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In a year, you can probably collect 100 wine bottles. If you stop throwing them away and find ways to upcycle them, you can transform your home into a vino lover’s dream. These are the best ways to repurpose your wine bottles. Check out why you should save them rather than recycle.

Garden Edging

Few people think to keep a stockpile of wine bottles to use as decoration in the garden. Whether all your bottles look the same or are mismatched, you can use them to create a border around your garden and pathways within it. Press the open end of the bottle into the ground until only the bottom sticks out. Continue with your bottles, making sure they are all the same height.

Tiki Torches

One of the cutest DIY tiki torch ideas is to make one out of a wine bottle. Fill the bottle with paraffin or kerosine and attach a tiki torch wick. You can secure the wick to the top of the bottle with putty, wire, or tape.

Slow-Drip Irrigation for Garden Pots

For this DIY project, you’ll need the cork that came with your wine bottle. Use a drill or other sharp object to puncture a small hole through the cork. This will allow water to flow in a steady stream. This is a great way to water seed paper because it keeps the soil moist.

Flower Vases

If you love the way that wine bottles look, enjoy decorating with them in your home. Place them on tables and other surfaces and use them as vases. You can place real or faux plants inside to invigorate your space.

Pickle Vegetables

Wash your wine bottles and reuse them for your own recipes. One of the best uses for glass wine bottles is pickling vegetables or fruits. Especially if you have a dark, cool place to keep them, wine bottles make beautiful jars for canned:

• Beets
• Peppers
• Carrots
• Strawberries
• Asparagus
• Cherries
• Rhubarb

Plant Terrarium

Wine bottles come in all different shapes and sizes—making them great for terrariums. The simplest way is to maneuver some air plants inside and add rocks. You could lay the bottle on its side or keep it upright. Once you figure out your favorite way to repurpose your wine bottles, you’ll want to use them more often. There’s no guilt in enjoying a glass of wine when it gets you closer to your craft goals. Introduce wine bottles into your interior or exterior décor and start upcycling today.

When it comes to skin care, finding natural, eco-friendly, and sustainable ingredients can be an uphill battle. With so many chemical mixtures, fragrances, and synthetics in most cosmetic products, maintaining clear and healthy skin can sometimes contradict sustainable values. However, most people don’t realize that one of the best ingredients that can benefit your skin is a highly sustainable and eco-friendly product.

Raw, unfiltered honey will naturally kill off bacteria, balance your pH, and revitalize your skin. Continue reading to learn about the reasons why you should use honey in your skin care.

Honey Is Antibacterial

Many people are nervous to try using honey as a skin care product. After all, how can one pantry item be both sustainable and beneficial for your skin? The answer to this question lies in honey’s potent natural properties. Honey has tons of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and these nutrients have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Applying raw, unfiltered organic honey to your skin will instantly kill off surface-level bacteria and keep your pores clear of external irritants. The anti-inflammatory properties of honey will also balance your skin’s pH to keep it fresh.

Honey Is a Natural Exfoliant

If you don’t already use an exfoliator in your skin care routine, you should add one. When you exfoliate your skin, you safely remove dead skin cells and bacteria from your epidermis. Exfoliating helps to keep your pores clear, and this process also prevents future skin infections.

While many exfoliating products use harsh ingredients or peels, honey is more effective. Slathering a small amount of it on your skin and removing it with water will gently remove dead skin cells without creating microtears. Since honey is a natural product, you can also rest easy knowing this ingredient is more eco-friendly than chemical and synthetic formulas.

Supporting Honey Will Support Bees

If you care for a home garden or buy local honey, then you likely already know the importance of supporting bee products. Bees are one of the world’s largest pollinators, and protecting these insects is crucial.

If you value eco-friendly and bee-friendly practices, using honey in your skin care is one of the simplest ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Buying honey and other bee products will support bee businesses and beekeepers that protect active hives all over the world. Consider showing your support by buying more bee products. These are just a handful of the reasons why you should use honey in your skin care. Look over these benefits and consider whether this ingredient could be the best fit for you, your skin, and your lifestyle.

You’ve probably heard a lot about solar power, and we’re willing to bet not all of it was true. We’ll break down some common misconceptions about switching to solar energyso that you can decide for yourself if it’s right for you.

You Need the Sun

This misconception is understandable—how can you generate solar power without the sun? While solar panels work best with sunshine, they can still generate energy on cloudy days. That’s because the panels collect visible light, and there’s still light in stormy weather! A cloudy day doesn’t mean a blackout.

You Need a Warm Climate

Many people associate warm climates with brighter days, but the sun can shine as brightly in Florida as it does in North Dakota. Interestingly enough, solar panel conductivity is actually higher in cooler weather. While the sun may be hotter down south, solar panels generate even more energy in colder climates.

Solar Isn’t Worth It

Make no mistake: solar panels are an expensive investment. The up-front cost is enough to scare many people off, but they probably haven’t heard how much they’ll save on their monthly energy bill. Many people completely negate their monthly energy spending (depending on their location and how much energy they use), and some people produce enough power to sell back some energy to the grid.

Plus, solar panels are more affordable than ever before, having dropped over 70 percent in price per kilowatt and installation since 2009. While most homeowners have made their money back in less than a decade, there are other ways you can live a sustainable lifestyle without solar panels if the investment is too much.

Panels Cause Roof Damage

When you have a professional install your solar panels, your roof has nothing to worry about. In the years since solar panels first came to the market, installation professionals have perfected the process, so it’s easy and safe for your roof and home.

Now that you know these common misconceptions about switching to solar energy, consider making the investment, and start enjoying instant savings!