Featured Article: Scientific Proof that Trees Make Us Happier

We can't say we're surprised by this, but it's definitely good news. According to today's featured article there is now scientific proof that trees make us happier!
The study also found that being around trees and green spaces ranks at the same levels of big things like marriage in your overall happiness. How crazy is that?!
With more articles like this emerging seemingly all the time, it's great to go out and plan your own green space, complete with trees, today!

Read the article here.

Featured Article: Advice for Getting Summer Bulbs in the Ground

With above freezing temperatures during the day for about a week, we're really getting ready for Spring. Stores are agreeing with us and starting to stock their garden centers for all of the eager gardeners. If you've ever wondered how people get their summer bulbs in the ground, today's featured article is sure to help.

HGTV Gardens goes into great details about how to get your summer bulbs going. Now is the time, so don't delay! Read the article today and then run out to get yourself some bulbs to plant!

Read the article here

Featured Article: Jumpstart Spring: 10 DIY Planter Projects

This surprise snow storm is hitting us hard up here! We're loving this planter garden for the green it provides, despite the sea of white outside.

If you need a little bit of green therapy as well, or just a new DIY project this article is chalk full of ideas and suggestions. It has a variety of styles, so you're sure to find one that matches your decor.

Read the article here

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Featured Article: Growing Salsa Verde

We're currently sitting in that period of winter where we're all more than ready for it to be spring. One great way to combat the winter blues- start planning your garden for next spring! Today's featured article is great because it tells you all about growing Tomatillos, but it also focuses on one of the great things you can make from it- Salsa Verde.

Today's article has tips on growing Tomatillos and tips for making homemade Salsa Verde, which makes it a great read to kick the winter doldrums. Check it out today and start planning your Tomatillos plants today!

Read the article here.

Featured Article: A Greener Thanksgiving Day Feast

As Thanksgiving approaches it is easy to get swept up in the excitement of the holidays and go a little bit overboard. While composting your left overs is one way to handle the extra food, there are a lot of other things that going into Turkey day, that make it a pretty wasteful holiday. That's why we were grateful to find this great article that goes over a couple of ways to make your Thanksgiving a little greener!

All of the steps that this article goes over are pretty easy to follow, and they can make a pretty huge impact. However, we'd like to add one more step- don't forget to compost any turkey day leftovers (except for the turkey itself if you're a home composter, of course).

Read the full article here.

Featured Article: Carbon Neutral Higher Education

This featured article is a little different than our usual bizarre sustainable. This week we're exploring the idea of being carbon neutral in higher education. Luther College in Decorah, IA is hard at work toward their goal of being carbon neutral, and the school is doing a great job.

As Professor Jim Martin-Schramm says, "Colleges aren't supposed to be a mirror for society, we are supposed to be a model." Schools enstill values in their students, and many private and public college across Iowa are aiming to be more sustainable. It's showing their students that a sustainable lifestyle is goal worth working to attain.

As a company that deals with compost, we've worked with a diverse group of companies and institutions to make them more sustainable through their waste stream. When speaking about sustainability waste stream is a part of the topic often left out in favor for wind and solar power and electricity saving measures, or local produce shopping. Part of that may be the 'yuck' factor associated with talking about what we waste, but it is a crucial element of the conversation.

We commend Luther for their efforts, and we hope that they reach their carbon neutral goals. If other colleges wish to shrink their footprint as well, we encourage them to consider their waste stream and think about what could be diverted from landfills. We also encourage them to contact us about organic waste diversion.

Read the original article from The Des Moines Register here.

Featured Article: German Designer Turns Sour Milk into Silky Fabric

Okay, this story is a little older, but it flew under our radar for a while. Usually these featured articles are about wacky sustainable products that are made of unusual materials. This is no different, this designer made a fabric that is supposed to feel like silk from sour milk!

One of the benefits of this fabric that the article points out is that, although it is marketed as a luxury fabric, it's price will be stable, unlike silk and other labor intensive fabrics. It is also non-allergenic which would be very helpful in making a wide variety of products from blouses to bedsheets for hotels. The possibilities for this fabric is pretty impressive, and as long as we have animals producing milk it is available for production.

Feel free to read the original story here. What do you think, would you buy a shirt made from QMilch?