With pollen counts the highest in years, a lot of allergy sufferers just might have a way to ease through it this year. First Defense Nasal Screens are small nose filters (yes, really) that are made from a “100 percent breathable non-latex, skin safe material.” These small screens fit around the rim of each nostril. They use an adhesive that’s peeled off a paper backing. It all may sound odd, but lab tests have shown them to be more than…

With early cancer detection recognized as the first and best defense, a recent breakthrough holds promise for the development of a finger prick test to detect prostate cancer. Following five years of research, a team of biologists, clinical oncologists, pathologists and information scientists from ETH Zurich, University Hospital Zurich and the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen have discovered a biomarker for prostate cancer – a pattern of proteins in the blood that indicate the presence of cancerous disease. Cancer is…

Packaged products are notorious for wasting large amounts of plastic. PaperLite is a unique type of paper packaging that’s made from renewable materials.   PaperLite is paper packaging made by Flextrus that’s FSC certified (made from wood taken from sustainable forests). Better yet, it’s biodegradable and is safe to use for frozen food products. With the look and feel of paper, it retains the sealing properties of petroleum-based plastic in that it can be molded and sealed for frozen foods….

With the focus these days on saving energy, switching to solar and/or compact fluorescent light bulbs and lowering your carbon footprint, there’s a new kid on the block that can also make a difference. The VPhase unit is a unique device that can help homeowners save around 10 percent off their electricity bill while also reducing CO2 emissions. Utilizing voltage optimization, the VPhase reduces energy to a constant 220 v, steadying the periodic fluctuations between 220 and 245 v (or…

For those who love fresh mushrooms, now there’s a great way to grow them at home. The Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden kit is made to be placed on a windowsill. This fun garden produces your first one-pound crop of delectable pearl oyster mushrooms in 10 days and only requires a gentle water misting twice a day. The company guarantees you’ll get at least two crops out of it and possibly up to four. The soil in the kit is 100% recycled…

A new process for making biodegradable, non-toxic plastic resin, developed by scientists at the University of Amsterdam, holds the promise of making cleaner, more affordable materials for use in the construction industry. These thermoset resins are made from renewable plant-based materials that are both non-hazardous and recyclable. The scientists were able to create a range of bio-plastics that included hard foam material to flexible thin sheet materials. No toxic ingredients were used and no harmful substances were released into the…