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Articles about natural and organic living options with sustainable lawn care, organic gardening, organic foods, organic farming and healthy homes for babies, kids and adults.
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Solutions For Green We also publish California Green Solutions and a series of blogs about solutions.
NOTE: If you sell green or sustainable products please send information about your products and your URL to Carolyn for story consideration. We love to tell our readers about helpful organic, energy saving and eco-friendly solutions. Carolyn (at) SolutionsForGreen.com

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california native plants are poppies for wildflowers and native plant ecosystem
organic foods, organic landscaping, organic farming and organic products for babies, kids and adults.

Don't flush medications down the drain!

When prescription or over-the-counter drugs are thrown into the garbage, or flushed down the sink or toilet, their chemical components may be added to the water supply or soil. The presence of these substances in the environment is emerging as an important national and international issue. Although the concentration levels of these products in the environment is very low, they may be enough to cause adverse effects in the environment and to human health. There are also concerns over the effects of medications ending up in drinking water sources.

Proper Use and Disposal of Medication: Please do not put pharmaceuticals down the drain or down the toilet. This includes any prescription or nonprescription substance intended to be swallowed, inhaled, injected, applied to the skin or eyes, or otherwise absorbed by the body.

ALTERNATIVES for disposing of medications

Check to see if your pharmacy has a drug recycling program that disposes of unused or expired drugs in an environmentally safe manner.

In limited cases, unused or expired pharmaceuticals can be returned to pharmacies for "take-back." This may be your best option if it is available to you. The household hazardous waste collection facilities in your area might accept home generated pharmaceuticals, it varies from municipality to municipality. Check with your local Household Hazardous Waste Program

At least once a year, go through your medicine cabinet and remove prescription drugs that are old or that you no longer take. Check the expiry dates on non-prescription drugs and remove those that are outdated as well. Take them all back to your pharmacy or to your municipal waste disposal depot.

Where to Dispose Lotions, Cosmetics, and Similar PPCPs

Ultimately, there is no such thing as throwing something away. When we "throw away" something, we really just put it somewhere else for long-term storage. In the case of lotions and cosmetics, and in the case of sharps and pharmaceuticals that we do not take back as described above, the best "somewhere else" to throw these items is your household trash, which in most cases will eventually find its way to a landfill. Landfills are the best place we currently know of for a household to put PPCPs for which the people in the home have no further use.

Why is this "innocent" chemical contamination a concern? Not only are humans affected by the increased resistance to antibacterial medications in the world of disease, but wildlife are also affected.

Frogs, fish and pharmaceuticals are a troubling brew—A number of aquatic and amphibian species are being exposed to small amounts of everything from Prozac to perfume to birth control pills that make their way into U.S. rivers and streams...

These contaminants are also entering our drinking water supplies. This contamination happens when medications are flushed or dumped into the water system versus being trashed in landfills in their solid state.


NOTE to my readers: We provide resource links to help you protect and nurture your natural resources. Tip: when you contact suppliers in person, online, by phone or email...please ask them about alternatives that are sustainable, green, or habitat-healthy. By asking, we advocate for better protection of our natural resources. Thank you, Carolyn.

If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed;
if in terms of ten years, plant trees;
if in terms of 100 years, teach the people."
- Confucius

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E-BOOKS by CAROLYN
Buddy's Diner | Carolyn Allen

NEW! PICTURE BOOK!

Little Bit of Eden at California Beaches | Carolyn Allen
Genesis story illustrated with today's "Little Bit of Eden At California Beaches"... beautiful original photos by the editor of Backyard Nature! Learn more...



Music Magic: Carolyn's first novel! A family story about teens, music, and nature! A fast-paced, quick read.


Dancing With Joy In SPRING: Soothing inspirational about the beauty and wonder of nature in your own backyard. Based on Backyard Blessings e-series.

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Backyard landscaping ideas, organic farming, backyard landscaping ideas, free landscaping ideas, and pine trees with pinecones and wooded and natural area wildlife
PS: The nature drawings are by Carolyn, our editor. "Enjoy!"




B A C K Y A R D N A T U R E . C O M
Options for healthful living with organic foods, organic landscaping, organic farming and organic products for babies, kids and adults.
Published by California Green Solutions


For more sustainable business information, visit CaliforniaGreenSolutions.com for Sustainable Workplace and Green Products, www.SunshineByDesign.com and ~ Movie Industry Marketing for Indie Filmmaking Tips Arkansas Pet Services ~ BLTNetwork.com for Lifestyles ~ Home and Garden Habitat, Organics and Sustainability