How to Celebrate Earth Day?

This Thursday marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day marked to celebrate and embrace the planet we live on as a living and breathing entity. Here in the United States, the day falls on April 22 each year and has been an important teaching day to talk about the environment sine it was first proposed in 1969.

Even people who are not traditionally known as “Green” tend to do something better for the planet on Earth day but that leads me to the question in my post title…how should we celebrate?

Since I am a proudly self-proclaimed Greenie I already do a whole bunch of the things that are suggested as ways to show some eco love -- work from home most of the time, eat far less meat (almost none in fact!), use CFLs, wash in cold water, reduce/reuse/recycle, buy second hand or from local shops as often as is practical, unplug items not in use, do as much shopping on one day as possible to avoid multiple gas emission days, walk whenever possible, etc -- so what should an eco-attuned gal such as myself do to celebrate this momentous day?

Some of you may be having a similar problem right now considering my readers over here are certainly savvy environmental lovers who don’t just hug trees, they plant them too! But this leaves all of us with the difficult task of trying to determine the best way to do even more in honor of the planet; and it is just 3 days away, yikes!

I am stumped! If anyone has suggestions I am all ears! PLEASE give me some recommendations for ways to celebrate on Thursday and I will be forever grateful!

Organic Tailgate Goodies from Atlanta Falcons Fullback Ovie Mughelli

Good morning readers! Tis the season to start thinking about what we will create to wow and impress the taste buds of our friends and family, those dishes that will have them asking ‘can I get that recipe?’ and us responding with a sly smile and a wink of the eye as we protect our secret concoctions! Well maybe not all of us are so protective. One Greenie is fully willing to share his organic recipe, Ovie Mughelli.

We have talked before about Ovie and his amazing contributions to the youth of America through his Ovie Mughelli Foundation, as well as his strong eye on the planet. This is something that is rare in the world of football players, rare in the sense that it is infrequently discussed among the pigskin and gridiron talk but it is nice to see at least one player speaking out to share his love of the planet!

In an effort to reach a wide audience on all things Green, Ovie has decided to share his own recipe for Organic Chili with Charleston Spice. Not only will this be a yummy indoor winter meal, but all of you tailgaters can truly warm up by partaking in a bowl of this delicious chili! Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:
One 16 oz can each - black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans (organic)
1 lb pkg fresh organic whole kernel corn
3 plum tomatos, diced
1-2 lbs free range organic boneless, skinless chicken (or substitute as desired)
Two 16 oz cans organic diced stewed tomatos
2 T olive oil

Charleston Spice:
4 T chili powder
2 t cumin
½ t turmeric
1-1/2 t cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 T sea salt
1 T minced garlic
1 t granulated garlic powder
½ t coarse ground black pepper

Recipe:
Dice chicken into ½ inch cubes and lightly season with salt and pepper.
Sautee in olive oil and minced garlic until brown, remove from pan.
In a stock pot bring beans, tomato and corn to a slow simmer.
Add Charleston Spice, simmer 5-10 minutes.
Add cooked chicken.
Let sit on low heat about ten minutes.
Remove and enjoy with organic cheese or sour cream.
Serves 8.

Reduce Mold with Aspen Environmental

Mold is a creepy little substance, it can be the root cause of serious health issues and create complications for the respiratory systems of all humans but most especially children. It breeds in moist environments and is a living bacteria. Bleh.

So recently when I was visiting my Step Mother at her place of employment, a Real Estate office, I happened to notice a pamphlet for Aspen Environmental on their shelf and being the Greenie I am, I was intrigued. It turns out this company will not just clean mold spores but guarantees the complete removal of mold.

Aspen adheres to the stringent standards of the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors (NORMI) as well as the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). What this means is the professionals are adhering to a stricter code of ethical customer treatment and that they are trained in remediation.

What I found very cool about Aspen in particular is their indication of being a Green Aware Company. This means they use only natural biowashes and environmentally safe fungicides to protect the area from future mold outbreaks. In addition to these fantastic efforts their pamphlet also indicates that they donate a portion of their proceeds to various charities.

The company is located in Methuen, MA and from what I can surmise only operates in the general local northeast region of the United States. However if there is a company here in Massachusetts that will eliminate mold in an environmentally responsible manner I can only imagine others exist as well.

If this is an issue in your life please consider looking into an environmentally conscious company like Aspen before hiring a company who might use chemicals to treat this bacterial issue; that might rid the mold but can potentially release toxic chemicals into the home further reducing overall air quality!

Red Tree Studios Eco-Greeting Cards

This afternoon I ran into my local Walgreen’s to pick up a birthday card for a friend. I enjoy reading through a bunch of cards until the perfect one makes its way into my hand so while perusing I noticed a card with Al Gore wearing a birthday hat. I was intrigued and decided to check it out. As a self proclaimed member of the eco-police I could not help but laugh at this card and, although I purchased something else for my friend, I picked up the Al Gore card simply to share it with all of you.


I was immediately impressed with the card considering I read “On recycled paper since 1971” at the bottom. Once I arrived home I pulled up the Red Tree Studios website to discover they also offer e-cards for free, and there are so many adorable ones too! There are even e-cards specific to today (Income Tax Day). I fully intend to send this card to one of my Greenie friends for their birthday but in the meantime I am granting Red Tree Studios Three Green Leaves for their attention to recycled paper, use of environmental topics as a fun birthday card and e-card option.

I would be excited to up this an extra leaf for adding the option of Earth Day e-cards but in the meantime, keep up the great work Red Tree Studios!

Living Vegan -- Keepin’ It Real (and Simple!) With Ginger Cooke

Greenies may have noticed her lurking around these parts. The clever may have spotted her logo (Vegan With A Purpose) over on the sidebar and gone ahead and clicked. Still, many of you might be asking -- who is Ginger Cooke? She writes a fantastically fun page full of recipes, hints, tips (even some poetry and real life stories) of being a vegan** gal living in Colorado. Her approach is always ‘fun meets function’ as she shares the best ways to create meals that she has tried, many of which she created. She asks her readers to give feedback, share stories and let her know what they think after they have made the yummy goodness she has shared. Ginger has set herself apart in the world of foodie bloggers by providing those of us who are “afraid” to give up meat with some amazingly simple, truly delicious and hilarious ways to make a meal.

I have personally been reading her for quite some time and have made many of her recipes for no other reason than they sounded completely fantastic…and they were! Ginger is honest, open and shares her experiences as if we were pals chatting on the phone -- through humorous wit and trial and error. I asked her to share some additional guidance for those of us Greenies who might be considering venturing into the world of vegan (or are at least interested to hear what it is all about), but are too shy to ask for directions.

How long have you been a vegan?

I've been a vegan for about 3 years. I was a vegetarian for a year before that, but I still ate eggs and dairy.

What made you decide to stop eating meat and other animal by-products?

My transition to a vegetarian diet happened gradually as I began to lose my appetite for meat products. Not because I didn't like the taste of meat anymore, but I began to see the meat on my plate as more than a food product. I began to see it as butchered, dead animal flesh and it really began to make me ill just to think about it. I stopped eating eggs and dairy a year later by accident. My sister, who eats a vegan diet for different reasons, was visiting from out of state. I realized, after a week of hanging out with her, that I had been eating a vegan diet without intending to and I felt great. After that, I'd decided to become a vegan.

Do you find it difficult to eat at restaurants?

Not really. While more and more restaurants are offering vegan options due to popular demand, some haven't quite gotten the message yet. Still, they usually at least offer a few vegetarian options and I can just ask for the cheese to be left off. They are normally very accommodating and will substitute marinara sauce for cream sauce, artichoke hearts for chicken and so on and so forth. Some restaurants even go so far as to offer vegan boca burgers or tofu as substitutions in meat dishes. The ones that aren't so easy usually at least have a good a la carte menu that a meal can be built from. Basically, I never go hungry with a salad in a restaurant while my friends feast.

Do you have to shop in multiple places to acquire all your groceries? If so do you find it is less expensive to shop in specialty stores?

I do the majority of my grocery shopping in my regular, neighborhood grocery store. Local stores are carrying more and more specialty items that used to only be available in health food stores. However, these items do tend to be a little expensive in the grocery store so I usually still buy those items at my favorite, locally owned health food store. After a couple of shopping trips you tend to figure out what items you need to buy at which location and you can do all of your shopping in one trip with no confusion. There's also online vegan stores like VeganStore.com, which are very convenient.

How long does it take on average to prepare a typical meal?

No time at all...less, actually. Vegetables cook up a lot faster than meat and I don't have to worry about overcooking them to kill any parasites or bacteria as long as I properly wash them. I'd say an average meal, with preparation time, usually takes about 30 minutes. If I'm playing with a good recipe it does take longer though.

Do you have a favorite recipe that you have gone back to over and over?

I have so many favorite recipes that I love to make when I'm in the mood for them. My top 3 current favorites are pancakes, seitan stew and veggie-tofu stir fry...The thing I'm in to right now is veganizing traditional recipes so I can expand my horizons and enjoy some childhood favorites.

Is it possible to veganize just about any recipe?

Mostly, I'd say. There are so many creative vegan substitutes these days that a good vegan alternative can usually be created with some patience and research. I love cooking and creating new recipes so this is half the fun for me.

What common misconception about living a vegan lifestyle do you want to clear up?

There seems to be an assumption among people I'm introduced to that vegans are generally anemic, malnourished and angry at anyone else who chooses to eat or use animal products. First, if anyone reading this has met an angry vegan and felt judged, they probably just met a zealot who would most likely be angry no matter what their lifestyle...most of us just want to make friends over a plate of sweet potato fries, I promise! ;) Second, the misconception that we suffer from poor nutrition really should be cleared up. Most vegans are well educated about their diet and nutrition and actually get more protein, iron and calcium than is required. They usually live longer and suffer less from heart disease and cancer than those who eat a standard Western diet.

In all honesty, is there anything you miss from your carnivorous lifestyle?

No, no, no! In all honesty, for the first 5 months of being vegetarian I missed cheeseburgers. Anytime the craving hit, I would eat something high in fat and the craving would be satisfied....ergo, it wasn't the beef I was craving, but the fat I had been getting from the beef. The secret to not missing animal products is utilizing resources to find vegan substitutes. I have a list of vegan resources and information in the sidebar on my page for anyone interested and searching for information. Also, if anyone ever needs information and can't find it, they can email me and I would be happy to do some research, make suggestions or point them in the right direction.

What are your top five vegan resources (books, blogs, tv shows, etc.)?

1) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living. Go out and buy this book and read it right away. It's filled with resources, information and nutritional education for anyone who wants to make an easy and healthy transition into a vegan lifestyle.
2) The Post Punk Kitchen or theppk.com. Hosts of a vegan cooking show and a vegan blog that provides much humor and lots of great recipes and cooking tips.
3) VegNews magazine or VegNews.com. It has loads of information, fun and yummy recipes to try.
4) GoVeg.com. You can explore and learn for hours.
And
5) Vegan.com. It's blogging, news and links to the vegan world that the general population rarely has exposure to. If they did, they'd rethink their lifestyle a bit.

**It is important to note that being vegan is not solely relegated to the arena of food. I chose to ask only food related questions of Ginger because it is the most identifiable area of change for most of us and because it is the focus of her blog, but to truly be vegan is a complete lifestyle change. Everything from cosmetics to clothing can be made with animal by products. The book Ginger recommends in her first favorite resource is a terrific way to start learning about some of the other life shifts that can be made to go completely vegan.**

Environmentally Friendly Motor Oil?

This afternoon while working I had a rerun of CSI: NY on in the background and did not think much of it until I heard one of the characters identify the motor oil that leaked from a suspect’s cab as G Oil. The character went on to explain that it was an environmental option because it was created from animal by-products. I love watching crime shows to hear fancy words and learn what they are so when the flashy sounding G Oil was mentioned I looked away from the project I was working on to pay attention.

Like any good Greenie I wondered if this was real or something contrived for television so I went right to Google and sure enough the top result led me directly to Green Earth Technologies (GET) where I came upon a picture of the motor oil bottle just featured on the show. Not only that but they manufacture complete lines of Automotive, Lawn & Garden, Marine and Household cleaning products.

The company boasts on the website banner “Save the Earth. Sacrifice Nothing” and with the SM Certification this bio-based oil has received it seems they are proud to put their money where their mouth is; they are the only bio-based motor oil to have passed the test to receive the certification. In addition to the ability to provide optimum performance in all vehicle types, the oil is considered ultimate biodegradable, their bottles are created from 25 - 100% post consumer plastic, the bottles are recyclable and their labels are printed with water based ink on recycled paper.

Due to the fact that I have not used this product to personally attest to its performance, yet with all of these amazing eco-friendly advances the company is attempting I am going to grant GET and its environmentally friendly motor oil an initial Three Green Leaves!

The next time I have my oil changed I will consider looking into this innovative oil product.

What Impact Does the Phone Book have on the Planet?

As a prequel to this post I must say I love this world and the way things always seem to work out just the way they should. Most of the time the winds and waves of fate push us in the direction we are supposed to move so if we do not fight them we end up landing right where we should; carried by the natural way of things. When this type of thing happens it always makes me smile.

This morning I felt a strange need to go back over to read through the comments on Jason’s latest blog posting. It is truly rare that I do this on anyone’s blog, generally I leave my comment and go about my life until I see the next posting and then, repeat, but for some reason I felt compelled to be there today so I went with it and the end result, as referenced above, was a big smile.

One of the comments shared a couple links to the issue of the Yellow Pages and how the unsolicited delivery of them nation wide creates a huge draw on natural resources (sadly this person’s profile is set to private so I can not link back, sorry!). I had been considering what to write about today and bingo, there it was, a story I had forgotten about came rushing back. Here is what laura had to say:

“Arrrgh! Phone books came this week and I hung my head in shame. Not only did I get my shiny new set at work, but at home too. So now I feel like a complete drain on mother Earth. So I did a little searching online to see if this issue was being addressed by the sane.
EVERYONE please sign up to stop the madness! Go Paperless people! 540 million copies of these tree wasting bricks are delivered EVERY year in the US alone. The Google has it all kids!
Sign up to be removed from the mailing lists.
http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/
http://www.paperlesspetition.org/
I know that Jason's friends love the planet and thought they'd want to know. Heck, I might be the one catching up or should I say waking up.
Spread the love.”

I responded there to thank laura for the links and share a story about our own phone book delivery a while back. Matt and I were out front when the delivery person arrived. The books were not shrink-wrapped and he stacked them on the side of our front lobby. We, almost simultaneously, indicated we did not need one and thanks anyway but he could give it to someone else. He told us that he was not allowed to do that, he had to leave them or he would not get paid. We were stunned that trees were being chopped down for something we do not even need but at the time we had no idea what to do other than to take our copy back upstairs and recycle it with the paper later that week. We thought, who needs a phone book when there is Google or yellowpages.com these days? (The really important thing to note here is that I just went down to the lobby and there are still 32 various books just sitting there, taking up space and getting no use. Some have been there well over two months.)

Enter laura and the links so generously shared over at the Freshness Factor.

I immediately went to Yellow Pages Goes Green and began investigating. Turns out this grassroots movement is pretty alright! They indicate that 540 million yellow/white pages are printed each year (that is 1.79 books per every person in the United States) and their mission is to turn it around so these books are not simply left (unsolicited) but a consumer has to call to have one delivered if they want one, thus saving millions of tons of resources and emissions annually but still making the resource available to those who really want or need it. Clearly these folks felt the same as Matt and I about the advent of the Internet for providing information that meets our needs. After reading through all of the information on the website I was elated and signed up, hopeful it would make a difference.

Then it was time to visit the Paperless Petition link. I found this site to provide about the same information as the first and opted to use Matt’s information instead of my own so we would be doubly covered just in case. The cool thing about this site is they are able to support requests from Canada, the UK and Australia in addition to the US. International readers, this is the one for you!

I am not sure how effective signing up will be as we live in an apartment building and I do not know if this would be something my landlord would need to request but I figured it could not hurt to try anyway. Here is hoping that there will be at least one less book in all of the piles downstairs from now on. Please feel free to sign up if you no longer use the physical yellow pages. It takes just a minute and the planet will thank you.

As laura said “spread the love”.

UPDATE: Laura's profile is up but she does not have a blog so please don't spam her, thanks!

There Are A Few Things I Simply Can Not Give Up

Green design, green products, green living, green this and green that -- the word Green has overtaken the general media! With the advent of so many fine things there will always be some things that just do not make the cut where safety, convenience, comfort, price, or a combination of all of the above, is concerned. As a self proclaimed Greenie I tend to give everything a try and if it works for me, fits into my lifestyle, then it will be here to stay. If not then I must revert to my old choices with no guilt and know there are so many other ways I can make a difference instead.

This past Thursday night was the latest Bennetts Brook Green Group (BBGG) meeting. It was small, only seven of us, but once again we touched on many fantastic topics and I was the lucky recipient of two lovely items that evening! One of the members picked up reusable shopping bags for everyone at Walgreens (I love this store) and at the end of the night I also won a door prize. I had the option of choosing between a bar of soap and a box of tissues. I eyed both but decided to go with the tissues because I had never used any of this company’s products before and was rightfully curious.

The brand is Seventh Generation, a well known name just about everywhere these days. The box is eye catching with little green leaves on a white background and on one side details of the product are given. These hypo-allergenic tissues are made from 100% recycled paper, have no dyes or bleach and are two ply. The bottom of the box indicates that if all households using tissues were to purchase a recycled product we would keep 17,000 pounds of chlorinated pollution from water ways and save:

☼ 283,000 trees
☼ 730,000 cubic feet of landfill space
☼ 102 million gallons of water

Yes this is wonderful and yes I am excited to feel good about making a difference. But am I literally looking down my nose at this gift? Well, sort of. No, they are not soft and no I do not believe I could use them if I had a cold as my nose would be raw after just one day. I am certainly happy to have the opportunity to try them out but I am a firm believer that anything we use has got to be the right thing for each of us personally or it will end up in a landfill before its intended life cycle is complete.

I will leave these tissues in the holder on the back of the toilet because we do not get sick often in this household and may only ever use one tissue a day. For that purpose they will be just fine and it will make me feel good knowing I am doing something more environmentally friendly but when this box runs out I will not replace it with another. Instead I will donate to plant a tree and use that as the trade off for the box of Puffs Plus with lotion that will make its way into my cart.

Celebrate Green Celebrities!

No I do not mean Kermit the Frog (although I did just read about the fact that ten of his relatives were recently discovered) I am talking about Greenies! Celebrities who care about the planet make me very happy even if I am not familiar with their body of work because they are using their well known voice to spread the word about a strong sense of community caring.

This morning I read that Miley Cyrus received a Porsche Cayenne as a Sweet Sixteen present from her mom. The car formerly belonged to her Mom and even though Miley enjoyed the benefit of recycling, the environmental impact was not thrilling her so she traded it in for a shiny Toyota Prius. In addition to her eco-mobile the singing and acting starlet also has a song called “Wake Up America” which will be released as a single soon and basically tells everyone to get the clue that we only have one planet so we should probably take care of it. Right on Miley!

A couple days ago Ginger posted some information that peaked my interest in Leonardo Dicaprio. Turns out he is quite the environmental activist with a website dedicated to sharing information on global warming and what we can do to help reduce its effects, links to films he has created with regard to global warming and water (he narrates as well) and links to multiple resources for organizations or foundations which he supports. Who knew Leo was so hot (and by hot I mean concerned with our planet)?!

I have discussed others before such as Edward Norton or Jason Mraz but these are just the celebrities who I am personally drawn to. Since I am not considered a fan of Miley Cyrus or Leonardo Dicaprio but applaud them wholeheartedly for their environmental efforts I decided to do a little digging to see who else might support such endeavors that I may not be aware of. What I discovered is that to care about our planet does not mean being the stereotypical “Tree hugging Hippie” of the past; eco-conscious celebrities are vast and varied. Some of those I discovered who care are: Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews, KT Tunstall, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Ozzy Osbourne, Hilary Clinton, Jay-Z, Sting, Walter Cronkite, Morgan Freeman. And this is just the very tiny tip of the iceberg!

Here is a great collection of names and what each are personally involved in environmentally:
http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/Green_Celebrities_&_Green_Speakers.php

Bottom line is we all have a voice, we can all discuss the issues that are dear to us and take our own action to make necessary changes in order to save our planet it is just that people of a certain status of fame are better equip to reach a larger audience and for this I am granting every single one of these concerned celebs Four Green Leaves!



Thanks celebrities for spreading the word on a global scale so we can all take action on a local one. You rock!

Coal in the Stocking Is an Even Bigger Threat Today

When I was a kid there was no greater fear than waking up on Christmas morning to find a stocking full of coal as opposed to delicious candies, yummy smelling lotions or socks like I usually got. I knew that I was not the most well behaved child on Earth but still I considered my chances of being on the ‘Nice’ list pretty good. Looking back, I do not think as a kid I even had a clue what coal was. Now that I am an adult and fully aware of the substance I am even more excited to have never received it on Christmas day.

What strikes me as ironic, yet still amusing, is that kids today will be far savvier to the downfalls of the actual item and not just the threat of getting something they can not put in their gaming system, on their bodies or in their bellies. It makes me wonder what type of threat item our children’s children will be faced with receiving or if coal in the stocking will stand the test of time!

For all Greenies out there who enjoy learning through laughter I highly recommend reading all the Rustle The Leaf comics as well as the information on their website. They are fun and well written to get the point across.