Eco-Vlog

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) says more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. And grass and weed pollen are among the most common allergy triggers. You don’t have to let a lawn or grass allergy keep you from enjoying your yard this summer, though. We have three ways you can reduce or eliminate allergens for an allergy-free lawn. Take back your yard this summer by understanding why grass allergies happen and how to avoid them. Image: Annie Otzen/Getty Images How To Know If You’re Allergic To Grass Your doctor can order a blood test or scratch test to confirm if you have grass allergies. The most common lawn allergy symptoms include: Itchy eyes Sniffling and sneezing Rashes or itching after contact with your lawn If you’re diagnosed with a grass allergy, there are medications that you can take to alleviate the symptoms. Allergy symptoms tend to flare up in the spring and summer because grasses usually pollinate from April through June...

If you love bright color, you’re probably always looking for ways to add shots of bold color into your home. An easy way to add color is to keep it in mind while you’re organizing. After all, who says home organizers have to be boring? Many organizational ideas can be easily modified to add color to any room. These ideas are also so easy, they’ll typically take only one afternoon to implement. Some ideas are as simple as buying colorful cloth home organizers and bins, and others require some paint. So take a look below to find some easy ways to add color while using home organizers. A stacked system would add plenty of color. Image: Michael Kraus / Shutterstock Colorful Cloth Home Organizers One of the easiest ways to get some color into your space is to go for simple colorful cloth home organizers. You can use a stacked style, like the organizer in the photo above. These do well hanging in corners. Another idea is to place a bright cloth organizer on a shelf for a splash of col...

When Seattle-based firm Heliotrope Architects were approached by a couple to create a home that would reflect their passion for art, the architects immediately envisioned a vibrant space that incorporated several features such as natural light to give the space an art-gallery feel. The resulting Artist Residence is a beautifully contemporary, light-filled design that not only features wide open spaces to showcase the couple’s art collection, but also has a strong connection to the outdoors through its multiple gardens, including an expansive green roof . Clad in stained cedar siding , the home’s exterior was carefully designed to fit into the general aesthetic of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. A gabled roof and nice front garden give the home a classic feel— which quickly disappears when entering the home. Related: Tiny prefab timber cabin in New Zealand designed to be serene art studio The interior of the 3,953 square foot residence is bright and airy, with loads of natural l...

A total of 42 wild burros from the Clark Mountain Herd Area in the Mojave Desert in California have been found shot to death since May in what officials declare as one of the largest killings of its kind on land overlooked by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Currently BLM and animal rights groups have pooled their funds to offer nearly $60,000 in reward money to find the guilty party. “The cruelty involved in shooting these burros and leaving them to die warrants prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” BLM’s Deputy Director for Policy and Programs William Perry Pendley said in a statement Wednesday . “We thank the animal welfare groups for adding their voices to those organizations who value these iconic symbols of the West.” Related: Trail use by outdoor enthusiasts is driving out an elk herd in Colorado BLM spokesperson Sarah Webster told the Washington Post that many of the slain burros appear to have been shot from a distance with a rifle aimed at their necks. ...

Wilderness lovers often see dismaying things on hiking trails: litter , thirsty people in flip flops who forgot to bring water, rambunctious dogs whose owners have never heard of leash laws, clueless couples who carve their names into trees. Instead of simply griping about these miscreants, some parks and wilderness areas have developed constructive ways to educate the public and make recreation safer and more fun for everybody. The Trailhead Ambassador Program at Oregon’s Mount Hood and Columbia River Gorge recruits volunteers to greet hikers at trailheads, answering questions and offering suggestions. Inhabitat talked to Lizzie Keenan, wilderness lover and co-founder of the program, about how trailhead ambassadors can make tangible differences in the local environment. Inhabitat: Tell us about your involvement with the Trailhead Ambassadors Program. Lizzie Keenan: I co-founded the program with Friends of the Columbia Gorge in the summer of 2017. The program was a mesh of an id...

Mexico City- and Berlin-based Zeller & Moye has unveiled a unique modular home that allows for multiple horizontal and vertical configurations through its lifespan. Not only is Casa Hilo a flexible, low-cost, modular construction, but it is also a model for sustainable rural home design in that its materials (including locally made adobe) were chosen to create a strong thermal mass to withstand Mexico’s harsh summer climate. According to the architects, the Casa Hilo project was designed as a housing prototype for building family homes in rural areas with warm climates. Located in Apan, Mexico, the 970-square-foot abode is made up of four distinct blocks comprising two bedrooms, one kitchen/dining room and a bathroom. Related: Experimental timber prototype champions sustainable modular housing for the masses Whereas conventional homes normally consist of one large volume, this modular design sees various blocks that can be interconnected according to personal needs. The in...

Did you know that it’s normal to pass gas around 13 to 21 times a day? There are lots of funny jokes about belching, bloating and farting – but it’s not so funny when you’re suffering from a bloated, gassy stomach on a regular basis. Feeling gassy and bloated isn’t just uncomfortable – it’s downright embarrassing! If you work in an office environment or you’re often in the company of others, gas can make everyday life quite unpleasant. If your belly often feels tight and swollen after eating, it could be due to gas in your stomach. This is usually caused by excessive gas production – often from your diet – or a sluggish digestive system. Bloating can be painful and make you feel full when you haven’t eaten much. What Causes Excessive Gas in the Stomach? The most common way for gas to enter your digestive tract is through swallowing air. We all swallow air when we’re eating or drinking, but we tend to swallow even more when we chew gum, drink fizzy drinks or eat too fast. If you don’t ...

Feel like feasting on a batch of sweet potato fries and a thick soy milkshake? Maybe a tempeh sandwich from the best vegan cafe in your ‘burb? Yelp’s updated, personalized mobile app makes finding a vegan restaurant near you easy. For example, if you follow a strict vegan diet and need to know the ultimate spot for a meatless sandwich, Yelp’s app can be tailored to meet the specifics for whatever you’re craving as well as your dietary needs, whether you are following a vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc. diet. It can also provide recommendations, such as where to take Mom for her birthday, find a fun kid’s activity or grab lunch at a dog-friendly cafe. Related: 14 apps to help you live a more sustainable lifestyle “As Yelp turns 15 this year, we’re embarking on one of our most significant product updates with the introduction of a new, personalized experience,” Vivek Patel, Yelp’s chief product officer, told CNN . “Yelp has always been a helpful discovery platform that surfaces g...

“Pain makes you stronger. Fear makes you braver. Heartbreak makes you wiser.” ~Unknown You wake up and check your phone expecting a “good morning” text, but there’s nothing there. Going through your day, everything feels quieter and there’s a gaping hole inside of you that nothing seems to fill. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to shake that relentless ache for the one person who consumes your mind. It’s an emptiness that makes you feel lost and scared. There’s nothing quite like a breakup to spark fears of being alone. It’s like a wave of dread that hits you once the breakup dust settles and you realize you no longer have a partner by your side. Anxiety hits and you start to wonder if you’ll ever find anyone to love you again. It’s a fear that I became very familiar with while dating in my early twenties. I was a late bloomer when it came to relationships. I never had a high school sweetheart, or even a college one for that matter, and spent half of my twenties in frustrati...

The San Francisco Department of Public Works (DPW) has crowned SmithGroup the winner of its design competition for public toilet proposals. The winning entry, called AmeniTREES, would offer not only washroom functionality but also space for a commercial kiosk and environmentally friendly benefits. Topped with a green roof, the sculptural, metal-clad pavilions would be integrated with digital technology for advertising or educational purposes along with a rainwater harvesting system. Developed as a kit of parts, the AmeniTREES are designed for easy transportation, assembly, customization and maintenance. Each curved, steel-framed pavilion will be clad in hot-formed metal panels and glass and then topped with a native green roof with a tree system add-on. To tap into cost-saving opportunities, the pavilions feature an integrated digital screen protected with a glass and metal skin that can be used for static or digital advertising. Related: Cepezed completes the first self-sufficie...