We all see and hear the commercials, as well as get reminded by those around us that we need to wear sunscreen. Sunscreen has always been a subject that just seems to have a personal connection as much as scientific for a lot of people. The facts are simple enough, too much time in the sun will burn your skin and may disrupt cells making an increased chance for skin cancer.

What we do not often get is a real breakdown of which sunscreen is really better. We generally think that a higher number, SPF is better protection. This is only partially true.

The EWG is an Environmental Working Group that acts as a watchdog organization. This group has performed a study on over 1500 sunscreens and found that about 60% of them provide inadequate protection from the sun and have significant safety concerns.

Ironically, EWG says 41 percent of the products it tested contain ingredients that break down in the sun within minutes or hours.

There isn't one Coppertone product on EWG's list of recommended sunscreens and only two of the 50 Banana Boat and Neutrogena products were acceptable.

Based on price per ounce, the following brands were the most affordable that meet the EWG's criteria: Badger Balm SPF 30, Caribbean Solutions Sol Kid Care 25 SPF, Mexitan Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 or 30, Tropical Sands SPF 50 or 30, Solbar Shield Sunscreen SPF 40, Vanicream Sunscreen Sensitive Skin SPF 60 or 35, Goddess Garden Kids Natural Sunscreen SPF 30, Solbar Zinc SPF 38 and Jason Natural Cosmetics Mineral Based Sunblock SPF 30.

The key here is that SPF is based only on UVB protection. UVB is the light that gives you a sunburn. You may want to think that the B in UVB may really stand for Burn, it doesn't but its easy to remember that way.

There is no label or easy way to identify UVA protection. UVA is the light that gives you skin cancer and accelerates the skins aging.

The only ingredients allowed in the US that filter UVA are: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone, and mexoryl. If you are a label reader, this may help.

For more sun safety tips follow the related link below.

The image above has been floating around the green forums for a few days. Although it is not the most futuristic in appearance, I think it is likely a first step toward green dwellings for the average person.

The EcoFriend website has a list of 10 modern home design ideas. My other favorite is a completed building, they have a lot of great photos taken in and around it - Trendir

If you are interested in the rest of the list, see the related link below.

Ok, I know the title is a little morbid, but I just couldn't come up with anything creative. Ecoffins USA is providing coffins that are made to rejoin the ecosystem. Using materials like banana sheaf, the coffins break down quickly and apparently the body does not require embalming. This makes a reduction in the chemicals released into the ground as well.

There is an article in the Huffington Post

If you want to go straight to the companies website, click the related link below.

Welcome back from a long holiday weekend. I hope everyone had a fun but safe holiday. I enjoyed this weekend with my kids. We watched the fireworks over College Park High School, but were not fortunate enough to get in close.

Now that everyone is back to work, I am back at working on reducing our water use, electrical use and redirecting any and all materials I can for recycle or reuse. As part of my research, I like to share some of the more interesting things I find here.

Today I thought I would share this article on InterHome. This is a system being developed by University of Hertfordshire in the UK. What is different is the ability of the system to learn the habits of those who live there. This learning allows the system to increase efficiency while also hopefully increasing the comfort level.

For a detailed article, follow the related link below.

There is so much information on the original article that summarizing would be difficult. Follow the related link to get the details. Basically someone went to the trouble of figuring out which veggies save the most money and gives a complete breakdown from greatest return to least.