Mom Goes Green

Ahh… the holiday of romance!

Valentine’s Day is the day to share your feelings and express your love to the special ones in your life, but if you want to share some love with the environment and add a little bit of “green” to the occasion too, consider these wisest of choices:

• Cards – did you know that the purchase of Valentine’s Day cards ranks #2 just behind Christmas?!?  One BILLION cards per year, in fact!  So consider buying only cards printed on recycled paper or paper alternatives (hint: the backs of cards reveal their content).

• Chocolates – always a favorite, make sure those you purchase are organic and fair-trade so you’re assured that there hasn’t been destruction and risky/unfair practices used in order to give your beloved a sweet treat.

• Flowers – buy locally-grown flowers and those you know haven’t been doused with harsh pesticides and chemicals that are harmful to the environment and growers, or have been flown in from some other region of the globe. When the recipient takes a whiff, you want to be sure the scent is pure sweetness and it isn’t covered in chemicals and preservatives from its long, long trip to your florist.  Also consider live, locally-grown plants as another option.

• Body products – pick products that are made with organic & natural ingredients and minerals (like Kiss My Face), instead of those containing harsh additives, colorings and chemicals.

• Jewelry – forget the mass-produced jewelry found in commercial jewelry stores and instead opt for something that is locally-made or a choice that helps others through your purchase (see Hands Up Not Hand Outs to see exactly what I mean!)

• Soy and beeswax candles – avoid pollutants and toxins expelled by many candle products and choose only soy or beeswax options.

• Create something – no one ever said you needed to buy a thing to express your love, so make a card, write a poem, create something special and it will often mean more than anything you could buy, and you often need look no further than your own home!

• Wine – choose organic and/or locally-produced wines.  They do exist, and all you need to do it ask!

• Restaurants – make sure your romantic dinner “out” supports a restaurant that is environmentally conscious, eco-friendly or even certified organic.  For my fellow Clevelanders, visit The Greenhouse Tavern:  Ohio’s first certified green restaurant.

• Organic dinner – dine in and make a completely organic dinner.  When you select the ingredients, you know that there is only “goodness” contained in your meal.

Ahh, yes… Valentine’s Day. The holiday of love… just make sure your expression of “red-hot love” has a little bit of “green” intertwined too… what you do after that, well… you’re all on your own!

Mother Nature has been furious lately. It’s been cold, blustery, snowy and frightful all around the country.  Even southern states canceled school because of a quarter inch of the white stuff!

The downside (aside from the obvious) is that it’s giving all global-warming/climate change naysayers fuel and ammo for saying that “it” doesn’t exist.  I will leave that portion of the conversation out of this post and it will have to suffice to say that climate change creates the EXTREMES!… whether it be sweltering or freezing, blizzards or severe drought… THAT is the effect it creates.

Anyhow, it’s also fairly likely that furnaces are being cranked up all around the country as well. That in turn means extra energy consumption which snowballs into a lot of extra pollution too.

So, keep these tips in mind for keeping warm… while staying green:

• Actually USE storm windows – make the time to install that extra layer of glass and it’s like you have triple panes. It can increase energy efficiency by up to 45%!
• Adjust the thermostat – just one degree lower in the winter can save 3% on your usage.  That adds up!
• Arrange furniture away from heating ducts and exterior walls – it allows for better circulation of heat.
• Check out tax credits to help fund needed improvements.  See what’s available here.
• Close the damper on your fireplace – leaving it open is equivalent to leaving a 48 inch window wide open in your home all winter long!  This can amount to hundreds of dollars in heat loss in a season.  Also consider glass doors on your fireplace as opposed to screens.
• Cover floors – hardwood and ceramic look fantastic but they actually cool a room.  Add area rugs, even if only temporarily.
• Do the “feel test” – feel around windows and doors.  If you feel the cold coming in, the heat is also going out.  Buy some weather stripping and put a rolled towel at the bottom of drafty doors.
• Give your furnace a “check-up” – just like anything else, they sometimes need a little fine-tuning to run most efficiently.
• Give ventilation fans some time off – a kitchen or bathroom vent fan can expel enough warm air to fill a whole house in only ONE hour!
• Heat only the rooms you use – shut the door, close and seal the vent and stop heating vacant rooms.
• Insulate, insulate, insulate – if you can afford one improvement, add insulation.  The heat that escapes due to lacking or improperly installed insulation is outrageous! (This one qualifies for tax credits too!)
• Open blinds and curtains in the daytime and close them at night – the sunlight can help warm our home and covering windows in the evening can help insulate them.
• Properly seal ducts – statistics say that up to 30% of heat can be lost through improperly sealed duct work!
• Replace your air filter and clean vents and ducts – too much build-up prevents the heat from even reaching your rooms.
• Reverse ceiling fans – heat rises, so run them on low in reverse and bring the warm air that rises back down to where it’s needed.
• Turn down the thermostat when you’re away from home for an extended period or during overnight hours – if you have a programmable thermostat, put it to work.

So “fight the freezies” and “battle the brrrr”, but just make sure to “check the checklist” to keep it green. And if all else fails to keep you toasty enough, grab your favorite sweater and snuggle up! (A bottle of nice organic wine does wonders too!)

By now, the gifts should be purchased and the wrapping is underway!  So, while you’ve certainly paid special attention to what you’ve selected, how you “present the present” also needs special attention too.

The average household output of trash actually increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, due in part to wrapping paper, packaging, boxes and all of the waste that results from the holidays. Gasp! I fully intend NOT to be one of those households and will recycle everything in sight, but while you can manage what happens with the waste from the gifts you receive, you can’t guarantee what the recipients of your gifts will do…

So before you unroll yards and yards of wrapping paper, ribbons and massive bows… halt!… and consider these better ways!:

• Buy recycled wrapping paper if you absolutely MUST wrap with paper (yea, I understand that kids love to unwrap!)
• Use, save, reuse, reuse and reuse gift bags.  They can have an amazingly long life.  Try to choose uncoated paper though… it simply recycles better when it finally comes to the end of its use.
• Put the gift in a reusable bag.  You can often score a reusable bag for less than the cost of a gift bag, and then it becomes a gift in and of itself!
• Use part of the gift as the wrap.  Scarf? Towel? Basket? Bowl? Wrap it around or put it inside.
• Wrap with fabric scraps and biodegradable raffia.  Simple as that!
• Skip bows and opt for berries, pinecones, evergreen clipping, twigs or a real flower instead. These natural embellishments can even make brown craft paper look festive!
• Before you toss out this year’s wall calendar, use the images for wrapping smaller packages.
• Use old holiday card photos or images to create your gift tag.  You have ‘em, so use ‘em!
• Reuse, reduce, recycle.  Save the materials you receive to be reused (gift bags, bows, ribbon). Reduce the amount of materials you use for your gift giving.  Recycle all of the paper and packaging from your gifts and make sure they go in the bin, not the trash can.
• (You can also choose not to wrap anything it all! My mom told me “in her day” her Christmas gifts from Santa weren’t wrapped!  They appeared under the tree “au naturale!” Hmmm… makes you wonder how and when Santa changed his policies!)

This will all be over before you know it!  Take a deep breath, grab your green supplies and see if you can join me in avoiding that 25%!

The next few weeks will be high time for parties! (I love parties! And I mean for any and all occasions!)

And of course, who DOESN’T love a party!?! BUT, they can also become occasions for an abundance of waste and trash making.  Whether you already have a party planned, are helping to host a party or might just throw together an impromptu soiree(!)… here, once again this year, is my standard list for keeping it turned toward the green end of the dial:

• Try evites or create your own electronic invitations instead of mailing the paper store-bought version.  Sure, you might have a few guests who aren’t email users, but where you can minimize… minimize! (Be careful if you mention your party on Facebook… your guests list may grow exponentially!) For guests requiring mailed invitations consider using last year’s holiday cards and turn the front of the card into a postcard.
• Decorate using live plants and maybe even give them to guests at the end of the night.  Toss pine cones or evergreen clippings from your yard (or your neighbors!) into a bunch of beautiful bowls or vases you already own.
• Turn off an excess of lights.  Blaze up the soy candles. It creates great ambiance too!
• Turn down the thermostat. Bodies = heat, so set it to the cooler side!
• Use your real plates, serveware and glassware. Or, if you don’t have enough, consider buying biodegradable and/or compostable tableware.  Eco Products offers a variety of tableware made from corn, sugarcane and paper.  Or check out Verterra for tableware with some real character – made of leaves!  Orrrr, if it’s in your budget, rent real tableware and utensils… not in my budget, but maybe someday!
• Hit a dollar store for linens.  (I bought four-packs of cloth napkins for a dollar last year!)  Skip the poinsettia print.  Pick flat colors so they can be used for many other occasions.
• Consider local beers and wines (if you have local choices) or locate organic choices… not always easy to find, but they are certainly out there!
• Buy organic fruits, veggies and meat-products.  I know that is an expensive proposition, but as many as you can afford is better than none at all (consider the “dirty dozen” and the “clean 15″ if you need help in making the choices too!).
• Set up a receptacle for recycling. Clearly mark it and ask everyone to jump on board.
• If you feel comfortable with the group of guests, ask them to remove their shoes.  Shoes track in some really nasty and unhealthy things, believe me! (Read more here).
• Set up a numbering system where only “every fourth guest” who uses the bathroom flushes.  Haahaa!  Obviously, this one is a joke!  I’m not that crazy!

But sincerely, just do your best! Many of the choices aren’t expensive and can actually be less expensive in the long run when you weigh all of the factors.  And if your prep and set-up has all of the best choices in place, you will be able to “eat, drink and be merry”… and content that your party is a little greener.

And seriously… for the second time!… STOP considering that numbering system… it was a joke…(yea, kinda gross!)

The holidays are fast approaching… (as if any of us needed a reminder!).  With only two weeks to go, I thought it was long overdue to write my list of favorite green gifts… the tangible stuff, when you want to give something that won’t make you feel too guilty and stay true to being green…

So, without further ado, here is what I love to give:

• Live plants – they add life to any home and help cleanse the air by consuming CO2 and giving off some nice oxygen.
• Starter Kit for Change – it’s packed full of green goodies (including a fabulous one-of-a-kind reusable fabric tote) to get someone set on the road to thinking green.
• Threadless Tees – they have great nature- and eco-themed tees for absolutely everyone, so you can help someone spread an earth-friendly message (and they are having an amazing sale right now too!).
• Reusable bottles, bags & lunch kits – they all keep trash from landfills and the bottles also assure that we avoid harmful BPA.
• Green movies – consider movies like An Inconvenient Truth, Wall-e, Planet Earth or The 11th Hour… they all send an impactful message.
• Bamboo & organic cotton – so many things to choose, including cutting boards, cutlery, bowls, wine racks, towels, clothing… bamboo and organic cotton is amazingly sustainable and a lot less harsh on the environment.
• CFLs & rechargeable batteries – they save energy and keep battery trash from landfills (and they save the recipient some money too!).
• Electronics solar charger – free energy from the sun… what could be simpler?
• Homemade gifts – whether it’s a batch of homemade cookies, or something creative made from materials you have at home, you and your kids can create perfect gifts (think candle holders made from jars, pencil holders made from cans, or a framed work of art from your children).
• Organic treats – everything from organic fruits to chocolates, to beers and wines or coffees and teas, organic is always a fabulous choice…  and it supports the choice for organics.
• Natural, biodegradable bath products – something that’s not harsh on our skin and bodies, plus something that doesn’t harm the environment is a great choice.
• Upcycled products – “all that is old can be new again”… you can find totes, baskets, jewelry, clothing, rugs and even furniture.
• Local gifts – (again) those beers and wines, produce, art or just any locally-made products simply supports those local merchants and artists and avoids the emissions created from transporting products from remote regions of the world.
• Think of others – if you can find it in your heart, give to a charity.  Whether it’s a new gift for a child or family in need, or the donation of things you no longer want (clothing, toys, books, household items, etc.), there is always someone less fortunate than we are and reusing anything that still has usefulness is both environmental and a true gift for those that need our help.  Find the time and make a difference for someone who needs our love and assistance.  It doesn’t need to cost a dime and I assure you… it will help your heart feel full!

This list could truly go on and on, but the main objective should be to give something that YOU can feel good about, but also something you know can (and will) be used too.  A needless, useless gift will only become house-clutter and then eventually cast off to a landfill.

The clock is ticking but hopefully you found a new idea to help… Happy Green Shopping!

To me, Thanksgiving has always felt like the holiday with the greatest “green potential”.  There are no gifts, costumes, candy or extra, elaborate frills.  It’s simply about family gatherings, feasting on the bounty of the season and giving thanks for everything we have.  (Now didn’t that sounds like a Hallmark card!!!)

In all seriousness, everything from the decorations, to the food, to the clean-up can be exceptionally green.

Here are the things to keep in mind:

1. Invitations – forgo the paper invitations and send Evites instead.  If you need to mail invitations, look for those made of recycled paper.
2. Decorations – in many cases, you need only walk into your own backyard: leaves, acorns and twigs can be turned into amazing arrangements. Combine them with colorful gourds, indian corn, squash and apples and you’ve just captured the season!  Afterward, compost or add them back to nature.
3. Food – visit your local farmer’s market for all of the most amazing produce.  Go organic.  Think acorn squash, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, apple and pumpkin (pie!). And seek out an organic, hormone-free, steroid-free turkey (if it will be a part of your feast).  Start now… call around… see who has what you need, reserve it and buy it.
4. Drinks – serve organic wine or consider a local brew… or, if you’re lucky (like me!) and surrounded by local wineries, a local wine!
5. Tableware and serveware – stop saving “the good dishes” and silverware!  Use them!  Glasses, cups and stemware?  Get them out! Forget the disposable “anything”.  You can even score inexpensive cloth napkins at any dollar store.
6. Consider the temperature – ovens heat a house fairly quickly… and so do lots of people… so turn down the thermostat or, in warmer climates, keep ceiling fans circulating or windows open to keep the indoors comfortable.
7. Recycle – that should go without saying, but just remember to make it happen.  Cans, jars, containers, bottles, anything and everything possible.
8. Don’t waste leftovers – keep only what you know your family will eat.  Send the rest home with your guests.  Start thinking about containers now (no styrofoam plates or plastic-wrap, please!).  You can even ask guests to bring their own glass or ceramic dishware… why not?! And if you compost, toss in those food scraps.
9. Clean-up – use your dishwasher, but make sure you fill it first.  For the big jobs, you’ll need to use some elbow-grease, but be sure not to leave the tap running endlessly.  And get out your green cleaners.  You can get back to “shiny & clean” without harsh chemicals.
10. Although it has nothing to do with being green… give thanks. Ask everyone at your table to share a thought. It will certainly put happiness in the air, and that is absolutely free!

Now, if you need some of those ‘leaf, acorn and twig’ decorations I mentioned, email me… and then back up a truck… I have enough in my own backyard to supply your whole neighborhood!

Vinegar is always on my grocery list… and I buy it by the gallon.  Today, in fact, I will be using it to help clear our extremely slow-draining bathroom sink.  I’ve also talked about ways to put vinegar to work in household cleaning and laundry, but there are even more ways to substitute vinegar for other remedies and, in some cases, it helps you stay green and avoid chemicals.

Think about this list:

1. Acne remedy and skin conditioner – dilute 50/50 with water to use as a toner or dab, full strength, on the problem areas.
2. Clean lime deposits and calcium – we’ve all had build-up in our coffee makers and washing machines.  Fill the coffee maker with vinegar and brew it, or add a cup to your washing machine and run a cycle without clothes to give it a good cleaning.
3. Condition dry hair – shampoo your hair then rinse it with a mix of one cup of apple cider vinegar and two cups of water. (Feel free to wash the vinegar out after that initial rinse!)
4. Deodorize a smelly lunchbox – soak a cloth in vinegar and close it up in the lunchbox overnight to eliminate nasty odors.
5. Get rid of unwanted weeds – pour in the cracks or crevices or spray directly on the culprits!
6. Heal a bruise – apply white vinegar for an hour and it will reduce the discoloration and aid healing (time consuming, but it works!).
7. Prevent cracked hard boiled eggs – add two tablespoons per quart of water before boiling the eggs.
8. Remove skunk smells – (let’s hope this has happened to your pet and not YOU!) but apply, full strength to your pet’s fur, rinse with cold water, and it will reduce the smell dramatically.
9. Repel pesky ants – mix equal parts vinegar and water and spray in the problem areas.
10. Stop bug bite itching – dab on the area of the bite and it will relieve the itch.

Undoubtedly vinegar isn’t always the most aromatic and pleasant smell on the planet but given the choice of vinegar over harsh chemicals, I’ll pick the vinegar any time!

Do you have more uses?  Share them!

We all have our standards for grocery shopping… that list of do’s and don’ts for what we choose.   Maybe it’s a choice of organic produce and/or ingredients.  Maybe it’s a matter of avoiding certain contents, like artificial ingredients.  Maybe it’s just looking for the overall healthiest choices.

But above and beyond the food we select, there are many ways we can make our grocery store trip “greener”.  Consider these 10 simple ways:

1. Buy the most minimal packaging. Consider things like fresh breads.  They often come in paper bags that can be recycled – a far better choice than plastic wrappers (sometimes double-wrappers!) of mass-produced bread.  This holds true for many products.  Select those with minimal or the most recyclable packaging.
2. Buy a chunk or a brick of sliced cheese over the individually-wrapped version.  A package of 24-slices will include 24 sheets of plastic otherwise.
3. Buy the big can instead of multiple smaller cans – less packaging and less to recycle.  If it’s more than you need, put a reusable container to work and store it in your freezer until you do need it!
4. Buy local, every time you can!  Did you know that produce in the US travels between 1,500 to 2,500 miles before it even reaches your grocery store? … lots of emissions are created to make that happen!
5. Choose fresh over frozen or canned.  They use a lot less energy… from the energy used to process and manufacture them, to the energy needed for storage… choose fresh!
6. Choose sustainable wild fish over farm-raised – they actually contain less metals and create less contaminates since the concentration of farm-raised fish creates high levels of contaminating waste that will eventually reach our water sources.
7. Buy a gallon of milk or juices versus multiple 2-quarts, and buy in boxes versus individual packages.  This often means one recyclable container versus two non-recyclable cartons, and one recyclable box over a dozen plastic wrappers.  It’s obvious and fairly easy to break down single-servings into reusable containers.
8. Embrace the soybean! They’re a fabulous source of protein and cost a lot less than cattle farming!  If you replaced one beef meal per month with a soybean product, it would save TWENTY THOUSAND GALLONS of water per year!
9. Shop the counter.  Buy meats at a counter where you can select the exact amount you need.  Prepackaging ends up in excessive waste and often the needless disposal of foods when you “have too much”.
10. No paper, no plastic, no arguments!  Reusable bags are the only option.

It’s Friday.  Now get to shopping… but just remember to think “green-ER” before you buy!

This IS the most fundamental of questions.  We each have our own idea of what “going green” means, and perhaps, a variety of reasons for doing so.  But it’s a question worth answering.

If you ever asked yourself this question, or if someone ever asks you “why”, think about the big picture and the reasons we “do what we do”.  I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a cause worth fighting for.

1. In a nutshell, I believe the “go green” movement is all about the concerns for the depletion and contamination of the earth’s greatest, and most important, natural resources… think about clean water, clean air, clean soil… (not to mention a clean and healthy body).  They are directly linked to our well-being and they are in jeopardy.
2. When we choose not to recycle, our trash (that reaches landfills) contains harmful chemicals and ingredients that affect the soil, leach into the ground and surface water, and contaminate everything… from the soil that grows our food to the water we drink.  This contamination also creates harmful conditions for wildlife and eco-systems.
3. When we DO recycle, we save the resources needed to create new products and the energy needed for their production, which prevents excessive CO2 emissions caused by the production process.
4. Reducing energy consumption reduces your demand on polluting power plants that create excessive emissions and seriously contribute to global warming.
5. Water is essential to our survival and it is NOT renewable.  Being conscious of our use (and preventing overuse) of water and seeing that we do all we can to prevent contamination of our fresh water supply simply protects this invaluable resource.
6. Buying organic locally-grown foods means avoiding harsh chemicals, supporting agriculture that does not contaminate the soil and food (with pesticides/herbicides and harmful chemicals), and avoiding the emissions created by shipping produce from somewhere across the country or (potentially) another hemisphere entirely.  This, in turn, slows deforestation by reducing the demand for producing news crops… therefore saving delicate eco-systems, valuable trees (that hold CO2) and precious wildlife.
7. Choosing products that are biodegradable and contain natural ingredients prevents absorption of chemicals into our own bodies and the contamination of resources when they reach landfills and water sources. This includes everything from body products and cosmetics to household cleaners and lawn care chemicals.
8. Choosing products made from recycled or sustainable resources does everything from protecting resources, habitats and forests, to preventing more landfill waste, to the reduction of production energy.
9. When we choose NOT to use resources, it SAVES resources. Is there really any reason NOT to want to do that?
10. People, plants, animals and the environment/eco-systems are all interconnected. We cannot change one without affecting the other and, the way I see it, we are the only “element” in that equation that has the true ability to make a positive change.

Why go green?  For me, it’s to do my part in preserving this planet and its resources through each and every choice I make.  And to see that I make the healthiest choices possible.  I have young children… they’re counting on me.

Why do YOU go green?

My list of duties just got longer…  drumroll, please… I am now the Head Room Mom (read:  “Lead Party Queen”!) for our daughter’s 2nd grade class!  She is absolutely thrilled and while I’m excited too, I’m also simultaneously worried.

I know what parties essentially “mean”….  things like lots of trash, waste and “un-environmental” activities.  It’s fairly easy to control what goes on for a party in your own home but this is another situation entirely, yet I believe there are still plenty of things I can keep in check.

1. Ask volunteering parents to send in bulk foods instead of individually wrapped items. One big box of Goldfish and a big bowl from home is far better than 25 individual packages!
2. Same goes for drinks… large containers and cups over a bunch of individual boxes or bottles, then recycle the container and compost the cups.
3. Opt for supplies using materials that are less harmful:  Paper over plastic, please!  Paper plates, cups and napkins can be composted, but reusable products are even better.  I love the Party Pak from Kids Konserve.  Invest in this supply of party wares (plates, cups and utensils) and wash and reuse them for every party.  (Get 15% off, now through October 31, by entering: momgreen at checkout!)
4. Skip plastic tableclothes.  Bring a fabric tablecloth from home and opt for laundering over plastic in the trash.  And borrow decorations from home and take them back afterward… simple as that!
5. Make your arts and activities eco-friendly.  Consider decorating little totes or lunch bags so they have some usefulness after the party ends.
6. Play games with supplies from home.  Or consider supplies that can be recycled, like a game of bingo.  You can print cards at dltk-cards and use edible “markers” (like M&Ms!) and recycle the cards afterward.
7. Pass out goodies in paper bags instead of cellophane treat bags, and give extra thought to what goes inside.  Mounds of plastic will eventually wind up in the trash.
8. Recycle and compost everything you can!

Sure, these little ideas won’t change the world but they will certainly help make sure that all of those “little partying feet” create a smaller footprint than would have been created otherwise!