Welcome to the August 20, 2008 edition of

The last three carnivals have been hosted at guest blogs, so it is very exciting to have Green It! return to its nascent blog! This week the carnival received many interesting submissions from “tip lists” to suggests on eating local and various links to articles about everything from green babies to green energy sources. For this edition of the carnival I have selected and published the posts that I found to be personal, thought provoking and supportive of living a green lifestyle.

Stephanie presents What is Green? posted at Stop the Ride!. The topic of saving money and being green is coming up again and again — with good reason. Certainly, there are folks out there (Whole Paycheck…ahem) who would love to make a buck or several hundred off of your efforts to live green. And yet,  much of what is wasteful in our society is not old fashioned common sense, but the modern “conveniences” that appear to save us time and money, but which actually cost more in the long run. In this post Stephanie discusses how her life as a “homesteader” naturally results in her family living green.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Borrow, Barter, Buy Used: Espousing The Frugal Lifestyle posted at The Digerati Life. This article discusses the topic of compacting or buying nothing brand new. Interesting post, interesting idea, and definitely worth some consideration!  Compacting can become a way of life, a fun game or just an interesting mental challenge that helps you to be mindful of your material consumption practices!

Autumn presents How To Start Cloth Diapering on a Budget posted at All About Cloth Diapers, saying, “all about how to get started with cloth diapers for less than $125.” Autumn doesn’t discuss the eco-friendly aspects of cloth diapering, but she does show you how to do cloth on the cheap. If you’ve been holding back because of the upfront expense of cloth check this post out.

Matthew presents Product Review: Clorox Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner posted at EnviroHumanImpact. I don’t usually include product reviews in the carnival, but Matthew gets down to the nitty gritty looking at the ingredients, their sources and why they are (or are not) green. This review is definitely worth reading and it may even find his conclusion a bit surprising.

Amy presents 13 Uses for Vinegar posted at The Q Family Adventure, saying, “The green ways to clean your home with vinegar.” Green Me is very excited by this post! I seem to find or try a new use for vinegar nearly every week. I can’t wait to try #1, #8, and #13!!!

Tip Diva presents Greening Your Bathroom posted at Tip Diva, saying, “If you’re looking to become more green, why not start with your bathroom? Here are ways to conserve energy, water and more.” You may have come across many of these tips before and if you have yet to implement them, perhaps you’ll make the time after reading this post.

Cindy presents Crochet a Water Bottle Holder posted at My Recycled Bags.com, saying, “How about this upcycled water bottle for back to school. It’s got a shoulder sling strap and is crocheted from recycled plastic bags. I offer the free crochet pattern at my blog site.”

Condo Blues presents 12 Ways to Reuse Plastic Bottles posted at Condo Blues, saying, “Here are 12 ways to reuse plastic bottles. Very handy if you live in a city that doesn’t recycle plastic.” I’d like to see someone with some design (and organizing skills) turn the recycled jugs into a really snazzy storage case!

Phil B. presents Why Nuclear Power Plants are Horrible posted at Phil for Humanity. This post may not be exactly on topic as we as individuals don’t build Nuclear Power Plants in our back yards; however, I am including this post because I agree with Phil when he says that “renewable energy sources are the only long-term solution.” Nuclear power may be a quick fix to our fossil fuels addiction, but you cannot get around the fact that nuclear power creates toxic and radioactive waste.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of green it using our carnival submission form. Please submit current posts that are both personal and thought provoking. Lists, corporate blogs, most product reviews, and lite green topics will not be selected for publishing. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.