Let’s face it: keeping your home clean is a chore. But, while we cannot avoid our household duties, we can avoid using conventional cleaning products that can be harmful to Mother Nature and our health. You can always opt for do-it-yourself cleaning products but if you are looking for eco-friendly commercial products, look no further than Ecover.

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike."

Do you know who said this line? John F. Kennedy did. You, too, can enjoy this simple pleasure without even owning a bike. For a few years now, bicycle sharing schemes are popping up like mushrooms: more than 200 all over the world, according to the New Zealand Herald. Their aim is to make bicycling available for the masses at a reasonable price. This is intended as a contribution to "soft mobility" and as a complement to public transport. You can just go to one of the stations of the network and grab a bike whenever you need one. You pay for the time you use the bike and you don't have to worry about maintenance and repair. A study on Bicing, the sharing scheme in Barcelona, has even shown that "[as] a result of physical activity, 12.46 deaths were avoided [and] annual carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by an estimated 9 062 344 kg."

Treehugger tells the story of a 9-year-old boy who helped save thousands of liters of water with a school project:

Unless you come from public transport heaven you will find that public transport in Brussels is not that bad at all. The Belgian capital is well-covered with bus, tram and metro lines, that will get you from A to B without you having to break the bank.

Buying at the farm

Some farms sell their products at the farm itself and we found a website for Flanders. On this website you can find the nearest farm to where you live: www.fermweb.be.

Planning a party? Don't want to deal with heavy china or glass? Why not try eco-cups next time? Whatever the occasion of your festivity, eco-cups can be a cool and green alternative. They come in various shapes and sizes and are a nice way of making your party more sustainable. The Brussels Environment Institute has 10.000 eco-cups in stock to lend for any event taking place in the Brussels-Capital region. The price is 6 cents a piece, which includes cleaning afterwards. Make sure to reserve ahead, because demand is apparently high. More information is available online or via telephone (02-8885210).

2010 saw the first ever Sunbeams Tree Planting Event. Here is some up-to-date information on how our forest has fared so far.

Wednesday, 02 March 2011, 09:15 - 10:30

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” and other tips for naturally healthy and happy kids

At Savoorke, International Montessori School, Bergestraat 24, 3080 Tervuren.

Register at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Monday, February 28, 2011!

Working in the kitchen stresses your hands. Having a good hand scrub handy will make it easier for your skin. Here is a very simple recipe from Good Life Eats (check there for US measurements), which only uses sugar, salt, lemon and olive oil. Incidentally, olive oil works great for baby skin, too.

• 350 ml sugar
• 170 ml salt
• zest of 1 extra large lemon (or other citrus)
• 240 ml olive oil
• 120 ml pure lemon extract, optional

Just mix everything together and put in jars.