The very picture of suburban America — a comfortable-looking small home, complete with picket fencing and a verdant thatch of manicured lawn:

But things aren’t quite what they seem. Here’s the same house, shortly before its lawn was treated and the photographer figured out how to hold his camera straight:

So what's going on here? The lawn in the top image has been painted — as in sprayed with landscaping paint. It’s a new way to show a plush lawn that looks great from the street, but doesn’t suck down time and resources. Click through to the rest of the article for more.

Got milk -- in your paint?

By now, a lot of people have heard about the hazards of VOCs -- Volatile Organic Compounds. In this case, “organic” doesn't mean they're good for you.

VOCs are a toxic soup of carbon-based molecules such as ketones, aldehydes, and hydrocarbons. Indoors, they escape from a variety of things you probably take for granted: certain kinds of treated wood, carpeting, plastics, cleaning supplies -- even cosmetics. And VOCs vapors tend to hang around.

How big a problem is this? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has research showing that indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air you breathe outside. Exposure in effected homes and businesses is chronic, and VOCs are a big contributor to “sick building syndrome.”

Can't stand the heat? Don't get out of the kitchen this summer -- cook smarter!

Summer is here -- at least in the Northern Hemisphere -- and with it, high cooling bills.

It's not just your pocketbook that suffers. Every kilowatt hour consumed by your air conditioner leaves behind an environmental footprint in the form of toxins, greenhouse emissions, and wastewater. So it makes sense to take a bite out of your seasonal energy needs.

One good place to start is the kitchen. It's already your home's biggest consumer of resources, and summertime cooking carries with it the double burden of removing heat from the room which escapes from your food and appliances. In a way, you're paying for the same energy twice.

Well-meaning pet owners are using dryer sheets to control pet hair. Is this such a good idea?

We love our pets -- and they love us. Which is the main reason dog and cat dander seems to get everywhere: on the sofa, your clothes, and your carpet. Your furry companion loves to sit wherever you do.

There's a tip making the rounds these days: use a dryer sheet to repel pet fur. And it seems to work. Dryer sheets cut down on static, which is what makes fur cling to fabric surfaces. Some owners even use dryer sheets directly on their animals to reduce the static buildup which accompanies thunderstorms and alarms jittery pets.

This week we welcome Jennifer Lance as part of our guest author exchange with Green Options. She also writes and edits ecochildsplay, a wonderful site about natural toys for your kids.  

It is a busy time of year in the garden, and young children (and puppies) can make growing food a challenge. Overcoming this challenge is well worth the effort, as the benefits of growing your own organic food are numerous for your family. For example, organic gardening with children helps establish healthy eating habits, as children are more prone to taste and enjoy foods they have grown themselves. In fact, in my opinion, the best natural toy for children is a garden. Luther Burbank wrote,