One of the easiest ways to start being green is to re-use items instead of trashing them or even recycling them. This is great not only because it reduces waste but it also encourages you to start thinking more creatively about the stuff that you already have in your home. If you’re looking to revamp your rooms then turning your eyes towards the bohemian chic style of decorating could be a great way to start re-using some of the old stuff that you’ve got.

The basic idea behind bohemian chic decorating is that you have the ability to combine the eclectic old stuff that you already have with some modern touches to create a space that is lovely and fascinating. If you have several pieces of old furniture then you are ready to get started. If you also happen to have plush fabrics and curtains to add to the mix then you’re well on your way to redecorating without spending a dime.

Most of us just aren’t sure how to incorporate our old pieces of furniture into a room without it looking like junk. The trick seems to be to layer up with textures – fabric throws, scarves draped about, colorful pillows, wallpaper. Try to stick to a similar color scheme with these things and you can bring the look of the room together even though it’s filled with disparate old pieces.

Tags: bohemian chic, decor, decorating, houzz, Interior Design, kathryn vercillo

I’ve been reading a lot lately about Simple Living. I like the idea of living a simpler life. And in some ways, I’ve structured my life to allow for a lot of simplicity. I have a lot of downtime and time to myself. I make a lot of time for creative projects. But I think that I could do more to reduce stress in my life and I’m trying to figure out how to do that.

Despite all of the great tips for simple living out there, I’m finding that moving into a simpler life is really difficult. It’s not that I don’t know what the tips are but rather that I’m not always sure how to figure out the ways in which they apply to my life.

For example, I know that my life would be a lot simpler if my living situation were different. I live in a place that’s too big in a city that’s too expensive and I live there by myself so I have to deal with everything there on my own from the bills to the cleaning. But I’m not sure what the simpler solution is. Getting a roommate comes along with a lot of complicated things. Moving to a cheaper city would make me unhappy in many ways. So I know what the problem is more or less but I don’t know how to fix it.

This is just one example of several areas of life where I’m not sure how to simplify or streamline or find peace in a better way than what I already have. How do you do it? Do you have any suggestions for what to do when you know you want something different from what you have but you’re feeling clueless as to what the next step is?

Tags: change, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, life, simple living, simplicity

I think that I live a life that’s basically green in comparison with the average person. I don’t own a car. I walk more often than I use cabs or buses. I carry canvas bags with me to the grocery store in a city that doesn’t even have plastic bags available any more. I recycle most of my stuff. But I know that there’s more that I could do if I really truly wanted to live a completely green life.

Most of the time I don’t think about this issue. Like everyone else who has a busy life, I feel like I do what I can and I’m not going to stress out about what I can’t do. However, I sometimes have occasion to think about the serious environmental problems that we’re facing and I realize that there are some scary things going on with the environment. Reading too much about it freaks me out!

I was just reading about the top environmental concerns of the EPA. Thinking about the air pollution and the water pollution and the overpopulation and the deforestation of the planet and all of the issues that relate to our changing climate makes me feel like the problem is so overwhelming that the small part that I do couldn’t possibly be enough to change anything.

The thing about that is, however, that we don’t know whether or not our small changes will make a big difference to the long-term life of the planet. What we do know is that our failure to make individual changes will cause these problems to continue on and likely to grow. So is my small part enough? Probably not, I should probably do better … but at least I’m working on doing something!

Tags: environment, epa, green, health living, hubpages, kathryn vercillo

I occasionally get the opportunity to combine my interest in different topics through research and writing of one article. For example, I recently wrote about mobile coupons. This allowed me to research the topic of mobile phones as well as to write about the topic of personal finance, both of which are topics that I write on regularly and find myself interested by.

Mobile coupons are interested because they take something that’s been around for a really long time (coupons) and change it in order to adapt to modern technology. Mobile phones are now capable of advanced web searches and mutli-media message receipt which allows for coupons to be accessed and redeemed using only the phone.

Come to think of it, this allows me to touch on another topic that interests me which is green living. After all, if you’re not printing up a bunch of coupons then you are saving a lot of trees. Of course, there’s a balance to be struck because mobile phones do use energy which is a different type of waste but generally mobile coupons seem greener than traditional coupons as far as I can tell. Smart stuff!

Tags: discount, kathryn vercillo, mobile coupons, mobile phone, Personal Finance, save money, Wireless, writing

I got my first car when I was still fifteen because I was that eager to start driving as soon as I was legally allowed to do so. At 18, I took a photography job that had me in my car two days per week traveling to and from all of the little cities of Arizona. When I was 21, I took off in my pickup truck with the guy that I liked at the time and we traveled all over the country together. And at 25, I accepted a brief job helping an artist which included driving him across the country to different conventions where he sold his work.

The point here is that I’ve spent a whole heck of a lot of time in cars. Sometimes I loved it. I like road trips. I like the convenience of driving. But ever since I moved to San Francisco, I don’t own a car and I almost never drive and I much prefer life this way than the way that it was when I had a car that I drove every day.

Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of things that I don’t like about not having a car. I don’t like the days when it’s raining out and my umbrella doesn’t work right and I’m trying to decide whether it’s worse to walk in the rain or worse to get on a crowded bus with dozens of wet people. I don’t like the times on the bus when the creepy people bother me. I don’t like that I can’t get in my vehicle and just drive up the coast for the day because I don’t have a vehicle anymore.

But overall, I’d rather have a car-free life. I live in a place where I can easily walk to and from most of the things that I need to do on a daily basis. I like that a whole lot better than living in a place where I’d have to drive to and from my daily stops. I live in a place where public transportation is decent and I can go a really long way from here on trains and ferries if I want to. Mostly I prefer that to those lonely hours spent on highways around the country.

Because of the way that I live now, I have trouble understanding how people drive every day. I don’t know how my mom and my brother can each spend multiple hours in the car each day running errands and running around. I don’t understand when friends mention that they commute several hours each day to and from work. And I don’t remember how it was that I drove as much as I did back when I did. But everyone is different. Some people love driving. What about you?

Tags: autos, cars, driving, green, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, transit, transportation, Travel

People who are concerned about green issues may wonder if there is any area of their life which they haven’t gotten green enough with yet. Even if you’re really eco-friendly in your home, you can probably find new areas for green improvements. Maybe one of those areas is in your reading. Are you a green reader?

Here are some tips for getting greener with your reading:

• Buy or borrow used books instead of buying new books.
• Recycle or re-gift your or books instead of throwing them away.
• Treat all books kindly so that they last a long time.
• Use damaged books to create cool book art.
• Support writers and publishers who are green in their work.
• Always use recycled wrapping paper and shipping materials when sending books as gifts.
• Purchase eco-friendly reading glasses if reading glasses are something you need.
• Use low-energy reading lights with eco-friendly light bulbs in them.
• Always use eco-friendly transportation when going to bookstores or literary events.
• Read more about green issues so that you’re on top of being green.

Did I miss any important green reading tips here? What would you do to be a greener reader?

Tags: books, eco-friendly, environment, green, green issues, green reading, kathryn vercillo, readers, real words, writers

It’s St. Patrick’s Day – let’s be green!!

Earlier this week I wrote about making your own carpet cleaner at home which isn’t just a way to save money but also a way to be more eco-friendly in your home. I submitted that post to the All Things Eco blog carnival where it was included along with loads of other posts that might interest you if you’re into being green.

Some of the other important topics that were covered in this blog carnival included:

• Saving energy without spending a fortune
• Green issues in entertainment (like in Wall-E)
• Living off the grid
• Green technology (like the self-winding cell phone)
• Vegetarian living topics including a great recipe for fruit filo pastry and cheap green cooking
• Recycling and donation topics
• Thoughts on renting any items that you need
• Nature posts on Sheshnag Mountain
• Green politics and business
• And general green tips for frugal green living (like greening your reading and cheap eco-shopping)

Generally, this blog carnival was all about what we can do to make a difference in the world around us by being green. Hope you’ll take a read at some of those other posts.

Tags: blog carnival, blogs, carpet cleaner, eco carnival, eco-friendly, green, links

One of the things that I don’t miss about my last place was that it had carpets. Sure, there are great things about carpets but they are so hard to keep clean! I much prefer my hardwood floors.

Nevertheless, I did have carpets for a long time. I also had dogs, a combination that doesn’t mix very well. Because of this, I was constantly testing out new vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaning products to try to keep that carpet free of pet hair and dirt.

What I found was that the best solution was to make your own carpet cleaner. This was great for three main reasons. First, it was cheap. Second, it was made using natural ingredients instead of chemicals so it was healthy and “green”. And finally, it really worked a lot better than anything else I tried.

Have you ever made your own carpet cleaner? Do you have any suggestions for how to make a good solution that works on all different types of carpets? I don’t need that advice anymore since I’ve got my great hardwood floors but I’d love to know the answer so that I can pass it on to others!

Tags: carpet cleaner, ehow, home, household products, how to, kathryn vercillo, make your own cleaners, natural cleaners