Location
Pleasant Hill, CA
Salt is an historically significant commodity that is essential to human life. Humans have used salt for thousands of years to preserve and flavor food, and there are many modern industrial applications of salt such as de-icing roads or adding it to…
"Thanks, Alison, for writing on this topic - I've often wondered about that mist stores spray on veggies and assumed it was just water."
While shopping in the produce section of your local grocery store, you might hear a piped-in storm sound and then see misters spraying the shelves of vegetables with something. Pre-cut fruit like mango and watermelon are likewise sprayed before…
"Thanks, Tina. Yeah, it is really hard to go through this process when there are so many sentimental attachments. And when organizations can't accept some items it can be so frustrating. I agree that using a combination of decluttering systems is…"
"This is encouraging! My family and I recently went through the emotional process of sorting through my grandfather's home and doing our best to find a place for everything. Most orgs that receive donations are already so full and cannot take much.…"
"A very helpful summary, Jim! Personally, AVs give me the willies!"
There are many decluttering philosophies out there, and Swedish death cleaning is one of the new kids on the block. In her New York Times bestselling book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson takes a different…
Photo by Marek Studzinski on UnsplashIn Hitchcock’s suspense masterpiece Notorious, Nazi villain Claude Rains discovers his wife, Ingrid Bergman, is an undercover agent and plots to kill her without detection by gradually poisoning her coffee.When…
In the United States alone, 40 billion plastic utensils are thrown away each year, and there are estimates that plastic in the oceans will outweigh fish by the year 2050. Are bioplastics the magic solution to the plastic global crisis? Does the…
Xeriscaping, from the Greek prefix “xeric,” meaning “dry,” is a popular style of landscaping, particularly in areas with arid or semi-arid climates such as California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas. Xeriscaping (“zeer-i-scaping”) reduces…
Real grass was introduced to North America by the early settlers in order to feed grazing livestock. Later, green lawns came to represent the American dream of living in an orderly, desirable neighborhood with a manicured lawn. We’ve come to learn…
"Such great information, Jim! I wish we'd known about thyme lawns when our kids were little. We've replaced our lawn with many of the suggestions you've provided here but continue to learn and improve - thanks!"
We’ve all seen those cool looking silicone cupcake pans, ice cube trays, whisks, basters, spatulas, and other kitchenware that come in a variety of alluring colors and soft, malleable shapes. There are even silicone baggies that replace disposable…
"Thanks, Tina. Yeah, it was so disappointing to learn about all this."
"Wow, I had a suspicion but didn't know the facts. Thanks so much for shedding light on this!"
"Excellent article that personalizes sustainability in the home! Good luck to you and Michele!"
