Small Footprint Family™ | Sustainability Starts at Home

Gardening & Homesteading

10 Things You Should Not Put In Your Compost Pile

371,509 Views

6 Min Read

While technically you can compost anything that was living, for better compost and less hassle, here are 10 things you should not put in your compost pile.

Gardening & Homesteading

20 Perennial Vegetables to Plant Once for Years of Bounty!

331,048 Views

12 Min Read

close up image of fern fiddleheads

Gardening & Homesteading

How to Grow Great Garlic

45,164 Views

6 Min Read

garlic bulbs from the garden

Tricolor Kohlrabi Slaw (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

17,733 Views

3 Min Read

white plate on a wood table with beet, carrot and kohlrabi slaw on it next to a purple handled fork

25 Ways to Use Less Plastic (And Avoid the Toxins in It)

128,888 Views

16 Min Read

produce in a store in plastic packaging

MOST READ AND SHARED

man removing compost from compost bin

Gardening & Homesteading

100 Things You Can (and Should) Compost

While technically you can compost anything that was living, for better compost and less hassle, here are 10 things you should not put in your compost pile.

Gardening & Homesteading

10 Things You Should Not Put In Your Compost Pile

close up image of fern fiddleheads

Gardening & Homesteading

20 Perennial Vegetables to Plant Once for Years of Bounty!

Fungus gnats and damping-off can seriously harm growing seedlings. But the solution to controlling fungus gnats is safer and cheaper than you would expect.

Gardening & Homesteading

How to Control Fungus Gnats and Damping Off Organically

side of uncooked bacon

How to Cure Bacon at Home

coconut flour zucchini bread on a plate

Coconut Flour Zucchini Bread (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegetarian)

three glass cups of coconut milk yogurt garnished with fruit

Easy Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

rack of seed packets for sale

Gardening & Homesteading

The 10 Best Seed Companies for Heirloom and Non-GMO Seeds

Most people think you need a lot of land to grow all your own food, but this is just not true. Just how much land is needed to be self sufficient? Find out!

Gardening & Homesteading

How Much Land Do You Really Need to Be Self Sufficient?

Many people are concerned about whether borax is safe to use. There are many sites on the internet claiming borax is toxic. But there is a lot of better evidence that it is safe. Click to learn why...

Is Borax Toxic?

vegetable garden in partial shade

Gardening & Homesteading

28 Vegetables That Grow in Partial Shade

We really, really have to do something about our catastrophic amount of waste. Now. Here are 37 ways to reduce trash in your home, and save some money, too.

Make a Difference

37 Ways to Reduce Trash in Your Home

Ever wonder why some people seldom brush their teeth and have no cavities? Here's why, and how to stop tooth decay naturally.

Natural Parenting

The Real Cause of Tooth Decay (and How to Stop it Naturally)

produce in a store in plastic packaging

25 Ways to Use Less Plastic (And Avoid the Toxins in It)

aisle of laundry detergents in supermarket

Homemade Non-Toxic Laundry Detergent

colorful cloth diapers

Natural Parenting

Why Disposable Diapers are Dirty and Dangerous

GREEN LIVING
Foodprints Money Savers Natural Parenting

Foodprints Money Savers Natural Parenting

mother applying sunscreen to little girl's nose

Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

beach with happy new year written in the sand

10 Green New Years REVolutions

coconut milk shampoo sticks

Coconut Milk Shampoo Sticks

Salt has earned a bad reputation, despite the fact that there is zero credible evidence that it causes harm. But not all salt is created equal. Discover the facts about salt, and the most health promoting types to use.

Why Salt is Good for You, But Some Salt is Better Than Others

Here are 5 tips on keeping yourself cool in an environmentally responsible way, no matter where you happen to be.

5 Planet-Friendly Ways to Keep Yourself Cool This Summer

Even if your company hasn't “gone green” as a whole, there are things you can do and habits you can adopt as an employee to make your workplace more eco-friendly.

4 Powerful Ways To Be Eco-Friendly At The Office

bulldog puppy with paw on a globe

8 Ways to Go Green with Your Pet

Here are some travel tips on how to have a great vacation with a smaller, more planet-friendly footprint...

Take an Eco Friendly Vacation – Low Impact Travel Tips

While we can in many ways "vote with our dollars," we should not think for one minute that the way we shop is going to create the kind of change we really need in the world.

Can Shopping Change the World?

Every account we hold with a Big Bank is giving them the money they need to pillage people and the planet for their own profit—costing us our health, our stable climate and our children's sustainable future.

If You Care About the Planet, Dump Your Bank and Join a Credit Union

bride and groom on a bicycle

5 Tips for a Sustainable Wedding

The majority of cosmetics contain toxins that could harm you. Using ingredients from your kitchen, you can make and replace everything in your makeup bag!

Save Face with These DIY Organic Makeup Alternatives

flowering canola plants in a field

The Inconvenient Truth About Canola Oil

There are potential sources of air pollution in every room of your house, but don’t despair. Here are 16 ways to improve your indoor air quality.

16 Ways to Eliminate Indoor Air Pollution

These 10 tips will get you off to a healthy, green school year, save money, protect your kids from harmful toxins, and save natural resources, too.

10 Tips for a Healthy, Planet-Friendly Back-to-School

Meal planning is the single-most powerful thing you can do to save money and reduce your ecological "food-print."

Save Money and the Planet with Meal Planning

The benefits of energy efficient LED light bulbs are important for your wallet, and also for the quality of our air and water, and the protection of the nation. Click to find out why.

Why You Should Switch to LED Light Bulbs

Holiday tree with green recycling ornament

12 Ways to Have an Eco Friendly Holiday

Animal products like eggs, dairy, and meat have been blamed for cancer, heart disease and a host of other health problems. So is meat bad for you, really? Click to find out!

Why Eating Meat (or Eggs or Dairy) Won’t Kill You

little girl with nail polish on her fingers

Where to Find Non-Toxic Nail Polish

It is both unnecessary and unwise to rush to the medicine cabinet when you or your child has a fever. Fevers should be left alone in most cases. Click to find out why!

Why You Shouldn’t Treat a Fever (Most of the Time)

someone getting water from a filter on the kitchen sink

Why You REALLY Need a Water Filter (And How to Choose the Right One)

Most store-bought baby food contains yucky modified starches, corn syrup and other additives. Here's how to feed your baby healthy food on a budget.

How to Feed Your Baby Healthy Food on a Budget

buying produce at the farmers' market

Why We Should All Eat More Locally Grown Food

child holding out hands to receive hand sanitizer

DIY Natural Hand Sanitizer

kid drinking from garden hose

Is Your Garden Hose Toxic?

leaky outdoor spigot against a cloudy, blue sky

9 Easy Ways to Save a Ton of Water (and Money)

With the environment in crisis, we need to do a lot more to improve the sustainability of where we live. Here are five eco friendly home building ideas.

5 Eco Friendly Home Building Ideas

Did you know that smoke inhalation from cooking fires is the leading cause of death globally? The Wonderbag is a solution that can make a big difference.

The Wonderbag Saves Trees, Water and Lives

Being healthy and green often means saving money too! These effective, non-toxic green cleaning recipes cost just pennies to make.

6 DIY Non Toxic Cleaning Recipes

Paper is substantially more resource intensive to produce than you would think. Click to get 30 ways you can save paper (and money) at home, school and work.

30 Ways to Use Less Paper

It takes 3 liters of water to make 1 liter of bottled water, plus 17 million barrels of oil per year. It's time to stop this incredibly destructive habit.

Why You Should Finally Give Up Bottled Water for Good

woman applied weatherstripping to a window.

Sealing These 10 Home Air Leaks Can Save You Lots of Money

Many people don't realize that the concentrated fructose in agave syrup is bad for you —worse than high amounts of glucose, especially if you are diabetic. Click to learn why!

Sorry Folks, Agave Syrup is Bad for You!

A man and a woman both carrying babies on their backs using babywearing slings

5 Benefits of Babywearing (and How to Choose a Baby Carrier)

Choose from 40 simple, planet-friendly ways to save a ton of money in both the short term and long term.

40 Ways to Save Money by Going Green

No Idling Children Breathing sign on the street

The Dirty Truth About Idling Your Car

On average, Americans waste 40% of all food, which costs about $600 a household per year. Here's five ways to stop food waste in your community.

5 Ways to Stop Food Waste in Your Community

This recipe for homemade vapor rub will relieve chest congestion and coughing without the toxic petroleum products, parabens and other nasty additives.

DIY Vapor Rub for Colds (and Sore Muscles)

Rather than buying toxic products off the shelf you can make your own non toxic cleaning recipes from inexpensive ingredients that you have in your kitchen. My favorite DIY book will show you how to make cleaning products that actually work!

Get the Nasty Chemicals Out with DIY Non Toxic Cleaning Recipes That Work

Each year, we each get nearly 600 pieces of junk mail and waste about 8 hours dealing with it. The trees, oil, water and other resources squandered on stuff that goes straight to the recycling bin is unconscionable. Here are some ways to stop this incredibly wasteful annoyance.

How to Stop Junk Mail

Is pork bad for you? Or is how healthy it is more a matter of how it is raised and prepared? This article will help you decide.

Is Pork Bad for You?

More and more states are authorizing solar panel leasing and green energy sourcing, making solar as affordable as your monthly electric bill! Click to learn how you can go solar, too!

How to Affordably Power Your Home with Solar—Whether You Rent or Own

Here are five ways to save money on your new baby, possibly saving you thousands of dollars in the first two years of parenting.

5 Green Ways to Save Thousands on Your New Baby

The systems we take for granted to deliver everything from TVs to apple pie are much more vulnerable than we think. Radical simplicity is the solution.

Can Radical Simplicity Save Us?

Can organic farming feed the world, even when we have more than 8 billion people? According to leading experts, it's the only thing that can. Click to find out why!

Can Organic Farming Feed the World?

Nothing would protect the environment and decrease our dependence on oil more than taking steps to reduce your transportation footprint. Here's how...

Reduce Your Transportation Footprint (and Save a Ton!)

Are "Cage Free" Eggs a Scam?

Are “Cage Free” Eggs a Scam?

We can prevent humanity from ever reaching 9 billion people without quotas or violating human rights. Here's how to stop population growth humanely.

How to Stop Population Growth—Humanely

plastic bags littering beach

How to Remember Your Reusable Bags

GARDEN & HOMESTEAD

garlic bulbs from the garden

How to Grow Great Garlic

6 Min Read

How to Use Stinging Nettles

How to Grow Beets Organically

How to Grow Peas Organically

How to Ready Your Barn for the Winter

WHOLE FOOD RECIPES

white plate on a wood table with beet, carrot and kohlrabi slaw on it next to a purple handled fork

Tricolor Kohlrabi Slaw (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

3 Min Read

Pistachio Arugula Pesto (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

Gluten Free Pecan Sandies (Paleo, Vegan)

Garlic Pickled Greens (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

Dandelion Salad with Warm Pecan Vinaigrette (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Even if your company hasn't “gone green” as a whole, there are things you can do and habits you can adopt as an employee to make your workplace more eco-friendly.

4 Powerful Ways To Be Eco-Friendly At The Office

6 Min Read

Take an Eco Friendly Vacation – Low Impact Travel Tips

Can Shopping Change the World?

If You Care About the Planet, Dump Your Bank and Join a Credit Union

The Time is NOW: 6 Things We Must Do About Climate Change

NATURAL HEALTH
Natural Remedies Non-Toxic Home Nutrition

Natural Remedies Non-Toxic Home Nutrition

mother applying sunscreen to little girl's nose

Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

lemon, ginger and a glass jar of honey on a wooden table

Honey-Ginger Sore Throat Syrup

stinging nettles on a white countertop with gloves, scissors and a basket of nettles

How to Use Stinging Nettles

coconut milk shampoo sticks

Coconut Milk Shampoo Sticks

Salt has earned a bad reputation, despite the fact that there is zero credible evidence that it causes harm. But not all salt is created equal. Discover the facts about salt, and the most health promoting types to use.

Why Salt is Good for You, But Some Salt is Better Than Others

Does eating nuts and seeds cause stomach upset for you? Click to learn how to optimize their nutrition and prevent tummy troubles by soaking nuts and seeds.

Why You Should Soak Your Nuts and Seeds

Because you cannot replace brain cells once they have died, preventing Alzheimer's disease is the only cure. Good thing it is preventable with diet. Click to find out how!

Is Alzheimer’s Disease Caused by Diet?

The majority of cosmetics contain toxins that could harm you. Using ingredients from your kitchen, you can make and replace everything in your makeup bag!

Save Face with These DIY Organic Makeup Alternatives

flowering canola plants in a field

The Inconvenient Truth About Canola Oil

There are potential sources of air pollution in every room of your house, but don’t despair. Here are 16 ways to improve your indoor air quality.

16 Ways to Eliminate Indoor Air Pollution

Meal planning is the single-most powerful thing you can do to save money and reduce your ecological "food-print."

Save Money and the Planet with Meal Planning

dandelion balm in a glass jar

Dandelion Magnesium Lotion for Muscle Cramps

Try this DIY antibacterial wound healing ointment next time you or your child gets a cut or scrape. It seems to work far better than that "Neo-antibiotic."

DIY Antibacterial Wound Healing Ointment

Animal products like eggs, dairy, and meat have been blamed for cancer, heart disease and a host of other health problems. So is meat bad for you, really? Click to find out!

Why Eating Meat (or Eggs or Dairy) Won’t Kill You

little girl with nail polish on her fingers

Where to Find Non-Toxic Nail Polish

It is both unnecessary and unwise to rush to the medicine cabinet when you or your child has a fever. Fevers should be left alone in most cases. Click to find out why!

Why You Shouldn’t Treat a Fever (Most of the Time)

little boy with tissues, honey, lemon and tea

10 Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System

someone getting water from a filter on the kitchen sink

Why You REALLY Need a Water Filter (And How to Choose the Right One)

This recipe for fennel seed tincture is from Herbal Beginnings, and will help with many digestive problems like gas, bloating, cramps and even colic.

Fresh Fennel Seed Tummy Tincture

child holding out hands to receive hand sanitizer

DIY Natural Hand Sanitizer

kid drinking from garden hose

Is Your Garden Hose Toxic?

While Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is pretty rare, there are still plenty of reasons why you should consider a less toxic, more sustainable option for your period. Click to find out why!

Are Your Feminine Hygiene Products Toxic?

With the environment in crisis, we need to do a lot more to improve the sustainability of where we live. Here are five eco friendly home building ideas.

5 Eco Friendly Home Building Ideas

Unlike secondhand smoke, radon gas or mold which we can't control, most sources of indoor air pollution come from products we willingly bring into our home. Click to discover the 8 main sources of airborne toxins in your home.

8 Hidden Sources of Indoor Air Pollution in Your Home

Jar of fire cider

Boost Your Immune System with Fire Cider Master Tonic

bowl containing garlic, onion and ginger

Onion, Garlic and Ginger Homemade Cough Syrup

snow shovel shoveling snow and ice

Break the Ice Without Scorching the Earth: Non Toxic De-Icers

The 4 7 8 breathing technique takes the shallow, oxygen poor, carbon dioxide rich breathing you do when you are stressed out, and turns it upside down, giving you quick relief from anxiety, panic and stress. Click to learn how to do it!

Eliminate Stress, Anxiety and Panic in 57 Seconds

Being healthy and green often means saving money too! These effective, non-toxic green cleaning recipes cost just pennies to make.

6 DIY Non Toxic Cleaning Recipes

Why are so many scientists, parents and others worried about water fluoridation? Based on the facts, the dangers of water fluoridation are vast and grave.

The Dangers of Water Fluoridation {And How to Protect Yourself}

Many people don't realize that the concentrated fructose in agave syrup is bad for you —worse than high amounts of glucose, especially if you are diabetic. Click to learn why!

Sorry Folks, Agave Syrup is Bad for You!

mother and daughter helping other daughter hold a towel over her head to inhale steam from a red bowl

Thyme Oil Vapor Steam

This recipe for homemade vapor rub will relieve chest congestion and coughing without the toxic petroleum products, parabens and other nasty additives.

DIY Vapor Rub for Colds (and Sore Muscles)

Rather than buying toxic products off the shelf you can make your own non toxic cleaning recipes from inexpensive ingredients that you have in your kitchen. My favorite DIY book will show you how to make cleaning products that actually work!

Get the Nasty Chemicals Out with DIY Non Toxic Cleaning Recipes That Work

Is pork bad for you? Or is how healthy it is more a matter of how it is raised and prepared? This article will help you decide.

Is Pork Bad for You?

With cold and flu season in full swing, everyone should keep this DIY Thieves oil recipe in their natural first aid kit to kill germs and prevent illness.

DIY Thieves^®* Oil Blend: A Safe, Natural Disinfectant & Health Aid

It’s estimated that up to 90% of doctor’s visits are for conditions in which stress plays a role. Here's how stress makes you sick.

How Stress Makes You Sick (and What You Can Do About It)

Are "Cage Free" Eggs a Scam?

Are “Cage Free” Eggs a Scam?

Americans each eat about 130 pounds of sugar per person, per year! This infographic called Nursing Your Sweet Tooth, puts it all in perspective.

The Cost of Nursing Your Sweet Tooth

fruit flies on an orange peel

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Naturally

Too often we reach for the toxic stuff to get the job done, when there are easy, safe and natural ways to unclog a drain without chemicals.

How to Unclog a Drain Without Toxic Chemicals

Unless you know what is a GMO and how to avoid them, you will inevitably become a guinea pig in the vast health experiment being perpetuated on us all.

What is a GMO and Why Should You Care?

If you're trying to prevent osteoporosis, you may be taking a prescription or loading up on calcium. If so, there are much better ways to protect your bones.

How to Prevent Osteoporosis with Nutrition

little girl brushing her teeth

Homemade Non-Toxic Toothpaste

Before you spend your paycheck on the latest fashionable food with a name you can't pronounce, try these ten affordable, eco friendly, domestic superfoods.

10 Homegrown Superfoods Without Super Hype or Super Cost

America's insatiable hunger for superfoods like acai and quinoa is pillaging the planet. The choice to be a "green" consumer is still to be a consumer. Click to learn why most superfoods are more hype than help.

The Environmental Cost of Superfoods

Here is the lowdown on over 25 different kinds of sugar and sweeteners on the market today, how they are produced and how they effect your health.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About (25 Types of) Sugar

chicken broth in a white bowl garnished with parsley

How to Make Perfect Chicken Broth

Store-bought finger paints can contain toxic chemicals and allergens that can harm your child. Here's a non-toxic alternative you can whip up in your kitchen.

Allergen Free Non-Toxic Finger Paints

tofu, soymilk, soybeans, edamame, and soy sauce on a table

Why Soy is Bad for You and the Planet

NEW IN THE SUSTAINABILITY SHOP

Organic Gardening • Water Conservation

250 Gallon Rain Harvest Collection Tank, Assorted Colors

Organic Gardening • Water Purification

Rainshow’r Water Garden Filter System

Organic Gardening • Yard & Garden

Camco 50-Foot Premium Drinking Water Hose

Water Conservation

Simply Conserve Low Flow 1.5 GPM Faucet Aerator

Organic Gardening • Water Conservation

15-Gallon Slow Release Watering Bag for Trees

Food Preparation

Amazing Nut-Milk Bag

Food Preparation • Gift Ideas

Onyx 18/8 Stainless Steel Popsicle Mold

Zero Waste Home

Klean Kanteen Classic 20-Ounce Stainless Steel Bottle With Loop Cap

Water Purification

iSpring 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter

Food Preparation

Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

Food Preservation • Gift Ideas

Excalibur Stainless Steel Dehydrator

Gift Ideas • Kitchen & Laundry

Smart Sheep 6-Pack 100% Wool Dryer Balls

Water Conservation

Niagara Water Saving Toilet Tank Bank

Organic Gardening

Stainless Steel Kitchen Compost Can with Charcoal Filter

Water Conservation

Danco HydroRight Drop-in Dual Flush Converter

thrive lantern

THRIVE Solar Lantern – Support a Cause

Gullwing Drying Rack

Energy Conservation

Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Clothes Drying Rack

Food Preparation • Food Preservation

reCAP Mason Jar Pour Cap

Healthy Ingredients

Nutiva Refined Coconut Oil, 54 oz.

Food Preparation • Food Preservation

Weston Stainless Steel Food Mill

Organic Gardening • Water Conservation

Rain Bird Drip Irrigation Kit

Water Purification

Big Berkey Water Filter

Food Preservation • Kitchen & Laundry

Glasslock 18-Piece Oven Safe Container Set

Zero Waste Home

Contigo Purity Glass Water Bottle, 20-Ounces

POPULAR THIS WEEK

hand planting a seed in the soil next to a small seedling

How to Keep Monsanto Out of Your Garden

Here is the lowdown on over 25 different kinds of sugar and sweeteners on the market today, how they are produced and how they effect your health.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About (25 Types of) Sugar

little girl brushing her teeth

Homemade Non-Toxic Toothpaste

cracked coconut next to a glass of coconut milk

Easy Homemade Coconut Milk

homemade gummy candies in a glass dish on a light blue table

Healthy Probiotic Gummy Candies

With cold and flu season in full swing, everyone should keep this DIY Thieves oil recipe in their natural first aid kit to kill germs and prevent illness.

DIY Thieves^®* Oil Blend: A Safe, Natural Disinfectant & Health Aid

black bean brownies on a white countertop

Black Bean Blender Brownies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

tofu, soymilk, soybeans, edamame, and soy sauce on a table

Why Soy is Bad for You and the Planet

LATEST ARTICLES

garlic bulbs from the garden

Gardening & Homesteading

How to Grow Great Garlic

45,164 Views

6 Min Read

Fall is the time to plant garlic. Garlic is ridiculously easy to plant and care for. It tastes great, looks beautiful, and takes up so little space that even...

white plate on a wood table with beet, carrot and kohlrabi slaw on it next to a purple handled fork

Tricolor Kohlrabi Slaw (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

17,733 Views

3 Min Read

Kohlrabi is a really strange looking vegetable related to broccoli and Brussels sprouts. It’s delicious and nutritious and easy to prepare. This simple...

pesto in a black mortar and pestle with arugula leaves on the table

Pistachio Arugula Pesto (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

18,405 Views

3 Min Read

It is sometimes called rocket, roquette, rugula or rucola. It looks like a baby lettuce and is often compared to watercress, but its little known secret is...

gluten free pecan sandies on a white countertop

Gluten Free Pecan Sandies (Paleo, Vegan)

19,277 Views

2 Min Read

This recipe for grain free Pecan Sandies came out of a wonderful new e-book I just finished called Nourished Baby. When you see the ingredients in these...

kale leaves and garlic cloves on a burlap napkin on a table

Raw & Fermented

Garlic Pickled Greens (Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan)

17,825 Views

2 Min Read

One of the benefits of gardening is the abundance of leafy greens that you can easily grow all spring long.

Chinese (Simplified)