Staying positive…good news on the environment
In honor of spring cleaning, websites that sell green alternatives to common household cleaners:
A new study in the UK just revealed something that many of us already suspected: organic milk from cows allowed to graze freely on grass is healthier than traditional milk. The study found that organic milk contains 67% more vitamins and antioxidants than traditional milk. It also contains 60% more of the healthy fatty acid CLA9, which has been shown to shrink tumors. Organically farmed cows get more than 80% of their diet from grazing on grass, as compared to 37% for cows raised to produce ‘ordinary’ milk.
I recently finished the food chapter of the book I’m writing on Eco-weddings. It includes information on why it matters to eat lower on the food chain, eat organic and eat locally grown products. I thought I’d post the section on eating locally here:
Your food travels an average of 1,300 to 1,500 miles (depending on the literature) before it reaches your local supermarket. Just think of how much fuel is used to drive a truck that far. Buying locally ensures that more of your dollar goes to the farmer. Local farmers will keep about $0.90 of each dollar you spend. Food that is shipped across the country has money going to marketing, distribution and the parent corporation, leaving the original farmer with $0.21 of that dollar you spent. Local produce needs to be sprayed with far fewer chemicals to keep it looking fresh for the 24 hours it travels to your kitchen. When food is shipped long distances, growers have to focus on growing varieties that will maintain their color over distance, which usually involves losing taste and gaining preservatives. Local farmers can work with heirloom varieties and select for taste instead of shelf life.
online pharmacycialislevitrasomaviagra
Admit it. When you think of someone who is ecologically friendly, who buys organic whenever they can, you think of someone who owns a lot of futons and beanbag chairs, don’t you? Well, I am pleasantly surprised to find that there are some really fantastic furniture alternatives.
Quite a while back, I was watching a program where the redecorated someone’s house with eco-friendly furniture, and they highlighted Bean Products. Sure, they’ve got bean bag chairs - filled with 100% recycled polystyrene beads inside cotton or hemp washable covers. But, they’ve also got some of the coolest chairs and couches I’ve seen. The frames are made from American-grown hardwoods certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and assembled with non-toxic natural-based glues. They also contain natural latex foam rubber, organic cotton batting and sheeting, and hemp covers. Stylish and eco-friendly…now if someone would just buy a couple chairs for me…
I heard about this skateboard and snowboard maker that uses environmentally-friendly products: Arbor. I know nearly nothing about snowboards, but their skateboards look really, really cool. They’ve got some retro designs and some East Asian-inspired designs. They use bamboo for some of their boards, and a combination of sustainably harvested maple and koa (the wood used by Hawaiians for the first surfboards) for others. And they must be good, because one of their boards was designed by Kelly Slater. In addition to using sustainably sourced wood for their skateboards, they work green too by donating a portion of their profits to conservation organizations, printing on recycled paper with soy-based ink, purchasing wind power credits and working in an office built largely with recycled materials. It’s nice to see an alternative to the old school skater mentality that the world was going to end so who cared anyway. And to see it done with such cool boards.
If I could, I would give the majority of my income to charity. But then I’d be living out of a cardboard box. So, since my furniture won’t fit in a cardboard box, I’ve found an easier way to give to charity doing something I normally do anyway. The site is GoodSearch, and it’s a search engine that makes a contribution to charity every time you search. The results are just about as good as Google, though I do resort to Google for more complicated searches. But the best part is that you pick the charity. AND, you can see how much of a difference people are making by clicking on the Amount Raised button. I’ve got three different charities set up between the three machines I use regularly at work and home. I haven’t found a charity yet that’s not listed. Plus, they’ve got a shopping portal, in case you don’t already have one that you use regularly.
As someone who has not had a lot of ‘fun money’ for a long time, I know that it can be easy to think that if you just had product A, things would be easier. Or, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to buy a cup of coffee or a new shirt without worrying about your budget? Advertisers didn’t spend years perfecting their craft for nothing - they’re good at knowing how to convince someone with or without much discretionary income that their product is what you should spend money on.
But, if what we’re all looking for is simplicity, happiness, less debt, etc, it may pay to redefine those goals. Yes, it would be nice to be able to afford to buy a paperback once in a while or not have to think twice before going out for dinner twice in one week. But, what is that thoughtlessness costing? The New American Dream advocates asking yourself three questions before making a purchase: do I really need it?, can I borrow it or buy it used? can I wait to buy it until I can pay for it without credit?
Think of it, not as depriving yourself, but as choosing between priorities. More stuff or more freedom from debt. And, as someone who just moved, more freedom from stuff you have to pack in boxes. It helps you to place value on what you do have and complete that often neglected part of the recycling trio: reduce.
We’ve recently moved to a new place, city and state. In our previous tiny town, there were no CSAs to support, but I’m hoping there will be some in our new place. What is a CSA? CSA - Community Supported Agriculture - is a program that allows individuals to support their local farms. Usually it involves buying a share (or more) in a local farm. With the purchase of a share, you get some of the farm’s produce. The CSAs I’ve seen usually involve getting a box each week of whatever is ripe, usually lasting for a growing season. I’ve also heard of flower CSAs, dairy and cheese CSAs and meat CSAs.
Usually CSAs request that you pay for the season in advance, so now is a good time to be looking into signing up, since farms can usually only support a certain number of members. The USDA has a list of CSA databases, searchable by zip code. I had the best luck with the Eat Well Guide, since it went beyond CSAs (which are sadly absent in Louisiana) and listed other healthy food sources.
When I belonged to a CSA several years ago, I found it was a painless way of increasing my vegetable consumption. You get these little morsels in a box and have to figure out some way to cook them. I never would have seen or eaten garlic scapes, had it not been for my CSA box.
On my recent travels, I heard a radio ad for a restaurant in Chattanooga called 212 Market. Once I got home, I checked their website and found that they’re a certified green restaurant. I looked up what that meant and found the Green Restaurant Association. To be certified, a restaurant must use a recycling program for all products accepted by local recyclers, must be free of styrofoam products, must complete four environmental steps every year of membership, and commit to completing one environmental step after joining. To help you support green restaurants with your dollar, they have a searchable database of certified restaurants. Sadly, there aren’t any near me, so you’ll have to dine out on my behalf.
This weekend, a list of places to get environmentally friendly (organic cotton) bedding. Happy napping.
