Your Kid Friendly Guide To Earth-Friendly Living!
If you checked out last week's post, you know that I crashed and burned big-time and had to crawl my way back on plan before the week was through. I'm happy to report that other than a few minor slip-ups (like the two bagels that I ate immediately after I dropped my eldest off for her very first week of sleepaway camp) I did pretty darned good this week. Especially considering the week … [Read more...]
Yeah, um. Ok. Let me just go ahead and come clean. I cheated big time this week. My excuse: extreme sleep-deprivation. Last week started off so well. I led 3 days of our local girl scout camp and each day I got up at 5:00am, worked until 6:30, then worked out until 7:30 so that I could spend the rest of the day leading little girls on hikes, playing silly games, and splashing in our … [Read more...]
I'm about to take a journey this summer, and I'm taking you along for the ride. If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that I am very interested in health and fitness, and I try to make these two issues a priority in the decisions I make. Unless, of course, the health and fitness at stake are my own and then I seem to make consistently inconsistent decisions that thwart my … [Read more...]
Team ENERGY STAR launched this week. Have you joined the team? Team ENERGY STAR is a very cool initiative conceived by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It was brought to my attention by Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse, so I knew it was worth it's weight in green. I joined up immediately and here's why you should too... You've probably heard of the ENERGY STAR program, … [Read more...]
by Andrea Woroch Remember all those tips saying you should cook rather than eat out? Well the USDA says we might just be wrong about that in the near future. A recent study by the government agency estimated the price gap between eating at home and dining out will narrow even further in 2012. Grocery prices are expected to rise 3 percent to 4 percent, while menu prices will likely go up 2 … [Read more...]
Today's Meter Reading: 89691 OK, almost half of the month is over, so I wanted to take a minute to reevaluate how the month of energy savings is going. Thus far, I am pleased. I have consistently used less energy each day than I have at this same time of year in 2010 and 2009. But I want to just do more than use "a little less" I want to see what it takes to really crank … [Read more...]
This morning's meter reading (89204 KWH) shows that we used 43 KWH of energy yesterday, which is not too shabby but not too great . If we keep up that rate, we'll use 1333 KWH for the month of March, which is more than we used in March, 2009; but less than we used in March 2010. Today, I'm making an effort to crank down the energy use by turning off the heat pump (it's 30 degrees right now but … [Read more...]
My meter reading this morning: 89161 Can you guess what this month's eco-challenge is? That's right, I'm cranking down the energy use in my home. I've done this before. But this month, I'm going to do it smarter. Like most green bloggers, I've written tons of articles of the years on saving energy. Heck, I have a whole site category devoted to it. And when I was writing The Green … [Read more...]
OK, I'm over halfway through the month and if there's one thing I've learned so far about plastics it is that they are really hard to avoid. It's not impossible by any means, by it does take quite a bit more work to find things that are plastic free. Even things that I never would have associated with plastic before - like say nuts- are generally wrapped in plastic. I already know that I … [Read more...]
I'm continuing my search this week for plastic-free alternatives for all of the things my family needs, and seeking out the advice of experts who can help me along the way. Today, I'd like to share this guest post from Tracy Lydiatt (aka The Green Families Guru and author of Your Green Family Blueprint) on how to kick plastic to the curb. Thanks for the tips Tracy! Strategies to Shift Away … [Read more...]
In the past few years, the world has taken notice of the Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean, a gyre of trash estimated to be at a minimum the size of the state of Texas and possibly as large at the United States. 90% of this trash patch is comprised of plastic. And there are similar areas of plastic pollution throughout the world – in all the world’s oceans, in seemingly unlikely places … [Read more...]
Summer is here and nature's produce is at its finest. What's not to love about the succulent berries, sweet corn, and flavorful tomatoes of this season? Whether you grow your own, or hit your local farmers market, why not try your hand at canning some some of that goodness so that you can enjoy it all year long. Never canned before? Start off simply by canning jam or preserves. Here's a … [Read more...]
Before I begin, let me just say that I in no way wish to condemn the excellent cafeteria staff at my daughter's school. Those woman (they are in fact all women) bust their buns every day to make two meals a day for hundreds of kids; put up with a constant din of adolescent noise, clean up disgusting spills, and manage to get it all done each day with a smile on their faces. But it is no secret … [Read more...]
The fourth annual by Environmental Working Group (EWG) gives low marks to the current crop of sunscreen products, with a few notable exceptions. EWG researchers recommend only 39, or 8 percent, of 500 beach and sport sunscreens on the market this season. The reason? A surge in exaggerated SPF claims (SPFs greater than 50) and recent developments in understanding the possible hazards of some … [Read more...]
