: Bubble and Bee Unscented Organic Lip Balm
Bubble and Bee's Unscented Organic Lip Balm provides thick, rich moisture for dry, chapped lips with just three simple ingredients.
Natural Product Review: Yes to Carrots Color Balm
Give your lips a hint of color with a tinted lip balm from the Yes to Carrots Color Balm line.
Naturally Color Easter Eggs with Food Dyes
Learn how to naturally color Easter eggs with guest blogger KyLynn Hull's notes on using food dyes.
FDA Declares New Regulations for Sunscreen
Starting in 2012, the FDA will require sunscreens to protect against both UVA and UVB rays, have a minimum SPF of 15, and remove all references to "waterproof" on their labels.
Antibacterial Foods and Herbs
Foods and herbs with natural antibiotic powers keep our immune systems healthy. Check out these antibacterial foods and antibacterial herbs!
Green Summer: Charcoal Barbecue
Natural Home editorial intern Susan Melgren shares tips for greening your summer charcoal barbecue parties.
Unusual Health: Want to Stay Healthy? Look at a Sick Person
A psychology study at the University of British Columbia found that looking at sick people can trigger our bodies to step up their immune defenses by releasing infection-fighting substances.
True Natural Sunscreen Receives NPA Certification
True Natural's Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen line receives Natural Products Association Certification.
Natural Body Wash: HollyBeth's Natural Luxury Rosemary and Clary Sage Body Wash
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews a new foaming natural body wash from HollyBeth's Natural Luxury.
Naturally Lower High Blood Pressure with Celery
Researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center discovered that celery is high in 3-n-butylphthalides, a compound that can naturally lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and blocking stress hormones.
Natural Shampoo: EO Volumizing Rosemary and Mint Natural Shampoo
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews natural shampoo from EO.
Herbal Arsenal: Ginger for Nausea, Menstrual Cramps and Digestion
Ginger is a natural remedy for many stomach ailments: nausea, menstrual cramps, indigestion and more. Ginger also eases tired muscles and may help lower cholestrol.
Herbal Remedies for UTIs
Try these herbal remedies to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Simple Winter Skin Care Solutions
Mix and match these ingredients for simple skin care that will keep you glowing all winter.
8 Natural Personal-Care Products
Take care of yourself with our picks for natural personal care products.
10 Foods and Natural Skin Care Solutions to Prevent Early Aging
Try these ten natural skin care and food solution to help prevent skin from signs of early aging.
6 Herbal Sedatives to Help You Fall Asleep Naturally
Having trouble falling asleep at night? Combat insomnia with these herbal sleep aids.
Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu Season
Ease your cold and flu symptoms this season with these tried-and-true natural remedies.
Natural Sunburn Remedies
Soothe sunburned skin with an easy-to-make cold compress, pure aloe vera or other natural sunburn remedies.
Natural Remedies for Asthma
Prevent and relieve asthma attacks by turning to natural remedies for asthma, including an anti-inflammatory diet and hydrotherapy.
Eco-Cleaning: 5 Natural Products
Our experts share some of their favorite natural cleaning finds.
Natural Baby Products: Johnson's Natural Head-To-Toe Foaming Baby Wash
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews Johnson's Natural Head-To-Toe Foaming Baby Wash.
Sustainable Tennessee Farmhouse Takes Advantage of Solar Power and Renewable Energy
Natural Home guest blogger John Patrick explains why he and his wife, guest blogger Rebecca Selove, designed their sustainable Tennessee farmhouse for passive solar gain and a 5.17-kilowatt photovoltaic system. John and Rebecca are building their sustainable Tennessee farmhouse home to LEED Platinum standards.
Heading to the Mother Earth News Fair
The upcoming Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, Mother Earth News Fair promises hundreds of presentations on sustainable, self-reliant living; dozens of animals on display; delicious food; and tons of fun.
Cash for Caulkers Part 2: Home Star Rebates for Water Heaters, Heating and Cooling Systems
When the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 passes (as expected) this summer, be prepared by learning what to expect when you buy a water heater, heating system, air-source air conditioner or heat pump.
Healthy, Green Design: Floral Designs for the Home
Springtime is here! Floral motifs in interiors are popular—and also a great reminder that the new season has arrived.
Fannie and Freddie Halt PACE Program
Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will stop accepting loans from the nationwide Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, which helps homeowners pay for the cost of energy-efficient retrofits.
Tree Branch Jewelry Organizer
Turn a tree branch into an ideal storage solution for your jewelry.
Concerned About Electromagnetic Fields? Here's What You Can Do to Minimize Risks
There's plenty you can do to protect yourself—inside your home and out—from the potential risks of electromagnetic fields and radiofrequency radiation.
Throwback Thursday: Hobbit House Redux--A Home for Less than $5,000!
An amazing, off-the-grid Welsh hobbit house was built in less than four months and for less than $5,000.
A Green Home: Naked Christmas Tree
Get creative with your Christmas tree! Save the forests, skip the plastic greenery and really go green this holiday with a different kind of tree.
Bringing Home Benziger: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County
Mike Benziger, founder and winemaker at Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, California, answers five questions about his 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County.
Re-Think Your Decor: Sustainable Furniture Made from Recycled Street Signs
Artist Boris Bally's edgy, street-smart furniture is made from recycled street signs.
Return of the McMansion...Already?
The American Institute of Architects' most recent housing trends survey shows housing sizes inching back up again after the first declines in decades. Will people still want smaller houses in better economic times?
The Herb Society of America Celebrates the Season
The Herb Society of America (HSA) was invited by Lake Metroparks Farmpark to decorate a Christmas tree in their main lobby. Learn how they decorated the tree.
Natural Lotion Review: John Masters Organics Bare Unscented Lotion
John Masters Organics Bare Unscented Lotion lightweight and fragrance-free formula makes it a must-have for those with sensitivities to fragrance.
Natural Skin Care Tips for Dry Facial Skin
It's getting colder, and even those of us with oily skin are starting to notice dry patches and flakes on our face. Fight dry facial skin with these natural skin care tips.
Natural Lip Balm: Addicted to Lip Balm: Bath By Bettijo Ripened Mango Organic Lip Balm
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews an exotic-flavored natural lip balm from Bath By Bettijo.
The Natural Gardener: Bio Green Lawn Care
Guest blogger Jenn Leonard shares her experience with natural lawn nutrition service, Bio Green.
7 Detox Herbs for a Natural Cleanse
For a natural cleanse, try detox herbs such as dandelion, milk thistle, turmeric and more.
True Natural Introduces Rose Anti-Aging System
True Natural expands its anti-aging lineup with the all-new Rose Anti-Aging system, providing dry and mature skin with the best care possible.
How to Make a Ginger Compress
Relieve sore muscles using ginger. Learn how to make a ginger compress in this video from Mother Earth Living Editor-in-Chief Jessica Kellner.
Climate Change Lengthens Pollen Season, Worsens Allergies
Warmer winters in Canada and the northern United States are extending the length of the ragweed pollen season—bad news for allergy sufferers.
Green Summer: Sunburn Care
Natural Home editorial intern Susan Melgren shares some natural treatments you can use to care for your sunburn this summer.
Palmpring Introduces Organic Coconut Fiber and Natural Latex Mattress
Palmpring introduces its line of hpyo-allergenic, 100 percent organic coconut fiber and natural latex mattresses to health-conscious Americans.
Natural Shampoo: Caudalie Gentle Conditioning Shampoo
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews the newest natural shampoo from luxurious beauty company Caudalie.
Phosphate Levels in Soda Speed Up the Aging Process
Phosphate levels in soda have risen dramatically in the last 20 years, and new research finds that too much phosphate intake can quicken the aging process and shave years off our lives.
Pet-Friendly Lawns and Gardens
Popular fertilizers and mulches can be dangerous to our furry family members. Editorial intern Amanda Thompson discusses ways to make sure your lawn and garden are pet-friendly.
Natural Remedies for Insomnia
If you're having trouble falling asleep, try these herbal solutions for insomnia.
Enhance Hardscaping with EnviroSAND
EnviroSAND is a stabilized joint sand that is specially designed for use with paving stones.
Improve Soil with Bio S.I. Lawn and Garden Formula
Bio S.I. Technology's Lawn and Garden Formula can help you improve soil for a better garden or lawn.
Natural Lip Balm: Addicted to Lip Balm: Earth Sisters Herbals
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews natural lip balm made from Earth Sisters Herbals. The natural lip balm is made from beeswax, shea butter, avocado oil, vitamin e and soy oil.
Natural Lip Balm: Addicted to Lip Balm: Eco-Lips
Natural Home assistant editor reviews Eco-Lips' natural lip balm.
Winterizing Soil Essential for Active Root Growth
David Salman encourages gardeners to fertilize in fall when root growth is most active and winter fertilizing imperative.
Herbs in Technology: Natural Cures iPhone Application
You don't have to abandon your love for herbs to stay up-to-date with the latest technology. Keep herbal knowledge at your fingertips with the new iPhone and iPod Touch application "Natural Cures."
Natural Lip Balm: Addicted to Lip Balm: Chicken PooP
A new natural lip balm, Chicken Poop, makes its way onto my lips.
Microwave Popcorn Lined with Carcinogenic Chemical
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a likely carcinogen commonly used to line non-stick cookware, also lines the inside of microwave popcorn bags.
Drink Beet Juice for Better Brain Health
Drinking beet juice increases blood flow to the brain, which can help prevent dementia.
Natural Tips on How to Avoid Mosquitoes
With a little know-how, you can avoid mosquito bites this summer.
The 2011 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 Lists
The Environmental Working Group's 2011 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists help the budget-conscious minimize exposure to pesticides.
Dye Easter Eggs Naturally With Beets, Onions and Blueberries
Using herbs and food to dye Easter eggs gives them beautiful, earthy color--without scary chemicals. And it's surprisingly easy.
Numi Announces Indulgent Pu-erh Tea Collection
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Numi has created the Indulgent Pu-erh Tea Collection ($19.99 - $24.99). A handsome, sustainable bamboo box holds a premium sampling of Numi's innovative, artisanal and delicious organic pu-erh teas — the perfect introduction to this innovative line.
Use Chamomile for Natural First Aid
Plant German chamomile and grow your own natural first aid and body care supplies.
Drink Green Tea for a Cleaner Mouth (and Better Breath)
Need a quick way to clean your mouth at the office? Drink a cup of green tea. Studies have shown that green tea fights bacteria in your mouth that might be causing bad breath or gum disease.
Ruta Graveolens: Growing Common Rue
Rue is an interesting addition to the flower garden, a useful herb, and an attractive houseplant. You won't regret growing rue.
Product Review: All-Natural Nail Polish
Polish nails naturally with safe ingredients like Argan oil.
Decorating with Mirrors
Decorating with mirrors is an easy way to increase your home's natural light, make small rooms feel bigger, and improve your home's interior without spending a fortune.
Natural Lip Balm: Addicted to Lip Balm: Herbs of Grace
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace tries a new vegan, natural lip balm from Herbs of Grace.
So Fresh and So Clean: USDA Organic Deodorant
Nourish Organic Citrus Stick Deodorant may be the best deodorant I have ever used. Unlike conventional deodorants, Nourish is 100 percent natural—with no trace of aluminum in its ingredient list—and is USDA organic.
Absorb Odors with Bamboo Charcoal-Filled Moso Bag
Made from 100 percent bamboo charcoal, Moso Bags are a fragrance free, non-toxic, and eco-friendly air purifier.
Make House Cleaning Delicious; Just Add Essential Oils
Noxious fumes aren't conducive to happy cleaning. Give all your homemade cleaning solutions an invigorating and healthy boost by adding a few drops of pure plant essential oils. Heavenly!
Make it Green: Soothe Colds with Hot Honey and Lemon
Relieve the worst common cold symptoms with this natural drink.
Fabulous Organic Bed
Jessica talks about the importance of healthy, nontoxic, organic mattresses and how much she loves her Land and Sky Rainforest Mattress from The Natural Bed Store.
Beware Bacteria-Laden Soap Dispensers!
Recent studies find that many public bathrooms contain soap dispensers with bacteria-infected soap.
Green Architecture: Connect Your Home to Nature Part 2
Guest blogger Bill Hutchins comments on the relationships of our family and community and natural world.
Green Oral Hygiene: Preserve Recycled Toothbrushes in Mail-Back Package
Green your oral hygiene routine with toothbrushes made from recycled yogurt containers by Preserve. Each toothbrush's package doubles as a return envelope, so when you're finished with the brush, mail it back to keep up the recycling process.
Natural Lotion: Lavera Body Lotion
The Natural Home and Garden offices have been overflowing with lotion recently In preparation for a product roundup in our September October 2011 issue, we called in lotions from more than half a dozen companies. With almost two dozen scents
Natural Alternatives: Dry Eye Syndrome Treatment
After being diagnosed with dry eye syndrome, KC is determined to find safe, natural, herbal relief.
Mountain Rose Named Green Business of the Year
Our friends at Mountain Rose Herbs have been named the 2008 Green Business of the Year in Coop America's People's Choice competition. We offer them our heartiest congratulations.
Natural Products Association Sets Certification Standards
The National Products Association releases its natural standards and certification for household cleaners and laundry detergents.
Avoiding Artificial Coloring in Food
Guest blogger Faith Moser shares some tips for avoiding artificial coloring in children's food products.
Flame Retardants Found in Common Foods
A recent study found detectable levels of PBDEs and HBCDs, two flame retardant chemicals, in common foods. Butter and fish topped the list.
The Joy of Green Cleaning: Teaching People What a Cut Lemon and a Little Salt Can Do
The Joy of Green Cleaning is a fantastic resource with recipes to clean everything from grout to sheepskins.
DIY: Dye Easter Eggs Naturally
Skip the chemicals this Easter and naturally color your Easter eggs with herbs and foods.
Natural Exfoliating Mask: Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator
Natural Home assistant editor Kim Wallace reviews a new natural exfoliating mask, Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator.
Natural Products Expo West 2010