Green Looks Good on Everyone | 5 Minutes For Going Green

Green Your St. Patrick’s Day, Not Just Your Shirt

Written on March 5, 2010 by DianaP

I grew up in a small village (population: less than 400) in the middle of Michigan that is incredibly proud of its Irish heritage. It also just so happens that its local tavern holds the state’s oldest liquor license. Combine these two facts and what I have always known is a huge St. Patrick’s Day celebration; one with potato rolls, delicious beef stew and copious amounts of green beer. And if you didn’t get to the tavern early enough, they’d be out of all of the above. People would come from miles and miles around to celebrate. It was standing room only and the town’s fifteen parking spots on the one small block that made up “main street” were nowhere near enough to accommodate.

in For The Home, For The Kids, Green Holidays, Green Parenting, Reduce Reuse Recycle

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Happy Healthy Eating: Community Supported Agriculture

Written on March 3, 2010 by SusanC

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way to support your local farmer and keep fresh vegetables on the table. Most CSA‘s work something like this:

Families (or single folk) buy a “share” (or two if you’re a large family)- ranging in price from say $400.00 to $800.00+ and each week you meet at a pick up location for your box of vegetables and fruits. Most CSA shareholders pay in installments, some take advantage of work-share options, and all pay a down payment of some sort. And that’s in part the beauty of CSA– because buyers pay the farmer upfront she can estimate how much to plant.

in Blog, Eat to Live, Green Gardens, The Green Consumer

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Creative “Green” Date Nights

Written on March 2, 2010 by SusanC

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My husband and I are always busy with work, kids, our personal time, and sometimes it’s hard for us to make time for our relationship. But it’s always so rewarding when we do.

Since we don’t always have the money to go out for dinner or a movie, I like thinking of creative ways for us to share time together or with other adults in a playful and romantic way.

Last month I was dreaming up the perfect date night and come up with these fun ways to spend time together.

1) Have a potluck. Instead of heading to the restaurant, invite friends over for a candle light dinner; plan for a house large enough to accommodate kids with a movie and special dinner while the parents (adults) have a special night of conversation and cocktails.

in Blog

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Asking One’s Self The Hard Questions

Written on March 1, 2010 by DianaP

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A couple weeks ago we invited another couple over for dinner and games. I’ve been friends with the wife for sometime but we hadn’t yet gotten together as couples more than a few times — her husband didn’t know me as well as she did and had no idea what it is that I do for a living. In our neck of the woods freelance writers aren’t exactly plentiful so I’m accustomed to reactions of bewilderment when my livelihood comes up for discussion. What I’m not accustomed to is people questioning, even if in a friendly and truly curious manner, why I am fit to do what I do.

in For The Home, For The Kids, Green Thoughts, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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LiViTY Outernational

Written on February 26, 2010 by Amy Whitley

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Hemp and raffia clothing? A shirt made from recycled plastic bottles? Could such a product look like anything other than a potato sack? I was dubious…until I found LiViTY Outernational, an apparel company who is, in their words, ‘110% for the planet’.

I recently had the opportunity to try several of their products, including the Queen V-Neck in moss and the argyle sock in gray.* And trust me, the tee looked nothing like a potato sack! It’s fitted and flattering and very soft. The socks are made of a blend of hemp, organic cotton, and Lycra, and I’m definitely a fan!

in Activism, Beauty and Body, Great Green Finds, Green Business, The Green Consumer

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CREDO Mobile and the Solio Solar Charger; A Review

Written on February 26, 2010 by DianaP

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I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a smidge excited when, a few weeks ago, Tim from CREDO Mobile contacted me about featuring their company on 5 Minutes for Going Green. You see, while I’m currently contractually obligated to one of the major U.S. cellular companies — and truth be told, even though CREDO offers a contract buy out option, I’m not entirely prepared to switch since my current company is one of only two carriers that offer my beloved Palm Pixi — CREDO doesn’t offer just phones. They also carry the Solio Solar Charger. A smart little device that I have been eying for quite sometime.

in Activism, Clean Air, Conservation, For The Home, For The Office, Got Energy?, Great Green Finds, Green Business

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Garden Dreams

Written on February 24, 2010 by Amber

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Here in the Pacific Northwest we have had an unusually mild winter and an early spring. Many of the plants in my garden that normally die off have not, including my parsley and celery, and now in late February they’re coming back with new growth. Flowers are blooming, buds are budding, and people are working outside in shirtsleeves.

(I know that not everyone has had a mild winter this year. Last year winter in the Pacific Northwest was long and cold, with record snow accumulations. If you have struggled through the snow in the South you have my sympathies.)

This sunny, warm weather has me thinking of spring and my garden.

in Eat to Live, Green Gardens

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I’m Finally Going Green (Again)

Written on February 16, 2010 by Jennifer (Milk & Honey Mommy)

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Let’s see. I have been going green now for about two years. Since that time, I have gone from being really rigid in everything I do to the point where my house started looking like a garbage dump – minus the rotting food – because I was saving everything (ex: cereal boxes, bottle tops, popsicle sticks, etc.) believing each item had a second or third life in it before meeting its maker in the trash. On the flip side, I recently declared my latest compost bin a wash after it became infested with worms, other than red wigglers, and have been unashamedly tossing kitchen remnants into the trash and becoming an apathetic contributor to our local landfill.

in Green Thoughts

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After-School Snacks that Tread Lightly on the Planet (and your Grocery Budget)

Written on February 11, 2010 by Amy Whitley

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If you’ve been following my posts here at 5 Minutes for Going Green, you know I’m all about taking baby steps toward eco-living. In other words, I tend to take two steps forward, followed by at least one squarely on my cushy bottom.

One step forward I’ve taken recently is to bake and cook healthy, whole-food after-school snacks for my kids. I’m tired of buying over-processed, heavily-packaged snack foods that destroyed my grocery budget.

Three winning recipes my (picky) kids happily eat:

Egg and cheese sandwiches:

2 packages English muffins (I buy wheat)

2 dozen eggs (I go with free range)

24 slices cheese (cheddar for our family)

Optional: ham slices or the veggie equivalent (we like Yves brand)

Fry the eggs individually (we cracked them right into circular cookie cutters on the griddle to keep their shape).

in Blog, Eat to Live, For The Home, For The Kids, Frugal Living, Green Parenting, The Green Consumer

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Have A Fair Valentine’s Day

Written on February 10, 2010 by Lisa (Retro Housewife Goes Green)

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Valentine’s Day is getting close and that means lots of chocolate. The annual world consumption of cocoa beans averages around 600,000 tons per year. But do you know how your chocolate was made? 70% of the world’s chocolate comes from the Ivory Coast where most of the chocolate is farmed using child labor.

Don’t worry though, you can give up child labor without giving up chocolate. By buying fair trade certified chocolate you can be sure that your chocolate is child labor free and those who made it were paid fair wages. Fair trade chocolate is becoming much more common as people are learning how most chocolate is made and are demanding a change, keep pushing and someday all can be fair trade!

in Blog, Green Holidays

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