I love getting emails from readers and recently, after I posted about Eco-friendly school lunches, I got an email from a reader asking a very “Eco” good question. Her older children don’t like to use the new earth friendly lunch boxes and wrap mats because they aren’t cool and nobody else is using them (more should be using them, grrr). That’s an issue so what is a mom to do? Her big question is whether she should use aluminum foil or wax paper and which one is safer and more earth friendly.
I answered, aluminum foil because it can be recycled and you can buy recycled aluminum foil.
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For the past few years, my family and I have gone to a local farm each fall to pick some of our own vegetables. For $10 per person (for anyone older than 3; babies and toddlers are free of charge), you go on a hayride to various vegetable fields (carrots, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, pie pumpkins, etc.) where you can pick to your heart’s content. We usually only pick enough to last us a couple of weeks, but not this year. Oh no. This is the year I’m getting serious about local food preservation.
That won’t be the only farm I will visit this year.
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Written on
September 17, 2008 by
SusanC
My children have spent literally every summer day this season outdoors. It has been my quick solution to quiet time in the house, a way to get the house cleaned and enjoy it for a few minutes, and also keep my children active enough to tire them out by the end of the day.
For the past few months, California has been on fire with many areas burning uncontrollably. People have been made to evacuate and relocate, eventually able to return to their homes, while others have lost everything. My family recently spent the day in a town on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon, it was on fire.
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I have mentioned several times on this website as well as my own, that my green living journey began with a better nutrition journey. In my mind now, these two go hand in hand. You simply cannot live a green lifestyle and put bad foods into your body. Once you become conscientious about what you do to the environment, you also begin to be conscientious about what goes in your own personal environment – the body. You start to read more about foods, read labels, cook with fresher ingredients and shop smarter. However, just because something is labeled “natural” does not mean chemically it is good for you.
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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.
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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Written on
September 5, 2008 by
SusanC
My mother always told me to eat my greens. That advice is as true today as it was when I was young. But these days, green foods go beyond spinach and broccoli to organic selections of coffee, fruits, veggies, and burgers.
Conventional farmers use around 300 different pesticides to grow foods that are sold in supermarkets every day. These chemicals pollute the soils and waterways, harming fish, birds, and other wildlife. Pesticides are also dangerous for the farmers who are exposed to them on a daily basis. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that pesticides are responsible for 20,000-40,000 work-related poisonings each year in the United States.At
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Pressure Canning…..does that cause fear to run it’s icy fingers down your back? The idea of something sitting on your stove boiling to un-godly temperatures with pressures that exceed normal atmospheric levels? It did for me. The thought of pressure canning made me nervous and scared. I’m not really sure why I was nervous about it. I’ve never had any bad experiences with pressure canners in my past. I think it was the fact that I’d NEVER used one, nor had I ever seen anyone use one, that caused me to fear the unknown.
Now, please know that I am not talking about pressure cookers.
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Last weekend we had a family picnic and went to the beach to find rocks. My son is into fossils and thinks he will be a archaeologist and a truck driver. I cheated and decided we would go to Subway and throw this into the cooler for our picnic. It was a long week and I wanted a break.
Rightly so.
Anyhow, even Subway gives toys in the kids meals and to reduce the waste, my children share a meal because neither will finish a entire kids meal. Small eaters. My son looked at this dinky plastic key chain and said:
“That’s dumb.”
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Making miracles happen may seem a bit daunting for a Tuesday morning, but with 5 minutes to spare, you can take it upon yourself to make something wonderful happen for our earth. Here’s a few quick ways to make a miracle when the phone is ringing, the kids are making a ruckus, and you’re feeling like green living is impossible:
1. Unplug it. That’s right. Walk over to your laptop and computer, your counter top appliances, your television, hair dryer, vacuum, alarm clock, cell phone and lamps, and pull the plugs. Even when electronics are turned off and plugged in, they continue to draw power.
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