Small Footprint Family | Sustainability Starts at Home

Dandelion Salad with Warm Pecan Vinaigrette

17,959 Views

5 Min Read

dandelion greens on a cutting board with a sharp knife

Natural Remedies

Honey-Ginger Sore Throat Syrup

50,195 Views

1 Min Read

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

Smoky Tomato Bacon Jam (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

17,781 Views

2 Min Read

tomato bacon jam in a white dish next to crackers and cherry tomatoes on a countertop.

Condiments • Raw & Fermented

Basil Walnut Pesto (Vegan, Paleo, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)

17,719 Views

2 Min Read

pesto in a white dish on a table.

Raw & Fermented • Side Dishes • Snacks

Small Footprint Dill Pickles

27,601 Views

3 Min Read

homemade dill pickles in a canning jar on a table with whole garlic and peppercorns.

MOST READ AND SHARED

man removing compost from compost bin

Gardening & Homesteading • Green Living

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!

When you cure your own bacon, you get to control the quality of the meat and the ingredients it is cured with! Here's how to cure bacon at home.

Breakfast • Money Savers • Side Dishes

How to Cure Bacon at Home

Here's a delicious, gluten-free, GAPS and Paleo-friendly way to enjoy the zucchini bounty. This coconut flour zucchini bread recipe also freezes well!

Breakfast • Snacks • Treats

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

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

Coconut milk yogurt

Breakfast • Raw & Fermented • Snacks • Treats

Easy Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt

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?

rack of seed packets for sale

Gardening & Homesteading

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

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

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 • Nutrition

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

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.

Green Living • Make a Difference

37 Ways to Reduce Trash in Your Home

Because the toxins in plastic can cause health problems, it is important to avoid containers that leach chemicals like BPA, phthalates, lead and antimony into your food, water and the environment.

Natural Health • Non-Toxic Home

20 Ways to Give Up Plastic (And the Toxins in It)

colorful cloth diapers

Natural Parenting • Non-Toxic Home

Why Disposable Diapers are Dirty and Dangerous

lavender flowers with bees on them

Lavender Lemonade with Honey

GREEN LIVING
Foodprints Money Savers Natural Parenting

Foodprints Money Savers Natural Parenting

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

mother applying sunscreen to little girl's nose

Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

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

fresh picked beets from the garden

How to Grow Beets Organically

9 Min Read

How to Grow Peas Organically

How to Ready Your Barn for the Winter

The Best Online Garden Planning Apps

10 Non-Toxic Ways to Control Weeds

WHOLE FOOD RECIPES

dandelion greens on a cutting board with a sharp knife

Dandelion Salad with Warm Pecan Vinaigrette

5 Min Read

Smoky Tomato Bacon Jam (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

Basil Walnut Pesto (Vegan, Paleo, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)

Small Footprint Dill Pickles

Tepache – Fermented Pineapple Brew

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

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

Honey-Ginger Sore Throat Syrup

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

mother applying sunscreen to little girl's nose

Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

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

Many people discover stinging nettles the hard way, but if you can avoid their sting, nettles are a nutritious and delicious food and natural medicine. Here's how to use stinging nettles. (And a yummy pesto recipe.)

How to Use Stinging Nettles (With Nettle Pesto Recipe)

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

aisle of laundry detergents in supermarket

Homemade Non-Toxic Laundry Detergent

The health benefits of homemade chicken broth are long renowned and well-deserved. Here's why and how to make perfect chicken broth easily.

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

NEW IN THE SUSTAINABILITY SHOP

Energy Conservation

Belkin Conserve Switch Surge Protector with Remote

Water Conservation

Simply Conserve Low Flow 1.5 GPM Faucet Aerator

Water Purification

iSpring 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter

Organic Gardening • Yard & Garden

Camco 50-Foot Premium Drinking Water Hose

Organic Gardening • Yard & Garden

Water Right 50-Foot Garden Hose, Lead Free & Drinking Water Safe

Water Heater Blanket

Energy Conservation

ESP Low-E® “Non Fiberglass” Water Heater Insulation Kit

Water Purification

Radiant Life 14-Stage Biocompatible Water Purification System

Water Purification

Apex Shower Filter

Organic Gardening • Water Conservation

Rain Bird Drip Irrigation Kit

Water Purification

AquaCera Countertop Filter

solar security light

Litom Weatherproof LED Solar Motion-Detecting Security Lights

Organic Gardening • Water Purification

Rainshow’r Water Garden Filter System

Water Conservation

Danco HydroRight Drop-in Dual Flush Converter

Organic Gardening • Water Conservation

250 Gallon Rain Harvest Collection Tank, Assorted Colors

Organic Gardening • Zero Waste Home

Lifetime 80-Gallon Compost Tumbler

Food Preparation

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

Food Preservation • Zero Waste Home

Bluapple Ethlylene Gas Absorbers

Gift Ideas • Zero Waste Home

Two LifeFactory 22 oz. Reusable Glass Bottles

Healthy Ingredients

Aroy-D 100% Coconut Milk – 33.8 oz packages (3-pack)

Health & Nutrition • Water Purification

ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops

Healthy Ingredients

Nutiva Refined Coconut Oil, 54 oz.

Gift Ideas • Zero Waste Home

Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bags (Set of 5)

Zero Waste Home

Flip and Tumble Set of 5 Reusable Produce Bags

Redmond Real Salt

Healthy Ingredients

Redmond Real Salt – 10oz.

POPULAR THIS WEEK

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

How to Keep Monsanto Out of Your Garden

aisle of laundry detergents in supermarket

Homemade Non-Toxic Laundry Detergent

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

This souped up, grain free, dairy free brownie recipe is made with black beans, so it is low allergen, GAPS legal, nutritious and oh, so yummy! Click to get the recipe!

Grain Free Blender Brownies (with a Secret Ingredient)

LATEST ARTICLES

dandelion greens on a cutting board with a sharp knife

Dandelion Salad with Warm Pecan Vinaigrette

17,959 Views

5 Min Read

Many wild plants and “weeds” are some of the most nutrient-dense greens you can eat. It is only in the past 100 or so years, as our food system...

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

Natural Remedies

Honey-Ginger Sore Throat Syrup

50,195 Views

1 Min Read

The recipe for getting better in our house is homemade, pasture-raised chicken soup, Netflix, and one or two of these favorite homemade cough remedies.

tomato bacon jam in a white dish next to crackers and cherry tomatoes on a countertop.

Smoky Tomato Bacon Jam (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

17,781 Views

2 Min Read

If you have a bumper crop of tomatoes in your garden, or simply see some lovely ones at the market, Tomato Bacon Jam is a delightful treat to help you preserve...

pesto in a white dish on a table.

Condiments • Raw & Fermented

Basil Walnut Pesto (Vegan, Paleo, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)

17,719 Views

2 Min Read

Pesto is a great way to preserve basil at the end of the season so you can enjoy its brightness all winter long on pasta, bread, chicken, fish and vegetables...

homemade dill pickles in a canning jar on a table with whole garlic and peppercorns.

Raw & Fermented • Side Dishes • Snacks

Small Footprint Dill Pickles

27,601 Views

3 Min Read

Here is my easy recipe for lacto-fermented, homemade dill pickles that can also be made with vinegar, so they can be ready to eat almost right after making...