Sound too good to be true? Well in truth it is not really difficult to save money by preparing meals from healthful recipes meant to cook in bulk. There is no magic secret that healthy people understand; it is all about making smart choices when selecting the foods we purchase to prepare.
The internet is a wonderful place to discover a plethora of recipes on the subject -- higher fiber, more produce and grains, less sugar and processed goo -- and I tracked down this interesting three minute video on YouTube to give a boost in inspiration for how to get started.
After checking it out, consider purchasing the organic versions of fruits and veggies and also, as the temperatures warm up across the United States, look into local farmer’s markets or smaller roadside farm stands as the prices at these locations tend to be more reasonable than large chain grocery stores, the produce tends to be fresher and generally everything is grown organically. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Green Shame
We have talked at great length over here at GLR about the Earth, how we can all make our world a better place and ways to be a bit more eco-friendly, but in the process of sharing all those nuggets of awesomeness everyday I have insisted that by no means am I going to claim to be perfect; I live the life of tradeoffs just like the next planet lover. So today when I read back through some of the more recent posts of one of my favorite bloggers, I could not stop laughing at his Earth Day Can Blow Me post. (Please note there is very strong language in almost all of his writing) Just in case some of you do not have time to head over and read his witty banter I will summarize for you here.
Jim’s wife went into a coffee shop to purchase a cup of hot Joe one morning on the way to work. She requested a second, empty cup due to a sensitivity to heat. The server offered a cardboard sleeve. She asked for the other cup again and the clerk essentially said he did not want to give it to her because he wanted there to still be trees for his grandchildren. Jim’s wife was shocked (as I think all of us reading the story were) but acquired the cup anyway and went on her merry way.
Now as a self proclaimed tree hugger (in only the loosest sense of the word remember we have talked about the eco-tradeoffs of the lifestyles we all live, most especially me) my immediate reaction to his 1,000 word ranting was to ask what exactly the cardboard sleeve was made from that server offered instead? If it was not created right in the back room of the establishment, by hand and made from hemp or some such other environmentally friendly fabric then how would using that item be any better for our planet than the second cup (potentially created from post-consumer recycled content)?
I thoroughly enjoy sharing the tips and tricks, products or items I have discovered in my travels that could help us all be a little greener and in the future I really hope that the coffee server follows that lead by instead saying something to the effect of ‘you know for an extra dollar I can put your coffee in a reusable travel mug that might better protect your hands’.
As I have said before, in the end simply being aware of the choices available to us is going to bring the most change but each of us will need to make our own informed choice as to what works for us and what does not.
Have any of you experienced green shame while out and about? How did you react?
Jim’s wife went into a coffee shop to purchase a cup of hot Joe one morning on the way to work. She requested a second, empty cup due to a sensitivity to heat. The server offered a cardboard sleeve. She asked for the other cup again and the clerk essentially said he did not want to give it to her because he wanted there to still be trees for his grandchildren. Jim’s wife was shocked (as I think all of us reading the story were) but acquired the cup anyway and went on her merry way.
Now as a self proclaimed tree hugger (in only the loosest sense of the word remember we have talked about the eco-tradeoffs of the lifestyles we all live, most especially me) my immediate reaction to his 1,000 word ranting was to ask what exactly the cardboard sleeve was made from that server offered instead? If it was not created right in the back room of the establishment, by hand and made from hemp or some such other environmentally friendly fabric then how would using that item be any better for our planet than the second cup (potentially created from post-consumer recycled content)?
I thoroughly enjoy sharing the tips and tricks, products or items I have discovered in my travels that could help us all be a little greener and in the future I really hope that the coffee server follows that lead by instead saying something to the effect of ‘you know for an extra dollar I can put your coffee in a reusable travel mug that might better protect your hands’.
As I have said before, in the end simply being aware of the choices available to us is going to bring the most change but each of us will need to make our own informed choice as to what works for us and what does not.
Have any of you experienced green shame while out and about? How did you react?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Cleaning up the town, post Earth Day
Hey all, Melissa again...back so soon because I needed to share a little Earth Day-related bit before it got to be the 4th of July!
This past Saturday was my little burg's town cleanup day, held, as in the past, the weekend closest to Earth Day. I'd been raring to go on this since about January, hoping to rally whoever I could to get out there and pick up some of the detritus that collects in any town over time.
Because the event coincided with my kids' soccer practice -- the reason I didn't participate last year -- I decided to try to tackle the soccer field and playground that are part of our town park. Thanks to the parents and especially the kids who joined me and mine on a hot, sunny April Saturday to do a little bagging duty!
Signs to rally some support....
Samples of what we found (there was plenty more where this came from)
Citizens pitching in to clean up a place they care about
In the end, we didn't have quite the volume of stuff I had envisioned, but that's what happens when the trash you pick up is mostly cigarette butts (yiiiiigh!) and candy wrappers. All the same, we had fun collecting (lots of golf balls and a few baseballs, as well) and got to feel good about brightening up our park. Can't wait to see if there are photos from the efforts that went on around the rest of the town.
And even now, I find we're all so much more alert to the bits and pieces of castoffs that line the roadways that it's hard not to slam on the brakes and jump out to pick stuff up. So instead of the usual "Make every day Earth Day" closing (with which I totally agree, by the way!), I think maybe I'd say, "Make every day town cleanup day!"
This past Saturday was my little burg's town cleanup day, held, as in the past, the weekend closest to Earth Day. I'd been raring to go on this since about January, hoping to rally whoever I could to get out there and pick up some of the detritus that collects in any town over time.
Because the event coincided with my kids' soccer practice -- the reason I didn't participate last year -- I decided to try to tackle the soccer field and playground that are part of our town park. Thanks to the parents and especially the kids who joined me and mine on a hot, sunny April Saturday to do a little bagging duty!
Signs to rally some support....
Samples of what we found (there was plenty more where this came from)
Citizens pitching in to clean up a place they care aboutIn the end, we didn't have quite the volume of stuff I had envisioned, but that's what happens when the trash you pick up is mostly cigarette butts (yiiiiigh!) and candy wrappers. All the same, we had fun collecting (lots of golf balls and a few baseballs, as well) and got to feel good about brightening up our park. Can't wait to see if there are photos from the efforts that went on around the rest of the town.
And even now, I find we're all so much more alert to the bits and pieces of castoffs that line the roadways that it's hard not to slam on the brakes and jump out to pick stuff up. So instead of the usual "Make every day Earth Day" closing (with which I totally agree, by the way!), I think maybe I'd say, "Make every day town cleanup day!"
Friday, April 24, 2009
To color or not to color...Aveda makes the dyeing dilemma less painful
Hey all you GLR regulars, Melissa here, taking a spin for Jenn. Enjoy!
Among my many baby steps toward a greener way of living have definitely been a few that some people would not even contemplate. I won't even bother to list them, but I figure these are the ways in which I account for the steps I, in turn, can't contemplate. Like navy showers. Like trying to fit three kids in car seats into a Smart Car. Like moving from the suburbs to the city. Everyone has their level...enough said.
One step I've contemplated, but ultimately rejected (for now, anyway) is giving up on hair color. I gave up on length (going from shoulder-length to my current pixifed do) to save shower time months back, and have been loving how fast it is to shampoo and rinse now -- so much less guilt! That said, all the trims that have been necessary to maintain the shorter style have brought me up short in another way: the last of my last hair color session (done at home, from a box that cost probably no more than $10) was all gone. And the greys were taking a spot front and center.
For months and months, I hesitated. I really hated to be responsible for dumping more dye chemicals down my drain. It just seemed out of kilter with everything else I've been trying to do. And I didn't really want to pay my colorist to dump them down her drain either. I know I'm not the only person who cares about the environment to fret about whether to color or not. But who wants to look 50 at 40?
Well, not me, for one. So, in doing some desperate online research, I was reminded that Aveda, purveyor of a range of beauty products and services, offers hair coloring services that use more nature-based ingredients. But since I didn't have time to look up the details right then, I didn't get too far.
After some more stalling, I finally decided the time had come, and booked myself at a salon that uses Aveda products. I verified with my colorist that, indeed, Aveda's line is more environmentally-friendly (Um, not to say I would have leapt, outraged, out of the chair if the answer had been "no, not really!" The greys had to go!) than most other DIY or salon coloring products.
Here's how Aveda's Web site describes its Shades of Enlightenment Advanced Lifting Creme Hair Color (not sure if this is what I got, but I think it's close): "Blondes awaken with the first permanent hair color system that's 97 percent naturally derived—capturing the active energy of plants."
My colorist noted that the hair color line does contain a small amount of peroxide -- necessary for the color to "deposit" (I have to confess I don't know precisely what this means, but my guess is that it means the peroxide helps the dye to do what you want it to do to your hair). But the overwhelming majority of Aveda's products are plant-derived, and they have a whole policy around their process for selecting green ingredients. And a quick search on Aveda at Treehugger shows them to be generally beloved over there.
As for my experience, the first thing I noticed was that I didn't smell any of the usual smells when the colorist wheeled out her tray with the mixed color. She warned me that some natural products can actually have a stronger smell even than traditional peroxide-heavy colors, but even when my entire head was foiled, I never smelled a thing. And I have an obnoxiously well-developed sense of smell, so that's got to be worth something!
And the color, when all was said and done, looked good. I'd say great, but we went for highlights and lowlights of blonde and brown -- subtle with a capital sssss. It's so similar to what my own normal hair would look like that it's hard to gush about it...maybe I'll be a little bolder next time. All the same, I'm happy I did it, because I'm not looking quite so salt-and-peppery now.
Oh, and one more thing...my hair remains happily unfried, something I could not say of my past out-of-box experiences!
If there's a downside, it's the price tag. Like any salon process, this cost more -- way more -- than doing it yourself from a box you buy at CVS or Target. And it probably even cost a few bucks more than I've shelled out in the past for highlights, even when my hair was long. But I think the environmental benefits made it worthwhile. What with the sun finally warming things up now, I can probably stretch this round of color six months, right? So I'm pinning four green leaves on Aveda for the moment -- could jump up to five if my next attempt at a slightly gutsier look works out!
Among my many baby steps toward a greener way of living have definitely been a few that some people would not even contemplate. I won't even bother to list them, but I figure these are the ways in which I account for the steps I, in turn, can't contemplate. Like navy showers. Like trying to fit three kids in car seats into a Smart Car. Like moving from the suburbs to the city. Everyone has their level...enough said.
One step I've contemplated, but ultimately rejected (for now, anyway) is giving up on hair color. I gave up on length (going from shoulder-length to my current pixifed do) to save shower time months back, and have been loving how fast it is to shampoo and rinse now -- so much less guilt! That said, all the trims that have been necessary to maintain the shorter style have brought me up short in another way: the last of my last hair color session (done at home, from a box that cost probably no more than $10) was all gone. And the greys were taking a spot front and center.
For months and months, I hesitated. I really hated to be responsible for dumping more dye chemicals down my drain. It just seemed out of kilter with everything else I've been trying to do. And I didn't really want to pay my colorist to dump them down her drain either. I know I'm not the only person who cares about the environment to fret about whether to color or not. But who wants to look 50 at 40?
Well, not me, for one. So, in doing some desperate online research, I was reminded that Aveda, purveyor of a range of beauty products and services, offers hair coloring services that use more nature-based ingredients. But since I didn't have time to look up the details right then, I didn't get too far.
After some more stalling, I finally decided the time had come, and booked myself at a salon that uses Aveda products. I verified with my colorist that, indeed, Aveda's line is more environmentally-friendly (Um, not to say I would have leapt, outraged, out of the chair if the answer had been "no, not really!" The greys had to go!) than most other DIY or salon coloring products.
Here's how Aveda's Web site describes its Shades of Enlightenment Advanced Lifting Creme Hair Color (not sure if this is what I got, but I think it's close): "Blondes awaken with the first permanent hair color system that's 97 percent naturally derived—capturing the active energy of plants."
My colorist noted that the hair color line does contain a small amount of peroxide -- necessary for the color to "deposit" (I have to confess I don't know precisely what this means, but my guess is that it means the peroxide helps the dye to do what you want it to do to your hair). But the overwhelming majority of Aveda's products are plant-derived, and they have a whole policy around their process for selecting green ingredients. And a quick search on Aveda at Treehugger shows them to be generally beloved over there.
As for my experience, the first thing I noticed was that I didn't smell any of the usual smells when the colorist wheeled out her tray with the mixed color. She warned me that some natural products can actually have a stronger smell even than traditional peroxide-heavy colors, but even when my entire head was foiled, I never smelled a thing. And I have an obnoxiously well-developed sense of smell, so that's got to be worth something!
And the color, when all was said and done, looked good. I'd say great, but we went for highlights and lowlights of blonde and brown -- subtle with a capital sssss. It's so similar to what my own normal hair would look like that it's hard to gush about it...maybe I'll be a little bolder next time. All the same, I'm happy I did it, because I'm not looking quite so salt-and-peppery now.
Oh, and one more thing...my hair remains happily unfried, something I could not say of my past out-of-box experiences!
If there's a downside, it's the price tag. Like any salon process, this cost more -- way more -- than doing it yourself from a box you buy at CVS or Target. And it probably even cost a few bucks more than I've shelled out in the past for highlights, even when my hair was long. But I think the environmental benefits made it worthwhile. What with the sun finally warming things up now, I can probably stretch this round of color six months, right? So I'm pinning four green leaves on Aveda for the moment -- could jump up to five if my next attempt at a slightly gutsier look works out!
Eco-Fashion Friday Featured Designer: Jess Pillmore of A Second Chance
Last summer I started my journey into eco-blogging by doing write ups and interviews for The Organic Mechanic blog and during those months I had the pleasure of running into many fine artisans from every genre possible. One of those amazing interviews was with Jess Pillmore of the shop A Second Chance. I enjoyed interviewing her so much it is time to feature her work yet again!
A Second Chance is full of pieces Jess has knitted or crocheted from upcycled materials, in fact every hand made piece is created in this manner and she has even begun offering skeins of the reclaimed yarn she uses, indicating in the item description:
“I pick high quality, gently used sweaters for my projects and for my yarns.”
Her price point for hand made knitted and crocheted pieces of this quality is moderate, with accessories at about $30 and tops falling in the $50 range.
In addition to her hand made items, A Second Chance also offers vintage pieces, which is another terrific way to “recycle” clothing!
Chatting with Jess was a joy as I learned that she ships in either recycled or once used materials and she will “drive to the thrift stores in a Prius.” Not only that but she donates 10% of each sale to Kiva, an organization which provides financial assistance via person to person loans to entrepreneurs starting their own business.
With such an eye on the planet as a whole, as well as her humanitarian efforts, I must grant Jess’ shop A Second Chance a Four Leaf Rating!
A Second Chance is full of pieces Jess has knitted or crocheted from upcycled materials, in fact every hand made piece is created in this manner and she has even begun offering skeins of the reclaimed yarn she uses, indicating in the item description:
“I pick high quality, gently used sweaters for my projects and for my yarns.”
Her price point for hand made knitted and crocheted pieces of this quality is moderate, with accessories at about $30 and tops falling in the $50 range.
In addition to her hand made items, A Second Chance also offers vintage pieces, which is another terrific way to “recycle” clothing!
Chatting with Jess was a joy as I learned that she ships in either recycled or once used materials and she will “drive to the thrift stores in a Prius.” Not only that but she donates 10% of each sale to Kiva, an organization which provides financial assistance via person to person loans to entrepreneurs starting their own business.
With such an eye on the planet as a whole, as well as her humanitarian efforts, I must grant Jess’ shop A Second Chance a Four Leaf Rating!
I am overwhelmingly impressed with her work and spirit and I hope everyone has a chance to visit her shop and see for themselves the quality work she completes!
Thanks Jess ♥love♥
Thanks Jess ♥love♥
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