All summer we have been buying food at the local farmers market. Last week I signed up for the Green City Market’s Localvore Challenge. Starting September 10 all of the participants will eat only locally produced food for two weeks. At first the challenge seemed improbable for someone with a family; however, after planning the menus and considering the impact, I find it works on so many levels. Health. Small business support. Environment. Money. Education.
As you can imagine, the health benefits are significant. No preservatives. No chemicals. You eat fresh foods that retain their nutrients. Trust me, they even taste different when they are fresh.
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More inspiration for the weekend:
-An inspiration post about biking from One Green Generation (with amazing photos).
-Run DMT is talking about why organic produce really IS better.
-What gets us buying the latest and greatest? No Impact Man reminds us that the zero sum game (i.e., I get everything, you have nothing) is how we are persuaded into unhappiness.
-Burban Mom encourages us to go green with our deodorant, and I second her 9 months on/3 months off plan!
-In her journey to eating locally, Simple-Green-Frugal tells us how you can eat out and still be green.
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I’ve found there are several aspects of my journey towards going green that require me to slow down my usual crazy, hectic pace, and, I admit, this isn’t always easy. When you decide to do things like prepare your meals from scratch, grow a garden, make your own yogurt or dry your clothes outside on a clothesline, you have to A) plan ahead and B) allow yourself the time to accomplish these things. This doesn’t always make for an easy transition in a world where time is money and we often over-schedule our lives.
When I first started drying our laundry (everything from cloth napkins to clothes, linens to cloth diapers) on a clothesline this summer, I was frustrated with how much time it took, specifically to hang everything up.
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Written on
July 18, 2008 by
SusanC
People no longer snicker when they learn your latest find was something you picked up at the local thrift store. In fact, thrifting, gifting, swapping, or repurposing (or reusing) your gently used (and sometimes barely hanging on) clothing, books, and other personal items can save you money, and keep a little more green in your pocket.
This hobby is not new to our hippy and hipster era. In the 80’s, a favorite pastime was “thrifting,” which involved shopping at second-hand stores, garage sales, flea markets, etc. in search of that vintage or unusual find. My passion was clothing and I found so many beautiful dresses fit for a princess attending a ball, which I bought, and of course had nowhere to wear.
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Over the last couple years, I’ve gradually been going green, and it’s not until recently that our efforts have been more aggressive. However, with that said, I’ve always taken time to stop and explain to my children every step we are taking, all the whys and all the hows. My children are 12, 10, and 7, so there is quite a bit they understand and can participate in. Plus, I’ve always been the kind of Mom that feels the more communication between my children and me, the better.
When I was in college last year–attempting to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up–not having to make cold lunches every morning for my kids was great.
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Over the past two years, step by step, our family is replacing all cleaning and personal care products with eco-friendly equivalents that are healthy for the Earth, our home, and our bodies. Part of my family’s concern for the kinds of products we use has to do with the chemicals that go into our bodies and ultimately end up in the water supply. Chemicals that make my mommy alarm go off include the following: phthalates, bisphenol A, and triclosan, which are in cosmetics, antibacterial soap, perfumes, containers of all sorts (think food packaging, shampoo bottles, makeup containers), and plastic bottles. When these chemicals reach our water supplies, the natural wildlife are adversely affected and the overall environment is negatively impacted.
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I’m calling myself this today. When it comes to going “green”, having a green website, being recognized locally for my efforts and just being noticed more for going green in my small town…I sometimes feel the pressure. For example, I had coffee the other day with a family member and as we drank “organic” coffee I added sweet and low to my drink. She seemed surprised and called me out on this. “How can you be green and natural and use man made sugar?”, she said. Good point. Except, I went through weight watchers and lost a ton of weight and became addicted to diet soda and sweet and low because of the “0” points.
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Summer is upon us and as the temperatures rise, so does our need to stay cool. Is it possible to beat the heat without (gasp) air conditioning? As someone who has been living in an A/C-free house for most of her life, I can tell you that it’s not always easy or pleasant, but I have picked up many techniques along the way to keep myself and my family as cool and comfortable as possible. Going without air conditioning might take a little getting used to and some creativity, but with my tips below, you will soon be on the path to living a cooler, greener summer.
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Every Sunday we will post links to interesting articles that made us drool, made us laugh, or made us think. If you come across anything you’d like to see featured in this spot, send an email to [email protected].
Around the greenosphere this week:
1. Treehugger tells us about pedal-powered business popping up in Portland.
2. Haute*Nature postes these fabulous lights made from recycled vintage tea cups.
3. Alternative Consumer talks about eco-friendly hotels for your summer travel.
4. Wish you could boil water faster? Eco Geek show us it might be possible.
5. Summer=bug bites, and Nonchalant Mom has a really smart natural remedy to stop the itching.
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What could be more summery than a quick dip in the pool and a giant glass of iced tea? A brisk scrub-a-dub-tub to get the popsicle goo off your legs? All of these things are so refreshing, and so dependent on our unbelievably reliable stream of fresh, clean water. We’re lucky in the US; more than a billion people worldwide don’t have access to fresh, clean drinking water. (To help out people worldwide, check out Lifestraw and donate to provide a family with an incredibly simple device that can help them filter their children’s water). How can we ensure that our kids remain so fortunate?
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All summer we have been buying food at the local farmers market. Last week I signed up for the Green City Market’s Localvore Challenge. Starting September 10 all of the participants will eat only locally produced food for two weeks. At first the challenge seemed improbable for someone with a family; however, after planning the menus and considering the impact, I find it works on so many levels. Health. Small business support. Environment. Money. Education.
