Review: Smart Power Strips save Energy and have other Advantages

Review: Smart Power Strips save Energy and have other Advantages

My mechanical timer failed and I had to look for a replacement. And so I (finally) discovered smart power technology.

Smart power strips save energy. And because the sockets can be controlled independently of each other, I have discovered even more advantages.

At the moment I don’t have much smart power technology at home. What functions well does not have to be discarded the minute we want something else. But some devices will definitely be replaced in the future. It is both good for my long-term sustainability and my wallet since the price of electricity has risen considerably in Spain.

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What Energy Balls Recipes with Dates are Excellent for our Health?

What Energy Balls Recipes with Dates are Excellent for our Health?

Power balls or energy balls are marvelous for fighting the afternoon slump. These energy balls recipes with dates are quite easy to make and they’ll be finished before you know it. Making them as well as eating them. 🙂

My yearly health checkups often show that my cholesterol levels are above normal. So I have a list of foods that lower the LDL level or are good for the HDL level. It’s pinned to the refrigerator.

Lots of these foods are perfect to mix in energy balls. If you have an ailment that requires certain foods try to blend them into the power balls.

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A Greenhouse is not Eco-Friendly. Though Some are and do Well.

A Greenhouse is not Eco-Friendly. Though Some are and do Well.

If you fly to Schiphol Airport in the evenings, there is a good chance that you will pass over the horticultural area ‘t Westland. That is not to be missed because the greenhouses light up like a Christmas tree.

Horticultural greenhouses in the Netherlands consume 80% of agricultural energy consumption. So the conclusion can quickly be that a greenhouse is not eco-friendly. Certainly not, as the pesticides used in the monocultures in those greenhouses are often far from environmentally friendly either.

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Slow Cooking with a DIY Solar Cooker can be so Much Fun

Slow Cooking with a DIY Solar Cooker can be so Much Fun

How slow cooking with a DIY solar cooker brought my mind back to my childhood? I have no idea.

But did you also have such fun as a child with a shoelace and a magnifying glass? It was fantastic to try to light the fire by burning the lace with the sun shining through the magnifying glass.

I never thought about that fun again until I started researching solar cookers. Not that we need a magnifying glass for a solar cooker, but the sun is definitely needed.

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8 Natural Pesticides for Plants that are Useful in our Garden

8 Natural Pesticides for Plants that are Useful in our Garden

There’s no doubt, a few bugs can ruin a great garden. Yet we don’t like the idea of consuming poisons with our fruits and vegetables, so there is no way we will spray our garden with chemical pesticides.

The good news is there are several natural steps we can take to eliminate garden pests, including making our own pesticides. Here are 8 natural pesticides for plants we can make at home.

I often hear people say they don’t want to use biological and organic pesticides because they don’t work. What they mean by that is, organic pesticides don’t work instantly and they don’t kill every living bug or weed in the garden. Sustainable living demands patience and knowledge.

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7 Healthy Junk Food Alternatives that won’t Make you Feel Guilty

7 Healthy Junk Food Alternatives that won’t Make you Feel Guilty

We’ve all been there. After a whole week feeling great because we stuck to our diet. Then something unexpected happens, we get stressed. The only thing that’s going to help us is comfort food. I am sure you recognize this, don’t you?

The problem is, comfort food usually equals unhealthy junk food. So yes, we probably feel better, for a while. But in the long run, we add lots of unneeded calories to our bodies. Which of course adds to our stress.

Instead of munching on unnecessary sugar and fat calories, why not try some healthy alternatives? Do such things exist? Healthy junk food alternatives? Yes, with some small adjustments to your already satisfying foods, you can cut the calories without cutting the taste.

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What is the Function of Dietary Fiber for our Body?

What is the Function of Dietary Fiber for our Body?

In The 6 Essential Nutrients to Have a Balanced Diet, I have mentioned that some say this should actually be “the 7 essential nutrients” because dietary fiber should be included as well. This poses of course the question “What is the function of dietary fiber?”.

Our ancestors had a diet rich in fiber. Gradually, a large part of our food has been refined and stripped of nutrients and fibers.

In the US, 40% of the inhabitants eat fast food every day, which does not contain any fiber. In Europe, most people eat an average of 15 grams of fiber per day, which should be double the amount.

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9 Tips on How to Recycle E-Waste Safely and Sustainable

9 Tips on How to Recycle E-Waste Safely and Sustainable

E-waste, short for Electronic waste, means all your leftover electronics. With technology progressing so fast, many people have tons of old TVs, computers, cell phones, and other old stuff just lying around the house not being used.

How to recycle e-waste? As long as it is still in the cupboard drawer or a box, e-waste can do little harm. Although it is of course a pity that it is uselessly waiting for a destination.

Worse, many of these old devices end up in nature or in illegal dumping grounds. While there are plenty of good solutions for e-waste that save nature and can even provide us with money.

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